It is no secret I love facebook and twitter. I update my status more than anyone know. FB stays open in some window at all times when i am on the computer. I play games and send messages. I use it for work and for school and for fellowship. I talk to other youth pastors across the country and ask advice and give encouragement as well. It has been a great source of entertainment and relaxation. But what I never realized was the power facebook had to unite people or reunite people.
It has only been a short year and there have already been two miracles in our family through Facebook that I would like to share. The first happen in the closing days of 2009 and into the new year. My wife had long known that she had a sister from her father’s previous marriage. She knew her name and where she lived and where she went to school. What she did not know was how to contact her or how to make that initial contact. If you think about it, that is an incredibly awkward situation. Questions arise inside your mind and you stress on how you will be received. It must be an frightening experience. Well a few days before New Years my wife decided to do a search on FB for her sister and she found her. Through a number of messages they arranged a time to meet and will do that very soon. It is an amazing time for my wife and saying that she is excited is not an adequate expression of her feelings.
The next miracle that FB as but an integral part of is in my family. At the age of thirteen I lost my older brother to an untimely death. He was only 28 years old when he passed and left behind a beautiful family including a 2 year old son. That family lost contact with us over the years and we did not know where they were. For several years now we had searched in vain trying to find them. We found my nephew’s mother’s obituary on the internet a couple of years ago but still could not locate the kids. This week my mother called and asked me to search him on facebook using his whole last name. I did and there was one person on all of facebook with that one name. It was him!!! I add him as a friend worried that I might freak him out. Apparently as I did that my dad messaged him as well. I was worried that he might react negatively to us but he reached back and I got to chat on FB with him for almost two hours Tuesday night.
I have a whole new love for facebook now. Most importantly I have a greater appreciation for God’s grace to think that this was just a coincidence is foolish only God could orchestrate two such encounters in 3 short weeks. I look forward to the coming weeks and months as I get an opportunity to talk and get to know the family that God has given back to us after so long.
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