Hate your family?

As I was growing up my family regularly prayed for several missionaries. Many of them were in our home for a meal or an overnight visit at some point. I remember thinking it must be a challenge to move to another continent and be so far away from one's family and friends. Two of my siblings are now missionaries. I have a sister who lives in Turkey with her husband and six children, and my brother lives in Brazil. My sister and her family were in the US for several months in 2009-2010. They returned for a two month visit last summer. I had planned to spend at least a week with them, but due to pregnancy complications I was unable to drive last summer. They came up and spent one hour with me in the hospital one day in July, and I met their youngest son for the first time. They plan to return for another visit next summer. Over a four year time span I will have spent a grand total of one hour with my sister. My youngest will be almost two years old before they will meet him, and their youngest will be over a year old before I meet her. These experiences have given me a better grasp of Luke 14:26 that uses the word "hate" to teach us that we must place our relationship with Christ as a higher priority than our relationships with our mother, father, brother, sisters, etc. Technology makes it easier to bridge the gap, but I still really miss them. Now when I pray for a missionary, I often find myself also praying for their extended family back at home who have to wait years to see a sibling, niece, nephew, or grandchild.