Big aftershocks

5.3M, depth: 9km 6/9/2010 23:24
5.4M, depth: 9km 6/9/2010 23:40
5.5M, depth: 17km 7/9/2010 03:24

While I was lying awake last night - trying to get to sleep - I felt an aftershock. The last one I felt was on Saturday afternoon at 5pm, so I was wondering how big it was and how things were going in town. I was hoping this was the "big" one that everyone is waiting for and I was definitely not going to get to sleep so I headed upstairs, logged on and chatted on fb to others in Christchurch who were still up. It was nice to get a website that has up to date info on and where you can report if you felt the shake (and how strong it was in your area). It was disappointing to see that it was "only" 5.5 and that the "experts" still expect to possibly get a 6.1 aftershock.

So I was upstairs when the 5.4 one hit at 11:40. It's amazing how much different it feels when you are downstairs (where it's more rattling and you hear the windows shaking) and when you are upstairs (you just feel like the whole building is swaying). Soon after midnight I tried to get back to sleep and was woken again at 3:24 with another. I immediately knew that it was bigger than 5.1 as that seems to be the size that makes the shake reach us. I know I have loosed out on much sleep since Friday night and can't imagine how hard it must be for the people in town. There are going to be many exhausted people in Christchurch over the next couple of weeks.

I generally work through different bible books and post a verse or two each day on fb. Amazingly today's verse was 2 Peter 3:15 "and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation". Rachel was upstairs early with me and so we had a good discussion about Matthew 24:7-8 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famine and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."

We spoke about how with labour you might think that the birth is close but then things calm off again. These birth pangs can happen a few times (they did with Hannah). So yes - the Lord might come very soon (and how wonderful that would be). But He may also wait many years still - giving more people an opportunity to repent and turn to Him for salvation.