Charity auction: Red Cross funding for Christchurch Earthquake Relief

This weekend I've been busy.  Louise has organised a charity auction on Facebook to raise money to give to the Red Cross in response to the devastating earthquake in Christchurch.  So these are the things I'm donating to the auction.  If you are interested in bidding on them, you can join the group.  If you aren't a Facebook member but still want to bid, email Louise and see if there is some way you can nominate a proxy (or something).

Donation 1









Donation 2 (three jars of this so three opportunities to win)




Donation 3




Donation 4




Donation 5




Donation 6 - Kisses for Christchurch: Nuno felted merino wool on polyester chiffon wrap



DH's relatives from that area appear to be safe though I haven't heard about how their houses etc have fared. It seems our friends down there are alive but some have lost material things. One family has lost their house & pets and they have evacuated to here in Auckland to one our other friend's who lives locally.

It has been a strange sort of time since the earthquake happened. On the one hand, we've had to keep on about our daily business, but myself and others I've spoken to have found it hard to focus on anything in particular. The news coverage has been extensive but I've had to step away from it at times just to keep myself on an even keel. It has been so touching to hear of people, organisations and countries contributing to helping those affected.

[for the believers]... On Sunday, someone mentioned Psalm 46 which I found encouraging and restorative:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
etc...
(New International Version, ©2010)

I don't find it profitable to ask why these things happen or make dire predictions about the meaning of natural events. We live in a world governed by physical laws like gravity, plate tectonics and so on so it is inevitable that we'll see this stuff occur. But it is a strength to me to know there is grace and peace within these experiences.[/for the believers]