Prayer Request 8/16--8/22

Tuesday
Chinese Valentine's Day is August 11th (7th day of the 7th lunar month). Buying gifts for loved ones has caught on as the society has become westernized. However, reports of domestic violence have increased dramatically partly because more women are now speaking out against abuse. We ask your prayer for the integrity of marriage for all the pastors and church workers. Hard work and temptation have destroyed many, many of God's workers.

Wednesday
Shenzhen, a city across from Hong Kong, became a metropolis of twelve million in a period of twenty years. It has now experienced its first season of decline in the influx of rural workers--down 200,000 people over the previous year. The educational level of sixty percent of the city is ninth grade or lower. Let us pray for all the churches there and their hard effort in reaching out to the factory workers.

Thursday
Sixty percent of youth aged 10-29 years participate in fortune-telling or luck-changing activities. One in three of them believes in and practices these activities with great interest and a hope to change the future. Hong Kong has long been known for her proclivity toward superstition. Let us pray for a powerful testimony of the people in the nearly three thousand churches there.

Friday
The online auctioneer eBay expects its revenue from China to jump thirty percent or more this year. In spite of the lack of a system for easy payment, China is the world's fastest growing e-commerce market. The government expects the number of online shoppers to reach 16.2 million as it grips the internet tightly with content filter. Let us pray for all those who use the internet to get Bible study materials and share church news news.

Saturday
Snow White and the Seven Shaolin Monks? Walt Disney plans to shoot a kung fu version of its 1937 animated classic for the Chinese market. Disneyland in Hong Kong expects large crowds from China when it opens in September. In spite of these opportunities for children to enjoy worldly entertainment, there is very little indigenous and contextualized Bible story or reading materials for them. Let us remember all the children's ministries and the development of materials for Sunday schools.

Sunday
China has produced and sold more cars this year than ever before--a 9.35 percent increase. Nearly sixty-seven percent of them are Chinese brands. Shanghai now has two million cars which is the number officials had originally projected for the year 2020. Driving to church is not new in many Chinese cities. However, urban churches must cope with unprecedented parking problems. Let us pray for the growth of large churches and the trend toward branch churches.

Monday
China ranks at the bottom in terms of equitable health care and the government admits the current medical system is not working. Even minor surgery can deplete one's life-time savings. Church workers have no medical insurance at all and there is virtually no money for even simple medical care or preventive check-ups. Let us pray for ministries that will see and help meet this great need .

星期二
今年七夕情人節 (農曆7/7 )在西曆的8/11。西風東漸，中國人也開始流行彼此送禮在這個特殊的日子表達情意。近來女權意識的普遍覺醒，受虐於家暴的婦女越來越勇於站出來，使得每年家暴案件數量大幅上升，家庭與婚姻品質令人憂心。求主特別保守牧者與同工們，在人前能見証神所賜福的聖潔婚姻與完整家庭，不因忙碌的服事及世俗的試探而忽略經營與配偶、家人的關係。

星期三
毗鄰香港的深圳在20年間已成長為1,200萬人口的大都會，今天深圳也需面臨産業轉型和人口置換的考驗。第一季度外來人口已減少了20萬人次。科技産業格外需要高素質人口，目前60％人口依然是初中以下文化程度，和10年前沒什麽大的區別。讓我們為當地所有的教會和他們針對工廠勞工的福音事工守望禱告，求主的真理與救恩能遍及這片廣大的禾場。

星期四
一項網上調查顯示：10至29歲的香港青少年中，在過去一年超過六成曾占卜或作法改運，更有三成青少年的是抱著認真的心態來算命。分析顯示，受訪者多為女性，八成在學。香港人迷信神佛是長久以來的印象。讓我們禱告，求主真光普照，讓近3,000家教會能在人群中有強力見証，為對自己、現時生活和未來不滿，無力的人們帶來真光。

星期五
儘管缺乏一套方便付帳的系統，和在政府設下更嚴密的過濾監控閥之下，預估中國上網購物將達1, 620萬人，是全球網路商品交易市場中成長最快速的國家。著名網上拍賣公司e-Bay預期該公司今年在中國的營收成長將超過30%。讓我們求主親自以智慧與能力引領網路福音事工，並預備人心能得見神的真光來禱告。

星期六
白雪公主與少林七僧？針對中國市場，華特迪斯奈公司決定翻拍1937年經典名片《白雪公主與七小矮人》成中國功夫版。九月份即將開幕的香港迪斯奈樂園預期也將吸引大批大陸遊客。中國兒童有機會享受到世界級的娛樂了，但卻缺少以聖經為基礎，本土化的故事給下一代。讓我們為所有兒童事工需要和主日學教材的編撰仰望全能神豐富的供應。

星期日
中國今年汽車生產並銷售率成長了9.35%，其中將近67%是國產品牌。上海現有200萬輛汽車，是過去政府預估在2020年才會達到的數字。開車上教會在許多大城市已不稀奇，但市區教會卻有無處可供停車之苦。讓我們為大型教會的成長需要仰望神，也求神帶領祂兒女，有智慧地朝著植新堂的策略發展。

星期一
政府報告目前醫療衛生體制改革並不成功。醫療服務的公平性下降和衛生投入的宏觀效率低下。現在商業化、市場化的醫療體制使得城市與廣大農村醫療水平的差距急遽兩極化，動一個小小手術可能耗盡個人終身的積蓄。國內所有教會同工全無醫療保險，不僅無力治病，甚至連例行體檢也付不起。讓我們迫切禱告，為能有相關事工興起來回應此極大的需要。