7/7-7/13

Tuesday
The new American Ambassador to China was a Mormon missionary in Taiwan; he speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. The Mormons have stepped up their effort targeting the collegians; they are taking over a lot of the English teaching positions in China. Many people first come into contact with Christianity through friendship with their English teachers. We need to pray fervently for the need for more Christian English teachers and campus ministry helping young people know what is true relationship with Jesus. 

新任美國駐中國大使是一位曾經在臺灣傳教的摩門教徒，能說一口流利的普通話。 摩門教徒特別努力向中國大學生傳教，許多外籍英語教師其實是摩門教的宣教士。不少人第一次接觸基督教信仰，都是透過英語老師。我們需要迫切地禱告，求神差派基督徒英語教師到中國去，參與校園事工來幫助年輕人與耶穌建立密契的關係。

 

Wednesday
Being in the spotlight as the "youngest mayor in China" can be a nightmare for someone who is as young as one 29-year-old mayor in  Hubei. He has drawn much scrutiny and been accused of plagiarism, not holding his own umbrella, and even smoking expensive cigarettes. Since he is a mayor of a county-level city, his term is limited to 3-5 years. In China it is not easy to be a young leader because of the tradition of giving respect to the elderly. We need to pray for young pastors to walk closely with God and have a vision of what God can do through them. Young believers need opportunities to use their gifts in serving others and we must accept the fact that they will make mistakes and not always come up to our expectations.

媒體的焦點為周森鋒這位年僅29歲在湖北宜城的「中國最年輕市長」帶來不少輿論壓力。他因係縣級市長，任期為三至五年，從畢業論文是否剽竊，別人為他撐傘，到桌上價格不菲的香煙，一言一行都受全民審視。受到中國敬老傳統影響，年輕一代想要在中國成為領袖面對重重挑戰。讓我們禱告年輕牧者能緊密與神同行，相信神能透過他們行大事。我們也需提供機會給年輕信徒，運用屬靈恩賜服侍上帝，並接納他們偶會犯錯或未能盡如人意的事實。

Thursday
In order to be promote in China, more than good performance is needed. A person needs good "guanxi" (good relationship) or giving gifts to gain favor (open bribery). Many find these frustrating but accept them as the dark reality in China.
For Christians in China, often it is a challenge to live out the Biblical principle. Let us pray for wisdom, favor from their superiors and all who try to model Jesus in their work place.
在中國若要辦事成功、職場升遷，必須靠關係，不然就是要行賄送禮。很多人不得不向黑暗的現實低頭，要在這樣的環境下堅守屬靈原則是個大挑戰。讓我們為中國主內的肢體禱告，求主使他們在領導與同事眼前蒙恩，得到友善公平的對待，並賜他們智慧，行事為人能純良而靈巧，榮神益人。

Friday
  It is a well-known fact that churches in China do not have enough shepherds and many are desperately looking for workers. However, many Christians instead of respecting God's servants hold a cynical view of them and some have even been hurt by bad shepherds.  China needs more workers in the churches, not only in numbers but also in quality, a clear calling, and adequate training. May the Lord supply His church with faithful workers that will be respected for their dedication and sincerity.

中國的教會沒有足夠的牧者，許多教會正努力尋找教牧同工是眾所皆知的事。然而，許多基督徒對神的僕人並不尊重，反而以世俗的眼光去看待他們，也有基督徒曾受過不良牧者的傷害。中國教會不僅在數量上需要更多的教牧同工，且要質量上要求優越，有明確的呼召並受過充足裝備的牧者。求主將敬虔的工人供給他的教會，並讓他們因著向神的委身和敬虔而嬴得會衆充分敬重與愛戴。

Saturday
Following the Three Gorges Dam project, China has embarked on the ambitious undertaking of diverting the water from the Yellow River to a drought-prone province up north. In Henan province alone, 210,000 people will be relocated.  Historically, Chinese rural churches are impoverished and are supported externally. We put all the churches in Henan into the Lord's hands. Many have been weakened by attacks of cults, divisions within the church, or the exodus of young people to cities to find jobs.

中國一向南澇北旱，「南水北調」是自三峽工程後，中國近期展開的龐大水利工程，以緩解北方水資源嚴重短缺問題。受工程影響，單是河南段，便有21.1萬人口需重新遷配。中國農村教會一向受困於貧窮，需倚賴外來支援。許多河南教會受到異端邪教攻擊，教會分裂及年輕人轉往城市打工等問題困擾，靈性變得軟弱。讓我們特別在禱告中記念他們的困境。

Sunday
Suicide is now the fifth leading cause of death in China. Every year 250,000 die of suicide and just as many more attempt kill themselves. The most common reason for committing suicide is family and marriage problems with loss of jobs and money running a close second.Since Chinese Christians tend to feel that those who turn to suicide are basically weak, they tend not to feel pity for them. Let us pray for people in the churches to have compassion and a willingness to help those who are desperately seeking solutions and answers for problems in their lives.
在中國，自殺現已成為人口第五大死因。每年約有25萬人死於自殺，還有更多的人自殺未遂。導致自殺最常見的原因來自家庭和婚姻問題，其次是失業和金錢問 題。中國的基督徒往往認為選擇自殺的人是弱者，以至於對意圖自殺者缺乏憐憫之心。求神幫助中國的教會能以神的恩慈同情並積極向正為生活問題絕望無助的人伸出援手。

Monday
In China believers face great opposition from non-believing family members. Many young people are afraid their parents will find out they are believers and adults face pressure from their elderly parents or even their own children. Traditionally strong family ties work against those who convert to Christianity, especially those from Buddhist families. ( Buddhism is going very strong in China now.) We pray for strong faith for all believers who must choose between Jesus and their families. May the Lord comfort them, help their faith to grow in adversity, and even give them the courage to boldly share their relationship with God.

中國基督徒常面臨從不信主家庭成員而來的巨大反對。年輕信徒害怕被父母發現他們是基督徒，成年基督徒也面臨年邁父母甚至自己孩子的抵制。傳統中國強大的家庭關係對歸信基督的人非常不利，尤其是那些來自佛教家庭的人。（佛教現在中國十分壯大）讓我們為那些必須在耶穌和家人之間作出選擇的弟兄姊妹禱告，求神賜他們堅強的信心能在逆境中成長，也有勇氣大膽地向家人分享基督的信仰。