House Church Talk - I've been fretting because of evildoers

[Claire Bennett]

I have been encouraged to share my prayer need by our "lawnmower" brother who shared his.  I have been fretting because of evildoers.  I know the bible cautions us not to do this.  Its difficult to explain the situation without writing a thesis, which I am sure you won't want to hear :)  

Basically:  We live in a development of about 200 homes.  We have a dictatorship/Gestapo situation with the collusion of the board president, 2 of his cronies (who make a majority) the management company who is in cahoots with the president - he renews their contract, they keep him in office) and their attorneys who are under investigation by the state bar.

Two years ago my husband ran for the board and won, and the following year a neighbor of ours also ran for the board (at my husband's encouragement) and won.  

The board president has been giving his buddies non-compete contracts and is involved in other questionable dealings where we suspect kickbacks.  But the vote is always 3-2, so we haven't been able to do anything about it.  We suspect last year's election had some funny stuff going on, as 3 of the president's buddies counted the votes, and when I insisted that an unbiased entity recount the votes, I was treated to mocking by the management company.

Those who stand to lose power and $$$$$ have made a point of harassing my husband, myself and our kids.  Next Thursday is the election meeting, and since every meeting begins with harassing my husband, and last year's election (when dh wasn't even running) had a lynch mob of the presidents buddies verbally abusing my husband - we have reason to believe this election will be even worse, as he is running.

To give you an example of some of the things that have happened:

One of the benefactors of the president's non-compete contracts distributed a slanderous, hateful letter (unsigned) about my husband, although witnesses told us who the author was - and we suspected it anyway.  My 8 year old got a hold of the letter and got very upset, saying "What if "R" - the board president, hires someone to shoot my daddy?"  One of the president's buddies who is running this election caused Jonathan to run home crying, telling him his mother doesn't discipline him. One of the "gestapo" then called the police claiming that a young child was left at home alone. My  older son plays with her son, and when she realized who's child he was, she told him he couldn't play with her son anymore because his mother was a "psycho."  My older boy, Michael, said her son called him a "stuipid Jew" but he apologized for it.

During one meeting I was outside the room where the meeting was held and could hear people screaming and using profanity at my husband, ordering him to resign.  One woman, a retired public school teacher ( thank God she never taught my kids) said "F" you, right to my husband's face.  Although I tend to stay away from this stuff since it upsets me, I went into the meeting to support my husband.  The woman is now running began screaming at me to leave, threatening to call the police if I didn't.  I have as much right as any homeowner to be at a meeting.

One person, buddy of president, has continually asked my husband why he doesn't move out of this community, and yelled at him that he shouldn't run for re-election.

We have had fraudulent violation notices sent to us - courtesy of the management company, fraudulent notices that our children had been at the pool unattended, the president and his buddies driving slowly past our house going around the block several times or parking up the street or across the street and staring into our yard.  We put up a fence as the kids were getting upset.  My husband has been threatened by the mgt. co. lawyers with a lawsuit if he put up a website, took a poll of the community or brought a video camera to meetings - to make sure there is an accurate record, as the minutes of the meeting are biased.

One meeting I attended the president told my husband, "Can't you shut your wife up?"  He seems to hate women.  He told another woman to, "Shut up and get out of here."

As you see, all kinds of nasty stuff.  And some people believe the lies and slander of this group.  I am concerned that the election will not be a fair one.  I am planning to write something up to distribute to the homeowners, just to share my heart.  

This whole deal has upset my husband - which upsets the rest of us, and threatened the kids.  Some friends from our homechurch are hopefully going to come to the meeting Thursday evening to support Russell (my husband) and be witnesses to this behavior - and hopefully encourage some to be civil.

I know that there is a purpose in everything, and my husband says he knows who his real friends are.  So I appreciate your prayers.