Please lift up in prayer the believers whose letters are quote below.

"I came to faith in the Lord in 2004. Over the past few years, I have endured various kinds of physical pain. While living in pain from day to day, I tended to get discouraged and feel helpless. But I have got through this in the Lord. Now my health has improved and my husband has learnt to trust in the Lord. But I find that I have been bound by financial concerns. It seems that since 2009, I have become another person who keeps worrying about finance. I am so depressed that I have lost interest in everything. I don't even have the strength to pray. In my heart of hearts, I want to live well in the Lord, but I have failed. I am heavy hearted as if a huge mountain has come over me. I don't know why I have come to this." - Letter from Shandong province

"As I am lazy and weak, I have not done anything for God in the past twenty years since my conversion. I feel ashamed that I have not led anyone to Christ. I want to serve God, but I am discouraged when I think of my husband who is a non-believer. I agreed to marry him because he said he believed in the Lord. But after our marriage, he changed his mind. I have failed to lead him to God, owing to my own weakness." - Letter from Anhui province

"I am feeling low today, tired of my daily schedule that begins with getting up every morning, followed by going to work, being occupied for the day, getting off work, having supper, surfing on the internet before going to bed, and being too lazy for prayer. I find work meaningless. I wonder why I had such a passion for work when I graduated in 2007. While I am now getting ahead in a job that earns me twice as much as before, I have drifted apart from God. There is not a day on which I want to pray. I know that I need to do my best in the present circumstances, but I am so downhearted." - Letter from Shanghai

[All quotes from the Far East Broadcasting Company.]

Pray for believers in China like those quoted who are struggling in their faith and feeling discouraged.

Pray for those who are bound by financial worries and feel far from the Lord.

Pray for those who feel inadequate and that they have let the Lord down.

Pray for those who struggle in difficult marriages.

Pray for those who have lost hope amidst their daily routine.

Pray that all might know God's strengthening and real breakthrough in their lives.

The students from Australia, Malaysia, Switzerland, USA and the UK all arrived in China towards the end of last month and their classes have now started. This month four guest speakers are visiting from overseas, and two of our China-based co-workers will also be teaching. In the afternoons, the students have Chinese language classes at a local school.

It is a busy schedule with lots to take in, so please do remember the students as they continue adjusting to life in a new country, study a new language and also begin to learn about and consider the challenges of serving overseas. We trust that, as the course continues, the Lord will speak into all the students' lives in new ways and show them His purposes for their future.

If you would like to know more about the ASM (as well as other aspects of the ministry) and to stand with us daily in prayer for all that AM-CCSM is doing, do contact your local AM-CCSM base to ask about our monthly ministry prayer update. This provides more details of all the work in which our co-workers are involved - in a way that we are unable to do in this China Prayer Update. We would love to have you stand alongside us in this way.

Pray for all the new ASM students in their continuing adjustment to life in one of China's big cities.

Pray for the Lord to anoint each of those who will be teaching on the ASM course. Pray that their words may inspire, challenge and encourage each of the students.

Pray that the Lord will speak into the students' lives in new ways and begin to reveal His purposes for their future.

Pray that more of our supporters will begin receiving our monthly ministry prayer update and commit to pray regularly and in more depth for the various aspects of the work of AM-CCSM.

According to the BBC, "An army of volunteers and fishermen has been mobilised to help clean up the pollution from the area around the port of Dalian, one of China's most important strategic oil reserves. But conditions are grim for those involved... Fishermen covered in oil, some of them working just in their underwear, scrape up the toxic sludge that spilled out of the jars they have brought back from the open sea. No one is wearing protective goggles, facemasks or even gloves to protect them from the hazardous chemicals in the oil."

Less than two weeks later, an explosion at a plastics factory in Nanjing killed at least 10 people and injured another 300. Investigators suspected that the rupture of a propylene pipeline, possibly caused by workers who were dismantling the factory, triggered the blast. The explosion collapsed nearby structures, shattered windows in the surrounding area and sent columns of acrid black smoke into the air. "I heard a loud bang that lasted for about one second," said a teacher at the Nanjing Technical College of Special Education, which is about a kilometer northwest of the factory. "As soon as I got outside the building, I saw most of the windows on the first floor were shattered." (Time)

Throughout July, the Chinese news was also full of reports of the devastating floods that spread across much of south, central and northeast China. Chinese authorities said that a total of 134 million people in 28 provinces have been affected by the severe weather. Hundreds had died in the worst floods in more than a decade. Thousands of tons of garbage washed down by the torrential rain threatened to jam the locks of the Three Gorges Dam, which was already under tremendous pressure from a huge water flow. Then to add to the disaster, Jilin province environmental authorities reported that the floods had swept some 7,000 barrels, many containing toxic industrial chemicals, into the Songhua River.

In early August, the disasters continued as landslides caused by torrential rains in north-western Gansu province led to at least another 1,100 deaths, with several hundred people still missing at the time of writing.

Pray into the situations mentioned in the text - the oil spill in Dalian; the factory explosion in Nanjing; and the devastating floods across much of China. Remember all those who have been affected by these disasters.

Pray for effective clean-up following any future incidents like the oil spill and escape of barrels of toxic chemicals into the Songhua River. Pray too that those working on the clean-ups would be given adequate protection.

Pray that lessons would be learnt from each of these incidents and as much as possible would be done to prevent such events from reoccurring.

For the first few days, the team ran a summer camp for children from a village school where our co-workers have been involved for several years. One of the team shared: "It was great to see so many kids come out to join in the games and crafts. Some of them had to walk or cycle a long way to come and take part and they all really enjoyed it. It was great to be able to joke and play around with them, and it was priceless to see the smiles on their faces as they played and joked around. When we told them a story from the Bible, it was just amazing to see so many of them interested in what the story was about and how they listened with so much interest."

In another area, the team provided fun and games for over 100 children from local villages. "Although it was a VERY hot day, it didn't stop the kids taking part and enjoying themselves," a team member told us. "Many of the kids and even some of the teachers from the school where we held the event were so excited and happy. I often heard them say that they hope we can come back soon and do it again. It felt great to be a part of what God is doing in these areas and with these kids. I look forward to seeing the fruit of the seeds we have sown and watching relationships flourish. May God truly bless all the children that heard the Good News."

After this, the team went on to work in a local orphanage for four days. There they were able to spend time playing with the children, as well as doing craftwork and teaching them some songs.

In the midst of some really hot weather and a lot of travelling, the team did really well and enjoyed their time in China.

Don't forget that we offer lots of different opportunities for you too to join a team to China and bring God's blessing into people's lives there. You may like to know that we have recently made a significant change to our orientation times, which now take place inside China, rather than in Hong Kong. You can find out more about all our teams at www.amccsm.org/short-term-teams or by contacting your local base office.

Thank the Lord for these open doors to bring God's love and blessing to these children in central China.

Pray for all the children who learnt about the Lord through the team members' words and actions. May His truths go down deep into their hearts.

Pray for the ongoing work of our China-based co-workers as they continue to visit many of these children.

Pray that more people from around the world will hear the call to come and bring God's blessing to the people of China.

The second main reason was that they had been given a Bible in their own language. The third reason was that they had experienced supernatural manifestations of God, such as dreams and visions, healing and deliverance. And the fourth reason was that they had observed in the Scriptures that God is a God of love.

This survey reminds us of the vital importance of true Christians living out a godly lifestyle amongst unreached people groups. Please lift up in prayer those of our China-based co-workers who are seeking to be a witness in this way.

Please remember several co-workers who are providing English classes to young children from an unreached minority group in one city and are thus building relationships with their families.

In another area, our co-workers set up projects to help provide income and improve the livelihoods of the local minority people group. They worked in the area for quite a number of years and saw a dramatic improvement in the lives of the people they served, but more recently have faced some opposition and were forced to move to another area. They are keeping contact with the locals in the original area and were delighted to hear that the young Christian believers there are being discipled by a Han Chinese Christian. Now these co-workers are trusting the Lord for continuing open doors and much fruit in the new area He has directed them to, which also have a significant population of unreached people from a different minority group.

Praise God for all those from China's minority people groups that have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Give thanks for the Christians who went to them to demonstrate the Good News through their lifestyle and actions.

Pray that more people will be called to serve the unreached minority peoples of China. Pray that Scriptures will get into the hands of those who are seeking for answers. Pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to more people through dreams and visions, healings and deliverance.

Pray for AM-CCSM's co-workers who have a heart for unreached minority peoples. Pray for the Lord's blessing on the projects they are involved in. Pray for protection and for open doors to be ‘salt and light' to the minority peoples of China.

Tian's daily work includes collecting firewood deep in the mountains, attending to domestic chores, taking care of her parents in-law and growing nearly two hectares of tobacco, corn and rice. The family members are usually all together just once a year for the annual Spring Festival.

Tian is typical of the many "left-behind women" who stay in their village while their husbands head for other parts of China to earn a living. More than half the women in her village in Hunan province have husbands who have migrated to cities to gain better paid jobs. Many rural villages seem to consist purely of women, children, the elderly and the physically disabled.

Following a two-year survey ending in December 2008, researchers found that the "left-behind population" in China's rural areas included 20 million children, 20 million elderly people and 47 million wives. The numbers have continued to grow.

Eight percent of the women surveyed said that they were facing a crisis in their marriage. Thirty percent of the women suffered from chronic diseases. 62.9 percent of them were described as "physically overstrained".

Each year Tian Jinzhen ploughs the family's cropland and carries 40 kg of grain - about her own weight - in a single harvesting trip. "Other women carry up to 50 kg, but I'm not as strong," says Tian. "When it's time to get up at dawn, I really want to be asleep forever. But I struggle to stand up because the whole family rely on me and I cannot let them down."

Tian's dream is that her village will be able to set up a collectively-owned business to promote locally-made products on the national market. "When our village becomes rich, residents will find jobs close to their home and no one will be left behind anymore," she says. (People's Daily)

Pray for China's "left-behind women" who so often struggle on their own with very little support.

Pray that these women would find support from one another and that they might gain relief from the constant physical strain.

Pray for their marriages, as they are separated from their husbands for much of the year, and for their children, apart from one or even both parents as they go through their formative years.

Pray that better economic policies will be enacted that work to keep families together and still enable them to earn a reasonable living.

Pray that the Lord would raise up labourers specifically to reach these women and others left behind in the villages with the Gospel.

Please allow me this month to share a botanical message, though about sunflowers and not lilies!

My wife and I have been taking a brief break in France, staying with her brother who owns a house there. While on prayer walks through the beautiful French countryside (where we are staying is very rural), we have been impacted by beautiful French sunflowers.

Firstly, when we arrived, the sunflower fields (which are very large) were entirely green. There were no flowers to be seen. Then one day a few yellow ‘heads' were to be seen, and within three days the field was covered in yellow flower heads. As you probably know, when in bloom sunflower fields are a riot of beautiful yellow. I see this as a parable of prayer. Our Father God can cause fields in which we work to change from ‘flower-less' to beautiful in answer to prayer. So much is there which He can draw out in answer to prayer - in China, in the lives for whom we pray, in our own lives. God can do that for you!

Secondly, the sunflowers turn during the day to face and follow the sun, to draw in the warmth and nurture of its heat. So as we walk past the fields, we are amazed that every flower is facing in the same direction - towards the sun. What a parable and a challenge for us and for the work in China in which we are engaged - face the Son, stretch out to Him, to seek His face and His work in our lives. It happens because God has created something amazing. Wikipedia says: "At sunrise, the faces of most sunflowers are turned towards the east. Over the course of the day they follow the sun from east to west, while at night they return to an eastward orientation. This motion is performed by motor cells in the pulvinus, a flexible segment of the stem just below the bud." So if you are struggling in your prayer life, ask the Lord to do for you what He does for the sunflower - to enable you to turn towards the Son all day.

Thirdly, some fields ripen before other fields. The field nearest where we are staying is brilliant yellow, whereas other fields have not yet begun to bloom. Again, what an encouragement that is not to give up when others seem to be blessed more than us. Keep facing the Son, and our time will come for blossom and fruitfulness. Don't compare or despair. Just trust and obey and pray in faith.

"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30)

Take one of the six previous topics which has especially impacted you and spend time asking the Lord to bless that ‘field' with a turning from green to brilliant yellow, with fresh life from God!

China's church grew partly as a result of the amazing prayer of believers there in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Ask the Lord to quicken again and restore that prayer life in His church in China.

Ask the Lord to encourage those indigenous Chinese workers and those foreigners labouring inside China who feel discouraged and "left out" of His blessing when they look at other seemingly "more successful" workers. Ask God to help them to believe His blessing will come for them in His time.

Time is now running out if you plan to apply for one of our October short-term teams, so please do get your applications in quickly. Team options include Impact Cycling, Trekking, Mercy, Intercession and Leaders. Check out more details on our website at www.amccsm.org/short-term-teams or contact your local AM-CCSM office.

This month our new Antioch School of Missions (ASM) students will be arriving in China. During their first week, they will need to finalise their visas and get oriented to the city before the start of Chinese language and mission studies towards the end of the month. Please remember them as they say farewells to family and friends and then begin the process of adjusting to a new country and culture.

Please also continue to lift up all those involved in our literature ministry. Recently we placed a large order for 300,000 books, but our literature co-ordinator reports that, "This is nothing like enough to cover requests." He asks us to pray for substantial extra funds to come in to cover the current high demand for our books, as well as for safety in both the printing and dispatching of all our materials.

Please pray for the short-term mercy team now serving in China. Pray that they will be a real blessing to everyone they come into contact with.

Pray for the Lord's provision for those He is calling to come on the October short-term teams.

Pray for the new ASM students as they leave family and friends, and then settle into life in China.

Pray for protection over the printing and delivery of all our Christian teaching materials, and for substantial funds to enable us to respond to growing demand for these books.

In 1997, the city was officially taken out of the jurisdiction of Sichuan province and established as a separate municipality. In the last ten to fifteen years, large amounts of money have been invested in the city, but as wealth has grown, so has corruption.

"Chongqing is booming, but, along with the economy, crime has risen, especially extortion and racketeering. Locals say gangs take a big cut of everything from transport to construction," according to Time magazine. Since the middle of 2009, Chongqing has been the target of a crackdown on corruption and organised crime. "Chongqing's trials have riveted the country. Lurid details about once powerful mobsters and officials have spilled out in open court and across the pages of daily newspapers," Time continues.

Probably the biggest fish caught in the campaign has been Wen Qiang, former deputy police chief. He is believed to have accepted bribes totalling 12.11 million yuan. In April, he was sentenced to death after being found guilty of protecting five organised gangs, accepting bribes, rape and property scams. Many local residents rejoiced as they heard the news.

A further 3,000 suspected gangsters have also been arrested, many of whom were described as "respected businessmen or politicians", as well as around 50 legal officials. At least four of those convicted have already been executed.

A Chinese law professor commented, "The verdict has sounded an alarm to tell all police officials - cherish, don't abuse, the powers given to you. It also reflects the government's determination to fight corruption and has restored the public's confidence in the judiciary" (China Daily). Others are less hopeful about the long-term effects of the campaign. "It's not going to change the situation that much. If they arrest 40 or 50 top gangsters, another group of people will simply replace them," believes another expert (Time).

And Time magazine comments, "The recent crackdown has made Chongqing's criminal woes a national subject, but the reality is that its problems are commonplace. Take a stroll through practically any city in China and you can see examples of the protective network between organized crime and law enforcement. Prostitution and illegal gambling dens are ubiquitous, sometimes just a short distance away from police stations."

Pray that the crackdown in Chongqing will have a longer-term effect on crime and corruption there. Pray that other officials will take the warnings to heart and make a determined stand to avoid bribery and other illegal actions.

Pray that more local governments will be serious about cracking down on corruption. Pray for more top officials to launch such campaigns and press through until there have been real results.

Pray that such crackdowns will have an impact on ordinary people's lives. Pray that the culture of gaining power and influence through money and "connections" will be changed to enable China to be a more just society.

He explained that often thousands of people attend the Three Self churches and sometimes you can "barely hear anything". "The congregation could hardly be considered intimate at that size," he concluded (China Daily).

According to one estimate, there is just one ordained minister per 6,000 people in the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) churches. Rev Gao Ying, vice president of China's leading official seminary, says that around 800 people apply to the Nanjing seminary each year, but at present they only have 220 students. She explains that there simply aren't enough teachers to train all those who want to come. "It's an overwhelming task," she comments. "The pace of increase in numbers of Christians is much faster than the development of our theological education. We are very much lagging behind." (Reform)

China's house churches also struggle with a lack of trained leaders. "Both the rural and urban house churches suffer from a leadership crisis," according to Asian Report. "For the rural, the earlier generation of never-say-die founders and leaders are ageing. Their underground Bible schools are producing very young workers. There is a big gap. For the urban, the leaders are mostly in their 40s or 50s. A large number of urban church pastors are still bi-vocational. They are stretched by all sorts of demands... Younger leaders are bombarded by the speed and scope of urbanisation, westernisation and materialism. Few are devoting [themselves] to full-time ministry."

"This is a kairos moment for China," the writer in Asian Report believes. "It is so easy for people to come to Christ. Discipleship is essential."

Pray about this lack of leaders in both the official TSPM churches and the house churches. Pray for doors to open to enable more Christians to be trained as leaders.

Pray that the Lord would anoint and enable all those who are currently involved in training current and future leaders in China's church.

Pray for current church leaders who are struggling to cope with the demands of large congregations.

Pray for young believers who lack adequate discipleship because of the shortage of suitable disciplers to help them grow in their faith.

In one example, the report says, "Outside Merry Electronics in Shenzhen workers blocked the road. Footage taken with a mobile phone shows them pushing and shoving in a face-off with government security officers. The strike... was spontaneous, triggered by anger that the factory was not paying overtime rates for work at weekends. So for labouring seven days a week, 11 hours a day, the migrants were earning less than a dollar an hour."

During June, Honda had to halt production at two of its four car assembly factories in China after a strike by workers at one of its Chinese parts facilities. It was the second time in two weeks that Honda's Chinese production had been hit by a walkout over pay at a local supplier. The earlier strike at a gearbox plant had closed all four of its China factories. Honda's strike was described as "quite unprecedented". The workers demanded not just a pay rise, but also that they be allowed to elect their own union representatives because, they said, the official union hadn't helped them at all.

Other strikes were reported at a sporting goods supplier in Jiangxi province and at a sewing machine maker in Xian - both far from China's main economic zones. "The unrest is a worry for the Communist Party, which has long discouraged independent worker action and punished protesters," reports Reuters. "President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have vowed to lift the incomes of hundreds of millions of farmers and workers, but officials are also trying to boost exports... The rising demands of those workers, especially pressure for autonomous unions, could present hard choices for the government, which treats such demands as a threat to precious stability."

Wen Xiaoyi, a researcher at the China Institute of Industrial Relations, said, "This is a signal to the government that it has to adapt to treating labour disputes as a part of economic life, not as a political threat. So far, I think the government has been relatively restrained... But if this spreads and the economic and political demands grow, that will test the tolerance of the government" (Reuters).

Duan Yi, a lawyer who has advised some of the recent strikers, comments, "The new generation of workers born in the 80s and 90s are not like their parents. They want to make a life in the cities. So they are becoming better organised and more rebellious than ever before" (Reuters).

Pray for factory owners and other employers who are faced with strikes and protests from their staff. May they recognise when the workers' complaints are justified and have wisdom as to how best to deal with each situation.

Pray for workers who feel that they are paid too little or treated unjustly. Pray that they might have opportunities for their grievances to be heard sympathetically and that they might receive a helpful response. Pray that they will not resort to violence to try to achieve their aims.

Pray that China's top leaders might respond with understanding and discernment as they hear reports of these protests. Pray that any actions taken might be of benefit to all and lead to effective solutions.

Following several years of Chinese language study, ‘C' will this year begin teaching at a local university. She shares, "Father had really been increasing the burden on my heart to share His Good News with more people. I've seen how the English teachers around me have such a powerful outreach to their students and it made me hungry for the same." She has now been accepted at the university where two of our other co-workers are also teaching.

‘R & J' had been delayed in their return because of health issues, so are delighted finally to be back in China. They write, "We are still acclimatising to the heat and finding that a bit difficult. We now have our new phone numbers, broadband connection and registration with the PSB sorted out and our door card updated. This we managed to do on Monday, which was a record for one day. Those who know how things work in China will understand. We were pleased to see all the old faces at the market and they seemed very pleased to see us too." ‘R & J' were also thrilled to see the progress the children in the foster home they started had made while they had been away. The local staff and foreign volunteers had been working hard with each child to help them achieve their potential.

‘A & L' have just returned to China following the birth of their first child. ‘A' will be continuing the Chinese degree programme that he had started, while ‘L' will be helping in a newly opened foster home, as well as caring for their new baby and Chinese foster son.

Please remember these folk and others as they settle in and readjust to life in China.

Pray for ‘C' as she begins teaching English at a local university. Pray that she (and our other English teachers) will have many opportunities to share the Good News and that the Lord will anoint their every word.

Pray for ‘R & J' as they cope with the heat of the Chinese summer. Pray that the children in their foster home might continue to make progress and to flourish under their care.

Pray for ‘A & L' as they adjust to life in China with a new baby. Pray for good health and for the Lord's provision to cover the increased regular expenses. Pray too that their life as a family might be a powerful witness for the Lord to their local friends.

Pray for those of our co-workers who press on with the difficult task of learning the Chinese language, so that they can be more effective in their ministry in China. Remember too the many practical arrangements that all our China-based co-workers have to deal with each day, which can often be more challenging in a different culture.

Traditionally older people are cared for by their children - in one survey 97 percent of the elderly questioned gave this as their preference. However, the changing lifestyles of young people and the fact that a growing proportion of elderly needs to be supported by a shrinking working population means that for more and more people being cared for at home is no longer a viable option.

New retirement homes are being opened all across China, but there is still a large shortfall of places in licensed homes. The city of Harbin (in northern Heilongjiang province), for example, has 1.1 million citizens over the age of 60. Of those, 60,000 are in need of care centre services. However, the city's licensed facilities only provide beds for 11,000. Experts say that apart from those severely in need of full-time care, only elderly people with good connections stand a chance of getting a bed.

The Chinese authorities have expressed concern at the surge in unlicensed retirement homes that usually offer no medical assistance and can be potential fire-traps. One such home was described in the China Daily as "cold, dark and dank. The windows are smudged with dirt and mould creeps along the ceiling. All three rooms have been turned into dormitories for residents, while every floor is strewn with dirty bed sheets and clothes."

Government policies on care services for the elderly are still vague and the model on which to base the system remains subject to debate. There has been some discussion of providing a form of sheltered accommodation where elderly people live in their own homes but can call for help in event of an emergency.

Elderly care is an area where Christians are increasingly stepping into the gap. One of our co-workers has been involved in giving advice and support to local believers who have set up an effective day care centre and are now starting a home care service. She shares: "The home care service we have been working on has now been launched and is in full swing. Much of what we are doing is rehab with stroke and dementia patients, trying to get them to do as much as they can independently in their daily lives to build their self esteem and allow them to maintain some kind of active role in the family. The general Chinese mindset is to send sick people to bed and wait on them hand and foot, putting tremendous pressure on the family. Often the idea of rehab that is designed to encourage weak people to do things for themselves can be perceived as cruel. Due to this, despite lots of training and clear care plans, the carers can be a little hesitant to fulfil the whole care plan. Please pray that, as they see the good results of the rehab they are carrying out, they would gain more confidence and understanding of the process."

Pray that the authorities will play their part in facilitating good quality care for those elderly people who are unable to stay in their homes or be cared for by their family.

Pray that unlicensed care homes where residents are neglected or endangered would be closed down.

Pray that more Christians would be willing to step into this area of need and provide loving care for those who can no longer look after themselves.

Pray for the project in which our co-worker has been involved. Pray that the carers would gain confidence and understanding and that the lives of the patients would be greatly improved. May this project be a very positive example to others of what can be done to help the elderly.

High property prices and dim career prospects have thwarted the ambitions of many university graduates for a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. "This is hard, but there's no other way," said college-educated software technician Kong Chao, 24, who is relatively fortunate as he has a toilet and cooking area in his cramped room and doesn't have to share with other tenants. Recent graduates can live eight to 10 in a flat in apartment buildings without heat or hot water.

Reuters comments that, "The rising number of graduates living on the edge of poverty in China's biggest cities could become a socio-economic challenge for the Chinese government."

A glut of job seekers and the financial crisis mean that companies in popular cities such as Beijing have slashed monthly wages by over 50 percent. At the same time, property prices have risen by around a third in some cities, turning the possibility of owning their own home into a distant dream for many young couples.

"When they're 26, 27 or 28, they'll say 'I need to buy a house', because that means eligibility for marriage," said Tom Doctoroff, a Shanghai-based consumer trends author. "If the time comes to get married and you can't buy, that causes anxiety."

Yet in some ways, these graduates are the lucky ones - for many others the problem is getting a job in the first place.

Pray for young graduates facing new and unexpected challenges, whether that be living in very basic circumstances or simply finding a job.

Pray for those in government who make decisions on policies. May they find the right balance between increasing access to higher education while at the same time providing suitable employment and housing for those who graduate from universities and colleges.

Pray for Christian believers to reach out and befriend the recent graduates who are struggling in difficult circumstances. Pray that these young people might know God's love, hope, peace and joy in their lives.

The couple then shared with us some news of the students whose lives they have been impacting:

"Extra classes have prevented three students from coming regularly but one of them recently brought a student who is interested in learning more about God - he is a Muslim. The two who are coming regularly have firmed up their own commitments and are also beginning to reach out to others. ‘L' brought a friend last week who unfortunately recently had an abortion. After watching the story on video she expressed a desire to know Jesus and His forgiveness. ‘A' has been talking to her friends but they haven't shown much interest - yet. Praise God for these young people. Ask that they will be encouraged as they share with those around them. May they have courage and wisdom and be led by the Holy Spirit.

One student came on his own to watch the Jesus video. After he saw it, he said, ‘This may surprise you but I believe that.' What a wonderful response! We gave him a booklet to read and the next week he came back with his friend and some others who had many questions and arguments. ‘H' did not join in the discussion that night but, as he went out the door, he quietly told us that he had repented and had prayed the prayer at the back of a booklet we gave him. He said, ‘I have peace in my heart.' PTL.

‘V' visited us recently and is full of joy and spiritual hunger. She and two others went to a youth conference a few weeks ago and were baptized! This was a great joy to them and to us. All three of these young people are very active - reaching out to tell their friends and families about the Good News. We have been able to give them literature and videos, which will be taken to remote villages and homes where we could never go."

Praise God that these co-workers have now committed to stay in China for another year. May they see even more fruit as they continue to be a light for the Lord in their area.

Give thanks for all the spiritual fruit these co-workers have seen during their years in China and for the many lives that have been impacted by their ministry.

Pray for the students mentioned in the text. Remember the Muslim who is interested in learning more about God; ‘L' who expressed a desire to know Jesus and His forgiveness following an abortion; ‘H' who recently repented and now has peace in his heart; as well as ‘A', ‘V' and the other young Christians who are actively reaching out to others.

Pray for our two co-workers and many other foreign Christians whose heart is to reach young Chinese students with the Gospel. Pray for even greater fruit from their lives of service.

Please commit to pray daily, if you can, that God would raise up many more believers from around from around the world to teach English in China and to share Jesus with young and sometimes troubled Chinese students. There are numerous opportunities to be involved in teaching English, but so few are willing to go.

Yet stories are coming in from a number of countries of the dangers faced by these workers. During May, separatist militants in Yemen kidnapped three Chinese oil company workers in an apparent move to pressure authorities in a local criminal dispute. In March, seven Chinese were abducted from two fishing boats off Cameroon by a group called the Africa Marine Commando. Other reports tell of the hijacking of a Chinese boat by Somali pirates, robbers poured boiling water on three Chinese workers in Angola (just one of a spate of violent attacks on Chinese expatriates there), and attacks on Chinese workers in Guinea.

Living overseas in a very different culture can be a real challenge to these Chinese workers, even if they are not facing explicit danger. Yet their time in a foreign country can also provide a good opportunity for Chinese people to see God's love in action through local Christian believers.

Last year AM-CCSM's Australian Director James Goss shared how God had been at work among a number of Chinese who came to work in Western Australia. He told us: "Some time ago one of our regular supporters decided to befriend some of these Chinese and offer them English lessons. This has now spread to many others and they have begun asking to hear more about his Christian faith. An arrangement was made to hold a Chinese banquet, which 25 Chinese people attended, and for the first time many of them heard and were touched by the message of God's love. From this small beginning, plans are underway to begin weekly home meetings where these Chinese men and women can hear the Word of God in Mandarin and grow in their faith before returning to China when their visas expire."

Could it be that God has brought Chinese to your area so that you can begin to pray for them and reach out to them in practical ways with the love of Jesus? Could it be that His ultimate purpose in bringing them to your country was that you could have the joy of partnering with Him to see them brought into His Kingdom?

Pray for protection for Chinese people working overseas who face dangerous situations.

Pray for God's help for all the Chinese who are having to adapt to working overseas in a new environment and culture.

Pray that more Chinese working overseas might have the opportunity to hear, understand and respond to the truth of the Gospel.

Pray that more Christian believers would catch a vision for reaching out to Chinese people working in their neighbourhood. Ask God if you have a part to play in this.

"Some local churches in rural areas of our Zhejiang Zhuji City have started saying that the Lord will come before the Chinese New Year. Many young students have quit school. Married people have got divorced and quit work. Several hundred people are living together to pray and waiting to be caught up... They close themselves up and do not allow other preachers to go inside."

The above news, sent by Sister Wang to the Far East Broadcasting Company, is a reminder to us of the vital importance of getting good Biblical teaching materials into the hands of Christian believers in China. This is one excellent way of helping Christians to have a proper understanding of Biblical truth and not be led astray by heresy and false teaching.

Producing these materials remains one of our top priorities and our literature co-ordinator reports that, "This year we have been inundated with requests for more material than ever before. We thought we had seen high demand before, but this year has been unprecedented. Where our distribution teams in China used to request a minimum of 10,000 copies per print run, they are now asking for a minimum of 20-30,000. On top of that we have been given two lists of new contacts who are requesting material. There are well over 100 contacts on these new lists and many are requesting large numbers of books, as they are responsible for many groups. Quite a few have asked for 5,000 copies of several titles."

In response to this high demand, we are pushing ahead with printing as many books as possible. We have the capacity to produce large numbers of books, but currently lack the funds to respond to all the requests we have received. During June and July we have thus made the decision to suspend distribution of books to our regular contacts, so that we can meet some of the demand from the new churches that have contacted us.

Please lift this situation up to the Lord and pray for increased finance so that we can respond more effectively to these requests. If you would like to support this important ministry, you can give on our website at www.amccsm.org/give-to-amccsm or send a donation to your local base office.

Pray for Chinese believers who have not received good Biblical training to enable them to distinguish between truth and heresy. Pray for the Lord's protection over their lives.

Pray that AM-CCSM's literature ministry will continue to grow and flourish. Pray for increased finance to enable us to respond to the increasing number of requests we receive.

Pray for wisdom as we decide how best to allocate the available finance and respond to the most urgent needs.

Pray for safe and effective distribution of all the books and DVDs we are currently producing.

"I helped to check the babies there," she reported (‘B' has a background in nursing in her home country), "and was just broken hearted at the sight of two of these babies who were so sick. But the carers just didn't have the time to give them the special care they needed. On the way home I was asking Father what I could do to help these babes. They are so in need of someone to give them that special care that would make them loved and cared for. Then Father reminded me of the vision I came to China with, that I wanted to help the sick babes and children, to take them out of orphanages and love them."

The very next day she heard of an apartment available to lease and, "I suddenly knew exactly what Father was showing me. Without a shadow of a doubt, Father was putting a jigsaw together to make a perfect picture." Very quickly things came together and ‘B' was given permission from the orphanage to take those two babies into her care. A Chinese carer has been hired to help. She is a Christian lady with a real heart to pray and bring hope to babies who seem to have no hope. At the time of writing, the first baby has already moved into this new foster home and is starting to put on weight. It is hoped the second child will follow shortly. Our co-worker comments: "The whole picture has been put together with the touch of Father's Hand. His is the glory."

Final plans are now being made for the mercy team that will visit China towards the end of this month. Team members will meet with our China-based co-workers, like ‘B' above, and help with various projects. Please remember the team and all our mercy work in your prayers.

Give thanks to the Lord for opening the door for these two babies to receive the special care they need. Pray that they will recover, thrive and then be placed with families that commit to care for them long-term.

Pray that this new foster home might be a place where many more children would find love and hope.

Pray for the mercy team serving in China at the end of this month. May they be a blessing and encouragement to all those they meet with and have a powerful impact in many lives.

According to a Reuters report, "The dead were all young migrant workers, among the millions who leave the poor hinterlands of China for the boom towns of the south and east coastal areas in search of work and high wages."

As publicity about these untimely deaths has spread across the world, the company has hired 100 counsellors and invited Buddhist monks to provide support for the workers. The company has also announced that workers' salaries are being raised.

Newspaper stories also continue to appear about migrant workers who lose their lives in China's mines. More than 2,600 people were killed in China in mine floods, explosions, collapses and other accidents in 2009, an average of seven a day, which has led to China's mines being described as the most dangerous in the world. "Workers are tempted into hazardous jobs in China's mines by wages that can be much higher than for many other jobs open to blue-collar workers and rural migrants. Strong demand for energy and lax safety standards have made China's mines often deadly places to work," reports Reuters.

The life of China's migrant workers is often not a happy one. Yet, as workers returned to the cities following this year's Spring Festival break, there were some signs of hope. Officials reported a shortage of up to two million workers in the Pearl River Delta manufacturing hub in southern China. Migrant workers are thus asking for higher wages and better working conditions.

"Migrant workers used to travel from all over China for those jobs," says the BBC. "But last year many of them found work that paid similar salaries closer to home... Beijing's own research suggests that each new generation of workers is better educated, and has higher expectations in terms of salary, labour conditions and rights than those that came before them. They are more choosy about what kind of factory they want to work in."

Pray for protection for migrant workers who feel forced to work for long hours in poor conditions.

Pray that employers would recognise their responsibility to care for their workers, pay adequate salaries and provide regular rest.

Pray that the current shortage of migrant workers might have a positive effect in encouraging companies to improve working conditions.

Pray for Christian employers to set an example in caring for their workers and providing a safe and comfortable working environment.

Amidst so much pain, it is wonderful to know that these colleagues are in the right place. Indeed, in response to a full report recently, James Goss and I replied at the same time with the same verse to them: "And who knows whether you are not come to the kingdom for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).

The original story is well known. Queen Esther has a unique opportunity to approach King Ahasuerus to plead for the rescue of her people, the Jews. There is risk to do so, because the king has not called her and she might face his anger because of that. But she goes because she knows her people are in dire danger. The rest, as they say, is history.

How wonderful it is that that Scripture is also true of many in the Chinese church and also many of our other co-workers. Lives guided by the loving Hand of God to make a difference in the situations pressing down on other people. Just being there at the right time to make that difference - by practical help and service given to helpless and underprivileged folk. That might be by an act of mercy; or by placing Bible teaching books in the hands of untaught believers; or by testifying by life and word in a business context or an English teaching role, or as a student; or by the hidden ministry of prayer. Different ministries, but the same key - lives willing to be in the right place at the right time.

Spend some time again asking the Lord if you are in the right place for Him to use you.

Paul talks of being hindered in what he felt God was asking him to do. Pray for Chinese church brothers and sisters that the door would be opened to help them be in the right place at the right time.

Pray also that God would raise up Esthers for the church in high places in China, to stand against those who mean harm to the people of God and want to bring in bad policies to that end.