Pa Thom (Ted Olbrich) in Venezuela

Be careful what you pray for! How many times have you heard that it’s the high price of fuel that is destroying our prosperity? I went to speak at the Venezuelan National Church Convention. I was gone for seven days and spent four and one-half of those days traveling. More than 6000 leaders showed up.

Venezuela is in turmoil. It is ripe for revival. The church knows that their country’s only hope is going to be found in relating to a personal Christ who will direct each individual as a valuable asset. The country’s crisis is economic and social chaos. The price of gasoline? One and one-half cents US per gallon! That’s right! Our driver filled up his 16-gallon gas tank for less than the price of a small bottle of drinking water. What’s going on?

Venezuela is swimming in oil. The socialist government decided to help the poor by giving cheap fuel, free housing, welfare payments, etc. The result, very little is actually produced there, and inflation is 60% per year. The US Dollar is worth eight times more on the black market than it is at the official exchange rate. No foreign exporters will sell to Venezuela because the government insists on using the official rate, causing the shelves in the stores to be empty. You can’t even buy toilet paper.

The people are enslaved to their government and they can’t escape, and the poor keep voting for more free benefits, just digging their pit deeper. As Margret Thatcher said, “The problem with socialism is that it doesn’t work!”  Right now, that is a valuable lesson for Cambodia.