Coastal Haiti Mission
December 2023
UNWAVERING FAITH
They were really concerned about Mary Magdalene, their friend Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James. Maybe grief had rendered them all illusional. Only a few days had gone by since their beloved Lord had been crucified and His dead body entombed in a borrowed sepulcher. And, now, the women were insisting that He was alive! They even said they had seen him and that He had spoken with them.
The eleven apostles deemed an “idle tale” their wild proclamation, pure nonsense, — except for Peter who left their presence and ran to the burial place to see what he could find, just in case. What he found was the stone that had sealed the tomb had been rolled away, and inside, the empty burial cloths put aside. And then, all the men believed. Surely, He was alive!
Later, in Jerusalem, the eleven, beside themselves with anticipation and joy, gathered together to discuss the matter. Suddenly, Jesus stood among them. They were startled and terrified, probably thought it was a ghost (Well, the Man did come through a wall! – they were behind closed doors). “Peace be to you,” He proclaimed. Even “doubting Thomas” believed when he saw the nail prints in Jesus’ hand and was allowed to place his hand inside the wound on His side.
What I want to bring out here is the fact that all eleven disciples saw Him. No more doubts. No more wavering flickers of unbelief. No more lingering questions about who He was. And they now knew they were on a pilgrimage on this earth, and they must proclaim to their world what they now knew to be true.
Jesus Christ had risen from the dead.
Let’s go to the Apostle Paul. He, too, had an encounter with the risen Christ. It happened when he was on his way to the city of Damascus with intent to find and persecute those who were adherents of a new religion called The Way. Paul was an elite Jewish man, fluent in Jewish law, part of the intelligentsia of his day, and had studied at the feet of Gamaliel. Following his encounter with Jesus and several years of studying the Jewish Scripture, he went on to spend his life propagating the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He and Silas, one of the leading men in the Jerusalem church, were called “…men who have turned the world upside down…” (Acts 17:6b TAB).
Again, I want to point out that Paul saw Jesus.
No wonder the disciples and the Apostle Paul had such amazing ministries. Although they would still need to exercise faith to fulfill the Father’s plan for their lives, they were now infused with and enabled by TRUTH. All doubt was dissolved — unbelief annihilated. They had seen the risen Christ!
We have not. Not in the way they did. Our walk with the Lord is one of faith. And what is “faith?” Among other things, it is believing without requiring proof or evidence. Proof needs no faith and faith needs no proof. We have the Bible – the Word of God, and we choose to believe the recorded words of Jesus and His apostles. And, remember, the value of a word is determined by the veracity of the speaker. We must fight the fight of faith, and Paul called it a “good fight” (1 Tim. 6:12a). In our “fighting,” we renew our confession of faith and grow stronger.
“Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have
never seen me, and yet have believed and adhered to and
trusted in and relied on me.”
(Jesus in John 20:29b TAB)
Keep up the good work my brother and my sister, and remember that I am:
Walking this Way with you,
Connie
Home Lighting Project
Pastor Coty Writes:
The lamps continue to make a great difference in the lives of many people in Cahess. Now, children can do their homework at nighttime.
We still have some Cyclops lights available, but the demand is huge. The reason why we still have some is because we always look for the most needy people, to provide the lights and therefore light up their lives.
Thank You
Dear Family and Friends of Coastal Haiti Mission, we the Board of this mission, express to you our gratefulness for the incredible support you have provided to the people in the Village of Cahess Haiti.
Life in Haiti is very difficult, but you improved the lives of these people in many ways.
Food insecurity is huge problem in Haiti with many people going hungry. You have blessed the parents and their children by providing lunch every school day. School lunch is now the most desired activity of the entire school day.
You have illuminated the homes of many of the families, which has made life more pleasant, much safer, and much more healthy. This is because these families no longer use the open flame kerosene lamps that cause fires, and emit carcinogenic fumes, but give very little light.
You have provided food for the many people who have no means of supporting themselves. This includes the many families who have been abandoned by their husbands and fathers. It is not unusual for elderly grandmothers to be raising children who have been orphaned or abandoned.
You are underwriting a Drought Resistant Garden training project to teach the people in the Village of Cahess to grow gardens that will flourish when there is a lack of rain. This project has really taken off, with 70 gardens being established at last count.
As 2023 comes to a close, we thank you. We also realize that the many needs of these people will continue in 2024. We will be most appreciative of your continuing support.
For the Board of Coastal Haiti Mission,
Ken Johansson, Administrator
Proverbs 19:17 ESV
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed.
A blessing for you from the scripture:
2 Thessalonians 3: 16
Now may the Lord of peace himself
give you his peace at all times and in
every situation. The Lord be with you all.
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 $1700 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