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!