Prayer Requeat 4/ 5 --4 /11

Tuesday
The offical Three-self Catholic Church had a memorial service for the deceased Pope John Paul II. Most Chinese do not pay much attention to the death of the Pope. The news media in China also take it as ordinary news. Nowadays, there are 6000 Catholic churches and 1600 Catholic priests in China. Many western countries were found on the foundation of Jesus Christ. When the Chinese long for the culture of the western countries, let us pray that God also lets them see the benefits of believing in Jesus Christ and abolish the idea that Christianity is a western religion.

Wednesday
The protest in Shenzhen began as a signature campaign but turned into a march when dozens took to the streets chanting "Oppose Japan's membership of the U.N. Security Council" and "Boycott Japanese goods. Demonstrators broke into some of the Japanese owned supermarkets. A company in Beijing also refused to process the applications to study in Japan. Animosity toward Japan has risen to new highs recently. Christ calls us to forgive. Let us pray for the strength of churches in this difficult lesson.

Thursday
To become an airline stewardess is the dream of many young girls in China. Recently a thousand people applied for only ninety positions. The starting monthly salary averages at about 200 yuan but can climb to 10,000 yuan for international flights. The aspirations and goals of a majority of young female believers can only be tied to the earth since they must work in a factory or be a housewife married most likely to a non-believer. Let us remember the millions of them, their faith in Christ and their future

Friday
Nearly 10% of China’s 1.3 billion people watch prime time soap operas. The government forced a censure of two episodes of “General Ma” because it prominently featured and glorified an extra-marital affair. Television plays a tremendous role in teaching morality and what is acceptable ethically. Believers take the same cues from secular media as well as non-believers. Let us pray for strong teaching and insistence on Biblical standards in the churches .

Saturday
Recently gas prices spiked all across China—only the second time since August 2004. The retail price of petroleum is set by the government, but the cost of public transportation has skyrocketed. Attending church means relying on congested public transportation for many. This can take up to hours and is discouraging to those who live far away. It is also difficult to attract people to attend week-day programs. Let us remember all the believers who must commute to church .

Sunday
China lifts its 50-year ban on student marriages. The legal marriage age is 22 and 20 for male and female respectively. In the mean time, in a campaign to strengthening moral fiber; all college students will get compulsory moral classes on Party ideology and moral beginning this September. Higher education is deemed as crucial but universities still treat students as children, requiring them to return to dorms by curfews, while discouraging dating and sex. Let us pray for all the campus ministries and those Christian students who strive to live out their lives witnessing Jesus Christ .

Monday
Half of the brides in China are now getting a diamond ring. This was unheard of before 1993 when De Beer Group promoted “Zuan shi heng jiu yuan, yi ke yong liu chuan” which is the Chinese equivalent of “A diamond is forever.” The average person spends $560 US for a diamond solitaire ring in China. Chinese brides have now dispensed with the traditional red dress in favor of white dresses. Let us pray for all the newly-wedded believers, praying for their commitment to each other and that they will make Jesus the Lord of their family forever.

星期二
官方的天主教愛國會、中國天主教主教團在北京爲教宗若望保祿二世舉行了追思彌撒。普通老百姓對教宗逝世並不關心，媒體也只有簡單的報導。目前中國各地有天主堂6000多座， 1600多位神父。許多西方國家以基督教精神為立國的基礎，中國人在嚮往西方文明的同時，求神讓他們也看見並且得到基督信仰的美好。讓我們為老百姓能改變對基督教為西方宗教的態度禱告。

星期三
為反對日本成爲安理會常任理事國，四川、深圳發生砸毀日本超市等反日遊行。北京一家留學公司也宣布拒辦赴日留學業務；全國各地也都有民眾進行簽名活動和示威，民間反日情緒再度升高，二次大戰所造成的傷痛迄今仍難沖淡。聖經教導我們愛仇敵，求神的愛與憐憫釋放因戰爭帶來的仇恨，讓我們為主內弟兄姊妹能夠有力量活出神的話語來禱告。

星期四
成為一名翱翔藍天的空服員是多數中國年輕女孩的夢想。當前本科空服員招生競爭激烈，上千人爭取九十個名額。國內的空服員平均月薪為200元人民幣，但國際航線則可高達10,000元。抱負和理想對大多數國內的姊妹而言只能牢牢拴在地面上。她們往往只能在工廠當女工或是家庭主婦，極大比例與不信的另一半共同生活。讓我們在禱告中記念她們，求主堅固她們的信心，並引領她們的未來的道路。

星期五
有近10%約1.3億中國人愛看黃金檔電視劇。中央電視臺當局迫令刪除了「馬大帥2」中的兩集，據說是由於主角的形象、背景和對婚外戀著墨過多。現今大眾傳媒在傳播通俗道德觀念和行為上為強大推手，連信徒們也無形中經由媒體接納了世俗的標準而悖離真道。讓我們禱告教會能有更紮實的教導，鼓勵肢體能堅守信仰真理，在社會上發揮光和鹽的功能。

星期六
最近一波的油價調漲已是自去年八月以來的第二次調價。雖然油品市價是由政府主導，但大眾交通運輸的費用已飛漲天高。國內信徒大都是仰賴公共交通工具，遠道的信徒不僅花時間往返更要負擔更高的費用，阻礙人們出席週間各項活動的意願。讓我們為這群肢體禱告，求主大大挑旺他們的信心，並充足供應他們的需要。

星期日
禁止在學學生結婚近50年歷史法規將被取消了。合法婚齡的下限是男子22歲、女子20歲。各地大學仍將其學生當小孩般管理，不鼓勵約會和嚴禁性行為，實施宵禁，並規定晚間必須準時返回宿舍。禁婚法規雖然將被取消，但從九月起所有大學生將強制上道德課程。讓我們為所有校園福音事工和大學生肢體禱告，求主保守他們能堅持聖潔的生活，為主耶穌作美好的見証。

星期一
中國人平均花560美金購買一個鑽戒。在1993年De Beer 集團打響廣告詞「鑽石很久遠，一顆永流長」前，是沒有買鑽戒當結婚信物的習慣。現今中國半數以上的新娘子在結婚時要戴個鑽戒，也有越來越多人以白紗取代傳統的紅禮服。讓我們為所有新婚的信徒禱告，願他們建立家庭的祭壇，堅守誓言彼此委身，永遠尊耶穌為一家之主。