I am thinking at this Christmas time about what makes people happy. Some look for it in material things. Some look for happiness in physical pleasure. Some hope to find it in intellectual pursuits, while others look to fitness and keeping the body beautiful. A certain degree of happiness or at least satisfaction can be found in these things but Christmas reminds us where true happiness lies. I think it is found in the God who became man and who was born into humble surroundings over 2000 thousand years ago.
I think that it is somewhat ironic that we humans have turned Christmas into such a complicated event and yet a part of me is glad at the fuss, for such a wonderful time absolutely needs to be celebrated. We have had a hard time of things this year. The economy is in a mess, there have been natural disasters in Pakistan and Haiti. We have been rocked by our own earthquake, the West Coast has been torn apart first by a horrific plane crash at Franz Joseph and then by the tragic mine disaster. Lives were lost with the sinking of a fishing boat off our waters a few days ago. There is no joy to be found in any of this. And then along comes Christmas.
We may be tired, we may be sad but I think we must celebrate. This for me, it is the time to remember the true meaning of Christmas. What a wonderful mystery to tell our children and those we love.
Happy Christmas to all. I hope that you find true happiness.

While the physical shakes seem to be getting less and less and I can’t wait until they are over. I think that we will have the mental shakes for some time. We have experienced a very traumatic event and we are reacting in different ways and at different times. Many people I know are feeling tired and irritable and are feeling “low grade” depression or sadness. It seems to come out of nowhere and often does not last but it is difficult while we are living it. I have had lots of advice about how to help people deal with their pain, uncertainly, fear and anger and it is all good stuff. Counselling, exercise, a holiday, talking with friends, the list is endless and is good advice as we work our way back to some sort of pre quake condition. The trick seems to be to find what works for you and that gives you hope for the future.
My main source of help is to talk about the quake with others. This weekend I had friends from out of town to stay and at the risk of boring them I spoke, almost nonstop about the quake. I told them where I was, how strong the quakes were, how I felt and the effect the quake had on me. I insisted showing them where buildings were taken down and the ruins of other buildings. The more I spoke the more I seemed to want to say to ensure that my friends knew what it was like for me. I was lucky as my home suffered no damage and Mission property was largely untouched but I still had the need to talk about my experience.
I know that it is now time to get on with life and start rebuilding but those of us who have experienced the earthquake have a bond. We were united in hardship and remain united in a common experience. As a city we behaved well. We endured the great earthquake of 2010 and we survived.

I hope that you have escaped the earthquake damage that many of our fellow citizens have experienced. At the City Mission we are doing all that we can to help those badly affected by this act of nature.
Clearly this disruption has consumed most of our energy over the last few weeks. On the morning it struck I visited the Night Shelter and Thorpe House at 5:30 a.m. to see how staff and clients were getting on. On a superficial look there did not seem much damage. I was then given a very large quantity of bread from “Breads of Europe” and spent the rest of the day with my wife taking this around the hard hit areas and offering it to those affected by the quake. I also arranged for some to go the Anglican Aged Care and to the Community of the Sacred Name. The rest we took to the Civil Emergency Centres. The priority was then to ensure that all our staff were well and so I started the telephone tree to have them all contacted. The priority was then to ensure that all our buildings were safe to be in. Brian and Colin were very generous with their time and did an inspection and then Bill Hopkins also carried out an engineer’s inspection for us. A big thanks is due to them. I decided that for the next two days we will deal with emergencies. Some staff could not come in but by the end of the first week everyone was back again and hard at work. I have offered counselling to any staff who feel the need for this and Relationship Services will provide this for no cost.
Over time I have kept staff informed of any advice that has come my way both for themselves and for their clients. The City Mission owned buildings are all intact. The rented shop at Colombo Street was not so lucky and may have to be demolished. We are not sure if we will be able to rescue any stock or we may have to write it off. Our archives are also there and may not be able to be retrieved. The vicarage at Governors Bay will also need repair due to chimney damage. At Thorpe House a chimney had to be taken down to ensure safety but apart from that there does not appear to be any damage apart from a laptop computer which fell and broke. The Foodbank is working in cooperation with the Methodist Mission Foodbank as their premises are unsafe and may have to be demolished. We have been given a great deal of damaged goods and this has placed a strain on our storage capacity and person power but we have accepted everything offered. The number of food parcels we have given out has about doubled. We have scaled back the numbers at Thorpe House until some work can be done to ensure complete safety for staff and clients. All the other services are operating but it is not quite work as usual for staff members are expected to help out where there is a need even if it is outside their usual sphere of work. It is my view that our work is only just beginning. I think the quake will bring about redundancies and business failure which in turn will place a demand on our services. People are still caught up in the adrenaline of the event but this will soon go and depression, overcrowding, depression and stress will set in. All in all we have managed well. The staff have been hard working and committed, the volunteers have worked over and above what could have been expected and the community are supportive as we continue to help those in need.

You may be thinking that I have been on a blog holiday as it has been so long since I wrote. Actually I have just returned from a few days off. I spent them with two of the grandchildren. We played games, travelled, read books and went on outings and now I am exhausted. I had forgotten how tiring it is to look after little children. I had also almost forgotten how much of a joy it is.
Getting away from work gave me a chance to look at the Mission from a distance and to see if there were things that needed to change or be developed. Recently I have sent out a survey to many people who closely support the work that the Mission does. I have asked them how we can improve communication with them and also gain a better picture of who supports us. I am really looking forward to hearing their suggestions. We need to keep looking at ways to improve the services that we offer and how we communicate with each other. If you have any thoughts about this I would like to hear from you.
We have taken a big step forward this week with regard to the redevelopment of the City Mission. We have received building consent and so now we can go to tender. Watch this space.

Life has been very busy at the Mission since my last blog. The detailed drawings have been finalised and been submitted to the Christchurch City Council for Building Consent. We hope to have the application granted sometime in May. The next step after that is to go out to tender. This is very exciting and marks another major step in us getting the new building that the Mission needs. Lots of money still needs to be raised and we are also busy doing this. We are now well over half way towards our target.
All of our services are feeling the pressure with expanding demands placed on them. I feel so proud of the way that the staff are coping with this. Recently we had a series of articles about the City Mission appear in the Press. You can read these on the website. We were able to allow the reporter access to our services as we have absolute confidence in the work that is done at the Mission.
We have had some illness among staff at the Mission and we would be grateful for your prayers for those staff and their families who are unwell.
Easter is now over and I hope that you all had a great time. Yesterday I went to Wellington to meet with the City Missioners from Auckland and Wellington. It is great that while we work in different areas we all have the interests of the poor at heart and strive for social justice. After the meeting, I was able to visit some of the family and catch up with what the grandchildren are doing.

Christmas at the Mission was absolutely wonderful and you, the community, showed once again that you cared. Before Christmas I was very worried, as donations of food for the Christmas dinner were not coming in the way we hoped they would. Once word about the shortage of food got out through the media this all changed and donations flooded in. The Christmas lunch was really great and we fed over 700 people.
My own family had the most wonderful holiday with all the children and grandchildren. We swam when weather allowed, read lots of books and played games, went for walks, talked a lot and had lovely things to eat. It was a joy to be together. I realized just how lucky we are. We have done nothing to have such good fortune and many others are not so fortunate. It seems to me that such good fortune carries with it an obligation and a responsibility to help others. My wonderful holiday has made me really aware of this.
Many of us take holidays for granted. They are what keep us going during the cold winter months or at times when we are feeling absolutely swamped by all the work that we have to do. A lot of people who come to the City Mission have never had a holiday and cannot organize or afford one. 19% of children in New Zealand are living in poverty. They cannot afford to do the things that the rest of us take for granted. Holidays may seem a small thing, a luxury. In New Zealand not having holidays leads to alienation and denies children a wonderful childhood experience with their families. Holidays may not be essential for keeping children alive but they are essential for feeding their souls. Do we want New Zealand children to just exist or do we want them to thrive?
I do not feel guilty about having a wonderful holiday and I work hard for it. Guilt is not a very productive emotion and can be somewhat self indulgent. However I think I do have to be aware of and do something for those who never get away to relax and enjoy their time with those they love.