Why did the Mayor write on our wall?

During the past many years of governmental neglect, desperate Haitians have built their "homes" anywhere and everywhere, including on sidewalks and in streets. Wealthy people have ignored right-of-ways. Now that Haiti's government is trying to bring the country back under control they are destroying all structures that are within the right-of-way. Thousands of poor people have lost their homes with very little notice and no recompense.

Whether the owner of my house ignored a right-of-way or, as she said, built before there was a right-of-way, I don't know. But someone allegedly acting on the Mayor's behalf wrote on our wall after dark on March 12th. The message says that 1 month from March 11th 2009 - which will be Easter weekend - the Mayor will send a bulldozer to destroy our wall. I take the arrows to mean the the house in line with the wall (most of the living room and dining room and cistern) will also be destroyed. The owner thinks only the wall will be destroyed, or maybe nothing will be destroyed. In the picture the black gate on the left is our gate. The wall wraps around our living room and dining room, then protects our back yard where the children eat and play.

We are in limbo, not knowing what is going to happen. This could be a wonderful opportunity for us to leave this house before our lease expires in October. We have wanted to move since the basement has started flooding in heavy rains, forcing us to bring the children upstairs to sleep in the living room. Please pray with us that we will know what is going to happen in time to make appropriate plans. Please pray that either now or when the lease expires we will find an even better house at an affordable price.