“ZIMBABWE COLLAPSES,” was the big headline of the South
African newspaper yesterday. Apparently
Zimbabwe has been experiencing horrific inflation with the highest rate in the
world. Economists estimate the inflation
rat to be between 5000 and 9000%. Many
families in Zimbabwe can no longer afford food due to the inflation. In an effort to eliminate the price problem
President Mugabe issued a mandatory price cut of 50% off all goods and services
on Saturday. As a result many Zimbabwe
residents rushed to the grocery stores and gas stations to stock up. Within hours stores were emptied and are not
expected to restock, because producers can no longer make a profit by selling
their goods in Zimbabwe. Many shop
owners have been arrested for not cutting prices and riots have broken out over
bread, oil, and sugar.
Normally a story like this in a newspaper would seem so far
away and not connected to me. I would
feel bad for the people that are going through the difficulty and maybe even
pray that they would have food to put on their table. But then, I would probably go about my day
and not think about the people of Zimbabwe until I read more in the newspaper
or saw scenes of chaos on the news.
When I read about Zimbabwe yesterday I felt connected to the
problem. My team had just started to
make plans to visit Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the
World. We looked at pictures, made transportation
plans, checked out hostels, and dreamed about jet boats and bungee jumping (Well
actually, I watched as my teammates dreamed about bungee jumping, I would never
bungee jump).
I was still riding
high on my excitement about our trip when Tim showed me the South African
newspaper. The main city listed in the
article about the collapse and chaos in Zimbabwe was Harare. Harare just happens to be where the bus would
have dropped us off. So, our plans were
crushed and I was depressed and sad that I would not get to see the world’s
largest falling sheet of water. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I
missed Tim reading about the families unable to feed their kids, and the empty
grocery store shelves, and the riots that have ensued. Later I went back to read the article. As I read
I realized, my plans for a cool road trip were over, but that is such a small
thing compared to the hunger, imprisonment, crime, chaos, and destruction that
is going to occur due to this development.
One of the amazing things about the World Race is that it
has begun to personalize the world for me.
When I hear of current events I remember people that I have met, think
of their stories, see their houses, and imagine how they will be affected by
the event. In the past I have tried to
be informed about current events, but it was hard for me to maintain interest
and feel connected to the events. Now it
is hard for me not to feel connected to the events around the world and the
people they are affecting. It is my hope that through some of my stories and pictures you will feel connected to the people around the world and as a result will pray for and support them in their times of need.
