Homesickness and Facebook

This post will be different from almost all of those you have ever read on my blog. The goal for this website is to share updates on my ministry in Australia. I also enjoy writing posts that can minister to others. I was planning to write an encouraging article to put on the blog this afternoon. But that was before I got really homesick.

About an hour and a half ago I left my house and went to a local shopping center. I had to leave the house because I was overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness and homesickness. That is strange because I have only felt homesick a few times since coming to Australia, and always got over it quickly. The fact that I talk to my parents twice a week and see them on a webcam while doing it is the reason why. But the homesickness that I felt this afternoon was stronger than ever before. And it's all because of facebook.

For those of you who don't know, facebook is a website where people put pictures and information about themselves. They will then be able to communicate with other people. If someone wants to communicate with you they send a friend request, and you must confirm it. It is a fun way to keep in touch with friends who you may be far away from.

My friends in Australia had been telling me about facebook for months so yesterday I finally signed up. The website then sent out friend requests to all the people in my e-mail address book. I honestly did not expect to end up with a large amount of friends on the website since I had just joined. Wow was I ever wrong.

Today I have eighteen friends on facebook. Included in that is friends from college, teenagers who I minstered to at a camp, along with counselors at that camp, people who I used to work with, fellow missionaries, my best friend from college, college students who I taught as Junior High teens, and friends who I have not seen in forever.

With each new friend a fresh wave of emotions came over me. And along with those emotions vivid memories. In a moment my mind was taken back to eating lunch with my friends at the party table at college. Standing in a circle of Junior High teenagers with tears in my eyes as they prayed for me. Hugging teens goodbye after a week of camp and wishing I did not have to. Suddenly more than anything else I wanted to be with my friends again.

I am trying to think of a really nice way to end this post but I can't think of one. The homesickness is gone now but the memories still linger. And while there is part of me that misses my friends there is a bigger portion that sees those memories as precious treasures from God. So I thank God for those treasures even thought it hurts sometimes to think about them.