Coastal Haiti Mission
February 2026
– THE RACE-
My late husband, Clint Goddard, ran three times in the Boston Marathon.
He was impressed with the Boston crowd who lined both sides of the streets where the event takes place each spring. He thought they were top-notch in cheering the participants on their way to the finish line. Cups of cold water and other drinks offered from the sidelines were invigorating and restorative to the runners as they pressed forward, silently commanding their burning lungs and run-weary legs to KEEP RUNNING! (You can make it!)
As I thought about this I envisioned the runners in my mind’s eye and began to muse. I saw them as they ran toward the goal, and I could hear the rousing and stimulating shouts from the sidelines. Then I reversed the picture in my mind. What if the crowd was DIScouraging the runners instead of ENouraging them?! Like for instance:
“You’ll never make it!”
“Watch out you don’t have a heart attack and drop dead at the finish line!”
“You’re not strong enough!”
“Who do you think you are!”
“You just ain’t got what it takes!”
Wow! Talk about a blow to the spirit and fortitude of the runner! Crushed courage under fire!
By now, you may see where I’m going with all this. If you are a Christ Follower, you are in a “race” like no other. Every spiritual advancement we make has the potential of being hard won. I mean, dear Christian brother and sister, that we are in a spiritual battle. And the other side wants us to fail. We are a threat to the Kingdom of Darkness. And we, because of Jesus, have been brought into the. Kingdom of Light (1Pet. 2:9), (not because of anything WE did or didn’t do, but because of what HE did for us!)
We are dealing with the pure, resplendent, never dying — and sometimes devastating — TRUTH. There are hundreds-of-thousands of religions in this world but only ONE Truth, and we know Who that is: JESUS, Who shed His blood and suffered and died to pay the dreadful cost of OUR sins, and to open the way for all who accept His sacrifice to find their way home to the Father’s house.
“…I am the Way and the TRUTH and the Life;
No one comes to the Father except by (through)
Me. (John 14:6 TAB)
Now back to the race. The enemy’s design is to get you to drop out of the race. But that is your decision alone. Yes, he has the power of temptation– think Jesus in the wilderness – but only you can decide to drop out or keep going! He cannot take you out of the race.
Now, what is the race? I believe the race is our “every day life” and how we live it. Do we honor our Lord’s teaching, absorbing and assimilating it into our own thinking? The Christian life is many things, but it is not a piece of cake! It calls for discipline, concentration, and perseverance. It’s swimming up stream. Yes, we have an enemy, and he whispers in the night:
“You are not worthy to take that position in your church!”
“You’re fooling everyone!”
“You need to sit in the pew and mind your own business!”
“You? Teach Sunday School?” What a laugh!”
“What a phony!”
But listen!
“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed
the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d
better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never
quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your
eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.
Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where
he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he
could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame,
whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right
alongside God.” (Hebrews 12;1 The Message)
Running this Race with you,
Connie
Children’s Christmas Party
Pastor Coty Writes:
It is only now that I realize I have not yet sent the report for the children’s Christmas celebration in Cahesse. At the time I should have sent it, which was at the beginning of January, that was exactly when my father passed away. Thank you to everyone who supported me during that difficult moment.
The children’s Christmas celebration was once again a major event this year. As we have said before, children and parents everywhere always look forward to this date. Although we have a group of children who regularly attend our Saturday Sunday school classes, they are mostly from the local area. But in reality, some come from far away every Saturday because it is so interesting.
By God’s grace, we were able to serve all the children who gathered. It is the only gathering of its kind in the village, so you can imagine the number of people who came to attend. One of the things people say is that each year the celebration has more people and becomes more beautiful. One remarkable aspect this year was that the older children were the ones who led the program. Everyone was satisfied.
The program included a Bible verse competition, dances, poetry recitations, songs, and even a play to show the importance of good manners in children. It was a joyful moment for everyone. It felt as if people didn’t want the day to end because they were so happy.
Every child left with a gift in hand. Those who are regular in the class—that is, the children of the village—received the biggest gifts because their names were on the list. Miss Nana called them one by one to come and choose what they wanted, while all the gifts were displayed on the table. Some chose toys, others souvenirs like umbrellas, watches, hair barrettes, and many different kinds of toys. After all the names on the list were called, the other children lined up and passed in front of the table to choose a gift.
After that came the other highlight of the celebration: the reception. The meal is always rice with chicken and a drink. Each child received a beautiful plate of rice with a piece of chicken and a drink alongside—it was wonderful. The other people who came to attend, as the saying goes, were not just church members, so they had to eat too. Everyone received their portion.
It was a blessed moment, a time of gifts, rejoicing, and unforgettable joy for everyone—especially the children. How can we thank everyone who supported this movement and continue to support it in their own way! May God continue to bless us with all kinds of blessings.
Pastor Coty Joseph
Church Life in Cahess
Pastor Coty Writes:
On Sunday mornings at the Cahess church, things are a bit different from several other churches. There may be small differences in their worship, but it’s almost the same—almost the same songs. What truly makes the difference, however, are the measures we take to keep the congregation more engaged. Our service lasts less than 2 hours. From 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM is Sunday school. From 8:15 AM to 10:00 AM is the worship service.
As you can see, we have a 15‑minute break after Sunday school. This 15 minutes is often very important for many people—if not for everyone. It’s the coffee break. Since we come very early in the morning, we assume that many people don’t have time to make coffee at home. But the real reason is that even if they wanted to, does everyone have this possibility? The answer is no.
So, every Sunday morning we offer coffee and bread to everyone. Children and adults, regular members as well as leaders—all receive bread and a small cup of coffee. This ensures a calm atmosphere during the service, with fewer people leaving. One day, when it rained, we didn’t manage to prepare the coffee, and we saw just how important this break is to our people.
The bucket with the coffee is always at the church entrance, so people coming in always check to make sure it’s there.
Thank you, Jesus
Pastor Coty Joseph
The School Lunch Program
Pastor Coty Writes:
We move forward on the path God has set for us. According to the Bible, more precisely in the New Testament, each person in the body of Christ receives a different gift. He gives each one a task to accomplish so that the church may advance. Likewise, there are people whose mission goes beyond the church itself—they are called to support all those in need. The most beautiful part of it all is that these are people whose hearts have been regenerated and who believe in what God can do through them. Anyone who chooses to help others in need, especially those they don’t even know, is moved by God to do so.
For many years now, God has used many of His children in the USA to serve as support for the work CHM is doing in Haiti. These people help in various areas where CHM is serving. Every school day, 315 meals are prepared for students and teachers. This is more than a blessing. As I’ve already said, we cannot imagine a school day without these meals, because everyone—especially the students—looks forward to them even before arriving at school.
Thank you, God, and thank you to all those who allowed Him to use them to accomplish this great work.
Pastor Coty Joseph
The Memorial Fund for Uniforms
In memory of Amodice (Amo) Joseph
In the January issue of the Coastal Haiti Mission Newsletter, we presented to you, the Family and Friends of Coastal Haiti Mission, the opportunity to contribute to this fund.
Pastor Coty counted the number of school children without a uniform. He found 41 children without a uniform. We realize that additional children will be enrolled in the school during the school year. These children may need a uniform provided to them, depending on their parent’s circumstances.
The cost for a uniform at this time, is $27.00. We have had a wonderful response to purchase most of these children with a uniform. Because this is a permanent fund, we need to have some money in the fund in case there is a need for additional uniforms, going forward in time.
Pastor Coty will hire a local seamstress to come to the school to measure and then create a uniform for each of these children.
We invite you to help build this ongoing fund with donations of any amount.
There will be 41 happy children sporting their new uniforms. In addition, Amodice (Amo) Joseph would be so honored, if he could see these children, moving about the school.
Ken Johansson CHM Newsletter Editor
Whoever is generous to the poor, lends to the Lord
and he will repay him for his deed.Proverbs 19:17
A prayer for you from the scripture:
Numbers 6: 24 to 26 NLT
24.‘May the Lord bless you
and keep you
25. May the Lord smile on you
And be gracious unto you
26. May the Lord show you his favor
And give you peace’
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 $2000 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