Postcard 1 By the grace of God we are alive! We missed the tsunami by about 20 minutes. We were on our way to a church inland when it struck. We are so thankful to God for keeping us safe and for all your kind messages. Just to update you, we are still at the church which has been registered as an official rescue centre. There are many people with horrific injuries coming in, some not knowing if their family members are alive or dead. It has been physically and emotionally draining, but we've been blown away by the miracles happening around us too. Families who spent last night in tears of despair have today been reunited and the tears are of joy. Today we went back to our bungalow to retrieve our things (which were fine) and found that the hotel where we had been enjoying the pool on Christmas Day was completely devastated. Our friend who works there has lost everything - all swept out to sea and a palm tree in his apartment. It feels like a disaster movie set, but it's real. Please pray for strength and wisdom and for our continued safety. We'll stay here as long as we're needed and post a message later in the week when we know what's happening. Internet connections are under strain, so this is the best place to contact us. Thanks again for all your support. It's great to know that people are thinking of us. Lots of love, the girls xx Postcard 2 Hello everyone and thank you again for all your lovely messages. It has been so fantastic to log on and see them all and know that people are praying. Keep those prayers coming! Here is the latest... We are still at the Phuket Christian Centre, which has been acting as a rescue centre. It's gained quite a reputation, as nearly everyone who came here with relatives missing has found them. Word has got round at the hospital that this is a place of miracles and church members have been overwhelmed by people begging for help. We have apparently been on TV news in Germany and Sweden! The Thai government has been offering free flights to Bangkok and a number of people from here have thankfully managed to sort out ID and leave. Unfortunately there is a very high wound infection rate. One of the biggest problems now is keeping wounds clean, particularly in the heat. Many people are having limbs amputated as a result of infection. We have been closely involved with several Swedish families. They were separated in the water but miraculously all survived and were reunited on Monday. Sadly, the teenage daughter of one family, Linnea, has a broken and infected arm and has been told that it may need to be amputated within the next 2 days. We are praying for a miracle, so please join us. We have been taking care of a lovely retired Swedish couple who left today. They had treated five close friends and godchildren to a holiday in Phi Phi. Earlier today they found out that they were all killed. It has been very difficult to know what to say. Another Swedish man called Anders is still looking for his girlfriend. There has been no word from her. A big burly Ukrainian man called Oleg has a very serious leg injury. The wound is very deep and too wide to stitch together. Even with morphine it couldn't be cleaned properly, so he was readmitted to hospital for a general anaesthetic. There are so many needs. The pastors here (Brian & Margaret Burton and the Thai pastor Ngoc) have been amazing. They have opened the church doors, provided food, bedding, clothing, showers, use of the telephone, etc, all at their own expense. If any of you feel led to give a donation, they are planning to give details on their website shortly (www.phuketchristiancentre.com). We would also value your prayers as we make decisions about what to do next. Things have quietened down considerably here at the church, although there may be more new arrivals today. Our plans to go to Phi Phi and Krabi are now impossible, so we are not sure whether to go to the eastern side of Thailand to do our PADI diving course. We don't know how we feel about being on a beach, or even whether to carry on "holidaying" in the light of everything. Many Thai people have lost their homes and livelihoods. There may be other projects that we could help with here. That's all for now. We'll update as and when. All our love, the girls xx Postcard 3 Thank you soooooo much for all your messages of support. We are really touched! Here is the latest... Things at the church and hospital have now quietened down and most Westerners have managed to get flights home. There was a memorial service at the hospital yesterday afternoon for remaining patients and hospital staff. The world's press gathered with their cameras, which was a bit scary as we had been asked to sing. You may also have seen that the Phuket Christian Centre was on a programme on ITV. We hear we made our TV debut... how embarrassing! Apparently we made the front page of our mums' local newspapers too. Today Emma was interviewed by Radio 5 Live. It's all rather overwhelming. Over the weekend Pastor Brian met with the governor of Phuket and other officials. The Christian Centre has been asked to help in the distribution of aid and the re-building of 12 villages. We are hoping to get involved with this project later in the week. The waiting period is frustrating, but until clear plans are made we can't get started. There have been many knock-on effects. The main economy is tourism, which has been completely destroyed. Hotels need to be rebuilt, staff have lost their jobs, the water supply is contaminated, fishermen have lost their boats, the corals and dive sites are damaged, homes have been washed away.... the list is endless. Will things ever get back to normal and tourists have confidence to come here again? The church family has been amazing, especially the pastors Brian, Margaret and Ngok. They have taken us in as their own. We are now staying with our new mate, Bernadine, who has been a Godsend. At last, we have a proper bed instead of the church floor! If you are feeling very removed from the crisis over there in England and wondering what you can do to help, one of the greatest needs is cash (sorry to be blunt!). If you'd like to make a donation directly to the work of the church, you can email them for account details at www.phuketchristiancentre.com. Account details are not posted on the web for security reasons. Thank you so very much. That's all for now. Watch this space for more news. Lots of love, Emma and Claire xx