Prayer Request 4/5 - 4/11

Tuesday
In the past three decades China has made impressive gains in sending rural children to school which has helped her become a low-end manufacturing power. However, many teenagers in the countryside there do not finish secondary school and that bodes ill for the labor force. We pray that more teachers in the rural churches will receive training to know how to best teach Sunday school and lead the children. Since ministry to youth is practically non-existent, we pray that God through His grace will raise up people who will work with young believers in the villages.
Wednesday
Since 1986, the law in China has been that students must finish​​​ nine years of school. In the countryside, however, many finish only those nine years and never go to high school. ​Many preachers in rural areas have only nine years of formal education, so we pray that God will give them wisdom and insight to preach with power and conviction to help ​their audiences apply God's truth to their lives.
Thursday
In 1990 only seven percent of students in rural China entered high school. Today​ it is just over one-third. Even at the junior level, dropout rates are high ranging from one-sixth to nearly a third of the students. We pray for the future preachers in the rural churches that the Lord will call those young people who seek to know His heart, are teachable, and also have a good educational foundation.
Friday
Due to the high cost, some rural students quit school. High schools are often far from their home villages so they must board and the cost of that three years can be more than a year's income for some of the rural families with low income.​ Getting a good education in rural China is difficult so we pray for believers who struggle to provide a good education for their children. May the Lord help them and grant their children a desire to do their best in school.
Saturday
About half of rural students in China fail the test to get into high school. Others leave because they can get what they consider a decent job. Wages for low-skilled work have increased greatly in recent years. Many young rural believers start to drift away from church and their faith at this stage of life. ​We pray that people and parents will share and encourage young people to stay close to Jesus and the church.
Sunday
Tens of millions of rural workers in China have moved to cities since the 1990s. But China's household registration system, or hukou, makes it difficult for them to send their children to better middle-schools in the cities. We pray for a strong faith in God for Christian parents who tend to worry about their children's education. We also pray for their children to trust God at a young age knowing that the fear of the Lord is true wisdom.
Monday
Migrant workers often have no choice but to leave their children behind to be educated in the villages. For these left-behind students, the lack of parental supervision compounds many students' learning difficulties. We can see the difficult predicament of second generation ministry in rural churches. Even in the face of seeming hopelessness, we pray that God will provide a way and solution for rural churches​ to help these people​.


星期二
過去三十年中國農村教育的改進，有助加速中國成為製造業大國。然而很多農村青少年中途輟學，這是中國勞動力中的一種病態。我們為農村教會能提供更多裝備和訓練給主日學老師禱告。另外，目前農村教會的青少年事工實際上是十分欠缺的，求神的恩典臨到，呼召更多愛神、愛下一代的信徒齊來關心農村年輕信徒的迫切需要。
星期三
中國自從1986年強制推行九年義務教育，農村孩子越來越多上高中，但卻還未到普及的階段。許多農村傳道的教育程度也只有初中。我們求主賜他們在服事時能有從上來的足夠智慧和洞察力，使他們能清楚、大力地傳講信息，也能幫助信徒能將神的真理活用於生活中。
星期四
1990年，農村僅有7%的學生上高中，如今可能已超過三分之一了。但另一方面，初中階段的輟學率也很高，在六分之一多至近三分之一不等。我們為農村教會未來傳道人的素質來禱告，求主賜給教會更多合神心意，願意委身事奉的年輕人，不僅擁有受教的心，也能有良好的教育基礎。
星期五
部分農村學生輟學，通常是因為學費負擔過高。高中一般離農村很遠，學生們只能住宿。而就讀三年下來的學雜費是農村一個較貧窮家庭全年的收入。農村孩子想接受更好的教育，實際上有很多的難處。我們為在學費上有難處的農村信徒家長禱告，求主為他們預備，也賜給他們的子女有認真上進努力向學的心志。
星期六
大約半數的農村孩子考不進高中。至於其它不上高中的，是因為自認為能夠找到一份夠體面的工作。近年來，低技術工作工資有極大增幅，達到3000元(490美元)。在這年齡層的農村信徒，許多也因此開始不上教會或漸漸遠離神。求主興起資深的弟兄姊妹，要多多鼓勵、提醒年輕人繼續親近神，不停止聚會，因為這是一生蒙福的抉擇。
星期日
自1990年代以來，成千上萬的中國農民工湧向城市。但是由於戶籍制度，農民工很難讓子女到城裡設施管理較好的初中上學。求主增強信心給擔心孩子教育的信徒，幫助他們的子女從小就清楚知道，敬畏耶和華，一生走在神的保守中，才是真智慧、真富足。
星期一
許多農民工沒有選擇，只能讓孩子在老家上學。由於缺乏父母監管，這些留守孩子在成長過程中遇到的難題叢叢而生。農村教會的第二代事工的確相當不容易，儘管從人看來是沒有什麼出路，但我們深信神必會為農村教會的挑戰開路，為愛神、屬神的人有神自己獨特的預備。