Coastal Haiti Mission
June 2025
– SEPARATION –
Each month when I deliver my Message to Ken Johansson, Administrator of Coastal Haiti Mission and editor of its monthly newsletter, I am mindful of several different guidelines:
- Does it honor God and His Son Jesus Christ?
- Will it bring a measure of comfort and encouragement to the reader?
- Is it sensitive to the impact it may have on others?
- Is it biblically sound, backed by the Word of God?
Considering all that, I would like this month to write on a subject that is surely not the most popular: Separation. Separation by death. Separation that comes from the death of a loved one, whether a cherished family member, relative, friend, or a beloved pet. It is a sudden end. The discontinuance of relationship. The bluntness of it all seems to challenge your ability to cope with the stark realism of your loss. If it was a spouse that passed on, there was a “tearing,” as according to scripture: The two shall become one (separation by divorce also causes a “tearing”).
Family and friends will help hold back the impact of your grief for awhile. Most likely you will be told that your loved one is “in a better place,” or that “God needed him (or her) in heaven.” Well-meaning as they are, those well-worn phrases don’t really help. (When my husband passed away years ago I heard and appreciated such attempts to comfort, but all I knew was that I would never, ever hear him drive up our driveway and enter our garage and home again. Ever!)
Eventually, the flowers from the funeral will be given to local nursing homes, the mourners will have left the cemetery, the refreshments will have been served, and the guests will have gone home, and you are left to maneuver your way through the days ahead. Death has happened, and your loss cannot be retrieved.
But what is death? Death is passive. It is the absence of life (spirit). It is the state-of-being once life has left the body. In fact, it is dependent upon the absence of life for its very existence, same as darkness is dependent upon the absence of light for its existence. Death did not come and destroy the life of your loved one!
The condition of their body was no longer fit to sustain the life (spirit) within, and so it left. The result? A dead body. As the Apostle Paul said, “For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless so faith apart from [its] works of obedience is also dead.” (James 2:26 TAB)
In their book, The Color Of Rain, by Michael and Gina Spehn, Michael relates his experience at the funeral home when his first wife passed away. He entered a room which contained the casket holding his young wife. He would spend some time alone with her before the guests arrived for the showing. When he looked in the coffin he was shocked! He KNEW his young wife wasn’t there! Oh, her body was there, but her spirit had taken flight – That which made her “who she was” had left.
But where had she gone? Well, as a Christian she went to the only place she could go – heaven. That’s where the followers of the Nazarene go when they leave this earth.
Hanging from a cross at Calvary, Jesus did not die until He released His Spirit to His Heavenly Father. “Father, unto Your hands I commit My Spirit.”
(Luke 23:46) The Apostle Paul wrestled with his desire to leave his body and be with the Lord. He knew that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord.
Now, if the one you lost was not a Christian, as far as you know, do not jump to conclusions. You know not what transpired between them and the Lord immediately preceding your loved one’s death. Remember the thief on the cross. It was late in the game. Soon, both men would be gone. While dying, he asked Jesus, hanging on the cross beside him to “remember” him when He (Jesus) came into His Kingdom. Jesus told him: “TODAY shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”
And so, Dear One, if you have recently been bereaved, or if so in the future, may you ride the waves of grief forward. The pain of your separation will not last forever. Refrain from making big decisions for now – You need to heal! Spend time with family and friends. Go out to dinner, it’s OK. Be open to the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and let grief have its way. It is working in you for good.
Walking this Way with you,
Connie
Mango Season Continued
Pastor Coty Writes:
As I announced in the previous newsletter, mango season is a time that brings joy to everyone—children and adults alike. In the village of Cahess, people are truly enjoying this season with happiness in their hearts.
Today after school, I took a number of students—those who I know don’t have mango trees at home—to a field I own, so they could pick some mangoes before heading home. The children were gathering mangoes in a festive atmosphere. They ate many mangoes.
Under that same mango tree, both teachers and students joined together to collect mangoes to take home, to enjoy later.
Every parent would be thrilled if mangoes stayed ripe all year round, because during this season, children aren’t as demanding when it comes to food. There are places where people eat mangoes just for fun or as a dessert, however here in our area, people eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We give thanks to God because the overload of vitamins from the mangoes doesn’t harm us—in fact, if we were to get sick, it would probably be from eating too many, not too few!
Despite how much people eat them, there’s really nothing we can do, because they all ripen at once. So naturally, some will go to waste. I feel happy when I see so many ripe mangoes beneath a few trees—but I also feel a little sad knowing that in just a few days, we’ll be looking for them and won’t find one. That’s just how it goes.
Thank you, God, for giving us this fruit in abundance and allowing us to enjoy its blessings each and every day during this special season. —
Pastor Coty Joseph
Food for the Needy Program
Pastor Coty Writes:
In the reality of life, people must work in order to eat. Even after man sinned and God cast them out of the garden, this was the advice God gave them. Some say it’s a punishment, and we might agree since it was only after sin entered the world, that God said it. But it’s not entirely a punishment because man didn’t have full understanding; they didn’t yet know how they would manage to eat. So, out of love, God gave them the principle.
But today, we’re facing many realities regarding this issue. First, many people need both—they need food, because humans can’t live without it, and they need work too, because without work, they can’t get food. And that’s where things get more difficult, when they can’t find work.
Among these people are those with heavy responsibilities—some are caring for children, left behind by men who don’t take care of them, others are grandmothers raising their grandchildren after their own children passed away, and they’re forced to provide food. We can’t forget those who are poor in spirit, who have no one to look after them, and many others are widows, whose only hope, is for others to provide food for them to eat.
These are the kinds of people CHM consistently extends a helping hand to. Even if they’re not living like everyone else, they can at least eat like everyone else—and that’s what helps them live a few more days on this earth.
We can never photograph everyone that we help—some can’t walk at all, so we are the ones that go to see them, whereas in other cases, neighbors bring the care to the people in their place.
But the good thing is, we still manage to reach them to offer our help. Many thanks to CHM and everyone supporting this program
Pastor Coty
Saturday Sunday School
Pastor Coty Writes:
Joy, knowledge, wisdom, and discipline—these are all the things the children benefit from through this class. In a photo, you can see them seated, either eating or listening to the lessons their teacher is giving. But there’s no way to describe the joy they feel—how motivated they are to come to class, how some even run so they won’t be late, especially when they see me pass by with the teacher on the motorcycle. It’s like a fire is lit inside them to hurry up. You’ll hear them shouting out loud: ‘Miss, don’t forget me—I’m coming!’
I’ve said this many times, but it’s true—when it comes to biblical stories, there is no adult in the area who knows them better than these children. Their behavior is different; even if one forgets, another reminds them: ‘Remember what Miss Nana said on Saturday?’ That’s why we can count on them to help build the better Haiti, that we all hope for.
A little candy each week is what excites them most—except for the big celebration they have at the end of the year with all the gifts that they look forward to. An inspiring lesson or captivating story allows their teacher, Miss Nana, to instill in them strong life principles, and teach them how to live better—respecting everyone, embracing the word of God, and practicing order and discipline.
Thank you so much Family and Friends of CHM, for helping to provide this class.
Pastor Coty Joseph
The School Lunch Program
Pastor Coty Writes:
The children haven’t even left yet, and we already miss them. It’s always like that when your heart is in something—when you’re doing what you love. June 20 is the last day of class, which also means the last classroom meal for our students. The school will reopen in September, God willing, so we’ll have two months without school activities.
It’s the most beautiful way for children to come together—to learn together, eat together, play together. Even if some of them might forget each other during vacation, we believe there’s one thing they’ll never forget: the daily meal they receive at school. The 9th-grade students made that clear to me: ‘We’re going to miss the food.’ It’s important to note that once students reach 9th grade, they must take a state exam to move on to high school.
We can’t count the number of meals we’ve served this school year, but one thing is certain—it’s been thousands. Many people benefit from this program. For parents in our area, it’s a huge relief knowing their children won’t spend the day in hunger, as long as they can make it to school.
How can we not thank with all our hearts and souls those who make this incredible accomplishment possible? While people are dying of hunger in many countries—including right here in our own Haiti—this community is protected and nourished thanks to those who support us.
We give all glory to God for His goodness toward us, and we thank those He uses to support the children in the Cahess area.
Pastor Coty Joseph
The Drought Resistant Garden Project
Pastor Coty Writes:
Good morning everyone, here are some pictures of the melon garden that we grew in the area where we set up our demonstration garden. The melons produced a lot, but goats came and destroyed the garden again. They ate many of the melons as well. But with the help of the church and some schoolchildren who came to work, we managed to fence off the area along the corridor, which is where the goats usually pass.
It was a big job, but it was very necessary. We gathered all the little money the church was collecting, along with what we raised during the harvest festival we held in March. Some people helped us buy rocks, others donated sand, and everyone came to work. We provided food for everyone, which allowed us to accomplish this major task.
In our area, we’re more used to mangoes, and since people don’t usually get melons easily, the children were filled with joy eating slices of melon. It made us think about planting even more melons next time.
Thank you and God bless you,
Pastor Coty Joseph
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 $1100 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