May 13, 2008 6:00 pm US/Central
MN Woman Worried About Loved One Near China Quake
(WCCO)
In China, more than 12,000 people are confirmed dead after a strong 7.9 earthquake shook the Sichuan Province Monday.
Tuesday, soldiers and rescue teams searched the rubble looking for survivors.
A Twin Cities woman spent a restless night waiting for word on a loved one trapped near the earthquake's epicenter.
Minneapolis resident Jill Griffiths feels a deep bond to china.
"I feel a really strong emotional connection because ... we now have a multicultural family, and China is a big part of that," said Griffiths.
She adopted her two daughters from there and lived there while teaching school for a year.
"It's important to me that the girls really understand their motherland. So I try to get back there every few years. They both have godparents ... that keep them connected to that culture. They take Chinese lessons and go to a Chinese school," she said.
So when news of the massive earthquake in Sichuan Provence broke, Griffiths was frantic about the girls' godfather.
"He's in Chengdu," she said. "We had a long sleepless night ... trying to get information."
Jill spent a the night watching news accounts of the disaster -- praying her girl's godfather was still alive.
"When I woke up this morning my mom was crying about China," said Griffiths' daughter Jia.
Word finally came this morning.
"He survived so we're very glad," said Griffiths.
Although their relative is safe, Griffiths said her heart breaks for the thousands whose loved ones were lost in the rubble.
"They're enduring so much right now," she said.
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