Christchurch Earthquake

One of the buildings hit the hardest-in downtown Christchurch

Below-the front of the Cathedral-only a week and a half ago, I took a picture of the same building and look what an earthquake can do

Today near 1 pm in New Zealand, Christchurch had another massive earthquake, and though it was only 6.8 magnitude versus the 7.2 magnitude in September, the epicenter was much closer to the surface (5 k versus 36 k), and the damage was much more severe. Buildings are collapsed, 65 casualties have been recorded, and hundreds more are missing. As I came home
from school today in the pouring rain feel sorry for myself, I realized how selfish I was to not care about the hundreds and thousands of people affected by the earthquakes effects. Watching the news at home helped me realize my selfishness and I pray that those who are scared or worried about loved ones will be comforted.

My mum, Monique told us that the things that are happening on the earth are crazy, and I agreed, we are in the last days. She replied with a positive comment: it's great to know that they are coming to pass as prophesied, but at the same time, how devastating these events are. I am just in shock because a week and a half ago, 16 BYU girls, myself included were walking happily down the streets of downtown Christchurch, visiting the beautiful cathedral, eating their yummy fudge, and running around their parks. Today, the cathedral is heavily damaged, shops are destroyed, people are trapped, and areas where I walked and felt safe on, are now littered with glass, broken parts of buildings, and mud. How devastating to see a place that I remembered as one with hope and an effort to rebuild after the September earthquake suffer a tragedy so soon. Also, I contemplated how lucky I am that I was not near the quake, because aftershocks can happen anytime. Life can be so unfair.