Prayer Request 8/10 - 8/16

Tuesday
The lyrics from a popular song in China satirizing Chinese parents who struggle to pay expenses for their child go like this: "Do you know, my daughter, how hard it is to earn money? To raise a child is so (expletive) hard. Is family planning still necessary? The great nation is super-rich. I've gotten nothing from the 4000 billions. The GDP keeps growing but who will buy diapers for me?" We pray for all of the believing parents who worry about how they will pay for the rising cost of raising their children. May the Lord give them assurance, wisdom, and a desire to raise their children to love the Lord above all.
Wednesday
Internet video is a new medium the younger generation in China has found to express their feelings. A folksong called "Happiness" says: "Happiness is paying 40,000 a square meter (of apartment) which I cannot afford... Now that I've bought happiness, it will take me thirty years to pay for it. Where is true happiness?" We pray for all young believing couples as they work so hard to make house payments along with saving for expenses for their child. May the Lord remind us all to keep Him as the Master of our house, growing closer to God and each other as we learn to serve in His church.
Thursday
There are many incidences of Chinese celebrities who were caught with shoddy and dubious academic degrees. Many claim that they have a master's or doctoral degree earned through life experience which they got from a foreign degree mill. Many Chinese pastors feel that since they do not have an academic degree they are inadequate in ministry. We pray for their efforts to receive more training and theological education. May the Lord help them to know that it is not by wisdom of men but by the power of the Spirit and His Word that people come to God.
Friday
Respecting elders is a virtue in the Chinese tradition. Conversely, young people complain that they do not receive "due respect" particularly in the churches in China where young pastors feel that the elders do not take them seriously. Let us pray for all the young workers in churches, for spiritual maturity and that they will trust in the Lord and not in their own wisdom and strength. We pray specifically for those who might be hurt or discouraged. May the Lord use a godly older person to give them encouragement.
Saturday
Some people describe the church in China as being "A mile wide, and an inch deep". Many of those who preach and shepherd churches need to be ministered to themselves. They are still learning but have people in their congregations who are much more mature in age and experience. It is difficult for young people to minister effectively in churches with older members. Let us pray for humility for all, both young and old. May the Lord give each of us tenderness in helping the younger shepherds learn to teach the Word of God boldly with conviction and with humility and gentleness.
Sunday
A year after the ethnic violence in Xingjian, the region is gradually returning to normal. This is a tense area where Muslim Uighur live side by side with Han Chinese. Many of the Uighur, however, do not speak Mandarin Chinese and so are unable to find jobs. Economic disparity and job discrimination are some of the issues of contention here. The work is hard here and not welcomed by the officials. Converts are ostracized from their families. The one bright spot is the college Bible study groups which target mainly the Han Chinese. We remember them in our prayers.
Monday
Although the Chinese government has repeatedly said that it has no plan to abolish the Cantonese dialect, there have been recent protests to keep the Cantonese dialect strong. China has many dialects but Cantonese is the only one which has its own radio broadcasts and television programming in China. There are likely more than four thousand Cantonese-speaking churches worldwide. Many of them are very mission-minded and send out missionaries worldwide. We thank the Lord for the great work the Cantonese-speaking churches have done and we pray the Lord will call out more workers from these congregations.

星期二
「現在的錢有多麼難掙啊！養一個孩子他媽不容易呀！計劃生育還有必要嗎？偉大的祖國她超有錢吶！四萬個億跟我有蛋關係呢？驕傲的GDP他噌噌的長啊！能為我換來幾包尿不濕嗎？」這是一首近期在網路流行的歌曲，平白的歌詞裡帶出無數「孩奴」父母無奈的聲音，引起廣泛共鳴。我們為基督徒父母禱告，有主賜下的確據和屬天智慧，不為養育孩子的費用憂慮，帶著異象和愛，為主教養一生愛主的孩子。
星期三
在網絡上火爆大熱的短片「幸福裡」，唱出80後年輕人的心聲。歌詞提到「幸福他在哪裡，四萬多一平米，我買不起……我買下了幸福，但卻要用30年的時間來還債，真的不知道我的幸福在哪裡！」我們特別為年輕的信徒夫婦禱告，他們為供房和子女的教育費用精疲力竭。願主提醒我們一生的目標是尊祂為一家之主，在教會學習參與服事時，能更與神親密，與衆信徒更相親。
星期四
中國名人被揭發造假學歷的事情屢見不鮮。很多人訛稱自己在外國某某大學獲得某某「在職碩士」、「在職博士」的銜頭。在中國教會裡，不少傳道人覺得自己沒有學位就不能好好服侍神。我們禱告：謙卑服侍主的人能得到更多屬靈上的裝備，求主也幫助他們明白，服事不是憑人的知識或學位，乃是憑上帝的話，依靠祂的靈，方能把人帶到主面前 。
星期五
當我們強調「尊敬長輩」是華人傳統美德的同時，許多青年人卻抱怨沒有得到半點相對的尊重。尤其在華人教會裡，青年牧者常感到不被年長信徒重視。我們為教會年輕同工禱告，求主幫助他們在基督裡成熟長大，信靠神而不是靠個人的智慧與能力。我們也特別為那些灰心及受傷的同工禱告，願主帶領合適的敬虔的長者，給予青年人更多鼓勵和扶持。
星期六
有人如此描述中國教會的講壇：「有一公里寬，卻只有一寸深。」不少在台上教導、在台下牧養的牧者，其實仍需再受教和被牧養。很多人自己還在吃奶，卻已經教人啃乾硬的大餅多年了。年輕的傳道人也常覺無力牧養年長的信徒。我們無論在主裡的年日幾多，都求主賜下謙卑受教的心，並指教我們幫助那些年輕的牧者，使他們在教導神的話語時，不但大有膽量，也是帶著謙卑與溫柔。
星期日
新疆種族衝突已一年周年了，當地生活正慢慢回復正常。新疆地區形勢一向緊張，也是信奉回教的維吾爾族和漢族一起聚居的地方。很多維族人不諳普通話，無法找到工作。工作歧視和貧富差距常引發爭執。我們爲教會在回教地區的事工禱告。這些事工十分艱辛，且不受當地政府歡迎。即使有人改信基督教亦會受家庭和社會的排斥。大部分教會在回民中工作主要集中於大學查經小組，但接觸到的大都是漢族。讓我們在禱告記念在回教地區的事工。
星期一
政府雖一再強調，目前絕無廢除廣東話的想法，不過最近在廣州、香港不少擁護粵語的人，擔心在官方強制及強力推廣普通話之下，粵語會瀕臨消失，於是發起「挺粵語」的行動。中國有許多方言，只有普通話和廣東話在國內有廣播和電視節目。全球約有四千多間粵語教會，差出許多宣教士到各地傳揚福音，對普世宣教事工貢獻良多，我們感謝神興起這些工作。求主繼續使用他們成為燈台，在各地見證主並差出更多工人。