"The loss of life is dreadful, and the numbers of people without houses is staggering," Elyn reports. "The quake reminds me a little of 9-11, or when the Challenger exploded on the way to space. It is a time when everyone is almost completely focused on what happened. Many, many people are rising to the occasion and trying to help in whatever way they can."

In addition to documenting the day-to-day aftermath, "Elyn's Journal" includes prayer requests, needs, and photos.

MacInnis, her husband, Peter, and two daughters, Mika and Charlotte, have lived in China for more than 20 years during its explosive period of modernization and economic growth. She has served two international congregations, at St. Paul's Church in Nanjing, and later at the Congregation of the Good Shepherd in Beijing. Her work with service projects supported by her congregations has taken her throughout the country and given her a rich understanding of China and the Eastern way of thinking.

To follow her eyewitness account of post-earthquake China, visit http://www.elynsjournal.com/