Mrs. Caizhen has been released!

I just discovered that Yang Caizhen, a Chinese Christian who has been in a labor camp for a year and a half, has been released!

Here is the update from the Voice of the Martyrs Canada blog:

We just learned that Yang Caizhen, a Chinese Christian detained along with her husband and four other believers in November 2009, has been released. Praise the Lord!

In September 2009, Yang Caizhen and four other members of the Fushan church in Linfen, Shanxi province, were sentenced to two to several years of criminal detention for organizing a prayer rally. She has been ill and in the hospital several times since her arrest and was reportedly released in February due to her poor health. At last report, she was still in a very fragile state.
Praise God for Yang Caizhen's release! Ask Him to give healing to her as she recovers. Pray also for her husband, Yang Xuan, and Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, Yang Rongli and Zhang Huamei, who were arrested at the same time as Yang Caizhen and remain in prison.

The July edition of The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter will feature an update on Yang Caizhen and other believers taking a bold stand for Christ. Subscribe to this free resource online today.

I am very excited about Mrs. Caizhen's release. She is actually the one who birthed the idea for this blog. My heart went out to her, because her daughter Esther sent out a plea to her Christian brothers and sisters to write to her mother and pray for her. Mrs. Caizhen has arthritis, so Esther was very worried that her mother would not be able to keep up with the demands of the labor camp -- 15-hour workdays each day for two years. That was when I began writing and campaigning. I first began writing about her on a separate page of my main blog, but it became too crowded. So I decided to start this blog. I was planning to eventually move all the information over to this blog, but by that time, Asia Bibi's situation was most pressing. I will update you on Asia Bibi's case soon. For now, I encourage you to keep Mrs. Caizhen and family in your prayers. Here is their story:

In the early morning hours on Sunday, September 13, 2009, more than 400 Chinese officials and hired thugs stormed the grounds of the Linfen Fushan Church, destroying buildings and injuring more than 100 church members. Weeks, later, 10 Linfen Church leaders were arrested, convicted and sent to prison, including Esther’s parents, Yang Xuan, and Yang Caizhen.

Esther’s mother, stricken with arthritis, was sentenced to two years at a re-education through labor camp, where reportedly her job is to make cigarette lighters. Esther worries her mother’s health will worsen under the stress of 15-hour days spent working in the labor camp.

Her father was sentenced to three-and-a-half years. His whereabouts are unknown. The other Linfen Church leaders received two to seven years in prison for shepherding their 50,000 member unregistered church.

Here is a very brief timeline of events compiled form both The Voice of the Marytrs and Help Linfen websites:


Sunday, September 13, 2009: more than 400 Chinese officials and hired thugs stormed the grounds of the Linfen Fushan Church, destroying buildings and injuring more than 100 church members. Weeks, later, 10 Linfen Church leaders were arrested, convicted and sent to prison, including Esther’s parents, Yang Xuan, and Yang Caizhen.

September 14, 2009: over 1,000 members gathered in the pouring rain to pray for Linfen Church. Linfen Church leaders called on the government to repay the damages to their property and issue a public apology. The Fushan government responded by installing state police guards at numerous house church sites, and banning members from gathering to worship. Water, electricity, and all communications were cut off for neighboring churches...

October 1, National Day: seven Linfen church leaders are detained.

October 17: Esther’s mother, Yang Caizhen, her father, and several other church leaders are detained. Yang, stricken with arthritis, is sentenced to two years at a re-education through labor camp, where her job is to make cigarette lighters. Esther worries her mother’s health will worsen under the stress of 15-hour days spent working in the labor camp. Her father was sentenced to three-and-a-half years. His whereabouts are unknown. The other Linfen Church leaders received two to seven years in prison for shepherding their 50,000 member unregistered church.

November 25: a rigged trial is set up for several of the church leaders. Only the family's lawyers were allowed entrance and access to only 30 of 100 documents used as evidence in the trial. Only four of the family members where allowed to attend the trial.

2010: Esther sends an appeal to her brothers and sister requesting prayer and action concerning her parents. http://www.helplinfen.com/2011/04/daughter-of-linfen-prisoners-appeal.html

May 5, 2010: VOM reports, "Esther thanks VOM readers for writing to her mom and asks us to continue to write to her and the other prisoners who are in Linfen...."

May 2011: Esther's mother, Mrs. Caizhen is released, due to poor health.


Now that Mrs. Caizhen has been released, please pray for her health to be restored and for the other members of Linfen Church to be release, including Esther's father.