Christchurch Earthquake Relief Journal (Day 12)

I'm not really sure how to describe today, except it has been one of contrasts, yet connected experiences. One of the privileges of being a part of the management team is the insight I've gained into the complexities of managing a relief effort of this magnitude. The office is staffed by beautiful people who care committed as much to the recovery of Christchurch as those who are door knocking and those who are manning welfare centres. Yet, despite the passion, commitment and long hours of this amazing team we are still confronted by the reality and challenge of unmet expectations.

Amidst my responsibilities at the EQ Command Centre today I had the opportunity to deliver three Westpac Care Cards into three very different circumstances:

• 
  A request came from one of the recovery centres for a lady who was travelling to a northern NZ city for a break from the reality of her brokenness.
• I met an underground coal miner who had lost his job and his wife was a nervous wreck. They live at the base of a rockslide, and although their house experienced very little damage, they were very damaged people. To add to their pain, he had lost his mate in the mine accident last year.
• Tonight, Tracy and I visited a lady whose mother is still missing in one of the buildings in the city. It was hard not to be moved when she cried, "I just want my mum back!" She is caught in the tension of uncertainty, grief and hope.

At the debrief tonight, a team leader shared a story about a lady they gave a $500 Care Card to, who instead of using it for her own very real needs, donated it to her children's school to give all the kids who had been impacted by the earthquake a day out! One of the truck drivers testified to the generosity of a customer at the service station where they stopped to fuel up their two trucks, who offered to pay for the petrol. When you consider that petrol prices are $2.10 a litre, that is a lot of money for two trucks!

Even after 12 days, I continue to be deeply touched by the generosity and grace of these people, even amidst their own personal grief. Tomorrow we are attending the memorial service in Hagley Park to be available for pastoral care and support to the crowd of an anticipated 110,000 people...