Day 28
The Mind of a Missionary Devotional
Yellow Jesus
Zhang Rong
“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” — 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
Drug production, prostitution, poverty, and human trafficking were the hallmarks of a narco town located in one of Myanmar’s war zones near the China border. The United Wa State Army-controlled sector was teeming with meth labs, makeshift gambling dens, and brothels, and hundreds of child soldiers were forced to enlist in its decades-long struggle against the Burmese government. It was the perfect setting to spread the love of God.
The conflict area was challenging, but Zhang Rong was up for the task. He had always been the type who was willing to enter the trenches for marginalized people. He was more than just a bystander to the world’s pain and suffering; he delved into people’s lives to demonstrate God’s grace.
Zhang Rong was a fourth-generation Christian from the Hani tribe, an ethnic people group who experienced dramatic spiritual transformation in the 1940s. German and Danish missionaries led thousands of Hani to Christ; some of their gravestones could still be found on the sloping flatland of Zhang Rong’s village. The young Hani man also wanted to create a Kingdom impact in Gospel-deprived areas. After graduating from an underground Bible college in southwest China, Zhang Rong joined Within Reach Global in 2004 to plant churches among unreached people groups.
He pioneered several house churches and endured severe persecution, including being pursued by police, arrested, and beaten for sharing his faith. He was a gifted evangelist and a tenacious cross-cultural missionary with a pioneering spirit. Believing that “the harvest is in the seed,” he preached the name of Jesus wherever he went. Zhang Rong and his family moved to the ethnic Wa narco town in February 2014, driven by a desire to spread God’s Kingdom in areas where the Gospel had not been shared.
They began ministering to broken families and abandoned kids, and within six months, twelve children came to faith in Christ. Zhang Rong rejoiced at the spiritual breakthrough he witnessed, but his initial joy was about to be tested.
On December 17, 2015, a woman approached the missionary family from China, begging them to adopt her week-old baby. She was on the run from the police for drug trafficking and could not care for the child. The missionary couple accepted the baby girl, called her Yuyu, and fell in love with her, considering her the newest family member.
Three months later, the birth mother showed up out of the blue, demanding they return the child. With no legal custody, the missionaries were forced to comply, only to discover the next day that the mother sold Yuyu on the black market for $500.
Zhang Rong and his wife were devastated at the loss of the little girl they loved. They contacted the police but to no avail. Their inquiries about the child’s whereabouts were brushed aside. No one was willing to help locate Yuyu. But despite the pain, God was working behind the scenes, getting ready to release salvation in a land of ashes.
Finally, in June 2016, they found a lead. A trafficking ring notorious for selling children on the black market held kids in captivity until their value increased with age. Zhang Rong needed to act fast before Yuyu was sold as a child soldier or sex slave. He gathered $8,000 to buy Yuyu off the black market, and on June 28, after a roller coaster of emotions, the missionary couple brought her back home. Zhang Rong, his wife, and their two biological children cradled the little Wa girl in their arms as tears of joy ran down their cheeks. Yuyu was safe at last with her forever family.
Zhang Rong’s neighbors witnessed the story unfold, observing the Chinese family’s deep concern for their community. They had never seen incarnational love in action like this before, and the year-long ordeal created new opportunities to share the good news in an area devoid of Gospel access.
One neighbor dubbed him “Yellow Jesus,” claiming that his deeds demonstrated genuine justice, compassion, and humility, making him a living expression of Jesus Christ. Zhang Rong’s incarnational ministry reflected Jesus’ ministry among broken people, and his “yellow specter,” which contrasted with the Wa tribe’s darker complexion, was a compelling example of an outsider moving into the neighborhood to share the salvation story.
Zhang Rong’s Wa neighbors felt he represented “Immanuel” (God with us) in their midst. The small ethnic Wa community on the Myanmar-China border still refers to him as “Yellow Jesus” to this day, a testament to one Chinese missionary’s selfless love in action for a tribe previously unaware of God’s immense affection.
– Personal Response –
Passage: I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
(1 Corinthians 9:22-23)
Point: Incarnational Christian love enters broken places, endures suffering, and embodies Christ to those awaiting a touch from God.
Ponder: Are you willing to risk your comfort, reputation, or even safety to bring Jesus to those who have never seen or heard Him?
Prayer: Lord, help me reflect Your love with actions, not just words. Make me willing to go wherever You send me—even into pain—for the sake of the Gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Proclamation: I will live incarnationally, showing Jesus with my life so that others might see Him in me.
Practice: Find one way to enter someone’s pain this week, through listening, giving, or simply showing up, and love them like Jesus would.
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