{"id":3405,"date":"2025-01-01T09:39:55","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T14:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/?page_id=3405"},"modified":"2025-01-01T09:48:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T14:48:11","slug":"december-2024-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/?page_id=3405","title":{"rendered":"December 2024 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Coastal Haiti Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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\nDecember 2024 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

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\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

–\u00a0 CHRISTMAS\u00a0 –<\/h3>\n

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Any way you look at it, a stable is a NOT-TOO-NICE a place to give birth to a human child,\u00a0 Or for that matter, even for an animal to give birth.\u00a0 For one thing, think cold, <\/em>like the winds of winter blowing through the cracks in the wall.\u00a0 Or hot, <\/em>like the sands on the beach at high-noon in July.\u00a0 \u201cDank\u201d is a good word \u2013 dark and dingy.\u00a0 Foul- smelling enhanced by animal dung spread over the dirt floor.<\/p>\n

But on one particular night such a place became Holy Ground.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, not everyone knew it.\u00a0 Way too busy trying to make sense of their own lives now being recorded in the annals of the small and now over-crowded town of Bethlehem.\u00a0 Located in the Judean Hills southwest of Jerusalem, it was the birthplace of David and where he was first acknowledged as King.\u00a0 The Prophet Micah spoke of another leader who would some day be born in Bethlehem.\u00a0 But not many actually listened <\/em>to the prophets.<\/p>\n

But the shepherds knew something was happening that night.\u00a0 As if the unearthly bright starlight that occurred overhead wasn\u2019t enough, they were further encountered by an angel of the Lord and the glory that flashed and shown all about them.\u00a0 Needless to say, the keepers of the sheep were terrified.\u00a0 The angel told them they had nothing to fear.\u00a0 There was good news: A Child had been born in the very town they were in, the Town of David!\u00a0 The Child was their long-awaited Savior, the Christ \u2013 <\/em>the Lord! <\/em><\/p>\n

Well, talk about being rattled!\u00a0 What was that beautiful sound <\/em>\u00a0they heard?<\/p>\n

The Army of the Troops of Heaven \u2013 a heavenly knighthood, was right there with the shepherds praising their Most High God.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlory to God in the highest [Heaven] and on earth peace among<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 men with whom He is well- pleased \u2013 men of good will, of His favor.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Luke 2:14 TAB)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When the angelic beings left, it didn\u2019t take long for the shepherds to leave the field and find Mary and Joseph and their baby boy Who was lying in a manger.\u00a0 The folks who were present were astounded and marveled as the shepherds shared with them what the angels said about the boy.\u00a0 And Mary pondered all this in her heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does all this mean for my dear son? <\/em><\/p>\n

Today –\u00a0 2024 – this<\/em> is what Christians celebrate on December 25th<\/sup>:\u00a0 the miraculous birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ \u2013 EMANUAL!\u00a0 <\/em>God with <\/em>us!<\/p>\n

Holy, Holy, Holy!\u00a0 Lord God Almighty!<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not what much of our world is celebrating.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s celebrating \u201cCelebration\u201d <\/em>itself, a time to get off the merry-go-round for a few days.\u00a0 Some\u00a0\u00a0 have said the world has stolen Christmas.\u00a0 Absurd!\u00a0 Can\u2019t happen.\u00a0 Not as long as we Christians are still in this world!<\/p>\n

Actually, the world has \u201crepurposed\u201d Christmas, but it\u2019s only a shadow of the \u201ctrue,\u201d <\/em>and it has no foundation —\u00a0 no Savior.<\/p>\n

Many have an artificial Christmas tree.\u00a0 It looks real.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not.\u00a0 Equal in beauty and appealability (is there such a word?) with the \u201creal\u201d tree, both versions have warmed the hearth at Christmastime, adding to the sometimes-twinkling, all-the-time-shining white or colored lights from the simulated tree and the \u201creal.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the assets of the real tree is the delicious smell of pine inside your home, a quality missing from the artificial tree.\u00a0 Of course, you can buy pine-smelling spray today for your man-made tree, but that, too, is artificial.\u00a0 And, not even once has the Royal Cardinal or the Lowly Sparrow perched to rest on its make-believe branches.<\/p>\n

So much for the tree (We happen to have an artificial one.).<\/p>\n

Now armed with the true story of Christmas, we Christians too have joined the mixed parade of the Sacred and Secular.\u00a0 We love the rush we get from listening to the stress-releasing melodies and words of the age-old Carols.\u00a0 We delight in wrapping gifts for our loved ones, and we look forward to meeting once again with those we haven\u2019t seen since Christmas Past.\u00a0 We are proud of our Christmas tree still showing off the heartfelt artwork-decorations made years ago and excitedly handed to us parents by the tiny hands of our children.<\/p>\n

And then there is the other side.\u00a0 The side aroused by too much spending and too little money. Too much stress and too little sleep.\u00a0 And for some \u2013 Is there any such thing as a \u201choly hangover?\u201d on Christmas morning?\u00a0 Too much eggnog? I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just call it a \u201cKatzenjammer,\u201d in other words, a killer headache.\u00a0 Any way, You\u2019ve heard the expression \u201cAnything that can go wrong will go wrong?\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Listen up!<\/p>\n

After opening their gifts on Christmas morning, the kids tended to argue about who got the most presents.\u00a0 Dad\u2019s giant plastic snowman fully blown up and placed in the front yard had become unfettered during the night and had made its way into the cranky neighbor\u2019s\u00a0yard and landed squarely on top of the man\u2019s prized outdoor mini Christmas village.\u00a0 Dad\u2019s primitive cry and mumbling as he sought appropriate but acceptable words to express his anger, frightened the dog who then peed on the floor.\u00a0 With one COLOSSAL (leap), the family cat landed on the second branch of the Christmas tree and immediately proceeded to climb to the top, bringing the whole business to the floor!\u00a0 And then, the new parrot said a bad word in front of a most genteel lady who came for a Christmas donation for a local charity.\u00a0 After she left, Mom opened her gift from Dad \u2013 a dress three sizes larger than she actually wore.\u00a0 Needless to say, it didn\u2019t sit too well with his Better Half.<\/p>\n

Finally, the chaos subsided and the family and their guests settled down for Christmas dinner.\u00a0\u00a0 After much preparation and embellishment, hours ago Mom had lovingly placed the holiday ham into the stove.\u00a0 Could one more thing go wrong?\u00a0 You bet! Mom had forgotten to turn on the oven.\u00a0 At this point, Dad stood up from his place at the table, walked out the front door, and sat in his car for a time, all the while staring straight ahead. Finally determined to just\u00a0 \u201cgo with the flow\u201d, he returned to the house with a lovely, but totally fraudulent smile on his face.\u00a0 He assured himself he would do better next Christmas, and, of course, that was only 365 days away.<\/p>\n

Christmas.\u00a0 Would you say it is in order for an overhaul?\u00a0 Do you think?<\/p>\n

At the close of the Christmas Eve Service years ago at our church in Hubbardston, Massachusetts, each congregant was given a small candle to be lit up by the person next to them until the entire sanctuary was bathed in soft, warm light.\u00a0\u00a0 Together, we sang the beloved Carol, Silent Night.\u00a0 <\/em>At midnight, someone from the congregation would slip out of the sanctuary to the foyer and ring our age-old bell hanging in our age-old tower in our age-old church building, 12 times.\u00a0 The sound rang out across our humble but significant town in central Massachusetts.\u00a0 The bells were ringing in memory of the birth of the baby boy sent to save us from ourselves.<\/p>\n

And, you know?\u00a0 It almost felt like we were on Holy Ground<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Walking this Way with you,<\/p>\n

Connie<\/p>\n

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A Message of Thankfulness <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dear Family and Friends of Coastal Haiti Mission. The Board of Coastal Haiti Mission, on behalf of the people in the Village of Cahess Haiti, is very grateful to you for your prayers and your financial investment which makes this ministry possible. You are indeed a blessing to us and to the people we serve and we thank you for your faithfulness and your generosity. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Life in the Village <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pastor Coty Writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many things in Haiti are different from the rest of the world. You may wonder what is in the gallon containers shown in the photos below. These containers are filled with gasoline.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever you see these gallons of gas on every corner, it is \u00e0 sign that there is no gasoline at the gas station.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0For many years, gasoline has not had an exact price, as it used to be in the previous years. One gallon of gas costs between 8 to 10 dollars now, and sometimes even 13 to 15 dollars on the Black market. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Even in the gas stations when gasoline is available, there isn\u2019t one price. Everyone has their own price, which is way more than the suggested government price.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seeing gas everywhere means there is no gas in the gas stations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3 years ago in Trou-du-Nord, which is the closest city to our village, a fire started in \u00e0 place where they stored and sold gasoline. Three persons died, one house completely burned, and motorcycles and many other things were destroyed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0It is really dangerous to store and sell gasoline, but people think more about the money to be made, than the risk they are taking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The School in Cahess <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pastor Coty Writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This morning, all the parents came to receive the evaluation of the work that their students accomplished, for the first trimester of this school year.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

All the students will need to return their grade book that the parents have been given, so we can record their grades after the next trimester is completed.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The School Lunch Program <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pastor Coty Writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We now observe a break in the school year for Christmas. We will return to school in January. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course I will miss being with the students, and for sure, they will really miss being at the school. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Something is very interesting among the students. We teach them about love, and they choose to care about each other. I always enjoy watching\u00a0them sitting\u00a0 together to eat. <\/strong><\/p>\n

So, the school lunches not only bring joy to their stomachs, but also the desire to care and be with one another. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Saturday Sunday School <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pastor Coty Writes: <\/strong><\/p>\n

These students who are part of the Saturday Sunday School, are eagerly looking forward to the Annual Christmas Party which takes place on January 1, 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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15th<\/sup> Anniversary of the Church in Cahess <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pastor Coty Writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year we celebrate the 15th year of our Church.<\/strong><\/p>\n

15 years ago, we started this Church in Cahess named: Source of New Life Baptist Church of Cahess. After starting the church, we did not know what to name it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0I asked Pastor Clint and he named the Church. (Pastor Clint Goddard was one of the founders of Coastal Haiti Mission, and now has been promoted to heaven.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A family in the United States provided a very large gift of money which enabled us to begin construction of the church. We were able to build the church building so that we could use it, even though it still needed to be finished. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Since we began using the church, the members have contributed in various ways to finish the church building, and now we are almost done. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0As we gathered to celebrate, everyone in Cahess stood together with us, to give a thanksgiving to the Lord, for this 15th year of the Church.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"We also ate together.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Food for the Needy Program <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pastor Coty Writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Christmas is celebrated in the Christian world as a family gathering. However, many families in Haiti see this event differently. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The lady in the photos below, whose name is Miloude Saint-Louis, came to me this morning and told me how things are difficult for her, by saying things like: Santa Claus doesn’t know where I live. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I went this afternoon to visit her. She was sweeping her yard when I arrived. She showed me her stove, which is made of 3 rocks, because she uses wooden sticks for fuel for cooking. <\/strong><\/p>\n

She told me that, no cooking pot has been on her stove for 2 days. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I prayed for her and then I brought her to our food storage, where I gave her some money and some rice. Miloude insisted on changing her dress to go to the food storage location.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0This lady is a member of one of the families that we support. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I always want to consider new people. I did think of her, but she did not wait for me to come to her, she came to me because she did not want to be forgotten.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Proverbs 14: 31
\nWhoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0A prayer for you from the scripture:<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Psalms 67: 1
\nMay God be gracious to you and bless you
\nand make His face to shine upon you<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coastal Haiti Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n

C\/O Constance Goddard<\/strong><\/p>\n

3048 Spring Fancy Lane<\/strong><\/p>\n

Indian Trail, NC 28079<\/strong><\/p>\n

Or For tax deductible \u201conline donations\u201d, please use our PayPal service. Also please designate how you want us to use your donation.<\/strong><\/p>\n


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\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

May the Lord our God, who knows your heart and sees your actions, grant you great joy as you serve Him.\u00a0 Connie, Esther, Pastor Coty, Carl, Dan, and Ken are very grateful for your sacrifice.<\/u><\/em><\/strong> Ken Johansson CHM Newsletter Editor<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Coastal Haiti Mission   December 2024   \u00a0 –\u00a0 CHRISTMAS\u00a0 –   Any way you look at it, a stable is a NOT-TOO-NICE a place to give birth to a human child,\u00a0 Or for that matter, even for an animal to give birth.\u00a0 For one thing, think cold, like the winds of winter blowing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":30,"menu_order":882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3405","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3405"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3434,"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3405\/revisions\/3434"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastalhaitimission.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}