Whose land is this anyway?

The last time I wrote, a quarter of a year ago, I told you about the property crisis we are facing. The government rezoned our land, and the preliminary draft left us without our spring or the creek.  Jerry went to speak to the director of land affairs in the state capitol about the situation, and the director seemed sympathetic and promised to send out a survey team to reconsider our situation. But the promised survey team never appeared.

This last Friday, INRA, the government agency responsible for surveying and mapping the land, cited Jerry to their office and showed him the latest draft. Our entire school property is now marked as fiscal lands, property of the state. We have until this Wednesday the 27^th to appeal the decision.

“Please make sure to appeal!” the official told Jerry. “I’m just the messenger, but I do not agree with this decision. I am a Christian too, I know the work you guys do, so please don’t give up.  The government is doing the work of the devil in trying to take the land from you!”

Encouraging words, but there doesn’t appear to be much that we can do. As the legal representative with power of attorney, Jerry will go in to the local office and present what little we can. He hopes the mayor and the county deputy from Yata will accompany him. They seem sympathetic, but the chairman of the town hall in Yata would like to see us go. If the local appeal fails, we will try again in Trinidad. Meanwhile, the legal representative for our organization is working on the national level, and meets with a judge today to try to get a restraining order placed on the process.

We appreciate your prayers. The battle belongs to the Lord. This is His school; this is His land. We expect a mighty deliverance. But if not, God will have better things in store for us. We pray for grace to accept whatever outcome without murmuring. God is just as able to provide another school as he is to save this one. We are at peace.