Prayer Request 5/10--5/16

Tuesday
On May 1st, 9 millions phone subscribers in Beijing received text messages from police saying, “Express patriotism rationally. Don’t take part in illegal protests. Don’t make trouble…Help by not creating trouble, love the nation by not breaking the law.” This is the first time government uses such technology to warn its citizens. Let us again remember Beijing churches and all those who participated in the various leadership training projects and retreats .

Wednesday
Golden Week (first week of May is national holiday) was the busiest for leisure travel for Chinese. 4.25 millions visited Hong Kong from China alone. Also, with the new “Panda Diplomacy” following Taiwanese Nationalist Party chairman visit, Taiwan expects Beijing to lift all restrictions of travel to the island. In 2004, Taiwanese made over 3.6 million trips to China, a 35% increase from 2003. Let us pray for even more opportunities of training and evangelism as cross-strait travel surges .

Thursday
The Shanxi government set up a special isolated community to house those who have HIV. The community named “Green Harbor” is located in rural Linfen City, 10 km from the actual hospital. AIDS patients and their families cultivate the 4.67-hectare commuinty. What to do with the HIV/AIDS patients continues to trouble the Chinese. Linfen has a strong presence of believers. Let us pray especially for the people in this isolated community and for the vision of churches to reach out to them .

Friday
In Taiwan someone successfully commits suicide every 2.7 hours. Two-thirds of these are 20 to 40 years old. The city of Tainan in the South tops the list with the most suicides. Yearly 3200 people in Taiwan die from suicide. This is about equal to one per cent of the Christians on the island where fewer than three percent of the population is Christian. Let us pray especially for the churches in Tainan and one of the oldest seminaries on the island—the Presbyterian Seminary which is located there.

Saturday
China becomes the second largest market for cosmetic surgery, after USA. Having double-lids is the leading procedure for women. Many are divorced women who seek to enhance their “second” chance of a better mate. The lives of divorced women, especially those with children are harsh and lonely in China. Let us pray for the sensitivity and acceptance of believers toward them are genuine and not superficial .

Sunday
According to the Vatican, China has 12 million Catholics. There are a total of 5200 nuns (1700 in underground churches) and 120 aging bishops (average 74 years old). The average age of pastors in China is probably about the same. They have experienced the trying time during the Cultural Revolution. We praise the Lord for their dedication and faithfulness. But let us pray for a smooth transition of leadership and the raising up of a new generation of Joshuas .

Monday
Nearly 16% of marriage in Taiwan involves a foreign bride. Vietnamese ranks highest (70%) and Indonesians (12%) come second. Experts say this rapidly increasing trend is attributed to the fact that Taiwanese women in general have higher education than men. Traditional Chinese marriages expect men to be better educated and women prefer not to marry men who are not so well educated as they are. Let us remember many of the single women believers in all the churches and pray for their dedication and service . to God.

星期二
為防範民眾在假期間串聯參加反日活動，政府軟硬兼施，目的在壓制民間反日情緒。北京九百萬手機用戶，日前收到警方發出的簡訊，要求「理智地愛國，不要在五一假期參加非法抗議，不要製造麻煩」，這是官方第一次使用簡訊科技來警告民眾。讓我們再次記念北京眾教會和願意受裝備的肢體，求主在各方面造就他們成為聖潔的器皿。

星期三
「五一黃金週」是中國休閒旅遊的旺季，到香港的遊客就有425萬人次。國民黨主席的大陸訪問，北京政府以熊貓、開放民眾赴台觀光和農產品准入免關稅旅遊為禮物，並希望台北能鬆綁來臺觀光的法規。去年造訪中國大陸的台灣民眾超過360萬人次，成長35%。在這波旅遊的熱潮上，讓我們祈求神開啟更多栽培福音和靈命的大門，並賜下恩雨滋潤莊稼。

星期四
山西省政府在臨汾縣郊設立了一個HIV特別隔離社區 -「綠港」來安置愛滋病患。綠港距醫院有10公里，擁有4.67公頃農地供病患和其親屬耕種。臨汾地區的肢體在信仰上有美好的生命見証，但如何「正常的」面對愛滋病患仍困擾著中國人。讓我們特別為「綠港」的居民代禱，求神憐憫醫治他們，也感動肢體能有效關懷、幫助他們。

星期五
在台灣，平均每2.7小時就有一人自殺身亡。三分之二的死者是介於20到30歲的青壯年人，居住地區又以南部各城市為冠。每年台灣平均有3,200人因自殺而亡，相當於少於總人口3%台灣基督徒數的1%。讓我們特別為台灣南部的眾教會及全島歷史最悠久的神學院-台南神學院代禱，求主賜下復興的靈火，堅固聖工領人歸回。

星期六
繼美國之後，中國已成為世界整容手術的第二大市場。最受歡迎的手術是割雙眼皮。離婚的婦女往往視整容為擄獲「第二春」的捷徑。離婚的婦女尤其還帶著孩子的，絕大多數生活充滿孤獨與辛酸。讓我們禱告教會的眾肢體都能切實彼此相愛，不流於表面應酬，以基督的恩慈接納、關愛她們。

星期日
根據梵蒂岡的統計資料，中國有1,200萬天主教徒，修女5,200位，(1,700位為未登記者)和120位高齡主教（平均七十四歲）。牧師平均年齡大致也是如此。他們多經歷過文革期間的艱苦試煉。感謝主，他們堅定不移的信心已向這個世代做了美好的見証。讓我們為新一代教會領袖的接棒禱告，求主興起約書亞承續神的大使命。

星期一
臺灣有16%的男人娶「外籍新娘」，人數已超過三十萬人。其中越南的最多，占70%；印尼籍的占12%。傳統的婚姻觀念，女性希望丈夫教育程度不比自己低，男性也期待妻子學歷不比自己高。一般臺灣女性受高等教育的比例普遍提升，是外籍新娘驟增的原因之一。讓我們記念眾教會中許多單身的姊妹，在專心等候主為她們預備的另一半時時，求主保守她們的服事和等待能有屬天的滿足和喜樂。