100 U.S. Dollars VS 349,000 Zambian Kwacha

This last Saturday, while unloading a weeks worth of groceries (several hundred dollars worth), we got a letter from a family in Zambia we send some money to each month through world vision. Recently I posted that one of the brothers that we used to support passed away from viral meningitis. Anyway, we sent them $100 through World Vision. It was the least we could do. Here's what the letter read:






Dear Brian Berry

Greetings to you and your family. I am fine here with everybody. I hope you the same. I am very happy with the money I received from you. Which was 100 dollars. This was 349,000 Zambian Kwacha. I bought the following items. A suit, shoes, bread, sugar, geisha, salt, blanket, maize, chitenge material, Vaseline, and trousers. I bought these items from the money you sent to me. Some were for my family members. My family and I are all very happy and appreciate for this. I was able to go to town after a long time. I had been there when I was born. This was a second time to be there. I saw a lot of things in Choma. Thank you once more.

God bless you.

Yours child.
Mapila George

As I sat at my kitchen table crying, I realized that we were about to place a picture on our fridge of a family who would never own a fridge. I felt very rich. I wondered why I was born in the US and not there and why it should not make a world of difference and how sad it is that it does. I felt very selfish. I felt blessed to be able to support them. I recommitted to the task and to the responsibility of writing more and sending more at christmas and birthdays and stuff.

I can't believe how far $100 goes in their world and how it wouldn't even feed my family for a week, but from the looks of the pictures, I guess it will feed them for months. I think I've decided that we need to go visit this family. I'm not sure when. But for now, I'm sending money for food and clothing and medicine and we'll keep praying as a family for them and then... one day. We're going to visit. I know it. Maybe we can even take George to town for the 3rd time in his little life.