A Part of Our Lives

It’s so easy to take for granted the blessing of internet connection and the way things like email, blogs, and Skype can connect us across the miles – even around the globe. 

Last Saturday afternoon our time our friends the Choates left their city home in Honiara (Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific) to return to their village home of Marulaon for two months.  Every time they are in Honiara, I get spoiled getting to Skype chat with Joanna.  We both type quickly enough that it can almost feel as if we’re having a real live conversation!  I love it!  If we need to, we can step away from the computer to take care of kids or other business and then come right back to the chat.  It was hard to tear ourselves away from our computers last week knowing it would be our last chat for a long time.  We were both praying that they would have email in the village this time around (it is sent over radio, and it’s always iffy, but their last stay it didn’t work at all), but so far it seems they don’t.  That makes me miss them all the more.

So this week I’m not taking my ready access to internet connectivity for granted.  I am so thankful for blogs and Facebook and Twitter.  I've been able to pray for several friends today who just posted little statuses that let me know they needed prayer.  I’ve had the chance to rejoice with a few other people.  I got to smile at a post from a friend I’ve never met in person but whose words I have grown to thoroughly enjoy and treasure.  And, I get to share our day to day life with people we love but no longer are able to interact with on a daily basis.  Yes, I’m thankful.

Shortly after the Choates left for Marulaon, a package came in the mail from them full of samplings of the Solomons.  So, while we wait to get to “talk” to them again (and share in their daily life through their blog posts!), we’ll enjoy our taste of the Solomons and pray. 

Here are the kids in their Solomon Island t-shirts.

So, to all of you who keep up with our family through this blog or Facebook or Twitter, thank you!  It is a sweet blessing to be connected, and I appreciate you for desiring to be a part of our lives!