Prayer Request 7/26 - 8/1

Tuesday
College graduates are having difficulty finding a white-collared job. In the wealthiest region of Guangdong, college grads are fighting over even such positions as nannies. This year 6.1 million young people are expected to graduate from colleges but a third of last year's grads still have not found a job. Many young people accepted Jesus in Bible study groups in college. We pray their faith will sustain them and they will be able to connect with a local church quickly so they will not be like the seeds sown in shallow ground that Jesus spoke about.

Wednesday
In the latest effort to curb rampant tobacco use, in the country with the largest number of smokers in the world, China is ordering makers of films and TV shows to limit the amount of smoking depicted on-screen, show smoking only when necessary for artistic purposes or character development. We pray for all believers whose loved ones are addicted to smoking. It is not merely smoking, but addiction to other things, and the lack of appetite for the Gospel May the Lord use their powerful life testimony, bring a fresh reminder of the gracious and living God in their homes.

Thursday
China is one of the biggest source countries for international adoption. The relatively easy procedure has attracted many foreign families. Some 120,000 Chinese children have been adopted by families in the United States since 1992. Officials with the family planning authority in Hunan were said to have taken away babies from families who fell foul of family planning rules and put them up for adoption. Chinese babies for adoption are girls in overwhelming majority. We take this special time for parents of girl, may the Lord give them assurance that God has a special purpose for their daughters and they will trust the Lord to bless them with wisdom and favor even they will not have a part of their growing up. We too pray that these girls will one day grow up in Christian homes and be used by God.

Friday
Overseas families wishing to adopt a Chinese child almost always forced to make mandatory donations to the welfare home, leading homes to put up more children for adoption and resort to illegal practices to find more children, the government reported. The amount suggested is 35,000 yuan (US$5,405), which amounts to "selling" of children. Mothers who abandoned or "give up" their new born usually believe their child will somehow have a better life abroad. We pray for all the young women who gave up their child, may the Lord take away their guilt and unspeakable shame, we do the same for far many more women who chose to terminate their pregnancies using artificial means.

Saturday
Seventy percent of those who married Taiwanese men and received Taiwan citizenship in the past years are Vietnamese. Taiwan officials were alarmed by such "obvious disproportion" and indicated that Vietnamese women purposely seek to acquire Taiwan citizenship and if the current trend continues, there could be a structural change socially in Taiwan. May the Lord raise up an army of believers to pray fervently for the revival of churches in Taiwan, as watchman on guard for the change in the spiritual state of all believers. May the Lord revive all churches, so that not just a few big churches busy hosting revival or healing rallies, but many more believers have burden for the lost souls.

Sunday
China population is aging rapidly, this phenomenon is especially troublesome because the it took place when the mandatory family planning and one-child policy are being implemented in the same time. So, Chinese parents are getting older and sicker as their only child ages; there are more empty-nested families and families with old people and no one to care for them. Many older believers eventually stop going to church because they become physically unable or have no one to take them to church. Let us pray for these homebound saints, for God's comfort, strength and unfading faith in the Lord they believe and serve. We also pray for more churches that will do more in caring for elderly and visit them regularly.

Monday
In the past young Chinese men have commonly gone to the cities for work, especially those from the more impoverished provinces. Now, however, more and more young women are also leaving their children and elderly parents in their village homes and going to the cities to find work. This causes a very serious social problem in this large population of about 40 million older people who have been left behind. This problem is also the major reason why the rural churches have been in rapid decline, especially lacking in young co-workers, young believers, and a loss in the amount of offerings given. Let us pray for the spiritual lives of all of the rural believers who are working in the cities. May the Spirit of the Lord continually remind them to walk closely with Jesus and protect their families, especially the parent-child relationship which is universally poor.


星期二
今年大學畢業生的就業前景極不樂觀。在最富裕的廣東省，大學生甚至要爲保姆這類工作擠破頭。估計今年有610萬大學畢業生湧入就業市場，而去年畢業生中還有約三分之一還在找工作。很多年輕人都是在大學時期的查經班接受主耶穌，願他們畢業後仍持守信仰，並能盡快找到教會，繼續聚會，使神的道在心田生根建造，茁壯成長。而不像主所說的，落在淺土石頭地上。也使他們在艱難的現實中，因靠著對神的信心，不至於頹喪。

星期三
中國煙民人口龐大。為打擊濫用煙草，中國政府最近加強限制電影和電視劇中吸煙鏡頭的次數。除非為了必要的藝術目的或配合人物個性發展需要，吸煙情節盡量避免。我們為家裏有嗜煙親人的信徒禱告。問題不光是抽煙，也包括其他不良嗜好，及對福音不感興趣。願主使用祂的兒女作有力的生命見證，提醒家人上帝是又真又活且滿有憐憫的神。

星期四
因為領養手續簡單及孩童來源多，自1992年至今，已有十二萬多中國兒童被美國家庭領養，使中國成為世界最多輸出領養孩童的國家。據報道，湖南省負責計劃生育的官員，常以孩子是違規出生為由，把嬰兒交給福利院，成為中國領養兒童的一大來源。被領養的中國嬰兒絕大多數是女嬰，求主親自安慰這些嬰兒的母親，雖然她們無法參與孩子的成長，但神仍會保守祝福。我們也禱告在這些在國外基督徒的家庭長大的孩子，將來為主所用。

星期五
海外家庭如想收養中國兒童，要強制「捐款」給福利院。據政府報告，這惡性循環造成福利院到處尋找可被領養的兒童，甚至以非法手段取得孩子。領養中國孩子的「行情」，「建議捐款」是人民幣35,000元（5405美元）。將孩子放棄或遺棄的母親，總相信自己的骨肉在國外將有更好的人生。我們只能藉著禱告，求神憐憫這些選擇放棄孩子的母親，以祂無條件的大愛撫平她們的內疚和羞恥。我們也為那些選擇墮胎的婦人，求天父的恩典。

星期六
越南配偶占近年歸化台灣籍人數的七成。官員指出不同國家的外籍人士歸化上「明顯失衡」，越南籍外配是以「取得台灣身份證為來台主要目標」，若這種情況繼續發展，將對台灣「整體社會產生結構性影響」。求主激勵基督徒更殷勤禱告，為教會的復興、為屬靈空氣的轉變作守望者，為台灣教會讓主大大使用來禱告，不是僅僅舉行特會，或某些大的團隊興旺，而是眾信徒起來關心眾多失喪靈魂。

星期日
中國由於人口老齡化發生在實行計劃生育、獨生子女等背景下，老齡化問題還兼具獨子高齡化、高齡病殘化、老年空巢化及空巢孤獨化等複雜的特點。許多年長的信徒，因體力衰退或沒有人陪伴，不能參加教會聚會。我們在禱告中要記念這些肢體，求主安慰、加添他們身、心靈力量，對神有堅定不移的信心。又求主提醒教會要關心長者事工，有智慧牧養他們，更多照顧和做定期的探訪。

星期一
從前中國年輕男人到城市打工是普遍現象，特別是窮困的省份，現在越來越多的年輕的婦女也出去打工。家裡就剩老人和孩子，這個問題相當嚴重。農村留守老人約4000萬，佔農村老年人口的37%。 這是農村教會近年人數下降的主因，同時因缺乏年輕同工和信徒，也造成農村教會奉獻劇減。我們為所有進城打工的信徒們祈求，求主的靈時時保守他們的心懷意念，與主親密；也保守他們的家庭，尤其是在親子關系上有主的憐憫。