This year we brought you 12 stories.
We launched this blog at the beginning of this year with the goal to share stories from Uganda and how the Lord is moving through this organization. This platform has allowed us to share more in depth with you how we are working to see our vision come to fruition. We hope these words resinated with you—connecting you to our mission and our children in a more powerful way. We invite you to continue following these digital pages next year as we continue sharing stories of transformation and hope.
These stories are our stories, but also, these are your stories. After all, we are all Sozo Children.
January we launched our BLOG!
Our goal is to take a deeper look into the heart of Sozo Children.
This organization and ministry is ever evolving and growing, but our overall goal hasn’t changed. Our vision has always been to see all children thriving, all communities transformed, all for God’s glory. This year we are launching our Sozo Children blog right here. This platform will allow us to share more in depth with you how we are working to see this vision come to fruition.
February’s word was EMBRACE.
Throughout our lives, with each twist and turn, God is constantly inviting us to take a seat at His table and calls us to trust Him. Our prayer this month is that we might all continue to learn to embrace His plans and not our own ways, to release our clenched hands and embrace where He has us and those around us. This month we want to introduce you to our newest member of the Sozo Children family, Ryan. This is his story of embracing change and newness, but also his start to embracing others in love.
March’s word was DETERMINATION.
Daniel is one of our older Sozo Children and for years, Daniel wore these blinders of determination. Daniel grew up in a small Ugandan village, one far from our Sozo homes and community. After a short period of time when he attended school, his primary education was halted because of the financial burden it weighted upon his family. For ten years, he was unable to work toward his goal of finishing his education.
“That was the goal I wanted most: I wanted to go back to school.” – DANIEL
April’s word was FAMILIARITY.
Nothing in this life is more important than relationships—that is why Sozo’s mission strives to not only provide physical and emotional care for our kids, but to provide love, friendship, and family for them, giving them a haven not to just call their living space, but a place they can call home.
This month at Sozo, we are looking deeply at the idea of the familiar: the things that make us feel loved, safe, and secure. The things that are most familiar—our family and friends—are among the most important possessions one can hold onto.
May’s word was EQUIP.
We seek to equip our kids in every way we can—relationally by modeling healthy friendship and family dynamics; mentally by giving them quality education that matches each child’s abilities, needs, and skill-sets; physically by providing medical care; spiritually by feeding them with the truths of the Gospel. Our goal is to furnish them for service or action so that they can accomplish their dreams and build the Kingdom.
As our kids grow and prepare to graduate from Sozo, we hope to not only provide for their current and immediate needs, but also to push them toward a successful future.
June’s word was LAUGHTER.
Laughter is the global speech that binds us together, defying all language and social barriers.
Someone once said that laughter is the best medicine; studies have even proven that laughing is indeed beneficial to our health. Laughter releases positive chemical endorphins into our bloodstreams that bring a sense of relief, relieving stress and bringing comfort.
At Sozo this month, we celebrate the gift of laughter.
July’s word was REDEMPTION.
We all love a good come back story, right? It’s why we are drawn to sports movies or rooting for the underdog. We get inspired by a hard earned, success narrative after an unlikely journey. We like to see people come out on top, we like to see the ending worth the fight to get there. We relish seeing light triumph darkness and enjoy boasting in God’s faithfulness.
Redemption is the heart of the gospel; of grace itself. Redemption is a form of love, a love written by God the Father and displayed in the life of Christ the Son. This form of love is something our good friend Stanley experienced a few years ago.
August’s word was DREAM.
As believers, we are called to live with a Kingdom-mindset, living each day driven by the Great Commission and the responsibility to tell others about the Good News of the Gospel. Our dreams, our aspirations, our joys—they are all to point others closer to Jesus. Living out our dreams can be a way of carrying out the Great Commission.
This month at Sozo we want to celebrate dreams, encouraging others to pursue their dreams in the light of eternity. God has given each of our children a dream in order to make them thrive for His glory and for their good.
SEPTEMBER’S word was RESILIENCE.
To know him, is to love him. Junior lives a life of constant outpouring. He is a role model for all of us. He exemplifies a resilient character that we believe will carry him to succeed in medical school. He is on a mission to give back to his country and his people and we could not be prouder to watch God work through him and cheer him on.
May we strive to be like Junior, never giving in to what is easy, but always choosing to stand back up when knocked down. Let us be resilient Kingdom builders.
October’s word was Kinship.
It is beautiful how the Lord orchestrates these divine relationships, weaving common passions—like sewing—into our lives to connect us to others. Community is important and receiving people who lift you up—who support and love you unconditionally is a sweet gift from the Father. Sponsorship is so much more than a monthly payment, it is a powerful relationship—a second family across the globe that is cheering you on—your own Ugandan kin.
November’s word was TRANSFORMATION.
We, at Sozo, firmly believe that the best way to serve people is by working alongside them in community—trying to understand their needs rather than guessing and partnership rather than dependancy. This is why we model our organization around the idea of empowering leaders within Uganda. Our children are raised by Ugandan caretakers, we encouraged our kids to giveback to their community, and we hire locals in our Village Project efforts.
For the past seven years, we have been building meaningful relationships with vulnerable communities to share the love of Christ and break the cycle of poverty.
Continue reading this story here.
December’s word was Hope.
Susan’s life has not been easy—a disabled body, not being enrolled in school, no proper nutrition, physical and mental abuse—yet you find her joyful and smiling in her vulnerable circumstances. Earlier this year, Susan began showing up to Kid’s Club sick and the Sozo moms took notice—she was unable to lift her head and that infectious smile was missing. Our staff knew they needed to take action and with the permission of her grandmother, Sozo was able to get her medical attention to care for her hernia.
Continue reading here.
