Bethesda Rehabilitation Ministry

“ But when you give a feast, send for the poor and the blind and those who are broken in body: And you will have a blessing… ” -- Luke 14:13,14

City of Anshan The city of Anshan locates in the northeast part of China. The population of the city is 3,396,000. With the largest steel company in China, Anshan used to be a city with glory and affluence. In recent years, many state-owned companies and enterprises in the city were bankrupt and down-sized, and many people lost their jobs.

Disabled People in Anshan There are about 110,000 people registered with various disabilities in Anshan. The leading cause of disabilities are congenital diseases and industrial or vehicular accidents.

Disabled People in Anshan Like many other places in China, most disabled people in Anshan live in extreme poverty. Except for those injured in the work- place, most disabled people have no fixed income.

Disabled People in Anshan As a result of the undeveloped national welfare system, the basic living requirements of many people with disabilities still can not be met. Many paralyzed people cannot even afford a wheelchair, so they must stay in bed at home all the time. At the same time, there are the many other problems stemming from the poverty itself such as access to education, rehabilitation, and health care… etc.

Disabled People in Anshan In the past several years, great efforts have been made by the government to help disabled people meet their basic need. But due to the limitations in these policies, focus on the expanding economy, and the greater attention which is given to the needs of the wider society, etc., the result of the government’s efforts is quite limited.

Disabled People in Anshan Therefore, the living conditions of most disabled people is not improved. They are usually the poorest citizens in the city and they have much less support than they should. They are in desperate need of both practical help and spiritual support.

Bethesda Rehabilitation Ministry --- Anshan, China

Founder of the Ministry Dr. Zhang Xu is the Founder and Director of Bethesda Rehabilitation Ministry of Anshan, China.

Founder of the Ministry Dr. Zhang Xu used to be a promising orthopedic surgeon in Anshan. In 1997, Dr. Zhang sustained a diving accident while serving on a government medical mission in the Republic of Yemen.

Founder of the Ministry Left a quadriplegic, Dr. Zhang was given a Joni book during his struggle against despair and depression. From the book, Dr. Zhang received strength and found hope in Jesus Christ. Since then, he has been actively engaged in bringing Jesus’ love to people with disabilities in Anshan.

Founder of the Ministry In 2005, Dr. Zhang started his disability ministry in his hometown – Bethesda Rehabilitation Ministry of Anshan.

Vision of the Ministry Through the good deeds of Christians, people in Anshan will get to know God and Jesus’ love, especially those affected by disabilities.

Mission Statement Bethesda’s mission is focused on the disabled people in Anshan. It is a holistic ministry dedicated to reaching out to the Anshan population of disabled people, meeting their spiritual, social and physical needs.

What we want to achieve? 1.We pray to set up the Bethesda Center in Anshan which will be an extension of the Bethesda Rehabilitation Ministry. 2.The Center will provide a place where disabled people can meet regularly and support each other. The Center will also provide spiritual counseling and intercessory prayer. 3.The Center will help disabled people obtain assistive equipment, like wheelchairs and hearing aids, so that they will be better able to interact with the world around them. 4.Disabled people are often confined to their homes, so the Center organizes outings for these people. This should help improve quality of their life. 5.For the disabled and their families who are living in extreme poverty, the Center will help support them and help to cover any special needs.

How will the Bethesda Rehabilitation Center promote evangelism among the disabled community? The Ministry promotes evangelism among the disabled community by showing them that Jesus is alive, loves them, and wants to care for them. Through care and ministry, the disabled of Anshan will have a chance to have an encounter with the living God, giving them hope where before there was only despair. It is the objective of this ministry that the living hope will transform the disabled in Anshan and they will see that their lives are not useless and that they will have a bright future.

Present Programs of Anshan Bethesda Home visits Disabled children distance learning program Outing Activities Wheelchair Distribution

--- Ministry Program Home Visitation to Poor Families Affected by Disabilities

Ministry Program --Home Visitation Like many other places in China, most disabled people in Anshan are living in extreme poverty. Most disabled people have no fixed income.

Ministry Program --Home Visitation They can only live on “the lowest life subsidy” from the government. In urban area, one can have RMB320 per month, or less than US$40; in rural area it is only RMB40 per month, or $US5. For many disabled people, the little money is their entire income.

Ministry Program --Home Visitation Anshan Bethesda has regular home visitation to poor families affected by disabilities. The purpose of the program is to determine their needs and help them to feel the love of Jesus and to see hope.

Ministry Program --Home Visitation During the visitation, we bring them food and some other life necessities. We also tell them about Jesus and His suffering on the cross.

Home Visitation

--- Ministry Program Distance Learning Program for Disabled Children

Ministry Program -- Distance Learning Due to poverty and mobility limitation, many children with disabilities in Anshan never have a chance to access formal education. So there is a great need for them to have literacy education and learn the knowledge related to their disabilities and rehabilitation. At the same time, there also is a great need for their spiritual growth. For this reason, Anshan Bethesda started the “Distance Learning” Project for Disabled Children in and around the city.

Ministry Program -- Distance Learning Because of limited resources and poor transportation, it is difficult to educate these disabled children in the urban and rural areas of Anshan in a classroom setting. So we conceived of the idea of “distance learning,” meaning teaching these children at home by DVD teaching materials.

Ministry Program -- Distance Learning For the teaching materials, Bethesda has compiled a curriculum for the “distance learning class”, which includes literacy, Bible studying, knowledge of disabilities and rehabilitation. All learning materials are made in DVD format.

Ministry Programs -- Distance Learning The Bethesda’s teachers visit the students regularly. To supervise the study, the Bethesda also gather the students monthly to review and discuss what they have learned.

Distance Learning

--- Ministry Programs Outings from Home

Ministry Program--Outing of Home Due to the undeveloped national welfare system, the basic life necessities of many people with disabilities still can not be met. Most public places and residential buildings are not accessible for people with disabilities.

Ministry Program--Outing of Home Since most disabled people are confined at home all the time, Bethesda Ministry organizes volunteers to bring them out to enjoy the beautiful nature God has made. It is not an easy task for our volunteers because of the Anshan’s lack of disability-friendly transportation and the poor transportation infrastructure.

Ministry Program--Outing of Home But when they see those joyful faces, the volunteers know that their efforts have been worthwhile. Now the outings and camping trips with disabled people is already a regular program of Anshan Bethesda.

Outing of Home

--- Ministry Program Wheelchair Distribution

Ministry Programs – Wheelchair Distribution Many disabled people here cannot even afford to purchase a wheelchair. Bethesda Ministry works with an American NGO (“Joni and Friends”) and other groups to donate wheelchairs to people with disabilities in Anshan. In the past two years, 300 disabled people have received their new wheelchairs.

Ministry Programs –Wheelchair Distribution During the distribution of wheelchairs, we could see and feel the joy and excitement of the wheelchair recipients, their families, and friends. Most of the recipients went to the distribution venue by carts or on their friend's back. That day they received a precious wheelchair and a more precious gift --- a Bible.

Wheelchair Distribution

Bethesda Ministry needs your prayer and support…

Thank You and God Bless you!