Prayer Request 4/3 -- 4/9

Tuesday
Business entertaining in China is notoriously lavish and expensive. Nearly everyone uses the excuse of, "No problem. The company pays for it." or "It is essential to take good care of guests." Practicing hospitality and giving their very best to visiting church workers is a virtue of Chinese believers. Let us thank the Lord for the many who give not because they have a lot of money but because of their joy in serving the Lord .

Wednesday
Recently the media has turned national attention toward the debate of whether a terminally ill cancer patient should be given euthanasia. Many condone it because of the high medical expenses involved in prolonging life. In the Chinese tradition there are no religious reasons opposing euthanasia but filial piety does not allow one to kill oneself or one's parents in illness. Chinese believers are generally ill-prepared to provide Biblical reasoning in almost any ethical debate. Let us pray for compassion and patience for all believers who must care for terminally ill loved one .

Thursday
The city of Beijing calls the eleventh day of every month, "wait in line day" since the number 11 is the image of a waiting lane. Chinese people like to cut into lines and are very poor in obeying order in lines for buses, cashier windows and such like. Old habits die hard, especially when we see others get ahead of us and break the rules. Let us pray for all believers as they try to live out Biblical principles in a very self-centered society .

Friday
In China every year 2.5 million people are afflicted with stroke, the leading killer disease. Of these 1.5 million die and the rest find themselves with varying degrees of handicaps or paralysis. Since many churches do not have handicap-friendly facilities, scores of believers who suffer from strokes cannot attend church. Let us remember all those believers who cannot attend church because of illness. May the Lord strengthen them with joy through the comfort of His Word .

Saturday
In the past caring for elderly parents could be rotated among one's children. However, the one-child policy essentially means that one couple must care for two sets of parents. Many young couples refuse to have much to do with their parents and flat out avoid them if they need medical attention. Even many young believers neglect their own parents. Let us pray for them as they struggle to make "honoring your parents" part of their faith and become powerful witnesses to their unbelieving parents .

Sunday
Businessmen fellowships are a relatively new thing in China. Some are smaller and some are larger even into the hundreds of participants and they are found in the costal provinces. Some meet in homes and other inside the companies of Christian owners. We thank the Lord for raising up godly businessmen who also provide assistance to poor students from other provinces. May the Lord use their service to impact churches and further the work of evangelism .

Monday
The city of Beijing has one million handicapped people (about 1 in 15 residents) yet one rarely sees these handicapped people on the streets. The infrastructures to accommodate the handicapped are still spotty in big cities and practically nonexistent in smaller ones. By and large churches are poor in meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of the handicapped. Let us pray for this great deficit and the great need to serve the blind, the deaf, and stroke victims .

星期二
生意應酬的揮霍奢華在中國已是舉世瞠目．幾乎人人都有藉口說「沒有問題，報公賬」或「招待客人是應該且必要的」。聖經教導信徒要接待神的僕人，而盡其所能熱情款待來探訪教會的工作者是信徒的美德。讓我們為此感謝神，因為許多人願意付出，不是因為有錢，而是基於服侍神而產生的喜悅。求主記念他們憑信心做在神僕人身上的美事。

星期三
最近引起輿論關注的辯論議題是：是否應給患絕症的病人安樂死？許多人同意這做法是基於治療所需付的高昂醫療費用。在傳統上，並沒有反對安樂死的宗教因素，但中國的孝道卻不允許自殺或殺死病重的父母。對社會上所有有關道德的爭議，一般信徒對相關的聖經原則的裝備，都不夠紥實。讓我們為所有必須照顧患絕症家人的信徒來禱告，求主厚賜他們愛心和耐心。

星期四
北京市訂每月11日為「排隊日」，因為11像排隊的圖像。中國人不愛尊守公共秩序，無論搭公車或在出納櫃檯等都愛插隊舊習難改。尤其是看到周圍的人都搶著在我們前面插隊，更是難以心服。讓我們為所有信徒禱告，讓他們能在這個標榜「自我中心」，一切為己的社會裡，倚靠主過符合聖經原則的敬虔生活．

星期五
腦卒中（中風）是中國第一號殺手，每年有250 萬人患此病，其中150萬人會因腦卒中去世，幸存者也會有不同程度的殘缺，甚至癱瘓。由於許多教會沒有殘障人士使用的設施，有些行動不便的信徒因而不能到教會去。讓我們時常以禱告記念這些不能上教會的信徒，願神以祂的話語親自安慰、激勵他們。

星期六
在過去，子女們可以輪流照料年長的父母，但是長久需要照顧久病父母，仍會引起一些情緒問題。在「一胎化政策」的制度下，一對夫婦就必須照顧雙方的父母，而許多年輕的夫婦不願意負起這份責任而避開他們。甚至許多信徒也忽略對的父母照料．讓我們為他們能在身心疲勞的環境裡能堅持孝敬父母，成爲實踐信仰的一部分，同時在不信的父母親面前為神做美好的見證．

星期日
近年來基督徒商人陸續在中國沿海地區組織起基督徒商人團契。小的有幾十人，大的有上百人。有些在家裡，有的工作場所聚會。我們要感謝神興起這些願意侍奉神，接待貧窮的外省學生的基督徒商人。盼望神借此激勵教會，推展福音工作。

星期一
北京市有一百萬名殘疾人士(比例大約為1比15)，但是因為城市的無障礙設施還不足，所以很少能在街上看到殘疾人。而小鄉鎮就根本完全沒有這些設施。教會對殘疾人士的幫助，無論在硬體設施、生理或屬靈上，都非常不足。讓我們為這些虧欠向神禱告，求神幫助我們能重視和提供身患殘疾的不幸人士實質的支援和照顧。