A real photo of a family at Guangzhou Airport, showing the fear prevalent in much of China today.

In this special e-bulletin we ask you to please pray for the people of Hubei Province, China, especially the many followers of Jesus who live in Wuhan and surrounding districts. Although it's not one of the strongest Christian provinces in China, we estimate that among the 11 million inhabitants of the whole Wuhan Prefecture, approximately 470,000 (or 4 percent) are professing believers, including 240,000 house church members and 160,000 members of government-approved Three-Self churches. There are more than three million Christians in all of Hubei Province.

Over the years, Asia Harvest has printed and delivered more than 380,000 Bibles to believers in Hubei. While that work will need to be put on hold for a while, as the whole province is on lockdown (no one allowed in or out, and internal travel has also been curtailed), our work continues throughout the other 30 provinces of China.

A Prayer Request from a Wuhan Pastor:

• Peace be upon you. At this time the virus has been at the center of our thoughts and lives. We are always watching the latest news, and thinking about how our family and the church should face this.
• As for my family, I have gathered masks and food and have ventured outside as little as possible. When venturing out in public I have worn a mask, but as for the rest, I place my life in the Lord's hands.
• As for the church, we are all part of a great struggle. We are facing a severe test of our faith, and we feel that Christians in our city are not only called to suffer with the people, but we have been called to pray for those who are fearful, and to introduce them to the peace of Christ.
• Please pray for the peace of Christ to rule and reign in our hearts, so that we may be a witness to those who are without hope.
• Pray that through this hardship, God's children will grow nearer to the Almighty, and that the Lord will use it to purify our souls and give us many opportunities to proclaim the gospel.
• Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to be strong in Christ's love. Even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father. With so many millions facing this pestilence, can it be outside God's will? In all that we are experiencing, is it any worse than what Abraham faced in Sodom, and Jonah faced in Nineveh? If God withheld judgment on Sodom because of one righteous man, or because of 120,000 who didn't know their left hand from their right, withheld destruction from Nineveh, what of the city of Wuhan where we live? We are part of many thousands of righteous believers who live in this city, made righteous by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
• Please pray for God's mercy upon Wuhan, and ask Him to bring peace upon our city, province and all of China at this time.
• Please intercede, asking our wonderful Savior to bring peace and healing to those who are afflicted with the illness, to provide supernatural strength and protection for the medical personnel struggling on the front lines, and to bless every official at every level, who are working to help the people of Wuhan!
• Please do not be concerned with my welfare, nor be agitated or fearful, but pray in the Name of Jesus. Many people are courageously serving our city, especially the medical personnel who are risking their lives. If they can take on such worldly responsibilities, how can the Body of Christ not more readily take on spiritual responsibilities!
• Please ask the Lord to use this pestilence for His glory, so that when it is over, there will be many more souls born-again into the kingdom of God than have perished.
• Some more helpful links about the Coronavirus and the Church in Hubei Province:
• See our stats and a map showing the Christian population of Hubei Province.
• This site tracks the latest figures showing the spread of the virus in China and around the world. It is updated many times each day. As you can see from the graph at the bottom right of the page, the virus appears far from having reached its peak, and the number of deaths is rapidly increasing daily.
• Read how churches in Hubei Province are meeting together online during this plague, and one pastor encourages us to realize this is a fierce spiritual battle in China, and not just a physical one.

God bless the people of Wuhan and China!

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org