Operation China - Day 8

Im going to start adding more information about each province. Info on geography, peoples, and religion to go along with the prayer challenges. So don't be scared off when each day seems longer... just more knowledge you get to gain! Enjoy!

March 31

Hubei Province


GEOGRAPHY
Area 187,500 sq.km. Astride the Yangtze River, a province of many lakes and much agriculture.
Population 60,653,000; 323 people/sq.km.
Capital Wuhan 4.75m. Other major cities: Suizhou 1.94m; Xiantao 1.84m; Jingmen 1.5m; Echeng 1.1m; Honghu 1.1m.

PEOPLES
Han Chinese 96.3%, speaking Putonghua.
Tujia 3.1%.
Miao 0.4%.

RELIGION
Muslim 0.2%. Christian 1.3%: House churches 0.7%, all Catholics 0.3%, TSPM 0.3%.

CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Church grew considerably before 1949, but since then growth has not matched that of many other areas. The authorities have maintained a tight control – especially over the cities, so registered churches are relatively few. Pray for a shattering of the political, ideological and spiritual chains that bind the people.
2) The house churches are strong in some rural areas but isolation and poverty hinder expansion.

Hunan Province


GEOGRAPHY
Area 210,500 sq.km. Central China.
Population 66,895,000; 318 people/sq.km.
Capital Changsha 1.74m. Other major cities: Changde 1.65m; Yueyang 1.24m, Leiyang 1.5m; Lianyuan 1.35m; Xiangxiang 1.15m.

PEOPLES
Han Chinese 95.7%. .Putonghua and Xiang are spoken
Hmong-Mien 2%. Miao peoples: Ghao-Xong(2) 1.1m. Yao peoples: Iu Mien 168,000; Wunai 10,000.
Sino-Tibetan 1.6%: Tujia 740,000; Mozhihei 5,000.
Tai 0.7%.

RELIGION
Muslim 0.1%. Christian 2.4%: House churches 1.8%, TSPM 0.3%, all Catholics 0.3%.

CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Maoism in this, Mao's home province, is still strong. There has long been an anti-foreign spirit which has slowed the penetration of the gospel. Hunan is possibly China's spiritually hardest Han Chinese population. Pray for the removal of the spiritual barriers.
2) The less evangelized:
a) Changsha, the capital, has relatively few Christians; most of the growth in house churches is rural and, in some areas thriving.
b) The Tujia are one of the larger peoples in the world without anything of the Bible, and not yet even a script. There are now about 30,000 Christians (0.3%).
c) The Miao peoples. The Ghao-Xong are marginally reached with 5,000 Catholics, but the Yao Iu Mien and Wunai have no known believers.

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Nei Mongol)


GEOGRAPHY
Area 1,177,500 sq.km. Windswept, barren grassland and desert bordering on Mongolia. The western point is 3,500km from its north-eastern point.
Population 23,928,000; 20 people/sq.km.
Capital Hohhot 1.26m. Other major cities: Baotou 1.68m; Huaide 1.1m; Chifeng 1.04m.

PEOPLES
Han Chinese 84.2%, speaking Putonghua.
Mongolian 13.3%. 5 peoples, largest: Mongolian 5.8m; Buryat 100,000; Khalkha 52,000.
Manchu 1.3%.
Hui 0.9%.
Turkic-Altaic 0.2%: Evenki(2) 29,000; Oroqen 9,000.
Other 0.1% Korean.

RELIGION
Most Mongolians are Lamaistic Buddhist but many of the smaller minorities are Shamanists. Christian 4.7%: House churches 2.7%, all Catholics 1.3%,TSPM 0.7%.

CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Mongolians have become a minority in their own land because of the massive immigration of Han Chinese. Yet there are more Mongolians here than in independent Mongolia to the north. Few have become Christian (some estimate 12,000 or 0.21%). Pray for:
a) Workers (Mongolian from the growing churches in Mongolia, or other nationalities) to be called.
b) The New Testament to be translated and printed in the Mongolian vertical script.
c) Churches to be planted. Officials claim that there is no justification for churches since no missionaries were here in the past.
d) The binding of demonic powers in the Lamaism and black magic practiced by Mongolians.
e) FEBC radio broadcasts to them.
2) House churches have multiplied across the region but almost all are Han groups. They have to keep a low profile because of the prevailing repression. Pray for continued growth, also for outreach to non-Han indigenous peoples.
3) Among the nomadic Evenki and Oroqen along the Russian border there is no permanent witness, and only a handful of Christians among the Evenki. Few have heard the gospel. Violence and alcoholism is a special problem for the Oroqen.

Operation China - Day 7

I cant believe its already been seven days, one week since Operation China started. Time sure does fly. But I know that our prayers are being heard. I think about how many other people are doing this in the world. Im sure Im not the only one in the world with the book. Can you imagine God hearing all his people praying for the country of China? It must be music to his ears! People from the United States, Brazil, Romania, Kenya, Canada, Chile, Austria, where ever they may be... all praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ living in China! Well lets not waist anymore time, lets start praying!

March 30

Guizhou Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Praise God for amazing growth of the Church in some areas
2) The challenge of the unreached is great
a) The more heavily populated southeast of Guizhou has possibly only 1,000 believers in registered churches
b) The 20 Miao peoples – two are Christian, two have a significant minority of believers, six have a handful of believers, but 10 have none at all
c) There are 39 peoples indigenous to Guizhou with no witness whatsoever,

Hainan Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Hainan had an economic boom in the 1980s which led to spectacular growth as a Special Economic Zone and huge corruption, followed by an equally spectacular bust
2) The Li are the largest indigenous people
3) The Utsat are China's only Malay people

Hebei Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Hebei is one of the most rigidly policed provinces and Christians have suffered much over the past two decades. Pray for both grace and greater freedom for the Christians in their strategic province.
2) Hebei is the heart of Catholicism in China with a large proportion of Catholics. Many remain loyal to the Vatican. These latter have suffered particularly severely since 1997. Protestant and Independent Christians have increased in numbers in some areas, but repression has hindered registration of churches.

Henan Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Mao's disastrous policies caused over 8 million Henanese to die of famine. Henan was declared an 'Atheistic Zone' in the 1960s, but today Communist officials complain of it as a 'Jesus Nest' suffering from 'Christianity fever'! Praise God for the spectacular growth of the Church. Revival began during the Cultural Revolution with mass conversions, miracles and vision for evangelizing China. Some counties are reported to be largely or completely Christian today.
2) Outreach from Henan churches has been one of the great stories of the expansion of Christianity. Church planting teams (often young women) fanned out over China, followed by discipling teachers. Dangers for this movement:
a) Multiplication of extremes and deviant sects because of lack of teaching or due to leadership disputes.
b) Increased denominationalism.
c) Increased persecution since 1999 with many arrests, punitive fines and destruction of some church buildings.

Heilongjiang Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Rapid church growth has occurred in both TSPM and especially in house churches. There are thousands of worshipping groups and churches, but only 24 ordained TSPM pastors. Pray for maturity and stability as well as provision of godly leadership.
2) Most of the small indigenous Mongolian and Altaic peoples are shamanistic. Many are resentful of the Chinese 'takeover' of their homelands. The largest, the Daur, have begun to respond to the gospel. There are about 1,000 Christians. Pray for non-Han missionaries to commit their lives to reaching these peoples. Most, such as the Hezhen, Bogol, Khakas, Kyakala, Olot and Saman, total only about 15,000 people. There is nothing of the Scriptures or other media for these peoples – except portions of the Scriptures in Hezhen.

Operation China - Day 6

Good Monday to everyone! I just want to share a little something with you that I think is important to remember and be to be focused as a Christian. Often we get caught up in the things around us, the busy schedules, the media outlets (Facebook, internet, Twitter, television) that we forget what are real purpose of life is. I know each of us have a specific reason for being on this earth and God knows what plans he has for us. But with out a doubt for all Christians, our purpose is 1) to give God glory, and 2) tell a lost and dying world about Christ. Isn't that awesome?! We have the privilege everyday to wake up and tell the world about the victorious living through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!! Not only is it our privilege but its also our responsibility. This week is considered Passion Week. On friday, we remember that Christ payed the ultimate sacrifice, he was our lamb offering, dying on the cross for our sins that we may be forgiven. Sunday, we worship the risen King! He's Alive! He's Alive! Isn't that something that all the world ought to hear? Would you help pray for the people of China? They need to hear that Jesus Christ is alive and he died for them! Here are the prayer challenges for today.

March 29

Guangdong Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Guangdong was the first province evangelized by Protestants
2) Cantonese and Hakka Chinese are often traders and entrepreneurs
3) Christians have been under severe pressure from the police who, since 1999, have made great efforts to subjugate the house churches
4) The Biao Mien and Zaomin Yao in the northern mountains are two distinct peoples, but in both there are only a few believers, mainly young people
5) Cantonese and Hakka are two major components of the Overseas Chinese in SE Asia and other continents

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The growth of Christians among the Thai-related Zhuang and also among the Han gives cause for praise! From 7,000 Christians in 1949 there are over 10 times that membership today – about half are Zhuang
2) The Zhuang have responded in the last decade through a concerted prayer and ministry effort for their evangelization
3) The Yao peoples total about 2.2m in the mountains of Guangxi

Operation China - Day 5

Now we move into praying for the 31 Province's of China. I will try to put up pictures of each province so you have an idea where they are or what that region looks like. You may have seen my saying after a couple of the post... "Prayer changes everything, and when we pray God answers." That saying is so true. God loves to hear from his people. He created us, he made us in his own image, he wants a personal relationship with us. Communicating is part of having a personal relationship. And praying for a country greatly in need is a responsibility of all Christians. Please tell your friends about Operation China and help spread that cause!

Anhui Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Utopian Maoism was a disaster for Anhui's people
2) Christian growth has been remarkable
3) Lack of leadership in the churches has resulted in the forming of a number of extreme or heretical groups
4) Persecution of unregistered churches became more severe in 1999 with a major drive against 'cults', harsh 're-education' programmes, closure of meetings, heavy fines and imprisonments

Beijing Municipality


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) China is ruled from Beijing
2) The Communist authorities keep tight control of the Christians and Christian activity, being particularly severe on unofficial ministry
3) There are 3m migrants without legal residence papers

Chongqing Municipality


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) Chongqing is the industrial and trade hub for southwest China on the Yangtze River, and reputedly one of the ten most polluted cities in the world through heavy use of coal
2) Many of the 800,000 people being displaced by the nearby Three Gorges Dam will be resettled in Chongqing and Fuling

Fujian Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The first Protestant missionaries arrived in the early 19th Century
2) Buddhism and Daoism have revived – over 20,000 temples have been illegally built or restored
3) The unreached in two significant groups:
a) The 800,000 She are a Hmong people related to the Miao, but Christians are only around 1,000 (0.12%)
b) The 4,000 Ami, Bunun and Paiwan are related to the mountain peoples of Taiwan where most have become Christian

Gansu Province


CHALLENGES FOR PRAYER
1) The Christian population is relatively small
2) The least evangelized:
a) The Dongxian, Bonan and Enger Yugur are of mixed Mongolian background and are strongly Muslim
b) The Muslim Hui are numerous in the cities;
c) Tibetans are largely Buddhist and number 400,000

Operation China - Day 4

I hope everyone is learning about the Country of China as well as learning about the spiritual needs that China is faced with. Here is the prayer challenges for today...

March 27

SUPPORTIVE MINISTRIES
1) Missionaries, as such, are not welcome in China
a) Tourists – over 30m visited China in 1995 and spent $US9 billion
b) Students – usually for language or cultural studies in various universities
c) Foreign experts and businessmen
d) Chinese family members who visit their ancestral homes

2) Provision of Bibles is still inadequate, despite the large increase in the number of copies available

3) Video and audio tapes
a) The JESUS film is being widely seen on home video in 20 completed language versions
b) Teaching tapes
c) GRN has produced gospel messages or tapes in 160 languages and dialects;

4) Christian literature
a) Literature production in Hong Kong from where a widening range of literature is being published
b) Suitable literature and books for intellectuals are a great need
c) The Amity Foundation Press in Nanjing has printed 10m copies of 130 book titles

5) The Internet has become very popular and in 2000 there were an estimated 10m Internet users

6) Christian radio has been and still is one of the most potent pre-evangelism and Christian teaching media for China today
a) The many hundreds of hours of broadcasting in Putonghua and other Han Chinese dialects
b) FEBC's use of four wave bands in Guam to minister simultaneously to young people, young Christians, church leaders and ethnic minorities
c) The protection of listeners

Operation China - Day 3

Day 3 of "Operation China" and its along nicely. I have no idea how many people are reading or participating but I hope somebody is. Last night, my girlfriend Lindsay and I went to Branson for the World Missions Alliance Conference to hear Pastor/Author Mark Batterson speak. He has written three books and I highly encourage you to read all three. Their amazing, they make you think outside the box and he has a story for everything so it really helps you grasp what he's saying. Last night he made a statement that I've read in his book before but it stuck more when I hear him say it. He said, "Don't accumulate possessions accumulate experiences." Man, thats so good!

The picture is of an experience I will never forget. Basketball in China is HUGE. Because of Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant NBA is the sport to talk about, at least at the University we were at. I've seriously never seen so many basketball courts in one place in my life! They had like 20 courts on the north side of camps and 20 on the south side of campus. Everyday there were students out playing basketball and just having fun. When we would hang out with students at the coffee shop they were constantly asking us to play with them. We had a busy schedule during the day but we ended up having some free time one day to play. So they set up a US v China basketball game. They set this up days in advanced, told everybody they knew about it, and were very excited to play the foreigners! Team USA (Braley, Jared, Crystal, Jayson, and myself) and Team China (made up of about 15 Chinese University students) and let me just say... people showed up to watch! It was so cool! I played basketball all my life growing up, and played in school until 10 grade but none of that added up to the game we played in China. We had height, some skill, and knowledge. They had speed, speed, speed! They were quick, constantly running up and down the court. And we were huffing and puffing the whole way. haha It was such a great time, I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a close game the whole time, and came down to the last couple of minutes. But... Team USA came away with the win! Winning usually means something to me, Im a very completive person. But on that day, on that court in China, the only thing that mattered was the experience that I will never forget.

Heres the prayer challenges for today... wont you join me? Prayer changes everything, and when we pray God answers... Amen!?

MARCH 26

THE LESS EVANGELIZED
1) The nearly 60 million Communist Party members are, by definition, atheists, but ideology is a facade to cover self-seeking opportunism

2) The armed forces, who are the protectors of the Marxist state, and who jealously guard their privileged position and network of industries

3) The 'lost generation', the young people mobilized as the Cultural Revolution Red Guards

4) Those still bound by the idolatrous superstitions of Daoism, Buddhism and the legalism of Confucianism

5) Children and young people under 18 number over 500m

6) University students (3million) are the key for the future
a) Christians among them to be built up in their faith and to be fervent witnesses
b) The establishment of Bible study groups on every one of the 1,054 campuses
c) Those who study abroad

7) Muslims number 25million, and are almost entirely linked to specific ethnic groups

8) Ethnic Minorities comprise 8.7% of the population, 100m people in 464 distinct non-Han ethno-linguistic groups
a) A global concern for the evangelization of these numerous unreached peoples,
b) Greater involvement of Christian tribals and Chinese Han Christians in reaching them
c) The planting of indigenous churches

Operation China - Day 2

This is a picture of me and my brothers, Jared Kennedy and Jayson Evans, in the streets of Nanchang China. Their not really my brothers but I consider them to be. Nanchang is where we spend nine of our eleven days in China. We spend time with college students, just hanging out with them and building relationships. All the students were very nice, always happy, and asked tons of questions! It was Christmas time while we were there. They loved wearing santa claus hats, singing songs, and watching Jared dance around with antlers and a blinking red nose being Rudolph. haha

Today is day two of our Operation China. March 24 - April 5 were praying for specific prayer challenges in China. Today were focusing on the church in China. Here they are...

THE CHURCH IN CHINA
1) The Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) was instituted by 'patriotic' and often theologically liberal Christians with the strong encouragement of the Communist Party as the interface between the government and Church
a) The neutralization of all measures to impose unbiblical doctrines on the churches, limit evangelism, and force conformity to the dictates of the atheist government
b) Leaders who have compromised the faith and bowed to government pressure
c) The continued growth of the registered churches
d) Relationships between the TSPM churches and house churches
e) The future of the TSPM. Growth, despite its major flaws and weaknesses, has been astonishing

2) Leadership training is woefully deficient, and a crisis need
a) Faculty – often selected for their political correctness rather than for their walk with God
b) Students
c) Protection from interference

3) The Catholics were divided when the Marxists set up the Catholic Patriotic Association in 1957 with its own structure and hierarchy independent of the Vatican

4) The unregistered or house church networks are the heart of the true Church in China
a) Persecution is a present reality
b) Ongoing evangelistic outreach
c) Challenges to face:
d) The intellectual elite is largely urban
e) Leadership for the churches
f) The multiplication of heretical sects and doctrinal extremist groups
g) Spiritual unity has been furthered by recent persecution
h) Missions vision

Operation China

I have this book called "Operation World." It has a country you pray for everyday of the year, it gives you an overview of the geography, peoples, economy, politics, and religion. Also, gives specific challenges to pray for in that particular country. So after 365 days you would have prayed for every country in the world. Its really cool, and this year i've tried to keep up with it praying for the different countries. Its great because it teaches you about challenges in other countries not only economically but also spiritually.

March 24 marks the start for the country of China. It actually has given March 24 - April 5 for praying for China. A great group of people and I made the trip to China in December of 2008. During that trip a seed was planted in my heart for the country and people of China. Over the past year and a half the Lord has watered and given sunshine to that seed and it has grown. I don't know what is in store but I pray that the Lord sends me back someday or I at least am able to help from a distance.

I want to invite everyone to join me in fervent prayer for China over the next couple of weeks. Everyday here on my blog I will post the challenges for prayer that the book gives and also some other information that will help you learn about the country and people of China. It starts off with general prayer challenges, then after a couple days it breaks China up into the 31 provinces and list specific request for each province. It might look like a lot of reading or information to go through but what is 5 or 10 minutes of our day for millions of lost people who haven't heard the Gospel. Prayer changes everything and when we pray God works. Amen?

March 24
Answers to Prayer
1) The survival and reviving of the Church in China was one of the decisive events of the 20th Century.

2) The growth of the Church in China since 1977 has no parallels in history. The 1,266,000 Protestant members and 1.8 mill. affiliates in 1949 had become 17m members and maybe 26m affiliates in 2000 as well as a much larger uncounted, but estimated, 45m house church Christians. The Catholics grew from 3m to 12m over the same period.

3) The millions of intercessors who travailed in prayer for the long-delayed breakthrough. The cumulative impact of 150 years of global prayer for China has been enormous. Prayer is changing China.

4) The atheist rulers of China became unwitting instruments in the hand of our Sovereign God to prepare the way for this growth. Mao Zedong sought to destroy all religious 'superstition' but in the process cleared spiritual roadblocks for the advancement of Christianity. Deng reversed the horrors inflicted by Mao and in freeing up the economy, gave more freedom to the Christians, who made use of the opportunity.

5) The manifest failure of Communism. Colossal blunders and changes in Party policy over 45 years have disillusioned the people. The fall of personality-cult leaders and the failure of promises for a better future have created a vacuum which only the gospel can fill. The nepotism, corruption and factionalism of the present Communist Party are repugnant to the majority. The Church of the Lord Jesus is larger than the Communist Party of China.

6) The faith and commitment of Christians under what may prove to be the most harsh and widespread persecution of the Church in all history. The persecution purified and indigenized the Church and has inured it to successive waves of further repression and government efforts to weaken or destroy it.

7) The aftermath of the Beijing massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989. This was a defining moment in Chinese history. The discredited leadership is still haunted by the debacle, and the result was a significant turning to God for the first time among urban intellectuals. Christians are now found in every stratum of Chinese society.

8) The loving witness of ordinary Christians ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit. His power has often been manifested in miracles, healings and exorcisms. The majority of these evangelists and church planters have been women – many still in their teens. In many areas 70 – 80% of the Christians are women.

9) The fruitfulness of Christian radio and the remarkable faith of those who broadcast into China for years with little visible evidence of a response – that evidence is now plain to see.

10) The Internet is creating extraordinary new openings for evil and for good – the latter in providing discipleship and leadership development materials.

Challenges for Prayer
GENERAL
1) There may only be a ten-year window of opportunity for receptivity. Materialism with increasing wealth, the debilitating effects of spreading corruption, the moral decline and the social impact of the one-child policy all are conspiring to blunt the cutting edge of the Church. Pray that present openness in the midst of opposition may be used to the full.

2) Communist Party members are the elite and number some 60m. All are officially atheist, but among them are many who are secretly religious and even Christian. Pray for the collapse of the whole atheistic system and its lies so assiduously propagated in the education system, and pray for the conversion of those within the Party.

3) Market socialism is a convenient term to gloss over the ideological bankruptcy of the Marxism still espoused by the ruling elite. The government vainly tries to control information while promoting the Internet, and to indoctrinate a bored and disillusioned new generation that hankers after freedom. The irreconcilable conflict between crass capitalism and personal greed and the refusal to allow any political reform will lead to change. Pray that this change might be both peaceful and spiritually beneficial to the Chinese.

4) The 'One Child' policy is a draconian means of taming the growth of the population. Family life has been deeply impacted, shown in: a higher divorce rate, 10m abortions a year (nearly all girls), suicide (40% of the world's suicides are in China), pampered children with poor interpersonal skills and the abandonment of baby girls and older people. The rising generation will pay a heavy cost – in 2000 there were 90m marriageable unmarried men; in some areas young men outnumber young women by 30-40% – rape, abductions, female slavery, incest, prostitution and the rapid spread of AIDS could all be the result. Pray for family stability and health. Pray also for wise policies to be implemented that will stabilize the population.

5) Economic liberalization has made a few very wealthy and improved living standards for many, but made others worse off:
a) The millions of unemployed have become an impoverished under-class. Multitudes flock to cities seeking employment.
b) The poorer inland provinces far from the sea where there has been less development; housing, education, health etc., are at a much lower standard.
c) The elderly – with the one-child policy limiting family care for them.
d) Those in the penal system with 15 – 20 million incarcerated.
e) Those with disabilities.
Pray for a fairer and more free society to emerge.

6) The social and health needs in China overwhelm the available resources. Diseases are a challenge – 1.9m with tuberculosis, over 300,000 with HIV/AIDS, 10m mentally retarded through iodine-deficiency, 60m disabled, 13m blind and 520,000 registered drug addicts. Then there are the unemployed and the numerous victims of famines, floods and earthquakes due to the density of the population. Pray that Christians may find many openings to serve such in the social and caring professions and opportunities to show and speak about the love of Jesus for them.

7) China faces environmental disasters on many fronts – deforestation causing massive flooding, the unknown impact of the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, polluted rivers filled with industrial and human waste, nine of the ten most polluted cities in the world, desertification in the north and east, and the continued increase of the population. Pray for a government courageous and trusted enough to take the difficult decisions required for the long-term well-being of the nation.