Coastal Haiti Mission Newsletter
June 2021
The President of Haiti Assassinated
Pastor Coty Writes
There has been a boiling turmoil brewing in the country since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, causing fear to take over the entire population.
The streets of Cap-Haitian and the surrounding cities are deserted. A state of siege has been declared, but it appears that even if a state of siege were not declared, no one would be adventurous enough to be out on the streets.
Fear of the unknown is causing a total panic.
I heard the sad news early Wednesday morning July 7th, about the President having been murdered, and the government mandate, that everyone was required to stay home.
I was worried about the people of Cahess, because Cahess is located only about 1.5 miles from the Town of Trou-Du-Nord, which is the birthplace of the President.
I knew how the people from Trou-Du-Nord would feel when the news hit them, especially those from the Kosovo base, an area that was financially supported by the late President.
I called the village to alert everyone, and to make sure they were aware of the situation.
I waited until the afternoon to go to the village. I couldn’t reach my destination because there were barricades of burning tires.
I turned around to go back to my house before they blocked off the return road.
Today is Thursday July 8th. I have been in the village all day. I can feel the tension and fear mounting because of the bad news generated by the rumor mill.
We heard shotgun shots and smelled the smoke of burning tires from Trou-Du-Nord, where the main road is blocked off.
Some folks were brazen enough to ignore the danger, and went on with their business, trying to find something to do, in order to feed their families. They gave up and rushed back to stay in their homes.
We are saddened by the murder of the President. The situation in Trou-Du-Nord is both frightening and makes us grieve.
The boiling turmoil that is currently brewing is causing tension and anxiety. The fear of the unknown is very high among our people.
Pastor Coty Joseph
Dear Coastal Haiti Mission Family and Friends,
The Country of Haiti is in an extreme crisis. There are many people and many ministries who are endangered by this leadership crisis. There will be hardship for the people served by CHM, but this same hardship will occur across the entire country.
Let us intercede fervently in prayer for the people and the Country of Haiti.
There will also be urgent financial needs. If you feel moved in your spirit to make a financial donation to cover some of the needs that will arise, please send your check to the address at the end of this newsletter, or you may use our PayPal service for “online giving” also located at the end of this newsletter.
Ken Johansson, for the Board of Coastal Haiti Mission
GIVING
There are two ways in which we give: out of our abundance or out of our own supply.
During a severe drought, the Prophet Elijah was told by the Lord to go to Zarephath where he would be provided for by a widow. When he arrived there at the gate of the city he found her gathering wood. He called to her asking if she would get him some water to drink. As she set out to oblige the strange man who’d interrupted her work and singled her out, he called again, this time requesting that she also bring him a morsel of bread.
“As the Lord your God lives,” she replied, probably less than thrilled by his chutzpah, “I don’t have any baked bread.” She went on to inform him that she had only a handful of meal left and a small amount of oil, enough only for her to prepare a meal for her and her son, and then, she added, hoping to emphasize the gravity of her situation, “after that, we die”.
The Prophet’s response probably floored her! “No fear,” he said, “Do what you’ve got to do, “but first make me a cake, and then make something for you and your son.” He assured her that her meal and oil would not fail, lasting until the rain came again and the drought was over.
And, wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly what happened! I think Elijah knew something about how God works – “me first, then you and your son.” (1 Kings Chapter 17)
She gave out of her own supply. (I Kings Chapter 17.)
And then there was the poverty-stricken widow who put two copper mites (worth half-a-cent) into the temple treasury while many of the wealthy were throwing in large sums of money. Jesus told His disciples that the woman gave more than everyone else because she put in everything she had, “[even] all she had on which to live,”and they gave “out of their abundance” (Mark 12:44).
She gave out of her own supply.
Remember the little boy who gave his lunch to Jesus? Five barley loaves and two small fish? After giving thanks, Jesus took the loaves and fish and fed 5,000 hungry folks, giving them “as much as they wanted.” (John 6:9-11)
The boy gave out of his own supply.
And then there’s God. The Father didn’t have an abundance of Begotten Sons. Only one.
“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even]
gave up His only-begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes
in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish – come to destruction,
be lost – but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the
Son into the world in order to judge – to reject, to condemn, to pass
sentence on – the world; but that the world might find salvation and be
made safe and sound through Him (John 3:16-17).
He gave out of His own supply. One man given to die that many sons (and daughters) could live.
Could it be that giving off the top creates a climate of possibility for miracles? Can’t afford to give? Can’t afford not to!
Walking this Way with you,
Connie
Pastor Coty Reports on the School Year
School is over for this year.
We give praises to the Lord for his goodness toward us and to our school. We finished this school year with no big incidents. We were able to feed our kids every school day without missing one. We had no big injuries, even though there was much spirited playing in the school yard.
No one died.
We completed the year without any of the kids dropping out. In fact, we added some students in January.
All the teachers were paid.
One of the cooks was sick recently. We were able to take her to see a doctor and she recovered without having to stop working.
We were able also to build one classroom. We are in need of building 2 more classrooms this year, because we do not have the possibility of building all the school at once.
We are adding one more grade to the school this coming September. It is the last grade that we plan to have in the school. It will be the ninth (9th) grade. We will have only 6 students in that grade.
The 9th grade is also an official grade which means the students will take a government test at the end of the year.
A Photographic Summary of the School Year by Pastor Coty
Remarkable Moments
We took the older students to see a tourist site in the city of Cap-Haitian, called Vertiere. Here we celebrate winning the battle for our independence.
We also visited a Christian Radio Station 4VEH
We took all of the students to the beach. It was a successful day with all these kids at the ocean. For most of the little ones, it was their time being at the ocean.
In the second photo, Steventz, one of our children who has hemophilia, is jumping the waves.
The children also played soccer.
Moments at the school
School Lunch Program
My name is Valcius Fleuridor,
I am a teacher at the “Institution Bonne Nouvelle de Cahesse”
I would like to thank all the supporters of Coastal Haiti Mission for their continued support of our school. The school was able to feed all the students throughout the school year because of your kindness.
The students can focus much better on their school work when they are not hungry. The school lunch program allows us teachers, to instruct a much more responsive group of pupils.
There are not many people like you, our supporters in the world. Your kindness and generosity permitted us to complete the 2020-2021 school year gracefully.
Without your sacrifice, our school would have been paralyzed and our students would have made much less progress in their education.
In spite of all the difficulties caused by Covivd-19, you our donors, did not forget about the children.
Also, I would personally like to thank Pastor Coty for the awesome work that he is doing in our community. He is a father figure to many in our community. Many children here, do not have a father that is active in their lives.
He is a man of integrity.
We pray that the Lord will continue to protect and bless him. Pastor Coty is a blessing for us all.
Again, many thanks to all the supporters of Coastal Haiti Mission.
ValciusFleuridor
Evelene Writes You a Letter
Greetings to all the supporters of CHM. My name is Evelène.
I have 4 children who are attending “Institution Bonne Nouvelle de Cahesse”. I have one more child who will be attending the school next year. I will have a total of 5 children in the school.
As a parent with limited resources I would not have the capacity to feed all of my children on a daily basis, let alone provide an education for them.
I love the school lunch program a lot and I am very thankful to all of you CHM supporters for your generosity.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart and may God bless you all abundantly.
Evelène
Food for the Needy Program
Pastor Coty Writes:
Coming to get food, because like everyone, they need to eat . What a joy! What a blessing for our people in the village of Cahess to receive free food because these people cannot buy it.
They enjoy receiving the food, but the children at home are even more joyful, when they see the parents arrive with the food.
Thank you to the people that contribute to keep this program serving our families.
Pastor Coty
Pastor Coty handing out food
Dispelling the Darkness, Lighting Haitian Homes
From
To
Update
The 10 systems you provided are in transit. They were put in a shipping container and sent by ship on Monday, June 21. The ship will arrive in Cap-Haitien by Thursday of the same week.
The shipping company explained that there is a large backlog of containers in Haitian Customs and that it may take 4 weeks for the 10 systems to clear customs.
So, at this point in time, we are raising money for the next group of 10 Lighting Systems.
$25 Purchases 1 Heavy Duty Light
$30 Purchases 1 Solar Powered Charger
$25 Provides shipping and Custom charges
$80 Provides a complete system
If you would like to help light up a home in Cahess, please send your donation in any amount, to the address at the end of this newsletter.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Because this lighting project is ongoing in time, it is our intention to keep to a minimum, information that is repetitive. Therefore we have made a separate document, made up of the lighting project reports, which are located in the previous CHM Newsletters. This document lists the history of the home lighting project from its beginning.
The link which will connect you to this document is shown below.
Also this document can easily be found near the top of the Newsletter Tab on the CHM website www.coastalhaitimission.org.
Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is kind to the poor, lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.
A blessing to you from the scripture:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Numbers 6: 24-26
Thank you Family and Friends of Coastal Haiti Mission, for all that you do to help the people in Cahess, Haiti. You are making a huge difference for these people.
Please remember, that CHM must continue to send our monthly commitment of $800 to carry on the ongoing CHM ministry in Cahess.
If you desire to help, please send your tax deductible check to our address and tell us how you want us to use your donation:
Coastal Haiti Mission
C/O Constance Goddard
3048 Spring Fancy Lane
Indian Trail, NC 28079
Or
For tax deductible “online donations”, please use our PayPal service. Also please designate how you want us to use your donation:
May the Lord our God, who knows your heart and sees your actions, grant you great joy as you serve Him.
Connie, Esther, Pastor Coty, Carl, and Ken are very grateful for your sacrifice.
Ken Johansson CHM Newsletter Editor