Someone said that if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.

At church this morning we prayed for Zimbabwe and the situation that is going on over there.  I am not up-to-date on current news, but from what I hear the situation is devastating.  I hope that countries are stepping in to help these people in their crisis.  We read a letter from a Zimbabwean and I have inserted for you to read:

Dear World,

I am a 16-year-old person living in Zimbabwe. I think the time has come for a more direct appeal, and so I am writing to you, the world. Maybe, just maybe, there might be someone out there who can help us...

It's tough here now.  The inflation rate is so high that if you don't change money within 6 hours you could get half the amount of foreign currency that you would have originally received.  We're starving now; people die around us.  In the last year alone at least ten people associated personally with my family have died despite the fact that they were only middle-aged.  Other people don't make it to middle age.  They don't even make it past childhood.

Our once-proud nation is on its knees.  We flee or die.  This beautiful, bountiful, once-rish land has become a living hell.  We have dealt with it until now; we have made a plan.  That was the Zimbabwean motto: "MAKE A PLAN."

But now we can't make a plan.  We're too tired, too broken, and too bankrupt.  We can't afford life, and life does not cost much, not really. We can't afford to eat, we can't afford to drink, and we can't afford to make mistakes, because if we do we die.  We don't have the capital to support ourselves, and those few who do, have to deal with the horror of watching their friends and family fall into absolute poverty as they cannot afford to help them.

We're waiting desperately for a great hand to pick us up out of the dirt because at the moment we are outnumbered by Fate herself and so we close our eyes and pray.  We have fought for too long, and have been brought to breaking point.  We simply stand, heads down, and bear it.  Our spirits are gone, we are defeated.  After a valiant struggle of over fifteen yeras, we have been broken.

There is no will left, no spirit.  Like a horse that has been beaten until it cannot fight anymore, we are the same. And like that horse, we stand dusty, scarred and alone, with dried blood on our sides and lash marks along our flanks.  Our ribs stand out; our hide is also dull. Our eyes are glazed, our throats are parched, and our knees struggle to support us so that we stand with splayed legs to bear the brunt of the next beating, too dejected to even whimper...

This is my plea. The thought of picking ourselves up again is sickening; one can only take so many blows before oblivion is reached, and we are teetering.  One more push will be the end of us all...

There must be someone out there who can do something. There must be someone out there who cares!  We are a destroyed nation, and the world sits back and watches, pretending they cannot hear our cries.  I appeal to you all.....HELP US!

a 16-year-old Zimbabwean

Our world view must extend beyond ourselves.  Jesus came to heal and save, He has called us to do the same.