Prayer Request 5/3- 5/9

Tuesday
For the first time in 56 years Taiwan's Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman visited China and spoke at Beijing University. In an apparent effort to isolate the Taiwan Independence Movement, Beijing has invited the other opposition parties from Taiwan to visit the mainland. Churches in Taiwan have historically been torn between the two opposing political views, reunification and independence. Recent efforts to bridge that gap are done through joint prayer meetings. Let us remember the unity and revival of all the churches there.

Wednesday
Twenty-nine thousand workers, 80% of them Party members and state-owned factory laborers, were named as "model workers" this year. Among them is the NBA super-star Yao Ming. Yao was chosen for excellence in his profession, friendliness, and most importantly bringing glory to the motherland. As the nation pays tribute to the workers, we, too, thank the Lord for all the workers in His vineyard. Let us pray for their faithfulness, protection from harm, greed and sexual temptations.

Thursday
150,000 female high school graduates applied for the 30 positions in the upcoming class of the Chinese Air Force Academy. Since 1951 seven classes, a total of three hundred female pilots have graduated. The training once seven to eight years long has recently been reduced to three years. Female students still outnumber males in all seminaries and especially in the underground seminaries. Let us pray for their training process and their relationship with their parents, many of whom do not support their decision to serve the Lord.

Friday
China has banned controversial brain operations to cure drug addicts. The operations, pioneered by Russian scientists in 1999, remove a part of the brain associated with drug cravings. More than five hundred of these operations have been performed since 2000. Drug addiction is rampant in nearly all provinces but Yunnan leads in heroin addiction. The growth of drug users among teens is rapid, not only in the cities but also in the villages. Let us pray for believers and churches involved in campaigns for drug prevention and educations.

Saturday
Taiwan and China both are waiting for the verdict of the new Pope Benedict XVI. Beijing wants the Vatican to sever its diplomatic recognition of Taipei as a precondition to normalization of relationship. In return, China will then provide a list of bishops for the Vatican to appoint. The same Religious Affairs Bureau oversees all religions, churches, and temples in China. The Bible asks us to pray for those who rule over us, and we ask for favor for all the believers and churches.

Sunday
In Tianjing four out of five couples report mother-in-law trouble, a problem which is not new. However, the one-child policy exacerbates this age-old problem. When a mother cannot get along with her only daughter-in-law, she has no other children to which she can turn. Lack of emotional support, differing ideas about raising the grandchildren, and difference in life styles are the major causes of these strained relationships. Christian wives need extra love and patience from God for relating with their unbelieving mothers-in-law, especially those who see Christianity as a foreign religion.

Monday
How many police are there in Beijing? About three percent of the city's fourteen million residents, or four hundred forty thousand people are police. To improve the security in the city, 5599 cameras have been installed. The police claim half of the two thousand neighborhoods have been crime-free in 2004. Being the safest city in China means being the most closely monitored place there, too. Many house churches have been invited to register by the Religion Affairs Bureau. Let us pray for the soul-searching and often difficult decisions which the church leaders must make as their weigh the benefits and disadvantages.

星期二
兩岸分隔56年後，國民黨主席首次率團訪問大陸，謁南京中山陵並在北京大學演講。為孤立臺灣獨立運動，北京政府也邀請臺灣其他在野黨前往訪問。臺灣教會也有不同的的政治立場。但教會界已透過嘗試合辦聯禱會尋求合一，讓我們懇切禱告，求主記念保守臺灣眾教會在合一和靈命復興上所做的努力。

星期三
今年有2萬9千人當選全國的「勞動模範」，他們80%是服務於黨營或省營企業。其中還包括最令國人擁戴的美職籃NBA超級名星姚明。姚明的當選除了他的專業表現非凡，作風純樸親善外，更重要的一點是為祖國爭光。在這每年一度表揚勞工的季節，我們也為在神家中辛勤做工的主僕感恩，以禱告託住他們，求主悅納他們的勞苦，更保守他們平安、遠離一切財色的試探。

星期四
150,000名應屆高中畢業女生，爭取擠進空軍航大的30個女飛行員招生名額。該校自1951年起已有七批女飛行員共300人畢業，招收間隔將由以往的7至8年縮短為3年。在所有退修訓練會中，女學員人數往往遠低於男性，尤其在家庭教會裡更明顯。讓我們為訓練會的進行順利禱告，也為許多有志服事神的姊妹代求，願主親自保守她們有智慧維持與父母親人的和諧關係。

星期五
對毒癮患者施行的腦部手術，是1999年由俄國科學家創例的，他們切除了腦中一個嗜癮的反應組織來根除毒癮。自2000年實施此手術以來頗受爭議，中國禁止最禁止了這項已經進行過500次以上的手術。毒品濫用情況越趨嚴重，尤其雲南省的海洛因肆虐最烈。青少年嗜毒人口急遽增長，不論是在城市亦或農村皆無可幸免，求主感動眾教會和肢體能以神的真理和恩慈積極投入毒品防治和教育的行列。

星期六
臺灣和中國雙方都在等候梵諦岡新教宗本篤十六世在外交關係上的定奪。北京提出與梵蒂岡關係正常化的首要條件是要教廷切斷對臺灣的外交承認。中國政府可以提供主教名單讓教廷任命作為交換。宗教管理局將類似的原則適用於其他所有宗教、教會和寺廟。聖經教導要為在位執政掌權者禱告，讓我們常為他們能行公義好憐憫，厚待所有信徒和教會而祈求。

星期日
天津一份調查顯示：有五分之四的已婚家庭覺得有「婆媳關係」的難處。此自古即有的老問題，繼續在「一胎化」獨生子女家庭中惡化，只是現代婆婆如與唯一的媳婦處不好，將無其他子女可依靠。缺乏對老人的精神贍養、教育子女和彼此生活方式及觀念的差異是造成婆媳不和的三大主因，讓我們替為人妻媳的主內姊妹禱告，求主賜下由神而來的愛心和忍耐與未信的婆婆相處，特別是那些視基督教為洋教者。

星期一
目前北京警力已經達到44萬餘人，占全市一千四百萬人口的3%，另外全市街頭巷尾安裝5000多隻電子眼，隨時監控社會治安。北京全市2135個社區已有1947個達到了安全社區標準。為成為全國最安全的城市，警方背後需付出更大的努力。宗教事務局的管理邀請許多尚未註冊的教會登記管理，讓我們為教會的領袖來禱告，願他們能清楚神的帶領，做出和神心意的決定．