Coastal Haiti Mission
July 2021
CONSIDER THIS
There is something about food that is inherent in “celebration.” You know, like at a wedding, graduation, christening, birthday, etc. At some point during the occasion the guests are invited to join together at the table to enjoy the food prepared for them by the host or hostess. It is a joy to share the experience with family, friends, and even strangers. A convivial good time.
When the prodigal son returned home, his father called for a celebration – his son was lost, and now he was found:“Kill the fatted calf! he ordered. (Luke Chpt.15)
And “celebrations” can be large or small. The first time I went to Haiti it was with New England and World Missions (now New Missions), co-founded by the late George DeTellis and his wife, Jeanne. They were there to begin their journey into on-site mission work. My late husband, Clint Goddard, and I would be with them for about a week before returning home to Massachusetts. While there, we all lived in tents. As I recall, Jeanne made us our first meal. It was near dusk, and the food was prepared on a kerosene stove sitting on top of an oil drum. The tents were up, and we sat there together on New Missions land – Pastor George, Jeanne, their son, Charlie, and a few others including four young about-to-be missionaries devoted to work for the mission. As darkness was on its way, we sat there around a small wood fire, bats darting back and forth, attracted by the light, and enjoyed our meal together and each other’s company.
It was a celebration. The opening of a seed. The beginning of a mission work that would result in thousands choosing to follow Jesus, thousands receiving medical help, thousands of children receiving good food and an education, and New Missions being raised up to being one of the premier missions in the country of Haiti.
Another time in another place in Haiti my husband and I led a short-term mission team to a childrens’ home . After a few days of hard work under a blazing sun, our team was given a day off. We were brought by our host missionaries, the late John Vrooman and his wife Dianne, to a beach for a picnic, and a day of swimming.
It was a long day of surf, sun, and fun, and when we arrived back at the childrens’ home it was dark out, and we were hungry and tired. When we entered the home it was bathed in the soft light emanating from strategically-placed lanterns, and the table set before us was filled with food prepared by the young Haitian pastor who worked with the mission. We sat at the table together, comforted and inspired by one another in our common cause, and, of course, the good food.
In the Hebrew culture hospitality was important. To sit at another’s table spoke of one’s fidelity and friendship with the host. Imagine now the insult toour Savior when he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one who sat with Him at the table provided by Him.
“. . . He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.”
-John 13:18b KJV
It seems to be in our DNA, when expected or unexpected guests come to our home, we want to offer them some kind of refreshment – A cold drink? Coffee? Tea? Sweets? Pizza? Maybe some sort of a meal. Something!
We need this time to catch up. . . just to “be” with real flesh-and-blood people. To turn off the TV, put away the video games and our ever-present iphones – and just talk and pay attention to one another. A novel idea! Do you think?
Imagine the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” Wow!
Walking this Way with you,
Connie
Conditions in Haiti after the President’s Assassination
Pastor Coty Writes:
Since July 7th, we are living with a strange situation in Haiti. After the assassination of the President, the people are living with great fear. Even the people in the village are not exempt.
So, for more than two weeks before the funeral we were living this strange situation. Roads were blocked with burning tires. No one was brave enough to go out from their immediate community.
I have to explain that the people in the village live one day at the time. They need to go out everyday, looking for something to survive on. However, with this situation, they could not go anywhere.
So this situation, multiplied the starvation urgency by 10.
I did the best I could to be at the village during these horrible times.
I saw the needs and the hunger. We did what we could, but there was no way to do more than barely cover 5 percent of the needs.
Now, even after the funeral things are not different.
It is true that the roads are not blocked anymore but the urgent hunger is so extreme for the people of our village, as well as the rest of the population of Haiti.
If you desire to help us provide food for the people in the Village of Cahess, please send your check to the address at the end of this newsletter, or to donate online, please use our PayPal option, also at the end of this newsletter.
Unrest before the Funeral of President Moise
There was a big march in the Town of Trou-du-Nord. (Which is 1 1/2 miles from the Village of Cahess). The people were crying “justice for President Jovenel Moise”. There were many people and many news reporters present, from organizations such as Time Magazine.
In some places people were crying for justice. In some other places, people were blocking the roads.
I personally experienced that it is very dangerous to go out on the roads during these kind of events.
One day before the funeral of the President, a child who lives in the orphanage where Nana works, came to see her with a problem. When Nana was finished helping this child, she sent the child back to the orphanage, because the situation was calm that morning.
After sometime she telephoned the orphanage and found out that the child had not returned. We were also informed that there were demonstrations taking place.
I had to brave the danger of the road to go look for her. I took a motorcycle, for a distance of 10 kilometers ( about 6 miles), during which I crossed more than 10 barricades.
The people standing there were very dangerous. Some places, I had to let them take gasoline from the tank of the Moto so they would let me pass through.
In one place, I saw this guy with a long gun who pointed it toward us.
It was a nightmare.
I braved the roads because we didn’t know what happen to her.
Finally, I received a phone call telling me that the child had made it back to the orphanage.
Then, I had to brave the same danger to return to the village.
I advise everyone, whenever you are informed of these demonstrations, to not go on the roads for any reason.
Pastor Coty Joseph
Life in the Village
Pastor Coty Writes:
Many kids don’t stay home during the summer vacation. The grand kids go to find job in gardens, where they work just for food.
They work on watering the gardens, gathering weeds, planting and many other things.
They are fortunate when they are able to find a garden owner that will hire them for a day.
Some garden owners also pay them, but they are not looking for money. They are just looking for a place where they can do something and get food to eat. Many of them save some of that money to help their parents with school tuitions.
Working for food
Pastor Coty Continues:
To fight against this incredible hunger, the people in the village do many things.
For example, in the photos below, you will see this young man crushing the chocolate fruits to make chocolate. This chocolate is 100 percent natural.
They don’t even have some kind of machine to do the crushing. Instead they use this very old large tub made out of wood, to crush the chocolate fruit in.
They use the same equipment to crush peanuts when they are making peanut butter.
Processing chocolate
Dispelling the Darkness, Lighting Haitian Homes
Update
I called the shipping company to determine the status of the box of lighting systems that we sent to Haiti on May 18, 2021. The answer is that the shipping container, which contains our lighting systems, is still being held by Haitian Customs.
Haitian Customs in the city of Cap-Hatien is completely overwhelmed by the volume of shipping containers that are being sent into the country. The assassination of the President and the Covid-19 Pandemic has further increased the time to clear customs.
The shipping company expects our box of lighting systems to clear customs by the middle of August.
We will provide an update in the next CHM Newsletter.
Ken Johansson
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:
Ken Johansson CHM Newsletter Editor
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.