Passport issue update

My passport did not get to Ian before he had to leave, and I missed my flight. I spent the day calling around to many post offices trying to locate it with no luck. Its tracking number didn't even show up in the system when I went to sleep last night. I saw Ian and my parents, who are high over the pacific right now(still!). Ian has a good friend here in Los Angeles that I'm staying with right now- much better than chilling in the airport waiting for my passport to show up- also gives me a mailing address here.

Today I woke up early to call the Maryland express mail depot around when they opened. I called the tracking number first; and my package was FINALLY in there! It didn't get scanned in Houston until Monday night(yesterday, flight day) at 6:00PM. I can't think of much that would account for that kind of lag in pickup, even if it sat in a drop off box from Friday afternoon to Saturday or even Monday morning. I suppose the consulate could have been lying about when they mailed it, but that's in the past and it will do me no good to accuse them.

I'm worried about how much it's going to cost to get my ticket changed. When I knew my passport wouldn't come, I called Air NZ's booking number and told them the story. Luckily they can cancel my resevation on that flight and have my ticket still in the system. I asked what kind of cost would be incurred. My folks were worried it would be over $1000, but the guy on the phone told me $452 as an example of pushing it back one day; same flight. Being the persistent one that I am, I spoke with the counter guy at the airport and by chance/divine intervention he happened to be the ticketer(boss) on duty. He was nice and we reached an understanding that he'll do his best by me to keep the cost low. I just need to make sure that he's the one that I talk to when I check in.

This morning when I woke up, my passport was 'in transit' from Houston to MD. I called the help line, who referred me to the Houston express office. Now that my tracking no. had hit the system, they could put in a forward order for when it landed in MD and hit their express mail center. This was good news, and I wrote my folks about it, after I checked the detailed history on the USPS site. They have a tool for emailing you as soon as something new happens; so I put in both my and Ian's emails. Not fifteen minutes after my first email to my folks, I get a USPS one informing me that it had hit MD and been forwarded on. So right now I imagine that it's in a basket somewhere waiting for it's plane out here, or maybe even in the air. The USPS tracking lady told me before it probably wouldn't show up for two days, but I think that's a bit pessimistic. If it's leaving MD directly from an express mail facility in the morning, it should certainly be here tomorrow. It may be in LA and not yet delivered perhaps, but if that's the case and I can figure out who has hands on it I'll do my darnedest to find my way to the express mail office and get it. There's even a faint glimmer of hope in the back of my mind that it might be in-state tonight and I could track it down before morning. I won't set my heart on it, but God is in the business of miracles.

Keep on praying that I will get it as soon as possible! Thank you!

Please pray for me, my passport, and USPS

I am leaving for Australia at 10:30PM Monday evening. Close enough to be Sunday night, as I will leave Anchorage 12:50AM Monday morning, arrive in LAX at 7:30AM, and wait in the airport literally all day long. I actually plan to check my bags then leave the airport and see what Los Angeles has to offer. I am on the same flight with my brother, Ian. My passport is currently in the mail, from the Korean consulate in Houston to Ian's place. (Had to get my visa for Korea) It's going to Ian instead of me because it's quicker to go from Houston to DC than it is to Houston to a remote bush village in Alaska. Since Ian and I are on the same flight anyway, it works out well. I thank God for providing the blessing of Ian and I booking the same flight without coordinating it intentionally. Without this, getting my Korean visa and passport back on time would be impossible.

Scheduling is a bit awry, however. My express mail item to the Korean Consulate left here(bush Alaska) Monday morning at 11:30. By 3:30PM, it was in the mail in Anchorage. It did not arrive in Houston until Thursday at 10:30AM. I left a message on the Korean Consulate visa dept's machine to please process ASAP. I called again this morning(10:00AM here, 1:00PM there) to ask if they had it yet, and when it would be mailed. Turned out I forgot a few documents, which I faxed to them pronto. The fastest that they could get my visa(and passport) in the mail was after the express mail pickup deadline, even after 5:00PM.

Right now all I have is the casual word of a visa dept's employee that my visa should have been in the mail sometime today(friday) not long after 5PM. Also, I have not actually been able to get in touch with Ian to find out when he leaves and if he is in fact expecting the package. My parents have not heard from him recently either. Assuming that my passport and visa don't count as being mailed today(3rd), but tomorrow, the USPS site tells me to expect "2 delivery days". Not sure how that translates, "days" is quite vague for something that is supposedly overnight. It will most likely not arrive tomorrow(Saturday). Several different USPS claims have been made regarding whether or nor they will deliver express mail on Sundays - their site says "Delivery to most locations 365 days a year, including Sundays and holidays at no extra charge." Why, then, does their calculator use the wiggle-word "delivery days"? If delivery is 365 days a year, isn't every day a delivery day? Right now the express mail package does not show in the USPS tracking system(not unusual, but disconcerting nonetheless)

Since Ian is on the same flight that I am from LAX, he will need to arrive in LA some time before 10:30PM on Monday. I do not know when he is arriving. What is important is whether or not he will be able to collect mail(and my passport/visa) before he leaves on Monday. I have no data on which to venture a guess for this probability. Express mail is supposed to be delivered before "Noon or 3PM". We'll see.

To sum it up:
My passport is in overnight mail to my brother, who will meet me at LAX.
The USPS is real, real shaky with overnight mail.
I am not drawing any conclusions yet as to whether or not I'm going to have to knock out a flight attendant in the airport and steal his uniform in order to get on the plane without my passport.

Please pray for my situation. I trust that God will take care of me- He gave me everything I have, He provided everything I needed to make this amazing international trip. I am going to trust Him to provide for me when man's ways seem unreliable and broken. Though I can see so many ways typical of man's ways for this situation to end up wrong, I know that God's way is the best way. I now only need to trust in God- He has done everything up until this point to get me on that plane, and I must trust that His will is for me to be on that plane.

Thank you Lord for your blessings, please use this potentially disastrous situation to build me up. I will trust You and Your plan for my life.