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Betikara Update
It has been two
months since we last wrote about Betikara. The last newsletter was written
from the states just before our leaving to return to Madagascar. A lot
has happened since that time. Hopefully this newsletter will bring you
up to date with all that is going on with, and for the Betikara Lambs.
Also, hopefully you will be able to get a little bit of an idea what we
go through here in a third world country on a daily basis.
First, our return
to Madagascar found that all of the Lambs are healthy and doing well in
school. Two of the older Lambs, Sedera, and the newest Lamb, Robert are
working hard to study for the test that will be given this year for their
class. If they pass the test then they will be able to advance to the next
year of study. This particular test is only given to this grade of school,
and is very important to the continuing education of the students here
in Madagascar. Many students that take this test, fail, and never continue
on with school. Please pray for Sedera and Robert as they study hard to
do good on this necessary test.
Second, upon
arriving in Madagascar it was easy to see that not much had been done on
the Betikara land. We found that it was necessary to get the land surveyed.
We had a general idea concerning the boundaries of the land, but we needed
to know exactly where the boundaries for the land fell, so that we could
start planting Cypress trees around the border of the property and start
terracing the land for building in the coming months. We spent one Saturday
trying to find the border markers that were supposed to be around the land
to no avail. By the end of the day we found only three markers out of the
twenty that were shown on the survey map. We wound up buying twenty new
markers and having them placed by the survey people the following Friday.
Since that time,
many of the Christians from Ankadivato volunteered to help us plant 700
Cypress trees along the border of the upper part of the land on two consecutive
Saturdays, we have hired four men to work at splitting the mammoth rocks
that are on the land and turn them into building stones and we have hired
ten men to do the work of terracing the Betikara land.
Third, we have
also been busy talking with the owner of that piece of land that takes
up a large portion of the lower section, or farmable section of the Betikara
land that is down close to the lake. Negotiating is always a slow process
in a third world country. Many meetings are held, with negotiation and
renegotiations taking place before a piece of land can be purchased and
transferred to the new owners. This small piece of farmable land is no
exception to the norm.
John, Esther
and myself took some time one Saturday that trees were being planted to
visit the owner of this piece of land. She lives on one of the connecting
pieces of property. We first needed to see if she was willing to sell the
parcel to us. As usual the Lord continues to bless the work here in Madagascar.
She was indeed interested in selling the parcel of land, but wanted a little
bit of time to ask around about the going rate for land in that area. We
left, please that she wanted to sell and thanking God for His continued
help with the Betikara Orphanage plans.
We received
a reply concerning the wanted price for the land just this last week. We
were devastated. The owner of the land was asking more than three times
the price that we had paid for the Betikara land. At that price, it was
going to cost us half of what we paid for the Betikara land and the piece
we are trying to purchase is not even one sixth the size of the Betikara
land. (Rivo and I were present for this news. John and Esther were not
present at this time.) Rivo and I tried to reason with this bearer of bad
tidings concerning the cost of the land. He seemed adamant that the price
asked was not going to change.
Since we have
lived in the third world for some time, I felt that I could do a fairly
good job myself of bargaining. So, Rivo and I started to explain that the
land was for orphans and that they should be willing to sell the land at
a reasonable price to help God and the Betikara Lambs. We ended with saying
that we would be willing to pay less per square meter than we paid for
the Betikara land but no more.
This last Saturday,
Rivo and I were at the Betikara land making some more arrangements for
the work that needs to be done. The man that we talked with returned
saying that our offer to match the price of the Betikara Land had been
accepted. Rivo and I offered up a quick prayer of thanksgiving and went
on our way rejoicing. However, that was not the end.
We told John
and Esther about the blessings that God continues to bestow upon the work
in Madagascar upon seeing them this last Sunday. Esther was furious! She
said that the price for that piece of bottom land should be lower that
the price that we paid for the Betikara land, since it was only good for
farming and not building upon.
Just yesterday
John and Esther went with Rivo and I back to the land. Esther did the negotiating
this time. (Esther will bargain for anything, anywhere in the world. Even
in the United States where all prices are fixed, and people understand
that you pay the marked price or you do not buy the item, Esther will try
to get the price of an item lowered, and often succeeds in her endeavor.)
Her offer of what we would agree to pay for the piece of land was almost
one fourth less than the price that we paid per square meter for the Betikara
land. Included in her offer was an agreement that we would pay all of the
necessary taxes and fees to get the land transferred to Betikara.
Negotiations
will continue for some time, but suffice it to say, the price of the land
is within our reach. Much work remains ahead in the Government offices
to get the necessary papers to make this new piece of land, Betikara Land.
Please continue to pray for us and the work here in Madagascar as we strive
to make a new home for the Lambs. |
