Prayer Request 2/22- 2/28

Tuesday
More than 200 miners killed in a coalmine gas explosion on Valentine’s Day in Liaoning. More than 6,000 miners died in 2004, a 6% decreasing from 2003. Growing energy demand has led operators to ignore safety concerns. Miners must sign a “life-and-death” contract, limiting employer to a one-time 20,000 yuan (2,500USD) compensation if life is lost. Let us remember all the families who lost their father, and what local churches can do to provide assistance to them.

Wednesday
The Spring Festival is the biggest season for giving gifts in China. Nearly all forms of gifts serve to build guanxi (relationship). To circumvent evidence of bribery, people purposely lose large sums of money in private gambling to the person whom they intend to bribe. Bribery is prevalent and few expect it will improve. Both Christians and church leaders are susceptible to this temptation. Financial impropriety involving large donations meant for church work creates scandal and hurts the churches badly. Let us pray for the guarding of hearts and integrity for all who are in church leadership.

Thursday
Thirteen Chinese Christian publishers attended the largest publishers event, the Taipei Book Fair. Nine hundred 900 companies including a large number of Buddhist, Taoist, and other religions also attended. The small number of readers and sales volume are a challenge for Christian publishers. Books translated from English are still the best sellers. Let us pray for all the ministries involved in publishing and translation of Christian books as well as printing of Bibles.

Friday
Since 1949 there have been nearly half a million Chinese who have had leprosy. There are still 6,500 cases with nearly a thousand new ones each year, mostly in Yunan and Guizhou, and Guangdong. In Asia, Vietnam and Cambodia also have quite a few cases. Leprosy is found in places where there is extreme poverty. Jesus showed special compassion to lepers, yet today they are still discriminated against and confined to leprosarium. Let us pray for the quiet evangelism and caring work in which churches are involved with these people.

Saturday
There are more than six thousand cases of HIV/AIDS in Taiwan and nearly ten per cent of them are in the prison system. The most common causes are drug abuse and male homosexuality. Caring for AIDS in prison presents a great headache for the government. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, several groups have extensive ministries in prison, half-way houses, and residential drug rehab centers. Every year churches give gifts to families of those who are incarcerated. Let us pray for fruit from these gifts in the lives of those behind bars as well as the difficult follow-up work when they are released.

Sunday
One in three Chinese families suffers from domestic violence which may be physical or psychological abuse. One hundred thousand victims of spousal abuse file for divorce each year. Neglect, kneeling, or death (263 in 2003) are forms husbands use for punishing their wives. Few women report being abused because of shame. Many also say that relatives and friends are hesitant to get involved. Let us pray for all the believers who suffer from domestic violence and for the beginning of ministries to help with this “epidemic”.

Monday
Nearly one million copies of “New Children Songs” have been released to teach to children in all Beijing schools. This is a collection of four hundred songs sponsored by the Party and promotes patriotism, nationalism, and civic duties. In contrast, very few Christian songs have been written for the children. Resources for Sunday school and toddlers are paltry compared with what is out there for adults. Jesus said, “Let the little ones come to Me.” Let us pray especially that this great need will be met.

星期二
西 洋情人節當日，遼寧省孫家灣煤礦發生瓦斯爆炸意外事故，有200多名礦工遇難，是歷年來死亡人數最多的礦災。2004年死於事故的礦工有6千多人，比 2003年少了6％。中國70％的能源來自煤炭，由於商業利益但掛帥，礦主經常隱瞞事故避免受罰與稽查，實際死亡人數可能更高。部分包商與礦工簽訂死亡賠 償2萬元，其餘善後自理的契約，被礦工稱爲生死合同。讓我們為這些失去父親的破碎家庭禱告，求神使用當地教會來安慰並協助他們。

星期三
春 節是中國人送禮的最高峰。目的是要建立各種”關係。 “送禮是門大學問，禮輕了，失去誠意；送重了，給對方造成麻煩。”，“現在送禮物和錢，領導不一定敢收，把錢故意輸在牌桌上給領導，也是一種不錯的方 式。” 國內教會因事工環境特殊，許多開銷不容易提供收據證明，也是魔鬼最愛攻擊之處，讓我們為主内同工在財務上不留任何破口，能持守聖潔生活，榮耀主名來禱告。

星期四
基 督教圖書界以「踴閱耶穌」為題，結合十三家基督教出版社參與台北國際書展。今年參展的出版商共有900家，攤位數高達2,000個。市場規模小是基督教出 版界的一大挑戰，由英語翻譯成的書籍在華人信徒間仍是較受歡迎的，讓我們為基督教出版界來禱告，無論是自編、翻譯或專注於印刷聖經，求主記念他們的服事．

星期五
從1949 年至今，中國痲瘋患者已累計有48萬餘病例。現今尚有痲瘋病人6,552例，並以每年一千人的速度增加．目前發現的新病人多來自雲貴、兩廣、四川、湖 南、、福建等省份。亞洲其他地區如越南和柬埔寨也有新病例．痲瘋病人多半處於貧困的地區，他們備受歧視，並與社會隔離。主耶穌醫治痲瘋病人讓世人看見神無 比的慈愛和憐憫，讓我們為痲瘋病人以及相關事工來禱告。

星期六
台 灣約有六千多個愛滋病帶原病例，其中十分之一是獄後篩選出來的。注射毒品和不安全的性行為是感染的主因。監獄內愛滋帶原者常擁 “病”自重，不聽管教，是監獄內管理上頭痛的問題．在香港和台灣，有數個專門服事受刑人及其家人的事工團體，他們除了在監獄內傳福音，照顧受刑人家庭外， 出獄後更積極輔導其就業，希望幫助他們倚靠耶穌基督成為新造的人，讓我們藉著代禱與獄中福音大使們同工．

星期日
中 國家庭中30％存在家庭暴力，施暴者九成是男性，受害者85％以上是婦女，每年有約10萬個家庭因家暴而解體。由於 “家醜不外揚”，家庭暴力發生率可能更高。冷戰、罰跪、甚至生命威脅是常見的家庭暴力方式。神所立意的幸福婚姻是兩性平等、互助合作的美善關係，求神讓中 國人能羨慕基督化家庭的和樂，也願意建造自己的家成為榮耀神的祭壇。讓我們在禱告中常常記念以服事家庭為主的相關事工。

星期一
近 一百萬份的 “新兒童歌謠” 已分發至北京市所有學校。這份由黨提供的教材收錄了四百首歌曲，內容強調教導兒童愛國、團結思想和國民義務責任。國內兒童福音歌曲非常少，主日學和培育兒 童靈性的教材更是缺乏。「讓小孩子到我這裡來。」是主的心意，培育敬虔的後裔責無旁貸，讓我們將此廣大的需要仰望主，求主豐富預備。

Prayer Request 2/15-2/21

Tuesday

Since giving “Red Envelope” with New Year’s money in them is a part of the holiday tradition in China, all of the kids are richer this week. It is common for children to pocket the amount of their parents’ salary for a month or two from relatives. A new tradition this year is “Bai Nien” or wishing a Happy New Year by text messaging via cell phones. The Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, January 1-15 is the time people relax, travel, and spend money. Let us remember many the training courses for church workers taking place during this time as well as all the poor believers who live joyfully not because they have much but because they have all in Jesus.

Wednesday
There are 100 million “Left Behind Children”, whose parents left them with relatives to work in the cities. They make up nearly half of school, in some rural regions. Half of these children have serious academic problems and primed to sexual abuses. In the rural churches, grandparents could not share their faith effectively with their “Stay at home” grandkids and failure of church to provide any significant ministry to them. Let us pray for breakthrough and mercy of God in bring awareness of this epic problem

Thursday
Many young ladies ask the question, “How old is too old to get married?” For many single girls the pressure to get married increases after they are twenty-five years old. For professional women it is a big problem since they would have to “lower the standard” and consider marrying laborers or farmers. In Chinese churches women continue to be in the majority. To those who have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord, this usually means celibacy. Women who refuse to marry unbelievers face tremendous pressure from their families. Let us remember them in our prayer

Friday
The first legal case alleging employer bias for someone with Hepatitis B has opened in Anhui. China has 120 million Hepatitis B carriers and thirty million have chronic hepatitis. Guangzhou tops the nation with ten million carriers. Contracting hepatitis is very common in China and so far there really is no cure. Let us pray especially for the health of visiting church workers and the countless believers who have meager resources for treating or preventing hepatitis

Saturday
Entire villages become beggars, on the streets in cities. The phenomenon is quite common and the income from begging often exceeds 50 yuan a day. Many cities now impose “No Begging Zones” to keep out these “undesirable” people. We do not question that these beggars are truly needy but begging has become a part of the Chinese city scene today. Jesus said that we always have the poor among us. Let us pray for the church to play an active role in social causes and community welfare.

Sunday
The average life expectancy for residents of Beijing has reached 79.87 years which is an increase of .25 years. In many communities the elderly gather for recreational activities and even classes. Once banned, ballroom dancing in the park and community square now attract many older couples and even younger onlookers. Among retirees, many are the Old Party Faithful and still find Christianity foreign but their hearts are softening and becoming more receptive as they get older. Let us pray for churches to build a ministry to them and for people to reach out to the hundreds of millions of aging people.

Monday
Reading has become a problem in China. Only half of all of the people read which is a drop of nearly ten percent from 1998. People say they “don’t have time” to read and only five percent of the people claim to have the habit of reading books. A large number of people in the house churches are functionally illiterate. They have Bibles but cannot read them so they learn mostly through listening to preaching. Many churches have Bible reading before the Sunday service. Let us pray for the mighty work of the Holy Spirit in this huge population of believers.


星期二
過 年給紅包，一直是中國人過年習俗。隨著經濟成長，壓歲錢也隨之“水漲船高”，孩子們收得盆滿鉢滿，個個成了“小暴發戶”。80年代串門拜年，90年代電話 拜年，藉二十一世紀科技進步之便，發電子短信已成最流行的拜年方式。雖然春節期間是國人一年來難得放鬆步調、調養身心的時刻，但各地仍有許多同工訓練課程 進行中，讓我們為培訓的開花結果守望，也為同工們時時享有神豐富的祝福祈求．

星期三
有1 億多農民到城市打工把子女留在家鄉，託家人或親戚照看。由於長期不和父母一起生活，這些 “留守兒童”身心發育受到影響，很多孩子的學業成績都在中下，虐待兒童的情況亦常有聽聞．在農村的祖父母或親戚在撫養“留守兒童”時也多遇到相當程度的困 難。一般教會鮮有提供相對的事工來幫助信徒，信仰便難以傳至下一代，我們禱告神的憐憫與恩典，興起弟兄姊妹來回應這個嚴重的問題．

星期四
女 人到底幾歲結婚才不會太老？年過25之後，單身女孩便開始拉警報．更有些專注工作的上班女性，眼看年齡越來越大，就降低要求，連民工也開始願意考慮，好像 非得嫁出去不可。教會中姊妹數量遠超過弟兄的人數，她們在尋求能在靈裡合一的屬天伴侶時，往往有實際上的矛盾與掙扎，尤其是來自不信父母的壓力，讓我們在 禱告中記念已達適婚年齡的姊妹。

星期五
安 徽人民法院對全國首例因“乙(B)肝歧視”引發的憲法平等權案正式立案，此案關乎廣大乙肝患者及帶原者利益，自然引起了社會高度關注。乙肝在中國是非常普 遍，目前除注意衛生之外，缺乏實際有效的防治方式．讓我們禱告同工出入平安及身心健康，並懇切為信徒中的乙肝患者及帶原者禱告．

星期六
蘭 州岷縣小寨鄉今年先後遇到了洪水、地震，於是有人開始外出行乞。今年7月份小寨鄉外出乞討人員高達400人，其中不乏家境較好者。許多城市現在開始設置禁 止行乞告示牌來扼制乞討行為。我們暫不探討行乞者的真假，但行乞的現象在中國大陸各城市中已越來越普遍。讓我們為教會能實際並有效的在鄰里間關懷照顧貧窮 者來禱告，求神感動眾肢體在社會中作光和鹽．

星期日
北 京人的平均期望壽命達到79.87歲，比上年增0.25歲。平均期望壽命是指人如果沒有意外，應該活到此年齡。許多中國退休的老人還有具老黨員身份的人， 往往視基督教為外來的宗教而予以排斥，近年來許多長輩看到神在自己子女身上的作為，這現象已有改善。退休老人常在社區的公園或廣場社交，讓我們禱告神興起 事工來對這群退休老人傳福音．

星期一
“全 國國民閱讀與購買傾向抽樣調查”發現，國民的讀書率持續走低，以識字者總體樣本計算，比1998年下降了8.7個百分點，圖書閱讀率爲51.7%,其中城 鎮居民爲69.6％，農村居民爲45.3％，均比1998年有所下降。造成此現象的主因是“沒有時間”。農村教會的信徒一般識字率不高，雖擁有聖經，但大 部分還是靠別人口傳的來提升靈命。許多教會在主日崇拜前仍保有讀聖經的程序，對弟兄姊妹幫助很大．讓我們求神用自己的話語、聖靈親自建造這群弟兄姊妹。

Prayer Request 2/1 -2 /7

Tuesday

Planes full of Taiwan businessmen flying from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou landed in Taiwan, after 56 years of cessation of direct flights between the mainland and the island. These are charter flights only and will operate only during the Chinese New Year. Taiwan churches are heavily involved in training among house churches throughout the Mainland. Let us pray for mission efforts by Taiwanese churches and her 80 plus missionaries in Asia and Africa.

Wednesday
All the major cities face severe shortage of nannies because people want to go home for the coming Chinese New Year. In Shanghai alone, 120,000 are needed. Women from Sichuan are well known for being good nannies. Many nannies and housekeepers working in the cities are believers from the villages. et us pray for their continuing faith, ability to find places of worship and their daily testimony in their homes of employment.

Thursday
Chinese loves gambling but it is illegal. Therefore, across-the-casino are everywhere catering specifically to Chinese. From Hong Kong and Macau, to the 80 casinos in Yunan-Thai border, Russian and even North Korea. Weekly high profile scandals involving officials squandering public funds are so common. Believers are also tempted with lottery, stock and real estate speculation. Let us pray for both stewardship and trust in God, not just for believers but also for the church workers.

Friday
120,000 or 1 in 3 foreigners is Chinese in Tokyo. Chinese seem to learn Japanese language with little problems and therefore send their children to regular schools. Yet, nearly 1/2 says they are being discriminated against. Christian population in Japan is so low and many deemed the field as hard and even resistant. Chinese churches here are not a whole lot better. Let us pray for more church workers to come and for revival of churches here.

Saturday
Since the government dropped the mandatory testing, couples getting pre-marital health checkups dropped from 95% to only 1.57% in Zhejiang. 300,000 registered for marriage in this coastal province yearly, and 3% has venereal diseases. hurches are thriving here with many young people. Let us pray for those in marriageable age, for purity, for the much-needed family counseling, both pre-marital and after.

Sunday
“One-night-stand” – casual sex is a new expression of sexual behavior in the past 20 years. “It is neither good nor bad, it is not the best and can have some disadvantages,” said the top sex expert. Such statement reflects the prevailing attitude of the society and even Christians. With erosion of traditional Confucian values, let us pray that Christians would have an impact on morality, to be the salt and light with Biblical value.

Monday
Beginning March 2005, 24 Hollywood super stars and directors will be invited to participate in the Centennial celebration of Chinese movie making. Hollywood exerts tremendous influence on Chinese society, its moral and ethical views. While copies of pirated movies are widely available, the same is true for foreign porn movies. Let us pray especially for this devastating temptation, even for many believers


星期二
歷 經56年分隔，滿載台商回鄉過年的春節包機首次完成兩岸直航多點對飛，寫下歷史性的一刻．春節包機限定僅有臺商及其眷屬才能搭乘，從春節包機要擴展到全面 直航，尚需一段時間．超過百萬的台商離開妻小在大陸工作，我們禱告神保守主內遠離包養“二奶”的試探．同時也為台灣教會在宣教工場的擺上感謝神，超過八十 位的宣教士不僅在神州大陸穿梭，他們傳福音的腳蹤更遍及東南亞甚至非洲大陸，求主看顧記念．

星期三
臨 近春節，民眾紛紛返鄉過年，保姆也不例外，中國各地出現了“保姆短缺”的現象，春節其間的上海，估計短缺12萬名保母。來自四川的保母是公認服務品質最佳 的，來自農村的保母中有許多是主內的姊妹，讓我們為他們來禱告，不但能在幫傭的家庭中有美好的見證，並能有機會定時參加聚會，持續在信仰中長進。

星期四
法 律明文禁止賭博，但為滿足國人愛賭的天性，許多專門招攬中國人的「境外」賭場應運而生．打從南方的香港、澳門，到雲南、泰國，北達俄羅斯、北韓邊境，經常 可見中國賭客穿梭的身影．社會上沈溺金錢遊戲以致高額負債，不肖官員挪用公款、捲款而逃的案件時常可聞．信徒們也時刻面對，彩券、炒股、炒房等類似試探． 讓我們為主內及同工能將需要定睛在神身上來禱告，因為我們的好處不在神以外，祂必豐富供應．

星期五
日 本東京都都廳2004/10/1的統計，東京都的外籍人士中有12萬人中國人，占所有外國人的1/3，調查顯示日語對中國人並不是很大的障礙，並且讓自己 的孩子在公立學校上學比率最高。雖然中國人在日本社會的“融入度”較高，但過半數的人仍感覺受到歧視。日本基督徒的比例非常的低，福音的普及很困難。華人 教會在日本的情況也是如此，讓我們求神廣開日本福音的大門。

星期六
自 從浙江省政府取消強制執行婚前醫學檢查後，大眾婚前醫檢率由95%驟降到僅有1.57%。在鄰省份內，每年約有300,000人登記結婚，其中3%帶有性 病，由於對婚前保健知識教育和宣導皆不足，新生兒出生缺陷率也明顯上升。浙江省的教會發展蓬勃 ，有許多年輕人熱心參與。讓我們為適婚年齡的肢體禱告，求主幫助他們不論在婚前或婚後都能追求聖潔、也充份供應目前亟需的婚姻家庭諮詢資源。

星期日
「一 夜情」成了過去廿年來社會上即興式性行為的時髦名詞。一位著名的性學專家表示「發生一夜情無所謂對與錯，它只不過不是最好的，且可能會帶來不好的後果。」 類似的言論反映了社會大眾甚至基督徒對性道德的觀點。在傳統禮教價值逐漸式微的今天，求神幫助我們能在道德和生活上堅守聖潔的原則，做社會上的光與鹽。

星期一
好 萊塢的電影一向對中國社會價值觀有著深遠的影響。廿四位好萊塢超級巨星和導演三月份將應邀出席中國電影製作十週年紀念盛會。一般中國民眾可以輕易地從街坊 小販購得低價的非法盜版國內外電影光碟，同理色情光碟也一樣容易購買。讓我們特別求神幫助他的兒女追求敬虔聖潔的生活，有力量抵擋所有殘害身心靈的試探。