Thank God for Technology!

Almost a year ago, I went with my daughter, Chelsea, to a conference in Denver to check out a missions opportunity for her called the World Race.  I really didn't know what to expect from the conference, but the one thing that I came away with after spending the day with Lanny Richardson and a few of the leaders of Adventures in Missions, was that I didn't want to miss what God would be teaching me through Chelsea's experience.  The nine months of preparation and fund-raising were a series of incredible realizations as I saw my daughter's walk with God and dependence upon Him blossum into something rare and amazing.  Now as she enters her third month on the World Race, I am not only seeing God do some exciting things in and through her, but I am recognizing little messages that He is sending me on a regular basis as well.  Today's message was about the value of communication. 
Chelsea spent last month in a very remote and somewhat primitive environment in Cambodia.  As a result, our communication with her was infrequent and difficult at best.  As a father, I really missed hearing about what she was doing and how God was working, but I tried to be patient because I knew that she was where God wanted her to be.  A few days ago, Chelsea arrived in Darwin, Australia, where she will be staying for the next month, ministering in a place called Bagot, a few miles outside of Darwin.  She is staying in a YWAM(Youth With A Mission) Base in Darwin and will have access to all of the modern technology and as a result, we have been able to hear a lot more about what God has been doing over the last month.  One of Chelsea's teammates even posted a 9 min video with pictures and video from their work there.  I will include that video at the end of this blog.
The thing that God has been speaking to my heart about this morning is the strong desire that He has to hear from me.  He is my Father and I am just a visitor in a strange place far from home.  I have a job to do, but He wants to be a part of it and wants me to keep the lines of communication open.  I sometimes allow prayer to become a task or duty, and forget that it is the opportunity for intimate communication with the One who loves me more than anyone in the world.  It is so easy to get so busy doing things FOR Him that I neglect my time WITH Him, and I know that grieves His heart.
With my daughter living and serving fifteen and a half time zones away, I am thankful for Facebook, Skype, email, text messaging, and cell phone service.  I check these different outlets several times a day, just in case she might have posted something.  I need to be aware that God is just as anxious to hear from me and to be a part of my day as well.