Dear Brothers and Sisters, As some of you already know, John Cao (whose legal name is Cao San-Qiang) was recently arrested in China as he was crossing the border coming back from Myanmar. It has now been over four weeks since he was detained. For the last three years, John has been heavily involved in humanitarian work in the Wa State of Myanmar. To date, he has helped to establish 16 schools in various impoverished mountain areas there and has orchestrated the mobilization of many Chinese workers to construct the schools and to serve as volunteer teachers. At last count, around 2,000 needy students are currently benefiting from John’s efforts. Relations between China and the Wa State are typically good and it is commonplace for individuals to cross the border in this autonomous region without having to go through the usual formalities. John and his workers have been doing so for three years without incident. However, on March 5th, John was arrested by the border police for illegally crossing the border, and he is currently being held in the Menglian Jail in Yunnan province. At the time of his arrest, John was not in possession of his passport as he was in the process of obtaining a visa to Thailand to expand his work there. John’s wife, Jamie Powell, is an American citizen and they have two grown sons, Benjamin and Amos. The two were married in 1988. John is a permanent resident of the United States (a green card holder). For his work’s sake, he has opted to retain his Chinese citizenship in order to facilitate ease of travel in and out of China. We are seeking to petition the U.S. government to get involved in this case and to help persuade the Chinese government to release John soon. Thank you for signing this petition and your fervent prayer for the release of Rev. San-Qiang Cao. God bless you !