T minus 10

Days, that is.  The flight has been scheduled, and there are 10 days remaining before I leave.  No, I don't have the visa yet, but it should be just a matter of paperwork.  Also, I really couldn't wait anymore if I wanted to get an affordable airfare and still arrive in good time.

After the e-mail with the subject of "good news", informing me that the invitation letter would be sent that day, it wasn't long before Jane started asking me about my flight number.  Now, the Chinese Consulate suggests that travelers wait until the visa has been granted before booking their flights.  However, my visa should already be guaranteed, assuming I don't mess up the application.  And, waiting longer would only cost me more. So, I booked my flight.  Unfortunately, the one that I had my eye on was no longer available, and I had to choose one that had one extra stop.  Fortunately, it only cost $8 more, and it shouldn't cost me too much sleep.

Currently, I am waiting for the letter of invitation to arrive.  Hopefully, that package should have the rest of the documents that I need to apply for a Chinese Z visa.  It should arrive today or tomorrow.  I hope that it will arrive soon enough for me to get the visa this week.

Meanwhile, I've shifted my preparations into high gear.  Along with that, I'm getting a little more anxious.  So, instead of worrying, I need to pray.  Here's what I need prayer for:

Prayer Requests
First, praise God for allowing my voice to last through all six Easter services!  I had been nursing a bit of a sore throat (allergy-induced), and I wasn't sure I would make it through Good Friday and all six choir performances on Easter.  But God was faithful, and I figured out how to sing with a cough drop in my mouth.  That helped.

Also, please pray for the visa process and all the accompanying preparations.  I've done most of this before, but I haven't done the visa before, so I'm a bit nervous about it.

Finally, please pray that I would be able to wrap up everything here before I leave.  I don't want to leave any unnecessary loose ends for my parents to deal with.

That's it for now.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.