President Robert
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Steen Olsen
Date: Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Subject: To our Friends in Christchurch and the LCNZ
To: Ruth Olsen
Cc: David Altus
Dear Friends, You are all in our thoughts and Ruth and I are praying for you as the horror continues to unfold on our television screens. Having spent two weeks in Christchurch in December and seem the damage from the September quake it is almost unbelievable how much worse it has been this time. We have of course kept in touch with Kirsten and Jason and our grandchildren in Christchurch. We are thankful that they are ok even as we grieve the loss of other lives and the destruction of the city. We have also heard that David and Janine's house has again sustained extensive damage. Tim & Joy Klein have been in touch with Nathan. Otherwise we have heard very little. So we continue to pray as we await more news. In the last month we have had destructive floods, cyclones and bush fires in Australia. Now there has been a second more deadly earthquake in Christchurch. Even as our world crumbles around us our Lord's promises remain sure and nothing can separate us from his love. As creation groans under the power of sin and death we know and even more powerful one who has us and his world in his hands. As Paul says at the end of Romans 8 (and the whole chapter is well worth reading in this context), "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." He could well have also mentioned earthquakes, cyclones, floods and fire! The Lord is with you! Kia kaha!
