China Earthquake

The earthquake in China last Monday occurred exactly in the area I lived just a few years ago. When I sat down to my breakfast and the Today Show on Monday morning, I quickly pushed my breakfast aside and ran for my computer when Matt and Meridith mentioned the 7.9 earthquake in Chengdu. I rapidly started emailing every friend I have in China, praying they were all O.K. and that I would hear from them soon. I perused article after article on-line and watched video clips showing the city I once called home. It was unreal and scary as I recognized town square on the news reel. By that afternoon I got two emails from friends, and as the week progressed, I received more saying that everyone was fine. They had some bumps and bruises, were very shocked and shaken, but all of them were safe and sound as were their families. I exhaled a huge sigh of relief with each email. Most of the damage was in the cities and towns surrounding Chengdu, so my friends were safe, but many of their countrymen were not.

As the news continues to cover the devastating quake and its excessive after-shocks, I get very emotional. Several schools collapsed in the middle of the day with hundreds of children trapped inside. Parents are watching their only child come out from the wreckage dead. It's so sad. All their hopes and dreams, which were in this one child, are gone. How does someone get over that grief?

Please pray for Sichuan as they recover from this horrid disaster. Pray that God would turn this sad devastation into an opportunity for more people to know Him.