Prayer Request 1/20 - 1/26

Tuesday
China is offering women who take off their veils fully paid trips to Shanghai or Urumqi, as models of deveiling. But those who don’t remove their veils lose preferential benefits or are subject to administrative detention. Many Han Chinese have given up sharing Jesus with the Muslims. We pray for those who ​are ​actively witnessing to the Muslims, through friendship evangelism, especially those who are converts in ​the​ Xingjian area.
Wednesday
Recently, the party has pushed a “mass line” campaign aimed at embedding officials in regions of ethnic minorities. It started in 2011, with 20,000 officials rusticated in ​to​ grass-root communities in Tibet. ​Tibet is hard soil for the gospel. Few churches exist and those that do are mostly Han Chinese. We ask God to preserve their faith and revive those churches so they can be bright lamps for Jesus in the vast spiritual darkness.
Thursday
The Chinese​ government is sending 200,000 officials into Muslim regions, with one-third of them going into rural southern Xinjiang. They stay there for a year as the eyes and ears of the Communist Party to ensure the implementation of policy at the local level. ​China has strongly discouraged conversion of Muslim minorities to Christianity fearing unrest.​ We pray for Christians in Xinjiang that the Lord will give them strong faith in Him knowing He is with them and loves them very much.
Friday
In the 1980's​ there was a lot of promotion of ethnic cadres into the Party. Now there are 6,000,000 ethnic minority members of the Communist Party but in the eyes of Beijing probably many of them have not been carrying out policy adequately. We lift up all of the non-Han Chinese believers in prayer, especially those in Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces. May the Lord bring them more and more well-trained shepherds so their ministry will flourish and believers will grow spiritually with a solid foundation of Biblical truth.
Saturday
There has been a lot of discussion in China recently about rooting ​out religious beliefs among party members since they have realized that the party representatives in the frontier regions in the 1980's and 90's were not carrying out party rules. We pray for believers in the ethnic minorities in China, especially the churches in Yunnan. Although economic conditions have vastly improved there, churches have lost all of their young people because they went to the cities to work.
Sunday
Although wages have risen and more blue-collar workers are able to afford monthly mortgage payments, many do not have the down payments. Increasing costs of labor hurt the profit margins of developers and make it increasingly expensive to build more homes. ​We pray for wisdom for all believers in China who are planning to purchase a house and that they will "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness' knowing that "all of these things will be added to you." (Matthew 7: 34)​
Monday
Just a decade ago, China had a glut of young, eager workers. Construction sites commonly operated around the clock, with workers earning as little as $5 for a day’s or night’s work. ​Wages have risen significantly but sadly, compensation for church workers lags greatly. May the Lord have mercy on the churches in China and help them to honor their shepherds and treat them with respect and generosity, not as mere servants.
 
星期二
中國政府獎勵那些願意摘下頭巾的穆斯林女性，提供免費前往上海或烏魯木齊旅遊的機會。但是，那些不摘的人，就會失去一些優惠待遇，或者要受到行政拘留。許多漢人信徒已經放棄向穆斯林傳福音的嘗試。我們為那些仍然堅持並積極向穆斯林伸出友誼之手，見證基督的信徒禱告，尤其記念改信基督的新彊回民。
星期三
最近共產黨開展了 "群眾路線”運動，目的是讓官員們深入基層社區。西藏的群眾路線是第一個，始於2011-2013 年，期間共有2萬名官員進駐各個村莊。西藏是福音的硬土，以漢人為主的弱小教會在發展上也有種種困難。求主保守信徒，能靠主堅守信仰，復興他們，在屬靈的漆黑中，為主成為明亮的燈台。
星期四
中國新疆計劃在三年時間裡，將派20萬名官員參加下基層活動。其中三分之一去了南疆的農村駐留一年, 確保政策在地方的執行落實。政府為了安撫新彊，堅決反對任何穆斯林改變信仰。我們為新彊的基督徒祈求，願主加添他們信心和膽量，知道他們所信的是信實不改，恩慈的神。祂必一直與信徒同在，保守看顧屬祂的人。
星期五
80年代，共產黨提拔了很多少數民族幹部。有更多的少數民族入黨。如今，共產黨有600萬名少數民族成員，這中間有很多人可能沒在積極推行黨的政策。我們為少數民族中的基督徒禱告，尤其是雲南、廣西地區。求主更多地裝備教會牧者，叫信徒在屬靈上得著充份的供應，確保在信仰上有根有基。
星期六
最近有很多關於根除黨員宗教信仰的討論。共產黨越來越意識到，雖然八、九十年代邊疆地區有很多黨員，但他們並沒有貫徹黨的規定。我們為在中國的少數民族信徒禱告, 特别是在雲南省的，過去的貧困雖然改善，但是近年當地教會也經歷了青年人外出工作的問題，求主再次復興祂的教會，不看環境，單單仰望主的帶領。
星期日
中國工人的工資不斷上漲，讓更多藍領工人能夠負擔每月的房貸，但許多人仍然很難湊齊首付。另一方面，不斷增加的勞工成本，使得建造房屋的成本升高。我們為準備購屋的信徒禱告，求主給他們智慧，認定先求神的國和祂的義，神必將他們需用的賜給他們。
星期一
十年前中國還有大量的年輕工人，在建築工地24小時開工，工人們每天或每夜只能掙五美元。現今一般中國工人的薪資都已大幅上漲，但是許多教會工人的薪俸卻仍沒有改善。求主憐憫教會，按著神的心意敬重神選召來服事教會的牧者，慷慨善待祂的僕人，而不是把牧者視為「會眾的僕人」。