Haitian Real Estate

Yesterday was what has become the norm for BonZeb in Haiti. It started with a simple breakfast of eggs, tomatoes, toast, juice and strong Haitian coffee flavored with brown sugar from the cane. Then the long drive to Hinche.

We arrived right on time for our meeting with the land owner and notary (Who is a government employee). After an hour of pre-meeting discussions we sat in a small office with the notary, landowner, her daughter and son, a neighbor, and our 7 member team. This part of the meeting consisted of hand writing an agreement verifying the last survey and an agreement to sell. After an hour of writing there was discussion once again about fees, size of property and current land lease.

During discussions we found out the family had lost the actual deed. New step in the process: go to the court and request a new copy. The landowner headed that way while we headed to the property for another look and to get some GPS coordinates. We came back for another chat with the landowner. She was frustrated that the judge told her she needed to go to another office to get paperwork filled out before he could grant her a copy of her deed.

We made our way back to our residence, the Emmaus Retreat Center. Once again communication became an issue. The reservation confirmed by the director in December was not conveyed to the staff in his absence. But they scurried around to prepare rooms in the newest building. We were able to relax with a bit of breeze on a 93 degree day.

Had a very nice dinner as a team and then we off to bed. Listening to the new addition to the animal menagerie, the wild turkeys, slowly falling asleep to the rhythms of the generator -- which thankfully kept the fans running most of the night. But let's not go into today's tale until later.

God's blessings on all of you who read this simple message. Thank you.