How would you feel if you went shopping and found prices had risen by 50 to 100 percent since you last went shopping? School is about to start, an expensive holiday time is coming soon, and most of your family is unemployed. You are forced to provide for them, buy school supplies, and still purchase food for the holiday. Would you be mad or upset? Who would you blame? Would you do anything about it?

For the people of Guinea in West Africa, this is a day to day reality. Unemployment is very high, wages remain low and prices have escalated steadily, even before a huge increase in the price of automobile fuels last August. Families were burdened by the need to buy expensive school uniforms and supplies for their children once school started last October. Business went down for taxi drivers and even a beggar is reported1 to have said, "Look at this pan. There is nothing in it." Now discontent with the Guinean government, whether it is justified or not, seems to be growing with a recent country-wide teacher strike and assassination attempt on the life of Lansana Conte, the president of Guinea, by dissidents of the government.

One Guinean who has a different outlook on the high prices is one of the few Maninka Christians in upper Guinea. He lives with his wife and family in a Maninka and predominantly Muslim village. He runs a small chicken farm in his yard that supplies eggs for his village and surrounding area. Through the eggs he sells he provides much-needed protein for villagers and has shown them that he does care for their well-being. To run the farm he needs to buy corn, fish, medicine and other supplies. Since the fuel increases, most of the supplies for his chickens, such as corn and medicine have doubled or close to doubled in price. Transport is also much more expensive now, especially when he has to buy a fare to Kankan to buy his supplies and then transport them back to the village. Before the fuel hikes, it would cost him 3500 GF (Guinean Franc) to take a taxi to Kankan. Now it costs him 5000 GF. But despite the difficulties, he can look at the situation differently from his Muslim neighbours. He knows he is commanded by God not to worry and even though he has concerns about how he will provide for his family, he knows God will take care of him.

Jesus told his followers two thousand years ago not to worry about tomorrow. Not to even worry about what they ate, drank or wore. Today, 2000 years later, Jesus' words remain with us. Whether we believe them or not, God will continue to be faithful to His people.

Thanks to the Maninka people who graciously provided information and to SIM missionary Beth Roberts, who worked as a translator for some of the interviews.