They were able to get on a plane yesterday (Wednesday morning, NZ time) at 10:00 am to Wellington. Upon arrival there they could not get a flight to Auckland, BUT they saw that they could get on one today out of Palmerston North, which is our town. They rented a car and drove the 2 hours to us where we were thrilled to see them alive and well and host them another night! As I type this, they are in Auckland and their flight to Los Angeles is scheduled to leave in over 3 hours.
The Barrons have a lot of stories to tell of their terrifying experience, but they were extremely impressed with the Kiwi people through it all. People stayed calm and orderly and helped each other out. The airport was full of employees doing their job and keeping things smooth. Leadership here is amazing. We watch the press conferences of all the people involved from the prime minister to the mayor of Christchurch to the police chief and on and on, and they all invoke confidence, control, authority, calm and a feeling that everything that could be done is being done in the right way.
This is a small country of 4 million people and Christchurch is one of its larger cities of about 300,000 and certainly the largest town on the South Island. This is a major blow and affects everyone. And the tremors continue.... Please pray for the folks here.
Picture is of Christchurch Cathedral that we took the week of Christmas. It's the centerpiece of the city and Cathedral Square the heart of town. It lies in ruins now, with over 20 people dead within it that they haven't been able to reach yet. Another 25 or so were pulled alive out of it the first day.
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