Prayer Request 12/20--12/26

Tuesday
International protestors demonstrated and rioted in Hong Kong’s WTO meeting. More than 900 people, mainly South Koreans, were arrested in the largest riot since the 1995 riots in the Vietnamese refugee camps. Let us remember Hong Kong churches and their unique role in mission, with nearly 300 missionaries worldwide and much work with the open churches in interior China .

Wednesday
Fire at a hospital in Liaoyuan, Jilin killed 39, as many patients escaped by jumping off the building. There were 222,000 accidental fires with 2,000 deaths last year. During Christmas, many open churches have decorations or special programs which attract people to come in and attend service. Let us pray for healing and the finding of salvation in Christ in every church – a hospital for sinners .

Thursday
In January 2005, over five thousand Chinese Muslims chartered fifteen Boeing 777's to be a part of the pilgrimage to Mecca. This is the largest group that has gone since 1955 but next year they plan to take an even larger group mostly from Lanzhou, Beijing, and Urumqi. Muslims migrate to cities that seem to be more open to the gospel but even there, most have become more devoted to their own religion. Let us pray for those who are trying to reach Chinese Muslims for Christ .

Friday
An HIV-infected blood donor sold blood and infected twenty-five recipients in Jilin province. Despite regulations, some hospitals still fail to test blood. We praise the Lord that several churches in China have been sharing the gospel in AIDS-infected villages in Henan and there are now believers who have AIDS sharing Jesus with other victims .

Saturday
From the late 1970's to 1985 millions of young intellectuals returned to cities and divorced the wives whom they had married during the "exile" which came in the Cultural Revolution. The "left behind" women are now in their fifties and many have grown children. Many of them have become believers. Let us remember them as they age and pray for their spiritual walk with Jesus .

Sunday
"Too busy working and no time for dating" is creating many older single women (30 and over). When choosing a prospective son-in-law, sixty percent of parents expect to find a person with a similar or higher degree of education then their daughter has. Young professionals make up a large number of urban churches in China. Let us remember all the single believers and pray for patience, guidance, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit in their times of loneliness and family pressure .

Monday
The bird flu scare reduced the consumption of chicken in China by nearly fifty percent. Officials had a "chicken banquet" to educate people and show that eating cooked chicken was safe. During the SARS epidemic, church attendance suffered a big drop. Let us pray for all the special meetings and training sessions planned for this winter -- the season for training in rural churches ).

星期二
示威者聚集在香港WTO會議會場外，爆發嚴重警民衝突，超過900人被香港警方逮捕，他們多為南韓農民。這是香港自從1995越南難民營暴動以來，最嚴重的暴力事件。讓我們在禱告中紀念香港教會以及他們在宣教上的特殊角色，不但差派了將近300位宣教士至世界各地，也對內地的教會多有扶持，求主親自堅立他們手中多樣的聖工。

星期三
吉林遼源中心醫院發生大火，死亡人數增至39人，許多病患為逃生被迫直接由大樓跳下。過去一年中國境內共發生22萬2千起火災，至少造成2000人死亡。聖誕佳節臨近，各地教會以各樣彩飾裝點教會，並準備許多精采的節目吸引人前來參加崇拜。願在神為所有罪人預備的醫院–教會中，每一位尋求者都能即時認識耶穌，得到全然的醫治與永生的福份。

星期四
超過五千名中國穆斯林在2005年一月，包下了十五架波音777客機，前往麥加朝聖。這是1955年以來最大規模的朝聖團，他們計畫明年度召集更大朝聖團，成員將以來自蘭州、北京、烏魯木齊為主。人們期待遷到城市的穆斯林對福音的態度會較開放，但實際上他們反而更固守於原本的信仰，讓我們在禱告中紀念所有接觸中國穆斯林的福音事工。

星期五
吉林省內一名不知情的愛滋病毒患者，於一年多內15次到正規醫療機構賣血，致使25人感染愛滋。儘管政府相繼頒布了管制愛滋病及血液的法律，但許多醫院卻未落實血液的檢測。值得向神感恩的是，已有一中國教會進入河南愛滋病感染區關心病患，目前已經有人信主，並樂意與其他病友分享基督的愛與救恩，讓我們以禱告托住此事工。

星期六
從1970年至1985年間，曾因「上山下鄉」政策下放到農村的知識青年，導致一批單身大齡女性。許多男知青在鄉村結婚生子，隨著文革結束回到城市也與髮妻離異。這一大群失婚的婦女目前年屆五十，子女多已長大成人，許多人也成為信徒。讓我們特別紀念經過歷史動盪時期的這一代，求主保守他們的靈命隨年歲一同增長。

星期日
「工作太忙，沒有時間約會」造成中國第一代獨生女高齡未婚的比例竄升。60%父母對未來女婿的期望是教育學歷程度要比自己女兒高，至少也要相當。城市教會中也有許多單身的年輕職業女性，讓我們為所有單身基督徒禱告，紀念她們能忍耐、等候神的引導，和聖靈的安慰，特別在感覺孤單與面對家人壓力之時。

星期一
禽流感造成中國人民「聞禽色變」，自國家公佈禽流感疫情以來，大眾「恐鶏病」使雞隻消費跌落了50%以上。廣東高官設「百雞宴」倡導吃煮熟的雞隻是安全的，以教育民眾正確認識禽流感的傳染途徑。過去於SARS流行期間，教會的聚會人數銳減，冬天為農村教會培訓的季節，讓我們在禱告紀念所有於今年冬天舉辦的各項聚會與門徒訓練，求神親自引領開路。