Zimbabwe

[Gabby]

June 28th, 2008

Chris

Violence, violence and more violence is the reason why the opposition leader pulled out of the presidential re-run. Mugabe competed alone to authenticate his return to presidency. But as you are aware, the race was not free and fair. Thousands were compelled/forced to vote for the lone athelete- a very strange race indeed!.. We hope the world will not just criticize political fiasco and do nothing but will help this country return to its normalcy so that we too can develop like other nations of the FREE world. Please continue to pray for us!!! Maybe the darkest hour is near dawn???

[Gabby]

June 2008 Progress Report

Our Beloved,

Greetings from Zimbabwe. We miss you a lot and always remember you in our prayers. Hope you will enjoy a short report below. Stella is not well today. She is dizzy and spent the day in bed. She took some medication but if this persists I may take her to the doctor tomorrow. She has been planning to take Litule and the baby Delroy to South Africa for medical check-up later this week. Hope she will recover speedily.


Introduction

When the apostle Paul said in II Timothy 4:2 that we must " preach the Word in season and out of season", little did we know that we would preach the Word even when it seemed inconvenient to do so. Zimbabwe has been in the headline stories during newscasts world wide because of political harassment, beatings, killings and vote cheating. Even so, the Lord has provided us with the opportunity of preaching the Gospel unhindered. We are happy that during the month in review, five souls obeyed the Gospel and were baptized, two at Madlulani, two at Chesa and one at Njube. We give all glory to God!

WBS Office

In June, we only visited two congregations towards the end of the month because our truck was still being repaired and widespread political instability was rampant in the rural areas. We concentrated on studying with our students in the city in their different homes and assisting those who came to the Office. Sixteen students visited the Office in June. We sent out a total of 61 Bible Lessons and baptized one WBS student. Our net caught a big fish last year when we baptized an army commander. This time around we have enrolled several soldiers guarding a government radio station in Bulawayo. We hope many of them will turn their hearts to the Lord.

World Radio Program

This is what one of the soldiers wrote to the program:" While guarding these premises on Sunday evening, I listened to your program: More Than Conquerors. I enjoyed the real truth about our lives which was clearly taught from the scriptures. Since you advertised the Free World Bible School Courses in your program, I wish therefore to study the Bible through Correspondence studies. If there is anything needed for me to be enrolled, please let me know." We give all glory to God for providing us with such a wonderful tool to reach out to many listeners with the Gospel country wide.

Drip Irrigation

We never expected the political situation to deteriorate so bad towards the re-run of the Zimbabwe presidential election. Political command centers were established in almost all rural areas. These were no go areas for outsiders until the end of the election. This was a political ploy to force villagers to vote for the incumbent president. We thus failed to take the pictures we promised in our previous report. Lord willing, we will get many this month since elections are now over. Please watch our next report!!

Gifts

We got gifts of books from Voice of International Truth, English Bibles, WBS badges, and WBS Courses from Von Prahl from Daingerfiled congregation in Texas. As we always say, our greatest need is that of our students. Therefore, we appreciate very much these gifts.

Motivation

Thank you so much to all who wrote and motivated us to continue preaching regardless of the economic and political hardships currently prevailing in our country. A loaf of bread now costs Z$10 billion. A candy costs Z$2billion each. Incredible but true!
The Lord is keeping us alive!!! Many families though can no longer afford three or two basic meals a day. If the government does not lift its ban on NGOs, then many families will starve.

Conclusion

Please continue to pray for us, the Lord's work here and our country. Sometimes we never understand why certain things are happening this way. Its mind boggling but we shall continue to work for the Lord and preach the Word " in season and out of season." II Tim. 4:2.

In His service

[Gabby]

July 14th, 2008

Today's paper ( 14 July 2008) has this story:
" Churches have resumed giving food aid in some parts of the country following Government's clarification that they were not suspended. In an interview in Bulawayo on the sidelines of a religious conference organized by the Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa, a spokesperson for this organisation Mr Goodwill Shana confirmed the development. He said:
" we had contacts with the Government and were told there were no restrictions as to what the church could do in terms of providing food relief and any other provisions to areas which were hard hit by the drought."

Commenting on charges that NGOs involved themselves in politics hence their suspension, Mr Chitekuteku said
there was need to separate an individual's inclination as a citizen of this country from those of an organization he or she works for. People must not be punished to starve because of utterances of one or two individuals because some utterances have nothing to do with NGOs."

Well, this is good news for us. We are now already planning how we will distribute the food relief as soon as we receive money for food from the Lord's church in Canada. Ken indicated to us last week that he had sent US$3000 to Rainbow so it could be deposited into our account. I do hope that you will let us know as soon as Tangi transfers it so that we may assist hungry Christians in the rural areas. Political violence has since subsided after the two main political parties resumed peace talks in South Africa. Please continue to pray for us.

In His service

[Gabby]

July 16th, 2008 Mid Year Report

Christie, Rachele, Orin, Mom and Ron,

Hope this message will find you busy in the Lord's vineyard.
This mid-year report is long but worth the time. Enjoy the news.

THE WORK OF THE LORD IN ZIMBABWE FROM JANUARY TO JUNE 2008:

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord..." I Cor. 15:58

Baptisms : 115
Students visited the Office 249
Total number of baptisms since 2002 1,550
Seminars held: 3
Total Students enrolled: 130,60
Active students: 11 464
Students enrolled : 236
Students who completed from January to June: 39
Total of Courses and Certificates sent: 913

Congregations started: 2 namely : Madlulani and Dandanda

Prison Ministry
315 Prison inmates enrolled
6 Prisoners baptized

Botswana WBS Ministry:

Students baptized 7
Students enrolled:112
Area being evangelized: Mahalapye
Students Needs: WBS Master Series Courses

Truck Repair

Our beloved brother and sister Ronald and Christine Bailey in Canada and Elders at Point Pleasant congregation in the United States assisted us with funds which were used in repairing our damaged truck which we are using in preaching.


Drip Irrigation Ministry:

Because of political turmoil in rural areas we failed to assemble farmers for drip irrigation workshops but since peace is now descending in most of those troubled areas, we hope to conduct many workshops beginning in August 2008. From January to June 2008 we travelled 15 times ( on Sundays) outside Bulawayo and visited seven congregations and preached to 204 farmers and baptized 26 souls. We covered 780 kilometers using 350 liters of diesel.

World Radio Ministry

Total number of Bible Lessons broadcast on Radio SFM: 27
Students enrolled through Radio progam: 49
Number of letters received from listeners : 91

AIDS Orphans Ministry

13 Aids orphans being assisted: food and education

Distributed Christian Literature:

Voice of Truth International (200 copies)
Becoming a Faithful Christian (80 copies)
Undenominational Christianity (80 copies)

Ndebele hymn books bought 200
Distributed Ndebele hymn books 50
Received English Bibles: 210
Distributed English Bibles: 30
Distributed Ndebele Bibles : 24

Economy:

Inflation : 1, 694, 000% ( IMF)
169,000% ( official) by end of February 2008
Real GDP Growth Rate: 6.1%
Currently : GDP has declined by more than 30 percent as of 11 July 2008 ( The Chronicle)

Politics

The "harmonized" elections for the presidency, House of Assembly, Senate, and local government demonstrated a significant shift in the political environment in Zimbabwe. Movement for Democratic Change- MDC secured a majority in the parliament, giving the MDC control of the legislative branch. In the presidential race, MDC's Tsvangirai secured 47.9%, while Mugabe came in second with 43.2%. Simba Makoni, who left Mugabe's ZANU-PF party in February 2008 to run as an independent, received 8.3%. The results in the presidential race were not released until May 2, 2008. This lengthy delay called into question the credibility and independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). Initially the MDC challenged the results, asserting that Tsvangirai had secured the majority of votes needed to win the presidency. Because no candidate secured the 50%-plus-one needed, a runoff was set for June 27, 2008.

As of early June 2008, over 50 Zimbabweans had been killed, at least 2,000 injured, and over 30,000 displaced as a result of widespread post-election violence. Due to these and other events, and out of concern for the lives of his MDC supporters, Tsvangirai announced in late June that he would not contest the runoff election. Voters went to the polls on June 27, and Mugabe got 85.5% and was inaugurated for a new term as president on June 29. Many countries though refused to recognize the outcome of June 29 election because Mugabe was elected through beatings, people being forced to vote for him.
Thus the African Union, Southern African Development Countries and the United Nations called for dialogue among Zimbabwean political parties so that the country returns to democracy and the will of the people to govern them is recognized, respected and fulfilled.. These talks are currently going on in South Africa and everyone is hoping for a breakthrough because people here have suffered for long. We need every prayers of all Christians worldwide for political sanity to return to Zimbabwe. We trust God will intervene at the right time.

Conclusion:

" ...Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Cor. 15:58.

In His service

[soondak]

Praying.

[Gabby]

July Progress Report

Blake

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We hope this report finds you well and busy in the Lord's vineyard. God, our almighty Father continues to provide us with all our needs in the midst of great challenges and wonderful opportunities in serving Him. All glory be to Him!

Baptisms

Eight souls were baptized during the month in review which brings to 123 the number of people who were baptized from the beginning of this year. We thank God! Two WBS students were baptized in Botswana, four at Malunga and the other two were baptized at Stanhope and Madlulane respectively.

WBS Office

We sent 239 WBS Courses to students from all provinces of the country. We registered 114 new students during the month in review and eight completed all Courses and received Certificates. We started a new teaching program for young students aged between 8 and 15 years of age. We have so far enrolled seven young students from Greenfield and Manondwane primary schools. We believe that if we catch them while young, they will never depart from God's ways when old. We got the lessons for young people from brother Von Prahl in Texas. He sent 25 Becoming Friends, 25 Growing as Friends, 25 Friends Forever, 3 Teacher's guide grading keys and 25 Certificates. We conducted a seminar at the Office towards the end of this month and 18 baptized students attended. The aim is to encourage our students to continue being faithful after baptism. Another objective is to plant a congregation at the WBS Office so that we may thoroughly teach all students we baptize so that when they move to congregations adjacent to their homes, they will be very strong spiritually. We distributed 17 books on Christian Living and four English Bibles to students who attended. We also enrolled 93 prison inmates at Khami Maximum Prison.

Food Relief

We thank our brothers and sisters in Canada and Rainbow for providing us with Funds for food relief. We have started buying corn ( staple food) wherever available and are already distributing it to those Christians faced with starvation in the rural areas. (see attached pictures) We have also attached pictures which show some Christians who are working hard in growing vegetables to feed their families.

World Radio

During the month in review, four locally produced Radio programs were broadcast on SFM Radio Station which is beamed from Bulawayo but can be heard throughout the Southern African Region and on the Internet. Our message centred on Jesus Christ and his teachings. We are happy that this arm of evangelism is enabling us to reach many homes and hearts with the Gospel of Christ.

Drip Irrigation

In July we only managed to visit two congregations Bayethe and Redwood where we preached the Gospel and encouraged the brethren to stand firm in the Lord. We also motivated them to work in the already established drip irrigation gardens and assisted them with vegetable seedlings. Since political calm is returning to the rural areas, we plan to visit Sikiti and Dula from August 17-22 2008. We will move on to Mtshabezi from September 15-20 2008. Lord willing we will visit rural farmers at Kumbudzi and Zikwakweni from October 19-24 2008, to Chesa from 2-6 November 2008 and to Redwood from 16-21 November 2008. Please pray for us.

Economy

With effect from 1 August 2008 the Zimbabwe dollar will be revalued by removing 10 zeros from it. This means that a Z$100 ,000,000,000.00 note will now be Z$10.00. Counting the Zimbabwe currency was becoming incomprehensible and citizens had resorted to using currencies of neighboring countries like South Africa and Botswana for their daily business transactions. Inflation though remains the highest world wide with official figure at 146 000 percent and IMF at more than 2 million percent.

Conclusion

Thank you for your continued confidence. We remain committed in marching for our master and reaching many lost souls with the Gospel. Prayers are needed from both sides of the Atlantic, from us to you and from you to us. We read that many people may lose their homes in USA due to increasing rates and many are in financial dire straits. We must be brave and take courage as we know that that God our Father is in control and some good will be made available even through the worst struggles. Infact that is what Christianity is all about. We walk by faith not by sight. Our Father will always guide us through even to a better home than these earthly homes attached to high rates. Please continue to pray for us.


In His service

[Gabby]

August 4, 2008

Beloved in Christ,

God is wonderful! God is great! We are extremely thrilled to inform you that the Gospel meeting which we had at Chesa in Nyamandlovu was very successful. Over two hundred people attended and our tent was filled to the beam even at night. Five souls gave their soul to the Lord and were baptized. Glory be to God!! Some old men and women also came from far away places travelling on donkey carts for two days coming to the Gospel Meeting. They expressed so much joy that they had managed to attend the Gospel meeting. We just could not believe what we saw. People raised their voices high, singing and glorying our heavenly Father. It was touching and inspirational! The invited speakers did a marvellous job and delivered well prepared sermons. One old man Mr Sibanda was cut to the heart by the word and he stood up came up front and wept confessing that he had wasted so many years in sin and was now surrendering his life to the Lord. I could not hold back my tears of joy. It is so wonderful to work for the Lord because the greatest joy on earth is when you witness such old people turning their lives from sin to the living God! It shows you clearly that the word of God is living and active! Please pray for us that God may continue to use us for His own glory.

In His service

[Gabby]

August Progress Report

We hope that this message will find you and the kids well.
We are struggling along and working hard in ferrying food to the rural people. Sometimes we do it in the cover of darkness because during the day we would endanger our lives. We appreciate very much what the our sister and brothers in Canada are doing for the poor and the needy here. The following is our monthly progress report which we hope you will enjoy reading.

Baptism

Did you notice how some people rejoiced when one of their sports persons won a gold medal during the just ended Olympic Games in Beijing, China? Yes, that was a time of great rejoicing.
One of the greatest joys for God's children is witnessing a sinner surrendering his/her life to God. Here in Bulawayo, we rejoiced exceedingly when 31 souls gave their lives to God during the month in review. Eleven were baptized at Chesa, 6 at Sikiti, 6 at Madonkini, 1 at Njube , 4 at the WBS Office and 3 in Botswana. We give all glory to God!!

Congregation Planted

A congregation was planted at the WBS Office. Brother Dumisani Mafu who graduated from Mutare School of Preaching last year is working with this congregation. Our objective in starting this congregation is to teach all WBS students we are baptizing and also move this congregation to Newton West close by where we plan to put up a permanent structure for the WBS Office so that we avoid payment of perpetual spiraling office rentals subject to the approval of the Elders at Rainbow Church of Christ..

WBS Office

We posted 89 Lessons to WBS students in August 2008. Seven completed their Courses and 78 visited the Office for more biblical studies.

Drip Irrigation Ministry

During Jacob's itinerary in assisting rural farmers, he baptized on the AIDS orphans we are assisting at Sikiti.

Drought Relief
Here is a translated letter written by brother Moses Siphuma who preaches at Maraposa Church of Christ: " We wholeheartedly thank you our brothers and sisters in Canada and the United States for helping us with food. Many families here are surviving by eating mutsotsobiyana ( wild fruit). To us, you are like angels sent by God to deliver us from the bondage of poverty and hunger. Thank you so much. Please come to Zimbabwe and visit us so that we may get the chance to thank you in person. May God bless your loving hearts."

Zimbabwe Economy

The economy is in deep crisis characterized by acute shortage of foreign currency and basic commodities, hyperinflation currently at 2 500 000 percent ( IMF), low levels of investment, high and unsustainable budget deficits, low industrial capacity utilization, market failure, a decline in real incomes and widening income differentials, unemployment and high levels of poverty and faminization. We however continue to look up to God our Father for deliverance.

Request for Prayers

Brother Jacob Moyo lost his mother. Brother Linus Ncube who is one of our fellow elders at Bulawayo Central Church of Christ also lost his mother. Please remember these two families when you approach God in prayers.

Brother Edmore Moyo, who is one of our fellow workers in the Lord's vineyard suffered a mild stroke early this month. We thank God that he was not incapacitated and has improved some and is going about his task of preaching the Gospel in both urban and rural areas. Please continue to pray for him. Our daughter Litule who has kidney problems is not feeling well of late. Please remember her too in your prayers.

Gratitude

Zimbabwe is going through perilous times politically and economically. We are thankful though that the door for the propagation of the the Gospel of Christ remains wide open. We therefore thank you so much our brother and sisters in Canada and America for your financial and moral support. We do understand that the world economy is shaky nowadays but are happy to have friends like you who continue to help us when we need you most. May God bless you Thank you for your encouraging e-mail messages, letter, post cards, English Bibles and student lessons. We appreciate that very much.
Pray for us always.

In His service

[Gabby]

Cathy Buckle - http://www.cathybuckle.com/september2008.shtml

Gangrene
Saturday 6th September 2008

Dear Family and Friends,
If you come first in a running race, why would you give ninety-nine percent of the gold medal and prize money to the person who came second? The answer is obvious but as each day passes it seems the real winner, and the will of the majority of Zimbabweans is not going to be respected. The people and political party who came second in Zimbabwe's March 29th elections are simply not going to step down and their refusal to accept defeat has sent us into a dizzying collapse out of all control.

The rich are getting much, much richer; the poor are virtually destitute and the middle class has all but disappeared as Zimbabwe moves into trading in US Dollars. No one in government - winners or losers - has said or done anything to stop people charging in US dollars and all control now seems to be lost. For the last few weeks medical specialists have been charging their patients in US dollars. You have to provide hard currency (US dollar bank notes) in order to see a dentist, have an operation, receive the services of an anaesthetist and lately you even need US dollars to buy prescription medicines from pharmacies.
The trend has spread to spare parts for machines and to computer accessories and the more this US dollar trading goes on unchecked and uncontrolled so the pattern spreads. Now even locally produced goods are being charged in US dollars: meat, eggs, potatoes and milk.

As people do their own thing and while there remains a non functional government and non existent authority base, the situation grows worse and worse. We are now in a sudden greedy spiral of US Dollar inflation in Zimbabwe. A pocket of potatoes that was selling for 5 US dollars last week now suddenly costs 8 US dollars. The same is happening to meat prices and to property rentals.

For the vast majority of people who have no access to US dollars, life has become simply unbearable these last few weeks. Pensioners who have no foreign currency and cannot buy life sustaining medicines; people who are sick and in pain but cannot see dentists, specialists or undergo operations. One friend described how she took a desperately sick man with gangrene to a government hospital this week only to be told that they were not accepting any admissions as they simply have no resources : no drugs, linen, food or equipment. After much pleading, long negotiations and under the counter payments of huge amounts of money, the sick man was finally taken in. He had to provide his own bedding and linen, bandages, dressings, medication, drugs and food.

Health for all by the year 2000 has been the the clarion call of Zanu PF since they took power and yet after 28 years this is the state we are in. And still they talk of sharing power?
Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy

posted with permission

[Faramir]

Wow! How did I miss this thread? My church sends a mission team to Zimbabwe every year (and they just went last month).

I will have to see if I can some of their pictures to post in this thread, and some of their stories.

[Gabby]

I'd love it if you did Lizard! Zimbabwe is near and dear to my heart.

[Gabby]

Shiny mulberries
Saturday 27th September 2008

Dear Family and Friends,
Every day since the power sharing deal was signed between Zanu PF and the MDC, Zimbabweans have waited with anticipation for a sign, any sign, that things are happening. So far the wait has been in vain as the same old, same old fills our days and the basic human rights crisis gets worse in every regard: food, electricity, water and access to our own money.

This week Gideon Gono, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, swept into an underground car park in a dark limousine. A line of well dressed men clamoured forward to greet him and followed him to the waiting camera and microphone of ZBC TV. Speaking as if he was doing us some huge favour and with an ingratiating smile, Mr Gono announced that the maximum bank withdrawal limit for individuals was about to increase from one thousand to twenty thousand dollars a day. In real terms, as I write, this new limit is worth about 20 British pence. It's impossible to believe that Mr Gono or any of Zimbabwe's political elite are living on 20 pence a day and yet they offer no suggestion as to how ordinary people should survive.

For weeks we've been stuck in a living hell, queuing at banks for hours at a time day after day, to draw out enough of our own money to buy just one single loaf of bread - if we can find it. Riot police and dogs outside banks have become commonplace and so too have men selling money. They strut around brazenly, openly carrying huge bags of local coins that they are selling in exchange for US dollars or South African rand. Police don't seem to be able to see them or the lines of black market currency dealers sitting on pavements everywhere and so the economic collapse continues to gallop ahead. Less than two months ago Mr Gono removed 10 zeroes from our currency and 7 of them are back already.

There is no doubt that this trend will continue as long as the power sharing deal between Zanu PF and the MDC remains words on paper and not deeds on the street. While Zimbabwe may just be a tadpole in the shark pool of the world economic crisis but the suffering of ordinary people is almost too unbearable to witness.

Its hard not to feel depressed as the wheels of power sharing don't move at all and so we look to the glorious Jacaranda trees dripping purple flowers and to the shiny, deep purple mulberries that stain fingers and feet but give a moment of sweetness to our hardest of days.
Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy

re posted with permission http://www.cathybuckle.com/september2008.shtml

[Gabby]

Dear Family and Friends,
This week the word being used to describe the government of national unity is 'deadlocked' and it couldn't be more apt. We are locked in a death grip and things are falling apart at a dramatic pace.

For the benefit of people not in Zimbabwe, let me put a face to deadlock. This morning I went shopping and this is what I saw. In one locally owned supermarket which has branches all over the country they are selling goods in Zimbabwe dollars. On their shelves they had: light bulbs, cayenne pepper and soya mince, a few vegetables which were distinctly past their best and a few packets of meat which didn't look too safe. More than half of the supermarket is completely empty and closed off with strings of white plastic tape.

In another local supermarket which has branches all over the country they are also operating in Zimbabwe dollars. Half of the shop is empty and barricaded off. Spread out on a couple of shelves were the few goods they had for sale: tea leaves, condoms, cabbages and onions. Against one wall stood some crates of fizzy drinks and in a rack a handful of unaffordable imported magazines gave colour to this most dismal scene.

For Zimbabweans who have no access to foreign currency, these two supermarkets offer the full extent of food available to buy in our deadlocked country. The vast majority of Zimbabweans do not have foreign currency or if they do it is one single, precious note hidden away in a safe place - not anywhere near enough to buy food with every week.

The third supermarket I visited has just started selling goods in US dollars and there, if you have foreign bank notes, you can buy sugar, cooking oil, biscuits, cereals, tea, coffee, pasta, tinned goods and a few toiletries. On the wall near the check out tills is a poster announcing what the equivalent of 1 US dollar is in South African Rand, British Pounds and Botswana Pula - no mention of the dead Zimbabwe dollar.

Food shopping is the tip of the nightmare, then there are the bills. This week I was advised that an account I have with an internet service has been terminated for non payment of 1.4 million Zimbabwe dollars. Paying the bill is almost impossible as Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono has banned inter account and electronic transfers and limited cash withdrawals to 50 thousand dollars a day. If I am to pay my bill of 1.4 million dollars in cash I must queue for 2 - 3 hours a day for 28 days by which time the bill will have gone up at a rate I cannot calculate as inflation stands at 231 million percent. The internet provider have said I can pay the bill with a cheque, but because of inflation the cheque should be for 6.5 BILLION dollars.

When Mr Gono banned electronic transfers and inter account transfers he closed business down in one quick and deadly blow. The rich and connected have got dramatically richer as they and their dealers have poured out onto our streets to buy up all those preciously saved single notes at obscenely low rates. People have had no choice but to sell because they cannot get their own money out of the banks - thanks to Mr Gono's punitive policies and crippling limits.

When Mr Gono licensed some shops to sell in foreign currency his policy wiped out Zimbabwe's own supermarkets in one quick and deadly blow - gone is the great propaganda line of Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans. This is what deadlock looks like seven months after we voted for a change in government.
Until next week, thanks for reading and thanks to my email service provider for helping me tell this story for so long, love cathy.

re posted with permission

Cathy Buckle - Zimbabwe News

[Faramir]

Yeah, when my friend came back from Zimbabwe last August he brought back some currency. IIR, the Billion dollar note was worth about 6 US dollars (and going down due to inflation). The currency also had expiration dates on it. But if I remember correctly the govt. was going to move the value of the Zimbabwe dollar down an order of magnitude soon. That is what was 1 billion Z. dollars will be come 100 Million What was 100 Z. dollars would be 10 and so on.

And we think our monetary situation is screwed up in the US?

[timspong]

Yeah, when my friend came back from Zimbabwe last August he brought back some currency. IIR, the Billion dollar note was worth about 6 US dollars (and going down due to inflation). The currency also had expiration dates on it. But if I remember correctly the govt. was going to move the value of the Zimbabwe dollar down an order of magnitude soon. That is what was 1 billion Z. dollars will be come 100 Million What was 100 Z. dollars would be 10 and so on.

And we think our monetary situation is screwed up in the US?

I was there last year and in 4 days the black market rate went from something like 20,000 ZD to 1 USD to 28,000ZD to 1 USD. The funny thing was that the official rate was something like 500ZD to 1USD so if you changed your money at the airport in order to get a taxi, it could literally cost you thousands of USD to get to your hotel.

I love Bulawayo and had a great time there, Harare wasn't so good IMO. I was going into night clubs in both cities where I was literally the only white person in the whole place as apparently none of the white locals go into these areas. I didn't feel at all threatened and everyone was exceedingly nice to me especially once they realized that I was from out of town. I guess coming from the very aggressive culture of Nigeria, the "laid back" Zimbabweans are like a breath of fresh air.

The saddest part of this whole Zimbabwe mess for me is that, I just came back from South Africa last week and the South African mobs are killing the illegal immigrants that are pouring in from Zim. Some are literally being burned to death on the streets with flaming car tires around their necks.