十月四日星期四 Thurs, Oct 4

探訪和聚會的行程編排得密密麻麻，每天我們都是凌晨兩點以後才回到下榻的酒店．所以我們的分享可以會脫期，敬請弟兄姊妹原諒．

今天，我們分頭在大衛城中探訪，使我們可以親身認識這個城市，認識這裡的中國人，他們的生活，他們的掙扎，和當地居民生活的一斑．他們每天工作十幾個小時，從早上七點一直到晚上十一點，很多人下午三點才吃午飯，晚上十一點關鋪後才吃晚飯，一星期工作七天，唯一放假的時候就是回中國醫病．苦悶，辛勞，單調，徬徨的生活令人心痛．當地人的生活也也十分困苦，在雜貨店買東西總是一毛幾分的交易，連信封信紙也是一張一張的買．物價飛漲令到他們的購買力大減，也令到華人做生意的環境更加困難．他們不願放過每一個生意的機會，不願意禮拜天關門上教會．他們沒時間教養下一代，不是把孩子送回國內，就是要他們幫忙看鋪．和加拿大的情形一樣，下一代的孩子受中西文化差異的影響，兩代之間充滿張力．只是因為家長沒有時間和孩子們相處，這種衝突只有更大更嚴重．

代禱事項
1. 感謝主在大衛城的弟兄姊妹中所建立的一切．為大衛城的弟兄姊妹的成長，委身和付出感謝神．
2. 求主保守大衛城弟兄姊妹對神話語渴慕的心，在真道上繼續竭力追求．更可以將聖經的話語在生活中實踐出來，以實際的生命為神作見證．
3. 求主興起，差派更多的教師，在真道上堅固他們，使他們對神的話語有更深刻的體會和認識．
4. 求神興起更多的工人在牧養，關顧，探訪的事工中服事，將神的愛帶到人群中．
5. 求主顧念當地華人屬靈和身體的需要，開放他們的心，願意認識主．
6. 求主記念華人第二代子女成長的需要，記念兩代之間的溝通．求主興起第二代華人的工人，使華人教會成為當地人的祝福．
7. 求主記念大衛城教會建堂的事工，求主賜給教會顩領袖智慧，為教會長遠的發展有異象．
8. 求主保守短宣隊隊員的靈命和身體的健康．每天的探訪和聚會的行程令各人都十分疲倦．尤其是劉牧師．他每天要預備多篇信息，勞心勞力．求主保守他有充足的精神和智慧．

Our schedule is fully packed that we don’t get back to our hotel until 2am or so every day. Please pardon us for not able to share as promptly at times.

Today, we split in groups in our visitation in the David City so that we can all experience this city more closely, getting to know the Chinese here, their lives and struggles. Same to the locals, they have to work over 10 hours a day, from 7am till 11pm. Many of them don’t have lunch until 3pm and dinner at 11pm after their stores are closed. They work seven days a week, and their only vacation is when they need to take time off back to China to consult doctors or to recover from their illness. It is heart-aching to see their lives full of boredom, tiresome, simplicity, and worrisome. The living standard is very low in David City; every transaction is of the amount of several to tens of cents, envelops and paper are being sold individually (i.e. per page). Inflation has significantly decreased people’s purchasing power, and further increases the burden to Chinese family businesses. Store owners do not want to lose any opportunity of making money, do not want to close their store on Sundays for church. They do not even have the time to teach and develop the next generations. The next generations are either shipped back to China to be cared for by their grandparents or they have to help out in the stores. Similar to those in N. America, the second generation Chinese are living under tensions giving the huge differences between Chinese and Western cultures; conflicts between parents and children are seen everywhere. This is worse in Panama, as the parents do not have to the time to communicate with the children.

Prayer items:
1. Praise the Lord for building up brothers and sisters in David City. Give thanks for the growth, dedication, and sacrifices of these brothers and sisters.
2. Pray for the eagerness of brothers and sisters of David City to learn the truth, pray that they can truly understand the bible and live it out, so that they can be witnesses of God in all that they do.
3. May God build and send more teachers to strengthen them and to guide them in experiencing the power and the goodness of God and His word.
4. May God build and call more in the ministries of caring, pastoring, and counseling, so as to bring His love in the midst of the people in Panama.
5. May God have mercy on the spiritual and physical needs of the Chinese, open their hearts to know Him more.
6. May God remember the second generation here, to reconcile the two generations, to lessen their tensions. May He build more servants from the second generation that they can be blessings to all the people in David City.
7. Lift the church planting in the hands of the Lord, may He give church leaders the wisdom in the project and give vision to the leaders for growth of the church.
8. Pray for the spiritual and physical health of the short-term missionaries. Everyone is very tired from the packed schedule. Especially pray for Rev. Lau, he has to prepare many messages every day. May God protect him and give him strength and wisdom for the daily challenges.