Prayer Request 4/24 -- 4/30

Tuesday
Beijing institutes a mandatory one-hour-a-day physical exercise for all students up to the high school level. Every school must comply and can not shorten the exercise with any excuses or substitutions. Spiritual exercise for the majority of Chinese Sunday Schools is still song singing and story-telling. Let us pray for an in-depth curriculum, emphasis on relationship with Jesus and parental involvement in the program .

Wednesday
One may wonder how a Chinese kid learns to use chopsticks, which involves 30 joints and 50 muscles. Most children have mastered chopsticks long before they can write. Many believers bring their children to church, but, because there are no trained teachers, the children simply play outside of the church, not learning anything and not having a meaningful worship experience. Let us pray especially for such churches and their desire to minister to the young ones .

Thursday
“The building of ethical thinking among the juveniles” is a big project the Party is pushing at all levels in the attempt to stem the corrupting influences on the youth--from media--rapidly changing social values and loss of moral values. Materialism and social corruption have undermined the education of a whole generation of young people. Many churches realize this but lack concrete ways to do anything about it. Let us pray for the prevalent absence of youth and young people in so many inland churches .

Friday
The governmental regulation is that burial sites not exceed four square meters for one person or six square meters for two people. The government is cracking down on elaborate and outlandish graves, a flagrant violation of these rules. The passing of old saints, especially those who endured the tumultuous time of the last century means there is a new generation who grew us with little memory of the suffering of the churches. We thank the Lord for every one of those saints and the legacy they have left behind .

Saturday
A first time offender of the law, aged 16 to 18, will not face prison sentences, according to the new rule by the Public Security Bureau. Imprisonment leads to the overcrowding of limited facilities and often makes the offenders worse. Not all parents have well-behaved children; some are literally “black sheep.” Let us remember all the aching parents and their prodigal sons in our prayers .

Sunday
Many families come from the Mainland to Hong Kong for better jobs. The entire family crams into a one-room apartment and their children become the so-called “street children.” Some Hong Kong churches tried to minister to these children and their families, but the churches have limited success because of the immigrants’ inability to fit in with the local children and the parental immigrants’ objection to church. We pray for these unique ministries reaching out to the Mainland immigrants .

Monday
“Lady Guest” is the term for those who married into the village (or family). Chinese courts recently decided in several cases that they must be included in receiving benefits, enjoying the equal rights with the men. Girls who are married off are still seen as “water poured out on the ground” in most of the rural regions. Let us pray for the church workers, especially in these villages where the old mindset runs deep and women are still seen as a liability or property, rather than an asset .

星期二
北京市實施《學生體質健康標準》。各中小學校至高校，必須保證學生每天有一小時的體能鍛煉，不得任意擠占或削減。相對下，多數兒童主日學所能供應的屬靈操練仍停留在唱歌和說故事的階段。我們為需要更多教師及更深的教材和師資培訓來禱告，求神使他們更注重個人與主耶穌的關係，也讓家長更多參與和推動兒童主日學。

星期三
中國孩子到底是怎麽學會用筷子的？拿筷子需運用30個關節和50塊肌肉以及相關的神經中樞。許多孩童甚至在學會寫字前就能熟練使用筷子了！兒童時期是智力開發和學習的最關鍵時期。但各教會的兒童主日學發展情況不一，許多教會因沒有師資，只能讓隨父母來教會的孩童呆坐或在教會外面玩耍，得不到有系統的靈性教導和崇拜經歷。我們求神特別記念這些教會和發展兒童事工的意願，帶領供應他們的需要。

星期四
中央大力推動「全國加強和改進未成年人思想道德建設工作」，以抗衡從網絡和傳媒迅速散播的敗壞和歪曲的道德倫理和價值觀。泛濫的物質主義和敗壞的社會風氣已嚴重腐蝕新青少年的思想。教會對於嚴重流失的年輕一代，苦無良策，許多內地教會都缺少年輕人的參與。讓我們求主在年輕人身上動工，也幫助教會有能力和資源及早把神的話語植根在年輕一代心裏。

星期五
民政部明確規定，埋葬骨灰的單人、雙人合葬墓占地面積不得超過1平方米，埋葬遺體的單人墓不得超過4平方米，雙人合葬墓不得超過6平方米。對於違規擅自加大的豪華墓地，政府將強制改正。隨著挺過教會動蕩時期的老信徒逐漸逝去，年輕一代對教會曾經歷的苦難記憶也日益模糊。但我們感謝神，這些對主忠心的老聖徒卻在每個信徒心中留下美好永恒的見證和榜樣。

星期六
根據中國治安管理處罰法新規定，16歲至18歲初違治安管理者不拘留。監禁處份往往不僅讓原本設備已呈不足的監獄更加擁擠，也常使被囚者變得更壞。並不是每個信徒的孩子都是好孩子。教會的孩子當中也有害群之馬。讓我們禱告記念安慰所有傷心的父母，也求神感動浪子能夠回頭。

星期日
許多家庭爲了更好的工作而從內陸移居到香港，一家人擠在一個租來的小房間。父母出外工作，孩子就成了在街上流連的「街童」。許多教會試圖協助這些家庭和孩子，卻面對很多難題：主要是這些移民孩子無法融入教會的「中產家庭」孩子的群中，來到教會的「街童」沒多久就離開。讓我們為這項特殊又有意義的事工禱告。

星期一
從外地嫁到男家村莊但戶籍未能更改的女性村民稱「女客」，和外嫁他鄉的「出嫁女」常常無權享受村裏的財產的分配，應得的權益也常常被剝奪。最近好些個案，通過法院為自己討囘了公道。多數農村中國人還保留著「嫁出去的女兒，潑出去的水」的封建思想，女人的地位非常卑微。讓我們特別為在農村裏服事的女性教會同工禱告，求不偏待人的主同樣記念她們的忠心和勞苦。