i know that the payment is “due” by december 3rd… does that mean that it has to be mailed by then… or that it needs to be there by then?
One of my sponsors has been slow on getting the check to us. He said he put in the request in on 11/22 and it is still being “processed”
basically im stuck in a hard spot… I can wait and hope that the check will arrive or I can front the few thousands… which I’m not very fond of
Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to your question. I think it’s important to mention, however, that it’d be a good idea for you to alert FIRST of any potential problem you’ll have in providing payment. I know that things have changed in recent years as FIRST has grown, but I also know that they have been understanding of these sorts of situations in the past. I, on behalf of a team, received a call from them one year asking for $10,000 or so. They understood that I couldn’t give it to them, but that it was coming. 
The answers you are looking for can be found in THIS Thread. I would suggest for yourself to contact FIRST Finances directly at 1-800-871-8326 Ext. 414 or 415 to get a solid answer directly from FIRST to your situation.