Thank You Jesus!

   We are so quick at times to ask for prayer as soon as the slightest need comes up.  Jesus wants us to come to Him at all times, every day. Not just when there is a need, we are afraid, or if one of us gets sick.  He wants our conversation to be so often, he wants us to be His very best friend. He knows our thoughts and our deepest needs before we even tell Him.  He is just waiting for us to open up our hearts to Him. I also think sometimes he is waiting for a THANK YOU.

  We make sure the girls always say "Please" and "Thank You."  We ask of Cohen to say Please and Thank You for just about anything { it's really cute } but more importantly we want him to learn to be appreciative of things. Lately he has been saying it without us telling him.  When I give him anything like a cup to play with in the bath, open the door for him, or today when I helped him jump over a cement block that we cross everyday when walking into the orphanage, he just looks at me in his little cute not at all baby voice and says "Thank You Mom" and oh my goodness......my heart melts. It is the simplest phrase but it means so much. Eric and I both always love when he does this and we always share with each other if one is not around, or even if we are both there we will say "did you hear him!?"

So if we get that excited from it, how much more do you think it melts the heart of our Father.
  
    I was thinking of how that last couple months before our move here all my prayers were, Jesus please keep us safe, Jesus please provide for us, Jesus please keep the boys healthy, Jesus please take away all my doubts and fears. Not saying I still don't add those things in but I don't at all feel afraid being here.  I was more afraid living in the states when Eric would have to travel for basketball then I have been here at all.  I am not worried my children are going to get sick every time they take a bath from the water. :)

  I also know we asked of many of you to pray with us for those things and for our transition here. I want to make sure you don't stop praying for us by any means..... :) but so you know that He has heard our prayer and we want to Thank You for praying, but most importantly Thank Him and Praise Him.

For from HIM, Through HIM and to HIM are all things. For HIM be the glory forever!  Amen. 

Romans 11:36  

  Thank you Jesus for this day, Thank you for your provision in our lives, Thank you for bringing us to Haiti, Thank you for our marriage and the love we share, Thank you for our healthy boys and for coming before us in Haiti and meeting us here and our every need. Thank you for the girls and our staff, Thank you for allowing us to grow closer to you during this time and as a family. Thank you for Jared and Jalayne and for helping us and for the very special time we have been able to spend together, Thank you for surrounding us with so many friends and family that love us and truly care for us, Thank you for those who are praying for us everyday and when ever they think of us, Thank you for those who are financially giving to meet our needs here, Thank you for our health, Thank you for a home, Thank you for making this the smoothest transition in the world for us, Thank You that you are not even close to being finished with us, Thank you that you love us so much, Thank you for allowing us to see how much you love us, Thank You for who you are, Thank you for freedom to serve you in Haiti, Thank you for allowing us to learn the language, Thank you for generators, Thank you for fans, Thank you for rice, Thank you for clean water to drink,  Thank you for computers, phones, and skype. Thank you for CFM trusting us to be here, Thank you for visitors, Thank you for comfort when we are missing out on births of new babies from people we love, and for comfort and peace when a brother was in ICU, Thank you for very dear friends of ours who are going to soon be parents. Thank you for comforting us and family during the many transitions we have gone through on both sides in the last couple months. Thank you for supportive and praying churches, Thank you for praying parents! Thank you for PEACE and GRACE.  {We are so blessed and we are so loved by our Heavenly Father} Thank you for answering every prayer we prayed leading up to us being here and since we have been here. Thank you that because of who You are we do not have to live in fear.
Thank You Jesus So Much!  WE LOVE YOU!    
Amen.


{{You can send us praise/prayer requests we would love to pray with you! ebcobz@gmail.com}}

Bonswa!

Have you ever laughed to yourself at the crazy family running through the airport trying to get to their departure gate in time… well I have and I have many times thought to myself “I am glad that’s not me” but this time it was.. well to be honest I wasn’t exactly running I was calmly walking as fast as I could while pushing Cohen's stroller as Eric was running with Conrad. Yes he was embarrassing me… but running in public like that at 6 am is just not my thing. But with much delays and scares of being told there was no more flights out until the following Monday (after our original flight from Cleveland was canceled) we were very thankful to have landed in Haiti Tuesday July 17th on time with ALL of our bags (Thank YOU JESUS) and we got out of the airport in a timely manner.  Praise God… plus a pleasant surprise along the way…. 1^st  class to Haiti from Miami?!  We'll take it!  I thought to myself the men sitting next to Eric and I probably didn't appreciate our children acting like children. J Though there is no smooth sailing when you each have an infant on your lap but at least we had some extra leg room.

We were so anxious once we got there to go see the girls.  The older girls were excited to see us but we know it will take time for that trust and relationship to completely happen.  The little ones were a little bit terrified but I can't blame them, Cohen and Conrad would act the same way toward a stranger until he was more comfortable.  They see so many people come to their home for a couple days here and there and then leave so in time they will be more open and loving with us.  They sure are the most adorable children and they are so well taken care of and loved by Jared and Jalayne, the other workers and their heavenly Father. Having a crazy little son really helps bridge the gap in situations like this. Within the first couple minutes of seeing them at their home Cohen was chasing the chickens and some of the girls were chasing Cohen. J  Anyone who is fearful for my children living in Haiti do not be J Cohen is the happiest little thing running around here. The second he woke up from his nap he said “mom outside” and over to visit the girls we went. Conrad is just doing his usual thing eating and sleeping. The girls have enjoyed pushing him around in his stroller these first couple days. 

Before we know it these two will be chasing each other all around.

Cohen enjoying his first meal with the girls. Below his first fried plantain.
He hasn't turned any food down yet. :) 

What a blessing it is to have Jared and Jalayne already settled and living in Haiti they had a place for us to stay and they even had clean sheets, and some food in our fridge for us. We feel so blessed and almost guilty knowing things were much different down here for them when they first moved.  We are feeling very much at peace with our first couple days here.  Knowing it will not always be easy and the time will come to see Jared and Jalayne go and we may have a hard time at first adjusting to life in Haiti. But with all things HE is the ROCK that never moves, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. So in knowing and believing that we know that our time here filled with ups and downs hard times and great times is going to be a wonderful time for us and we are so excited to experience more of Gods love in Haiti, through developing relationships with each of the girls and the woman and men who work at the orphanage. I am putting all my expectations, fears, and doubts aside and I am putting all my hope, faith and trust in the Lord Jesus.

Cohen and Miles... poor Miles is learning very fast how ornery his cousin is.

Thank You for your prayers, and support financially and physically that have allowed us to be here, we were so ready to just get here! Saying goodbyes at home and leaving friends and family was not easy or fun but being in the place where God has asked you to be is filled with much Joy and Peace!

Please continue to be with us in prayer during our time in Haiti.

Blessings from Haiti

With Love

-Eric, Bri, Cohen, and Conrad

Things you can be praying for right now:  Saying goodbyes again this week to my dad (Briana) and Eric's parents, language learning, C & C adjusting to the heat and bugs J, the girls as they open their hearts to us, J & J as they share their lives in Haiti with us and adjusting to having us around watching and learning from them.