Prayer Request 11/1--11/7

Tuesday
Xingjiang has become the hotspot for AIDS in China since eighty percent of the drug users there are infected. Chinese health experts who gathered in Chongqing said that the worst case scenario would be to have ten million people HIV-infected by 2010. In this area drug abusers and Muslim militants are a headache for the officials. Let us pray for the safety of believers, an outreach to Muslims and the vibrant ministry to college students .

Wednesday
Why are the Korean TV dramas so popular in China? One common answer is that they are culturally close using traditional Confucian values set in contemporary urban settings. They extol filial love and present simple love stories with great sacrifices and dedication.

Thursday
Is the Chinese TV audience too gullible? Beijing television stations and advertisers have been thrown into disarray by a new ban on celebrity advertising which applies to endorsing of health foods, medicines, and cosmetics. Several large house church groups have suffered splits over their leadership in the past two or three years. Let us pray specifically for believers whose leaders are charismatic.

Friday
The People's Liberation Army will trim 200,000 from its ranks in the final three months of 2005. This massive army of 2.3 million is now half the size it was in 1985. China's newest and most urgent security threats are from the militant Islamic movement and the minority separatist movement in Xingjian. Let us pray for salvation of this huge army and the millions of veterans. Years of military indoctrination make them hard soil for the gospel message but the common sense of disappointment prepares them for the Message of the Savior .

Saturday
The Saipan islands in the Pacific Ocean used to be bustling centers for manufacturing clothing. They employed up to thirty thousand Chinese female laborers. However, since China joined the WTO, factories have faced stiff competition from China accompanied by economic uncertainty. Hundreds of workers came to know Jesus and received Bible training in Saipan and returned to their home villages. Let us pray for the mission work in there and the workers who have returned home to serve the Lord .

Sunday
After paying forty thousand yuan for “document fees”, many Chinese flocked to Malaysia to find work, only later to discover that the claims were false and there was no work to be had. Although the government has not sentenced them to the mandatory punishment for illegal workers, Chinese are being expelled.Let us pray for those churches that have expanded their ministries to the increasing number of Mandarin-speaking Chinese and their testimonies to their Muslim neighbors .

Monday
The Suicide Hotlines in Beijing get over twenty thousand calls monthly but are able to respond to only fifteen percent of them. Suicide is common among the elderly, some of whom don't want to burden their children with their financial or health problems. Loneliness is the most common complaint even in this society which respects old age. Let us pray for those who show the love of Christ through nursing homes and health clinics .

星期二
在新疆，有八成的毒品使用者感染愛滋病，在重慶開會的健康專家學者們表示，最嚴重的情況是到2010年，會有將近一千萬人感染HIV愛滋病毒。新疆地區的藥物濫用者與恐怖份子一直是官方最頭痛的兩群人物，讓我們為當地信徒的身心靈都得以平安康健禱告，也為著當地接觸回民和大學學生的事工禱告。

星期三
為什麼韓劇在中國可以如此風靡？最普遍的答案是，因為韓劇的文化背景與中國儒家文化相近，在當代故事的背景下，以簡單卻甘願犧牲奉獻的愛情故事為包裝，並表現出對子女孝順長輩的推崇。相反的，中國電視劇卻充斥著婚外情與一夜情，所謂的傳統文化意涵只會在歷史劇中呈現。讓我們為著韓劇所帶來正面與積極的影響來禱告。

星期四
中國觀眾很容易受騙嗎？由於名人代言的產品問題層出不窮，日前北京電視台與廣告廠商被告知，禁止名人為健康食品、藥品和化妝品等拍攝廣告代言。過去兩、三年來，部分大型教會因帶領者路線不同以致有分裂的危機，讓我們特別為這些教會領袖走靈恩路線的信徒來禱告，願聖靈和聖經中祂自己的話語成為風暴中的領路者。

星期五
人民解放軍的第十次裁軍行動—裁員20萬將進入最後衝刺階段，目前人民解放軍共有230萬名，已經是1985年總員額的一半。現階段中國政府面臨最嚴重的安全威脅，是回教極端份子與疆獨運動。軍人雖受多年的軍事訓練，使得心裡剛硬難以接受福音，然而軍旅生涯與現實富裕生活間的衝擊所帶來的失望，卻使他們更需要福音，讓我們為廣大的解放軍與上百萬的退伍軍人來禱告。

星期六
太平洋上的塞班島曾經是繁忙的成衣工業中心，至少有三萬名以上的中國女工在製衣廠裡工作。但是隨著中國加入世貿，將為成衣業帶來嚴重的競爭威脅。有上百名女工到塞班工作因而認識主、接受聖經裝備，但因合約到期而必須返回家鄉，讓我們在禱告中紀念這群信主返家後的姊妹，願她們成為多人的祝福，也為著塞班當地的宣教事工代禱，。

星期日
儘管馬來西亞政府將引進中國勞工的大門封得很緊，但還是有一批又一批的中國勞工進入大馬打工，他們在支付四萬人民幣的介紹及手續費之後，到達當地才發現仲介的說明都是虛構的，也找不到工作。幸好警方並未按規定將他們處以鞭刑，只是直接遣返大陸。目前多數馬國教會為接觸更多來自中國的群眾，開闢了華語事工，讓我們以禱告來支持他們，也求主讓們並在穆斯林信徒中做美好的見證。

星期一
北京「心理危機與干預中心」的免費諮詢專線，每月接到超過兩萬通的諮詢電話，但僅能對其中百分之十五的電話進行追蹤關懷。義﹔許多老人為了不讓財務與健康問題造成兒女的困擾，選擇以自殺的方式結束生命。即便在強調尊老尊賢的中國社會，寂寞仍然是年長者經常的抱怨，讓我們特別為從事護理與健康照護的信徒來禱告，盼望他們成為神的愛的分享者與見證者。