Enlightened By God
“My husband and I used to quarrel all the time. Basically, I did not even realize that it was my fault. The quarrels between my husband and me are all related to small matters caused by me. I am willing to rely on Jesus in order to change myself. Thank God. He has made me realize that people should not be impulsive all the time. When we quarrel, I have learned to change the subject so that this incident will not continue to develop. Gradually our relationship is becoming better and better. Currently I am pregnant. The child is a gift given to us by God. So I no longer think that this problem does not matter as I did before. God has made me change myself. Our marital relationship has become harmonious.”
(Sister Xia)
- Please pray for Sister Xia and her husband that they will often introspect themselves in Christ and change bravely. Pray that Sister Xia’s marriage can become a good testimony. Also ask the Lord to keep the baby growing healthily in her womb.
High Amount of Betrothal Gifts
In recent years, the high amount of betrothal gifts has drawn great attention from all walks of life. The central and local governments have proposed various measures to rectify the situation. However, the problem still persists in some rural areas. The obvious regional and class differentiation has also become one of the most intense social problems in rural areas. The highest amount of the gifts is found in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta region, including Jiangsu (mainly southern Jiangsu), Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi. The reasons for such problem are related to the urbanization policies and imbalance of the gender ratio. Moreover, the logic of market economics and consumerist culture all have a certain influence on the issue.
(“China News Weekly”, May 13, 2024)
- Ask the Lord to help the government and various sectors respond to the problem from a comprehensive perspective so that they can jointly find the solutions. Please pray that a betrothal gift will no longer be a burden on marriage, and that people will regain correct views and original values of love and marriage.
Superstitious Shui People
The Shui people are one of the ancient ethnic groups in Guizhou. They are engaged in farming. They believe in ghosts and witches. In 1884, French Catholic missionaries were the first one to visit them. By the early 20th century, the Shui people had 30 Catholic churches and there were about 5,000 Catholics. However, a movement in 1906 resulted in the murder of the church leaders of the Shui people and the scattering of believers. Evangelical Christian missionaries came into contact with the Shui people for the first time in 1910. Moreover, the Shui people believe in worship of ancestors’ spirits. They believe that people exist in the forms of spirits, ghosts or gods after death. Only ancestor worship is allowed within the closed community of the Shui people. Following Jesus is regarded as a great dishonor to their ancestors.
- Please pray that the Lord will show mercy to Shui people, and that they will be reconciled to God in Christ. Also pray that they are no longer deceived by demons. Some Shui believers try to record gospel messages in order to spread the gospel widely. May the Lord bless the ministry using these “audio gospel leaflets”.
Gospel Broadcasting
- God’s Word, God’s Way: The online bible study course, “God’s Word, God’s Way – a Spiritual Banquet”, finished successfully in April and May. Being authorized by our partner to use the materials; we had group discussion and sharing of message for each session. The number of students admitted is not large because we want to ensure the quality of group discussions. However, the enthusiastic responses from the audience show that they are very thirsty for God’s Words in their hearts and eager to be satisfied.
- Website access: People have experienced difficulties in accessing the websites of Liangyou Radio and Liangyou Theological Seminary since mid-April. Many listeners have written to us to inquire. There are also some believers who have visited in person to inquire. While colleagues are busy responding to these inquiries, they are also working hard to investigate the causes and conduct tests. Ask the Lord to grant us wisdom and open an unobstructed way for us.
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