Our History
Central Asia Sharing Aid (C.A.S.A.), was founded in Rockford, Illinois in 2001 by Captain Chia Shan Yang.
We are the major sponsor and funding source of Mercy Charitable Christian Foundation (MCCF) in Kyrgyzstan. MCCF, was founded on May 11, 2001 as a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization as a united effort between individual Christian organizations: Central Asia Sharing Aid of Illinois, New Life Ministries of North Carolina and Good News Mission of Kyrgyzstan. In the past many years, Mission of Mercy of Colorado, has been providing child sponsorships for our students and orphans of Mercy Foundation since 2000. We pray other children sponsorship organization will step in to continue this important ministry of God.
In 1992, 64 year-old Captain Chia Shan Yang, a former merchant marine captain, decided to retire and serve God in full time ministry. He turned over his shipping business to his employees and dedicated the rest of his life to mission work. From 1995 - 2000, while serving with the Great Commission Center International, he and his wife Yeun Chen Tsui Yang ministered amongst the Dungan Muslim people in Kazakhstan. In spring 2000 they were moved to open Christian schools and orphanages in Kyrgyzstan.
Miraculously, Kyrgyzstan's departments of Religion, Justice and Education granted Elder Yang the nation's first Christian school license. He opened the School of Blessing in September 2000 with 120 students from 1st - 4th grades.
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Elder Yang had a chance to meet with Kyrgyz government officials, the picture on the left is him with Kara-Balta mayor.
About our founders
Elder Chia Shan Yang, a retired shipping broker and merchant marine captain founded Central Asia Sharing Aid (C.A.S.A.) in 2000. He and his wife, Yuen Chen Yang, had previously served as missionaries to Kazakhstan. It was during this period that Elder Yang felt led by God to start Christian schools. He was reminded of becoming a believer himself through a missionary school in China. He soon met another missionary with a similar vision. They joined forces and started Mercy Foundation of Kyrgyzstan, the first legally registered Christian Foundation established in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, with the full approval of the Religious Affairs, Justice and Education Departments. Mercy Foundation's goal is to establish Christian charity projects, such as schools, orphanages, playgrounds, technical training centers, seminaries, churches, medical clinics, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, and other projects, as God leads.
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Some of our orphanage children formerly lived in city sewers and others came from abused and neglected backgrounds. Many of the children in our schools come from poor and single parenting families. We also have a live-in school for the mentally, physically, emotionally and even some sexually abused disabled children. Our five schools and two orphanages serve about 1200 children, between the ages of 4 to 18, in Northern Kyrgyzstan. We not only provide for the physical needs of the children, such as food, clothing, shelter, health care and education, but also for their moral and spiritual needs, including Bible studies, importance of prayers and character building from Christian principles and models.
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As God leads, Mercy Foundation will start new projects in higher educations, such as professional institutes and one day even International University serving other Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and nearby countries..It is our founders’ dream and vision that different races may live in peace and harmony through God’s love.
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Elder Yang held on to the promises in Proverb 22:6 in the Bible:
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
So,Yang and wife left their comfortable life in US at a young age of 70+, dedicated everything they have ,to give these forgotten children of Central Asia a hope and a future in this life and in eternity, in the Muslim country of Kyrgyzstan. May God bless His own work through His faithful servant and maid.
It is the prayers of the founders that many of the next generation of Central Asian Christians will impact the education and other projects the founders have initiated.
CHIA SHAN YANG, entered the presence of Jesus on Feb. 12, 2017. Born in Beijing, he graduated from the Guangzhou Merchant Marine Academy in 1949. He is predeceased by his parents, older brother, sister and son, Rev. Joshua Yang. He is survived by his loving wife, Yuen C. Tsui, and children, Sara (Alfred HuYoung), Samuel (Connie Yang), daughter-in-law Esther Yang, Ruth (James LeMaster), 13 grandchildren (4 spouses), 8 great grandchildren and in China, by his sister and brother.
His illness never dimmed his love for the children of Kyrgyzstan and it was his prayer that the work there would continue for many years to come.
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A memorial fund to honor Chia S. Yang will be established to benefit the ministry of C.A.S.A.