Prayer Request 8/30 - 9/5

Tuesday
Hong Kong has 268,000 housemaids from Philippines and Indonesia. They allow Hong Kong mothers to work outside of home and are an integral part of economy. Recently, High Court will decide whether to grant permanent residency for maids who have worked more than 7 years. Many believer families employ maids as housekeepers or caring for elderly parents. It is common that maids follow them to attend church service. We pray that the believers will have a powerful and godly influence on their live-in workers, especially those from Muslim countries.

Wednesday
The declining ratio of rural students to urban students in the top-tiered universities is increasingly alarming. Although 62 % of the rural students took the national college entrance exam in 1910 and passed, in Tsinghua University only 17% of the freshmen were from rural areas. People who live in rural areas have the same desire to see their children excel academically and have a good future as do those who live in cities. Christian parents worry and pray fervently that their children will pass the entrance exam to college and then do well in their studies. We pray that parents and their children will have faith and truly trust God to care for them, knowing that He has the best in store for them.

Thursday
Overall the number of rural students attending universities in China is rising. In 1998 only 43.4% of first-year students were from a rural area but in 2005 it had risen to 53%. However, in Beijing University, students from the countryside represent only 10% of the student body so we see that most of them are going to second- or third-tier universities or vocational colleges. Paying tuition for students to go to college is a huge burden and constant worry for parents and especially those who live in rural areas. May the Lord grant each of us an unwavering faith in Him, to know He will not neglect us and we can trust that He truly is Jehovah-Jireh, the God Who provides for all of our needs.

Friday
China church has always been known for “Many women, many old people, many peasants, many illiterate and few church workers”. We praise the Lord for a miracle in the past decade, that is raising up churches in the cities and among the college students. This new development has injected much needed new blood to the graying church.

Saturday
Sending missionaries to other countries has long been a dream for churches in China. Many church groups have young people willing to go but they need solid theological training as well as skill in the language of the country and cross-cultural training. In the past many of the people sent to Muslim countries have returned because they just could not survive there. We pray that churches in China will not be discouraged in their efforts to send missionaries but will use past efforts to learn from their mistakes. Many Chinese look down on the Muslims because they are an ethnic minority in their country. Let us pray for a true passion for the Muslims in the church in China.

Sunday
In the 1980's churches in China, especially the rural churches grew at a phenomenal rate. It was an amazing testimony of God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit coupled with the hard work of believers. However, since the late 1990's, rural churches, especially those in Henan and Anhui, need our prayers. Many of the believers who have little Christian background have fallen pray to various cults and the occult.

Monday
There are two main branches of the church in China--rural and urban. In recent years, churches in the cities have experienced explosive growth. Wenzhou is a case in point of how quickly this growth has transpired. We pray for church workers who must have proper and systematic theological training to be able to minister to the members in their congregations who are more intellectual than they are.


星期二
香港現有26.8 萬名菲籍或印尼外傭。她們的存在使女主人能夠外出工作，被認為香港經濟推手之一。最近法院將判決居港滿7年之外傭應否享有香港永久居民身份。許多信徒家庭也聘請外傭負責家務或照顧家中老幼，並同上教會崇拜。求主賜信徒在外傭面前有美好見證。感謝主近年感動一些教會關懷外藉傭人的需要，為她們預備合適的聚會。大部份印傭是穆斯林，我們特別為她們能在香港認識及接受福音禱告。

星期三
農村寒門子弟離一線高校越來越遠，在重點大學中農村生源的比例逐年下降。今年清華大學本科生中，農村生源佔總人數的17%。然而，全國農村考生的比例是62%。農村家長對孩子同樣也有成龍、成鳳的期待，信徒父母更是如此，無不為孩子的功課和升學而操心。求主賜給這些父母和孩子信心，能時常依靠、仰望神，並相信祂有最美好的預備。

星期四
按數據顯示，中國農村孩子佔高校新生的比例逐漸升高，從1989年的43.4%，到2005年達到53%。而在重點大學，農村學生的比例卻不斷滑落，絕大多數的農村學生都是進入高職、高專、三本、二本。很多農村信徒都深怕無法負擔孩子龐大的教育費用而憂心。求主堅固我們的信心，那位看顧麻雀，甚至連我們的頭髮也都數過的神，也必定看顧我們的一切需用。

星期五
中國教會常有「四多一少」的困境。「四多」一般是指﹕「婦女多、老人多、農民多和文盲多」，而「一少」是「工人少」。 我們特別要向主感恩，因為獨行奇事的神在近十年中，在城市教會和大學生群中卻行了大事，使他們成為中國未來發展的一股生力軍。讓我們敏感於神的腳步聲，配合神的心意，以恆切的禱告為中國各處的教會守望。

星期六
中國教會在派遣傳教士多有挫折及付代價的學習，他們往往缺乏宣教課程的培訓和宣教士的培育、訓練, 包括跨文化、近文化， 即便是城市宣教就有許多適應上的需要，就已整裝出發去宣教。以致許多年輕宣教士因無足夠裝備鎩羽而歸、傷痕累累。求主讓他們不氣餒，從錯誤中吸取教訓，更謙卑的努力。許多中國人，包括信徒仍有看輕中國回民的心態，求主賜中國教會一顆真正關愛穆斯林同胞的心

星期日
中國教會在80年代開始，因著神的恩典、藉著聖靈大能，和眾教牧、義工及弟兄姊妹同心的努力，教會大大興旺。尤以農村教會的增長最為驚人！他們為信徒立下了可佩的信心榜樣和屬靈資產。但自九零年代末起，農村教會卻面臨更嚴峻的考驗。尤其是那些對信仰沒有深厚根基的，容易被異端邪教輕易拐騙。我們繼續為河南和安徽省的農村教會來禱告，願主真理的明光趨逐黑暗的轄制，保守自己的群羊。

星期一
當今中國除了農村教會之外，增多了一個核心主流就是城市教會，而最近幾年的城市福音「爆炸」，帶來城市教會的大量增長，其中發展最突出的要算浙江溫州。求主興起更多受過純正、系統的神學裝備，能在這些城市教會牧養、服侍的教會同工，以回應這些由知識分子為主幹的城市教會的需要。