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Terry and Ashley dive into the future of Orphan’s Promise and what it’s doing to change the world. 

“Every day he would beat me. Every day, multiple times a day,” says Johnny Chang.
“I remember, like, just fearing for my life. And I would freeze up and next thing you know, I'm seeing stars.”
 
From the age of five, Johnny Chang suffered physical abuse from his father. The beatings became a source of anger and led to fighting with his peers. “I was just very, like, filled with rage,” says Chang. “I would just see red. And then I would come to like, oh, snap. You know, I either have like something in my hand or like the person's on the floor or like, we're just like, bloody, everyone's bloody like it just, it was really bad.”

Johnny grew up in East L.A. in the housing projects.  By age twelve, he’d joined a gang. “I had seen the gang members, even the Asian gang members with money. They had cars, clothes, notoriety. There was just some kind of pull. And on top of that, I noticed they were very tight-knit. They were very family oriented,” says Chang.

Feeling at home with his new gang family, Johnny began committing violent crimes. At twelve-years-old, Johnny was sent to a juvenile detention center for “the worst of the worst.” Over his four years there, he witnessed sexual assault, was in more than forty fights, and became even more hardened. “When I saw that, I was like, ‘You know what? Even if I die, like, I'm not going to let these people step on me,’” he says.

At sixteen, he was released. As a 17-year-old, Johnny was tried as an adult, and sent to federal prison for an assault with a deadly weapon. He knew being locked up in the penitentiary was another level. “I was scared,” he said. “You're now in there with people who are like, you know, adults and they're crazy. You know, they'll kill you.”

He served eight-and-a-half years of his ten-year sentence and wondered what real life looked like on the outside.
“I just felt this uncertainty like, I had seen people who had completely been rehabilitated in prison and they say, ‘I'm never going to come back here.’ But six months later, they're back. It’s not...it's not hard to come back, you know, it's very hard to stay out. So, it's like I was just existing at that time and I felt a lot of emptiness inside my heart,” he says.

Johnny tried living a “normal” life. “I applied to like a lot of places and nobody called me back. So at that point, I really felt like a rage again and anger,” Chang says. “And I'm like, ‘Okay, if you're not going to give me a chance, then I'm going to just go and live the way that I know.’”

Back on the streets, he was making thirty to forty thousand dollars a month, selling drugs. For Johnny, it wasn’t enough. Chang says, “I still felt that emptiness, still felt that void, which blew my mind. I thought if I made some money, I'll be okay, you know?”

During a robbery attempt of a rival drug dealer, Johnny’s fellow gang member was shot. A few days later, another friend was killed. “So it's just like death all around me,” he says. “And I really started to think. I never really thought about death because I was so caught up in the moment.”

His mother, who became a Christian while he was incarcerated, asked Johnny for a ride to church. “The pastor's like, ‘Hey, Johnny, heard a lot about you. Glad that you're home. Your mom has kind of talked about you a little bit, but, would you like to have some black bean noodles?’ And that's actually like my favorite dish,” says Chang. “I just parked the car, went inside and ate the black bean noodles. It was really, really delicious. And he starts to kind of ask me some...some questions.”

The pastor shared the good news of Jesus with Johnny and spoke very directly about his need for a savior. “And I'm like, ‘Wow!’ And he talked about emptiness, void, you know, this feeling that I felt. It was as if he was like dissecting my heart and like, pulling out pieces and like showing me and like, giving me the antidote. It's almost like a light bulb clicked and it turned on,” Chang says.

Johnny gave his life to Christ and noticed a complete change in his life and in his heart. A friend told Johnny, the change is clear. “He says, ‘You know, it's obvious that you're so peaceful,'” says Chang. “'Like you're not what you used to be.' You know, he's like, ‘I could see that, like, emanating out of you.’”

He has since reconciled with his father, who has also become a Christian. Today, he’s podcasting and ministering in prisons.

Chang says, “I think God has really led my life to put me in a position of being like in the bottom of the bottom right, the lowest of the lows, going to prison and just drug everything, gangbang and everything. And I feel like God did that so I could understand people's hearts at different levels. You know, not everyone's been to prison, but we're all interconnected by sin and struggle. There is hope, but it's not in this world, it's not in money, it's not in fame, it's actually in God alone. And that's just what I'm here to do, is to shed light on that.”
 

Gary Youngblood is a retired US Army vet living with his wife, Patricia, in Fletcher NC. They were sleeping in their home when Hurricane Helene ripped through North Carolina with high winds, torrential rain and flooding.   

“It was about five in the morning when I heard the crash of the tree, and it landed on the corner of the house, which is the master bedroom. It didn't take long to get out of bed and get out of the way, but, praise the Lord it didn't do any physical damage to us” Gary recalled. 

When they went outside, they found that a 100-foot tree had fallen in the storm.  The damage to the roof was minimal, but Gary wondered how he would ever remove the giant tree and debris from his yard, especially after his recent injury. 

“I had fractured my left ankle in a couple of places, and I had had to stay off my foot, but I used it getting out of bed that morning. We had a big debris problem,” Gary continued.

Hurricane Helene was one of the deadliest U.S. storms of the 21st century, with over 100 confirmed deaths in North Carolina alone.  Property damage was staggering.  

Operation Blessing’s Disaster Relief team was on hand to provide emergency assistance and to help people like Gary.     

“These guys, gracefully give up their time to come out and, give me a hand.  And they've really been working hard today,” Gary told us.  “You guys showed up today, and got this tree cut up and getting it rolled up to the highway to get it hauled off, really put in a lot of work.”

But it wasn’t until after we finished the cleanup, that we learned that Gary and his wife are CBN Partners 

“We've been, with CBN for quite a while. You know, we're monthly partners.  And I think it goes way back to when, Pat was running for president,” Gary explained. 

“We found out through this ministry of CBN with Operation Blessing, that it's doing good. It's going to people that need it, the people that need the help.  And you guys have really shown the love of Christ, you know, to us today.  Amazing,” he said with sincere gratitude. 

Do you know that CBN partners can reach people around the world for Christ every day? We invite you to join us in ministry together as we provide financial support to those in need through our life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! When you give today and become a CBN partner, you’ll help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!

In the beautiful and diverse country of Myanmar, a 12-year-old girl named Nan Mai embarked on a transformative spiritual journey. Growing up in a Christian family, Nan Mai had always been surrounded by faith, yet she never felt comfortable discussing the concept of salvation. It was a topic she avoided, unsure of how to approach it.

This all changed when Nan Mai attended Sunday school and was introduced to the Superbook Academy lesson “Peter and Cornelius.” This particular episode of Superbook opened her eyes to the universal message of salvation and its importance for every human being. The story of Peter and Cornelius, which highlights breaking down barriers and spreading the Gospel, resonated deeply with her.

Through Superbook, Nan Mai learned to articulate the message of salvation clearly and confidently. The lessons brought the Word of God to life in a way that was both engaging and accessible. Inspired by the teachings, she found joy in sharing the Gospel with others. “I decided to tell the good news of Jesus,” she testified, embracing her role as a messenger of faith.

Nan Mai's newfound confidence in discussing salvation marked a significant change in her life. She became eager to share her faith, understanding that salvation is a gift meant for everyone. Her story is a powerful example of how Superbook can inspire and equip young believers to spread the message of God's love.

As we celebrate Nan Mai's journey, we recognize the global impact of CBN Animation’s Superbook. This ministry transcends cultural and regional boundaries, bringing the teachings of the Bible to children around the world and fostering spiritual growth.

We invite you to join this mission. Your support can help extend the reach of Superbook to even more children and families in need of hope and transformation. Whether by donating to CBN Animation’s Superbook ministry through the link below, sharing this story, or accessing Superbook resources for your own family, you can make a difference. Together, we can continue to bring the light of God's Word to young hearts across the globe.

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