New Zealand Earthquake
It's a great relief to report that the families we know and love in Christchurch have all survived the earthquake. News is a bit sparse but here's some of what we know.
Matt and Lucy Pratt
Matt (Sharon Pratt's son), Lucy and their little boy Benjamin are safe, though Matt has a gash in his leg from being hit by a flying filing cabinet. Their house was badly damaged in the September earthquake and was due for demolition - but is now is seriously unsafe apart from two rooms at the back where they are now living, after moving out for a couple of nights. Sharon has been able to speak to them.
Tim and Angie Williams
Tim and the the two kids (Isaac and Emily) were all at school, where Tim teaches, when the earthquake struck. Angie was at home looking after a friend's baby. Here's her remarkable story of what happened.
Tim has also emailed with this:
Hi Guys
Just thought we would send a quick e-mail to say that we are all well in spite of the events of the last few days. Thanks so much for all your thoughts, kind words and prayers. We appreciate it heaps. Our family down here are all well and we all feel very blessed to have got through the disaster unscathed.
We had got used to daily tremors since September 4th but we never expected to have to go through such a major quake again. Tuesday's quake was certainly far more devastating than the September one, primarily because it was so shallow and centered so close to us. Lyttelton, the epicentre is only about 10 km from our home. For us personally, the aftermath of the quake is only an inconvenience; we have no water or sewerage (I won't go there!), but for many it is heart breaking, with hundreds still missing.
Trust that this finds you all well.
Cheers
Tim & Angie
Tim and Angie will be over in the UK at the end of the year - their first visit since leaving us ten years ago.
Ross and Liz Meecham
Ross, Liz and their three little ones, Sam, Toby and Rennah are all OK. They were able to take the Pratts in for a night or two.
Doug and Judy Williams
It was such a relief to hear Judy's voice when I phoned early on Tuesday morning. Doug and Judy are Tim and Liz's parents and are also very involved in the church. I have heard that they have about seven other people staying with them following the earthquake. Very sadly, a Japanese student who had been their lodger for 3 months was killed with all the others in the language school which was destroyed on Tuesday.
John and Meg Poppe
News from John, Meg and Caroline has been a bit sparse, but we had this message from Meg on Wednesday "We are all OK. Very shaken but otherwise OK. We have no power water or sewerage...thankyou all for the messages, prayers, good wishes". Since then we've heard that their power has been restored. | 
