Once more we’ve been threatened by neighbours who live next to the mission. In front of the mission compound, between the road and our property, there is a drain ditch (small canal they call it here). Water from the ditch runs into the large canal in front of the mission. It is public property but HATS has regularly, for the past five years, paid 4-5 men every few months to clean the ditch so all water can run freely. There is a very real danger of our compound flooding when heavy rains come and the canal overflows its banks, which has happened in the past. The ditch must be always kept free of vegetation and debris to enable it to carry a lot of the water elsewhere.
In August one of our neighbours, who has deliberately caused problems for HATS in the past, planted corn in the drain ditch. Luckner asked him to remove it which he did ,but very begrudgingly, only when Luckner informed him if he did not he would be going to the police. Shortly afterwards he planted something else in the ditch and refused to remove it when Luckner spoke to him. Recently he planted rice filling the ditch the whole length of the front of the mission compound – orphanage and school. Luckner asked him to remove it but the response was very forcefully negative. He was spoken to three times and still refused so we had to contact the Jidg de Paix in our area who handles things like this. He came but the man in question refused to come out and talk to him, let alone remove the rice. The Jidg de Paix, Luckner and I stood outside the compound in unbearably hot temperatures for almost 1 1/2 hours while the man’s brother and mother tried to get him to agree to remove the rice. Finally he was sent a message that he had five minutes to get there or he would be picked up by police and placed in jail. He came, but oh how very angry he was. If looks could kill Luckner and I would no longer be alive. He slowly removed the rice, with the help of his family members, but he assured us that he would see to it that we would be very sorry.
Are we afraid? Definitely not. Should we use precaution. Definitely yes. We put it all in God’s hands and continue to try and do what we are called to do.
Again I say ‘never a dull moment’ at HATS.
~Karen
