Xu Shan Rong

We would like to introduce to you our friend, Xu Shan Rong. Mr. Xu is a beggar that we met back when we first moved to Shaoxing. There are a number of beggars who are "regulars" we see around town -- some seem genuine, others seem a bit "fake" (it's not uncommon for someone who is basically healthy and relatively "well-off" to dress down and "pretend" to be a beggar in order to make some easy money) -- Mr. Xu is one of those who, at the very least, has an obviously legitimate physical ailment (severe burns on the face and hands -- to the point that he has lost most of his fingers) and who strikes us as a nice and truly needy person. For example, the first time we gave him something (some food, as I recall) he immediately handed it over to his two children -- which might seem like a small thing, until you realize that some people actually do the opposite: they use their children to beg for them and force the kids to hand over whatever they collect. Mr. Xu always shows a great deal of love and care toward his wife and kids and is genuinely thankful whenever we give something to them. Also, he is willing to really talk to us and, as far as we know, to tell the truth. Again, this seems small until you start to realize just how many so-called beggars repeat the same story, or even the same words over and over, without being willing to honestly engage someone who is trying to help them. In another striking example of Mr. Xu's kindness and humanity, one day, when Jason was buying some pineapple-on-a-stick for Phoebe to eat, Mr. Xu came up and paid for the fruit himself. We were really touched by such a sweet gesture of kindness, and the saleswoman and onlookers were indeed shocked by this unusual reversal of giving. We ask you to please pray for Mr. Xu and his family: that they will have sufficient food and shelter, that the two little ones can stay in school, and that God's will can be worked out in their lives. We hope to continue being able to connect with and be a blessing to them -- as they, too, have been to us. Our friend Xu Shan Rong with his two boys. His wife is barely visible on the far left.