A church pastor recently
lamented that of the 1000 people he cares for about 300
had left his area to work in the factories of
Guangzhou. This migrant labour force provides a vital
economic stimulus to the otherwise poor rural area he is
in. Some Zhuang young people will work in the factories
for several years to earn enough money to build a house
and sometimes start a local business. Others continue
working to “keep up” with the material wealth of their
neighbors. Sometimes couples will leave their children
in the care of the grandparents to earn enough money to
support the family. This has result in a “new” church
being started in Guangzhou among the factory workers,
but also means that an extra heavy burden is placed on
the pastors who look after the very young and the old
who have been left behind.
Pray for families that are separated for long periods of
time due to the need for work.
Pray that those working in the factories would
not be corrupted by materialism
Pray that many more would come to a strong faith
in God through the factory church plants and return
home to share the gospel among their friends and
relatives.
Please specifically pray for a project that
is starting in a Zhuang area. The desire is that it
would not only give access to a certain area, but
that it would also generate funds for local workers.
Please also pray for favour and protection
for those involved in this project.
Praise
- For
the publications and distribution of the Korean
and Thai versions of the “31 Days of Prayer for
the Zhuang”
- For those whose who
are faithfully labouring among those who have
been “left behind” while the parents find work
elsewhere.
