11th grade boy

Sōzō has been a huge part of my life. I'm a high school boy who attends sōzō, so naturally I'm attached to sōzō for the food. Each week we get a little snack, and i have to admit is a reason that i keep comming back.  I have been going to sōzō for the last year and have gotten a whole lot out of it besides the food. To be honest I was forced to go to sōzō by my mother, it was completely different than I expected. Sōzō has helped me open up with everyone in my path, it has been a really cool experiance to see the change in myself. At school I'm the guy who is crazy, cracks jokes, and has everything together. A lot of my friends at school come to me for advice and their problems, and I have to admit that I'm honored. I love that they can trust me, and respect my opinion in their situations, but it makes me feel that no one cares about my problems or my feelings. No one comes to me asking "hey how are you?" or "whats been going on?" and actually wanted a real conversation, they were just making short conversation. Sōzō has been that place, where i feel like someone actually cares. It has been crazy seeing how we all have problems and that a lot of them are similar. Each week i look forward to having conversation that are real and juicy. It makes life a whole lot easier, and i can't imagine how I lived everyday keeping all of these things bottled up. I really like how they take my problems and give me truths from the Word, so i know that its not just opinions of my leaders but Gods amazing thoughts. I have made amazing friends at sōzō and I am so thankful that my mom forced me to go.

baggage night

This is some of the baggage our students shared that they are carrying with them.  After spending a majority of the night sharing our baggage, we then talked a bit about what it looks like to leave it at the cross.  Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."  HE TAKES IT!  Will you give your baggage to him?

sweet 9th grade girl sharing her heart about starting high school

I’m a SOZO student and I’ve been coming to SOZO for 3 years. I love being able to talk whenever I need to and having a constant shoulder to lean on! I recently got into the school I’ve been wanting to go to for three years and I got to school on the first day and I hated it. Mostly because none of my friends were in my classes and so I was really scared. And I’m still scared. I just want to feel wanted and accepted. SOZO helps me to share what I’m feeling and I have made lots of new friends! SOZO gives me a place to be myself and I am so grateful for it!

SOZO confession night

What I wish I could show you, but want to keep safe for the
students, is the scripture that they wrote over their confession this past
week. Its in their individual handwriting and want to keep
confidentiality for them. They either shared about something that
had been done to them or they have done to someone….FREEDOM, is what many
experienced last Thursday by writing it out for the first time and most even
taking it a step further and sharing in their small group. Will you pray
over these with me? I put the verse that they chose to claim over their
confession. LOVE YOU GUYS BIG!

My dad lying to us about his girlfriend…2 Cor 5:17
Someone touched me in an inappropriate place..Psalm 32:3-4
I hurt someone’s relationship…2 Cor. 5:17
My brother hurt me…Jer. 29:11
Cutting/Burning myself/Purposely OD/Smoking Cigs….Isaiah
1:18
Rape…Psalm 32:3-4
Someone taking my customers at work during the week…Jeremiah
29:11
Licked a cookie then gave it to someone..Proverbs 28:13
My dad cheating on my mom…James 5:15-16
Eating disorder…Psalm 40:2-3
Telling my sister things I shouldn’t…Isaiah 1:18
Dad, Mom, and A friend…Jeremiah 29:11
Someone said that I was worthless and I will never do
anything in life…Psalm 40:2-3
Talk about other people behind their backs…Isaiah 1:18
Lied to parents…2 Cor 5:17
Wrote something mean to someone and when the teacher asked
who did it, I acted like I didn’t even know what she…was talking about…1 John
1:9
Sexual mistakes…James 5:15-16
Gossip…1John 1:9
Lied to mom…James 5:15-16
My dad cheating on mom…Jer 29:11
My ex told me to go cut myself to death…Jer 29:11 (she but
in big BOLD LETTERS, GOD HAD ANOTHER PLAN) amen!!
Careless driving..Proverbs 28:13
Others making my cutting a joke…Proverbs 28:13
I was ugly and horrible at everything I do…2 Cor 5:17
Flipped someone off and called them stuff I shouldn’t have…1
John 1:9 and Psalm 32:3-4
Judged someone for their special education…James 5:15-16
Abandonment…Jeremiah 29:11
Faked a facebook account and lied to my friends…1 John 1:9
Cussed me out and called me names…Jeremiah 29:11

Cardboard Testimonies

January Update

Happy Tuesday!

Some exciting things are happening in January and I just wanted to send you a quick
update to let you know what is going on in the SŌZŌ world.

We had our first week of SŌZŌ this past Thursday. Ten new faces walked
through the doors at PCA on that “snowy” night and I believe each and every one
of them experienced a piece of Freedom. It was so neat to watch the old
students love on the new and make them feel welcome. With new faces come
new stories, and wow is their some hurt in our teens lives. Just in my
small group alone, divorce, rejection, cutting, abuse, self-worth, were just a
few of the topics that were brought up when they shared about the baggage that
they are carrying around. Yes it is heavy, but when you get to see
the sweet girls (or boys, just not in my small group) experience the relief of
just speaking it out amongst their peers, it’s worth the heaviness. HEALING HAS BEGUN!

This week we are focusing on Denial. Please pray with us leaders as we help
the students walk through this subject. My prayer is that they will just
begin to admit that sometimes they hurt. We all hurt, we all experience
pain, and we all can experience God’s healing in our lives.

THREE REALLY COOL HAPPENINGS THIS MONTH!

Jan 12: we started SŌZŌ!!! (so glad to be back, I love the break, but I love living
life with the students more!)
Jan 16: I FINISHED MY LAST CLASS OF MY MASTERS! Please pray that I will be
diligent with my time and finish my case studies to receive my license/masters.
Jan 27-29: Megan Hutchinson (co-author of Life Hurts God Heals, the
curriculum we use and also who I interned under in CA) is coming to Murfreesboro, TN!
God is so cool, she will be speaking to over 2,000 youth at a conference called
Warmth In Winter. My leaders and I will be helping out that weekend
and counseling kids as God leads. We are so excited. Who would have
thought she would be speaking in TN, much less Murfreesboro.

Friends,thanks so much for your continued support! Hope you all have a great rest
of your Tuesday! Know that I am praying for you as well and am thankful for
each of you.

Love,
renee