Update on my friend

I was able to chat with "A" tonight! (If you haven't read my previous post, you can do it here.) I'm sure that by the time most of you read this the story will have changed again... but I'm equally as confident she will need your prayer in whatever stage the "story" is in!

Here's the latest:

I went to the consulate this morning (I got there about 5 minutes before it closed) and tried to apply for a tourist visa. The woman at the service desk told me that in order to apply for this type of visa, I needed to have a flight leaving China as well as certified hotel reservations. After leaving the consulate I got in touch with a friend (a classmate from Moody) who gave me access to his computer all afternoon to try and get all of the paper work together.

I now have a plane ticket to Thailand in September, as well as a hotel reservation - BUT I am having trouble getting the hotel reservations emailed to me, with the "certified" red stamp. Please press into prayer particularly that the ALL OF THE PAPERWORK would be done by tomorrow morning and that it would be sufficient for the consulate tomorrow morning. The woman at the consulate this morning was helpful, but extremely firm that visa restrictions are very tight and increasingly difficult to obtain.

I am also having difficulties with my domestic flight within China - I've had to change it several times now, through a travel agency in China, and will have to change it again, but have to wait for the travel agency to open in a few hours before I can contact them.

From chatting with her tonight, she is *fairly* confident this will all work out... IF her paperwork is in order. If not, well, she'll go back to her parents' and try to figure out what her next move is. Please keep her in your prayer as she is physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted at this point. The trip was brief and emotionally difficult, she is anxious about her new ministry, and needs His peace to get her through this. Thanks so much- I'll keep you posted!