More Than A Workout
The Chicken Bog Crew!
Quick Recap:
Whew! First off, we apologize for not updating everybody in a while. It has been a whirlwind of a month, and we missed our June update.
Here’s what has happened since our last update:
We sold our house! About two weeks after our last blog post, we accepted an offer on our house. It was an all-cash offer with the only contingency being a buyer walkthrough. It was so nice not having to jump through the hoops of bank financing, inspections, etc., and it allowed us to just focus on packing.
Speaking of which, we packed up our house. We are so grateful to those who helped us over the past month, from moving heavy things to packing up crates/boxes to taking these to various places to donate or to the dump. This was no small feat, and it would’ve taken so much longer without all of your help!
Layla found a home! We found the perfect new home for Layla, one where she is loved and can obsess over her new cat roommate.
We are still waiting to hear about Rachel’s medical license and our visas, but hopefully, that news will come in the next week or so.
We’re currently homeless! Or is it “un-housed”?? We are in Colorado for language and cultural acquisition training until Aug. 3rd. The days are long, but the program has been great, especially for our kids.
If you are curious how a family of 6 travels with a bunch of stuff or want to see more of what we are doing in between the blog updates, make sure to check out our Instagram page @cobosethiopia
More Than A Workout:
How it started - F3
When we moved to Myrtle Beach in 2018, I worked remotely for Garver (my old engineering firm). We didn’t know many people, and it was hard to meet new people, as is typical for anybody who works from home.
Rachel, always the outgoing one, meets people easily, and met some neighbors of ours. And as wives become good friends, you know how it happens… “You should do [insert random activity] with her husband!” For me, that random activity was F3.
For those who don’t know, F3 stands for Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. It is a free men’s workout group that meets outside in various cities around the country (and now the world). I always tell people that it's like joining an exclusive nationwide gym with really terrible hours. They give guys nicknames like ‘Handy Manny,’ ‘Headgear,’ and ‘Quaker’ or, in my case ‘Texas Ranger’ and have their own lingo, or lexicon as they put it. Little did I know that by joining this exercise group how much my life and ultimately my family’s life would be impacted by such a simple decision as agreeing to meet a guy that I barely knew at 4:50 am to go work out with a bunch of guys that I had never met in a random parking lot outside of an old YMCA.
Chicken Bog!
Fast forward to February of this year. The family and I were in Florida for some training and the F3 guys that are in my Friday Bible study were talking about how they could help us fundraise. They shot around some ideas and finally came up with the idea of selling plates of something. The idea of a barbeque plate was thrown out, and then some other raffle ideas were developed, and finally, settling on chicken bog plates. Now, if you aren’t from South Carolina, you’re probably saying, “What the heck is chicken bog??” It’s basically a one-pot rice dish of deliciousness with some chicken, sausage, and spices. It’s made a little different depending on the region but know that if a good ol’ boy from South Carolina makes it, it’ll taste pretty darn good.
Now, when I got back from training and they told me about the idea of selling chicken bog plates as a fundraiser, my first question was, “Well, how many are you guys trying to sell?”
Chris King, aka “Rubber” in F3, said he wanted to do something big… “let’s go for a thousand”.
Now, I am not going to lie; when he said that, I was skeptical. I honestly thought that they would sell a couple hundred, maybe three hundred plates. But a thousand? No shot.
If I have learned anything in my time in F3, it should be this: never doubt an F3 guy when he puts his mind to something.
And if I have learned anything during this support-raising phase of going into missions, it's this: God will humble you.
And the combination of the two can produce something remarkable.
One week out from the Chicken Bog fundraiser, Rubber and the F3 men had already surpassed my goal and sold nearly 500 plates. I was already shocked, but then they kept pushing. Orders were coming in, 10 plates here, 15 plates to this business, this company needs 25 plates. It was incredible to see the community come around and support our family. People from all sorts of backgrounds, people that had never met us, heard our story and about what we were trying to accomplish and were willing to help us.
A big reason that the guys could sell so many plates was that they offered “virtual plates” for people who couldn’t get the physical plate or maybe just wanted to help out. I remember hearing the virtual plate option and thinking this is great; but why don’t we make the plate anyway and donate the food? The guys jumped at the idea, and we were able to donate those plates to local shelters in the area.
All in all, the men of F3 sold over 1,200 plates, of which over 300 were donated to New Directions of Horry County and raised over $13,000! I am still shocked even typing these numbers out.
“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.”
Last Thoughts:
Reflecting on our six years in Myrtle Beach, we are immensely grateful. When we arrived, we didn't know anyone, but looking back, it might have been THE best chapter of our lives so far. The friendships and connections we made in South Carolina were truly special, making it painful to leave. As Andy Bernard from "The Office" said, "I wish there was a way to know that you are in the good old days, before you've actually left them." Someone recently told us that if it hurts to leave a place, it means you have loved well and were loved in return, and we are so happy to call Myrtle Beach our hometown.
Things to Pray For:
The last bit of our recurring support to come in. We are currently around 93% for our monthly support and are amazed that we have gotten this far. Many of you have given generous one-time gifts and we are so grateful for you joining our support team. We ask that you prayerfully consider supporting us again next year. If you are willing to do that, shoot us a message, and we can shift your generous support to an annual basis, which will help us get to 100%. You don’t need to donate again, we will just take your donation and divide it by 12.
We have been in Colorado for the last two weeks for language and cultural acquisition training. The program has been intensive but good at the same time. It has allowed our kiddos to begin to process the transitions they have been and are about to go through. It has also given our family a common vernacular to begin to express the emotions that they are experiencing. But prayers to finish the program well and glean more tips and info will always be appreciated.
Our visas to come in quickly, as we are headed to Addis Ababa on August 5th! Also just prayers for smooth travel and little jetlag.
Visa options for Rachel’s parents
Not something to pray for, but just a comment on how blessed and lucky we have been to meet with so many of you over the past few weeks. We have cherished our time and conversations with so many of you, and please know that we take those moments seriously and are so grateful for all of you. Whether its a ride to the airport or a brief phone conversation, we are always happy to hear from you!
If you want to learn more about how to help us on this journey, please click the link below!
