Coastal Haiti Mission
April 2023
OPPORTUNITY
How often have I wondered when thinking of Cahess, Haiti, the place where Coastal Haiti Mission ministers, “How many world-class athletes are there living in this village? And for that matter, how many are there in Haiti at large, living in villages throughout the country? How many doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, electricians, plumbers, and master builders?” Well, probably myriads of them. But there is a problem.
Unless things change in their country, most will not ever achieve their potential. Why? No opportunity. The opportunity is just not there for so many of Haiti’s lovely people. So many talented and gifted young men and woman with “no place to go.” So many older folks with wisdom and “know how” that will never be tapped. What a loss to our world of human ingenuity and capability! May God bring prosperity, peace, well-being, and opportunity via skillful and virtuous leadership for the people of Haiti.
“OPPORTUNITY.” It’s a big word! A combination of circumstances and occasions to advance one’s cause, career, status, dream, or even the hope of a nation.
I have also wondered when thinking about the Church of Jesus Christ, our Savior-Redeemer. So many sitting in the pews endued with special gifts “due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit”
(1 Cor. 12:4)TAB) for the building up of the Body of Christ. Gifts of Wisdom, and gifts of Knowledge and Understanding, the Working of Miracles, Prophetic Insight, Discerning of Spirits. Gifts of Help, Faith, Healing, and many others to be employed by believers for good and profit.
“…it was also established and plainly endorsed by God,
Who showed His approval of it by signs and wonders and
various miraculous manifestations of [His] power and by
imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit [to the believers]
according to His own will.” (Heb. 2:4 TAB)
These extraordinary and remarkable gifts can bring encouragement, exultation, healing, strength, counsel and insight, and answers to prayer for participating members of the church.
But many in our congregations on Sunday mornings will never get to use them.
No opportunity. Sunday morning services are not setup to accommodate or facilitate the expression of spiritual gifts. They are designed exclusively for worship and the preaching of the Word of God. It is as it should be; absolutely vital for our spiritual welfare and growth in the ways of God.
But what about all those spiritual gifts resident in the folks in the pews? Like a room full of musical instruments, but devoid of any music. But hang on! There is a place within the church for the expression of these gifts. And that is the small group. A time and opportunity for brothers and sisters in Christ to meet together to share with one another. A time to sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19 & Col. 3:16). To pray together and discuss matters important to each one. A time for questions and answers. A time to study together and, based upon the authority of Scripture, to learn about these amazing gifts given by the Holy Spirit.
Such a group has much to offer, strengthening fellowship and providing a safe place to grow spiritually and in every other good way as a Christian. Not to mention about the opportunity to get to know those with whom you worship every week!
If your church does not have a functioning small group, perhaps you could be the one who approaches your pastor to ask if such a group could become a reality there. Perhaps you could be the one to make it happen.
Walking this Way with you,
Connie
Please Pray for Ammodice Joseph
Pastor Coty’s father, Ammo, has suffered a stroke. Our latest understanding of Ammos’s condition is that he is able to walk, but he cannot talk or use his right hand. We have been praying for Ammo and we ask you to do the same.
We will report on Ammo’s health in the next CHM Newsletter.
Ken Johansson, CHM Newsletter editor
Home Lighting Program
We who live in this 21st century often have Information Overload. We tend to scan, not read, the plethora of written and pictorial information that we are presented with. In so doing, we can slide over items that are really significant, and miss the impact of a simple gift.
You could do an experiment which will vividly demonstrate the value of the subject of the following true report.
You could try to function in your home setting for 15 minutes in total darkness, I mean absolutely, no light. Now, imagine that you had to live this way every night.
Now with the above scenario in your mind, please read the following report.
Pastor Coty Writes:
With a large number of lamps and power banks we continue to light more houses in Cahess.
This makes a big difference in the lives of the poor residents of Cahess. These people cannot afford to connect to the electrical wire passing by their houses. Therefore, they still live in complete darkness within their homes, until we provide them with a light.
I cannot take a good picture to show how dark it is inside their houses at night, and you may not imagine how dark it really is.
Many people say, that many times they left for tomorrow, what they could do that night, before going to bed, just because there was no light, and they could not see.
I went to see an old man to talk with him about the lights. I promised I would bring a light to him.
His name is CADEUS.
He lives in one room by himself. His legs are so weak, that he cannot walk or even stand without a stick.
When I brought him the lamp, he could not believe what he was seeing.
Because he has difficulty moving around the room, he wanted to hold on to the lamp. I also attached one metal plate to a post, to hold the light by its magnet, so he has his hands free, when he is able to stand.
Look at his expression as he looks at the light illuminating his one room.
A gift greatly improving the life of an old man. Just think, if he must use a stick to stand or walk in daylight, what must he do when it is totally dark.
Life in the Village
Pastor Coty Writes:
The blessing of God is for every day in our lives. But that doesn’t stop people from enjoying one season of the year more than the other seasons.
In our village like every village in Haiti, people are especially enjoying this season of the year. Even if it doesn’t last long, like from the end of April to the end of May, it’s the time when mangoes are ready to eat.
The mangoes help in many ways. Mangoes are a business for some people. They take mangoes to Cap-Haitian to sell. Some people take them to the nearest town to sell.
The kids are enjoying the mangoes because they eat them all day long. There are some people who are so generous, that they will let other people from the village come to their land and get free mangoes.
There are some people who spend days eating only mangoes, because life is so difficult here.
Some people say that when they eat just the mangoes everyday, they will feel sick, so they have to eat something else made with salt. They know of some leaves, which they mix with rice and then cook. They then take this mixture and eat it and feed it to their kids, after they all have eaten just mangoes for the day.
A traditional medicine in the pot.
Sunday School
Pastor Coty Writes:
This is a real Sunday school class.
Nana doesn’t have even one half of the kids she has on Saturday.
We know the reasons. On Saturday, they don’t have to wear nice clothes, so they come as they are. However, it is in the people’s mind that they need to wear good clothes when coming to church.
At the church, every Sunday after the Sunday School class, we give one cup of coffee and a small piece of bread to everyone before the worship service.
Unfortunately, the kids also drink the coffee. I say that because I don’t know if kids are allowed to drink coffee in other countries.
Nana, Pastor Coty’s wife teaching her Sunday School class.
The School Lunch Program
Pastor Coty Writes:
The school lunch program is doing well and it looks like the best program in the village.
A school day means a meal to every child in the school.
We teach them not to eat with their fingers, and that they need to use a spoon. But this lesson is often ignored.
We always provide water for them to wash their hands before they eat, because many of them will just use their hands to eat. Other children will share a spoon.
The teachers are responsible to distribute the food in the class, but sometimes the oldest students will help the teacher, and some students will even go to the kitchen and see the cooks directly.
When I purchase bulk food in Cap-Haitian and bring it to the Village of Cahess, it looks like a large quantity of food, but it won’t last two weeks. That is because we have so many people to feed with that rice.
We thank God for security in our village. In other villages near the Capital of Haiti, you cannot carry so much food in a pickup. It would be taken right out of the truck. The drivers may be even kidnapped.
But here, we still can do it and store it in our depot with no problem.
The people in the village know my truck very well and always look to see what I bring. Sometimes I have heard the children shouting when they see me passing by with a truckload of food.
Proverbs 14: 31
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
A prayer for you from the scripture:
Psalms 67: 1
May God be gracious to you and bless you
and make His face to shine upon you.
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 $1,100 to carry on the ongoing CHM ministry in Cahess. This is in addition to the cost of the School Lunch Program.
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, Dan, and Ken are very grateful for your sacrifice. Ken Johansson CHM Newsletter Editor