Murfeys law states that "If something can go wrong, it will." Based on this law it is always good to budget twice the time you will need in order to actually finish the job, order the extra parts when you get the new item, or in the case of getting a visa for a 3 month old little girl - call the embassy 2-3 times per week.
I did this with Kay-lee's passport that we sent to the Mongolian embassy 1 month before leaving. (On the website they state it takes 2 working days to process the visa application.) Since I was not sure how many applications they get for a 3 month old I was as detailed as possible even sending in my (the fathers) passport verifying that we did in fact have a student visa and would be allowed into the country. Nevertheless I called the Friday before we were to leave on the following Tuesday morning and they finally decided to actually look at the application. (This was my 4th time talking to the same man. I had also left a few messages,) The gentleman commented "Oh well you already have a visa." This was stated 2 times in the application not to mention the fact all he would have had to do was open the passport when he received it. So then he said that he would get it processed that afternoon and next day deliver it by FedEx. No problem that meant that it would arrive Monday morning a whole 24 hrs before we would be flying out. This was cutting it close but what else could go wrong?
Well the time for delivery came and went Monday morning so I called the embassy to verify he had sent it. "Well FedEx was closed Friday evening so I have not sent it yet. It is now 21 hrs until we leave for the airport. After a few frantic phone calls and talking with FedEx they sent a courier to pick up the passports in DC they are then flown to Ft Wayne and a courier will deliver it to our house. It was pretty expensive but the tickets were booked, we were packed, and my parents were showing up in a few hrs to say a final goodbye. Does it occur to others that God seems to always live and move only during the 11th hour?
Throughout the day I checked on the passports via the website, all was looking good until the passports never showed up. I called again... the passports are at the airport we have called a courier to pick them up. Great we are staying 5 min away from the airport in Ft Wayne no problem 12 hours before departure is a little close but God is good! Ooooh Noooo, God is even better; the airport they were talking about is Chicago, the passports missed their plane to Ft Wayne, now it will be 2:30am. Of course the online site said that they had made that flight to Ft Wayne ... hmmm.
Thankfully at 2:33am My and K-lee's passports arrived with all of 6 1/2 hours to spare! Only in America can something like this go so wrong but yet still happen. God Bless America!!!
