Prayer Request 1/15 -- 1/21

Tuesday
Many Christians return to China to visit families every year. Many desire to share the Gospel with their family members, but they have yet to reveal to their parents that they have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior or received baptism overseas. We pray for all who will be sharing their faith to their families for the first time. We, too, pray that some of these will use their professional talent to get involved in helping in the local churches or being part of short term missions.

Wednesday
Mei Lan Fang is considered to be the greatest talent in Beijing opera. He played feminine roles and was considered the epitome of beauty. During the World War II, he earned his patriotic reputation when he refused to sing for the Japanese. Chinese Christians revere legendary preachers of yesteryear and admire their saint-like stature. We thank the Lord for the model of faithfulness, but, in the mean time, we pray for the raising up of younger men and women of God who will receive the anointment of the Spirit and due respect of the believers.

Thursday
Half of the elementary and junior high students surveyed said that they would rather sleep if they had the free time. The average elementary school student spends one hour and thirty-nine minutes doing homework a day. Many, if not all, of the Chinese Sunday School teachers complain that they do not how to teach the young children or keep them interested. Let us pray for wisdom and patience for every teacher. May the Lord use them to make a lifetime impact.

Friday
Although the government insists that every child can attend junior high without going through examinations, many parents insist on sending their child to attend the “elite” junior high school, which means they inevitably must pass tough examinations to get in. In most Sunday Schools, a class will have a wide range of ages, making effective teaching challenging. Let us remember all the children in the Chinese churches. May each one of them know the Lord from their youth and desire to follow Him all their lives.

Saturday
Private schools have become a part of China’s education system in the past two decades. In the city of Beijing alone, there were more than one million students enrolled in a 2,000-member private school in 2007. Operating a school with Biblical values is a dream for many Christians. Let us pray for all the Christians who are educators, teachers, and also those who are Sunday School teachers. May the Lord use them to witness to their students.

Sunday
The greatest wish of all the rural teachers is to have a system of continuing education, to get more training, or to have an expert come to teach. Most teachers have had little training after graduation when they started teaching. Many Sunday School teachers feel inadequate teaching week after week, with little resources and training. Many have only a junior high education but are teaching students who have higher education than they. Let us pray for courage, wisdom, and insight for all the teachers in China’s churches.

Monday
One of the biggest drawbacks as a teacher in a village is boredom. There is little to do after school other than watching television. That is also the reason why young teachers resist going to villages to serve. Finding people to teach Sunday School in rural churches is often an impossible task. Little concept of teaching, a feeling of inadequacy, and a lack of training are the most common excuses for not teaching Sunday School. Let us pray for those who desire to teach but lack the wisdom and courage to do it.

星期二
每年都有大批旅居海外的信徒回國探親。其中許多人都抱著與家人分享福音的希望而至，卻遲遲未能告訴父母自己已經接受耶穌基督為救主或已在國外受洗。我們為即將首次向家人傳福音的信徒們禱告，求主賜他們勇氣奉獻時間和專長，協助自己家鄉的教會、參與短宣或短期慈善公益服務。

星期三
梅蘭芳被公認是近代最傑出的中國戲曲藝術大師，他的藝術造詣尤卓越於精妙優美的旦角表演。在中國抗日戰爭八年期間，他不惜斷送經濟來源，拒絕為日軍演出，更突顯其高貴的愛國情操。中國信徒對過去充滿傳奇的傳教士滿懷尊崇，敬仰他們有如聖人一般的形象。我們除了感謝神賜下這些忠心的楷模外，也求主興起年輕一代屬神的兒女，滿有聖靈的恩膏，忠心的事奉主，嬴得信徒的愛戴。

星期四
半數接受調查的中小學生表示，若有空閒時間，最想做的就是好好睡覺。小學生每天用於家庭作業的平均時間是1小時39分鐘。中國的兒童主日學教師幾乎都申訴限於訓練和經驗不足，大多不知怎麽指導孩童，也不知如何激發學習興趣。讓我們禱告所有老師們能有智慧和耐心來克服教學的挑戰。求主使用他們，帶給孩子們終生受用的影響。

星期五
雖然政府聲明學童升中學無需通過考試，然而許多家長爲了堅持讓孩子上民辦名校，結果孩子們還是免不了要考入學試。中國教會由於師資和場地的短缺，多數兒童主日學都必須「混齡上課」，由於學生年齡差距大，使教學更增困難。讓我們為小孩子來禱告，求主親自吸引每一個孩童，也賜能力、愛心給老師能引導他們奠定良好靈性根基，從小渴慕跟隨主，一生不移。

星期六
民辦學校已是中國教育體系的一部分。單在北京的2千多所民辦學校就有超過1百萬在校學生。許多基督徒都希望開辦一所展現聖經價值觀的學校。讓我們為所有參與教育工作的信徒以及主日學老師禱告，求主幫助他們能夠在信仰和生活上對學生們做美好的見證。

星期日
國內農村教師最盼望的，是有效的教師專業培訓機制，好讓他們獲得參加培訓的機會或由專員前來教導。因爲多數教師，畢業開始執教之後便沒什麽受訓進修的機會了。許多主日學教師周而復始的教導，常覺能力不足。尤其很多隻受過中學教育的老師，往往必須面對教育水平更高的學生。讓我們禱告中國教會的老師們能夠更親近主，忠心以從神而來的智慧和悟性啟廸他們的學生。

星期一
在中國農村執教的一大阻力是生活沉悶。教職員放學後除了看電視，就沒有其他活動了。年輕教師也因此抗拒到農村服務。目前農村教會要找人教主日學更難。沒有教學概念、自覺不足、缺乏訓練…這些都是信徒們拒絕教主日學最常用的理由。讓我們為那些願意參與教導，卻缺乏訓練和勇氣的信徒禱告，求主賜給他們足夠的恩典和能力回應事工的需要。