Last Stateside update

Our hearts are so full of joy this week!  …. We fly out this coming Sunday and it’s Christmas week! We get to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the most precious & perfect gift ever given, by the greatest gift-giver of all, our wonderful God and Father! Truly thinking about this makes us so excited that we will soon get to share this gift with the beautiful women of Uganda! We can’t wait to form relationships with the women of Ngongolo Village and share with them the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives. We can’t wait to show them God’s love and share with them the meaning of hope!!! 

Two days after arriving in Uganda we will be joining our kids on December 31st as they look beyond the walls of their home and into the surrounding community, delivering food and life essentials to families in need. This "Family to Family" campaign with Sozo Children allows families on this side of the world to reach families in Uganda who would otherwise be without. The Sozo kids are eager to go into villages and slums to give life essentials and share the Gospel with these families. We are looking forward to sharing this experience with them as they learn the beauty of giving and sharing their faith. After all, you don’t need a reason to serve others. Just reach out and give, love, and serve— this is how Jesus lived! If you would like to meet the physical and spiritual needs of one family in Uganda this Christmas season you can donate on Sozo’s webpage at www.sozochildren.org. 

Can you imagine walking through acres and acres of land with huts made of sticks and mud and the kids of Sozo handing the family who lives there a “Christmas gift” full of hygiene items and cheer?! This experience (which we could not be more excited about) will be our first blog post from Uganda! You won’t want to miss the pictures and stories that come from this day of giving. We are believing it will be one of the most memorable experiences we will take part in during this journey!

The Lord is so faithful to provide through the hearts of so many friends and families. We want to thank each and every one of you for your generosity and encouragement throughout this time of preparation. This opportunity could not be 5 days in front of us without your support and prayers. We are so grateful for you and what you mean to us! 

Please keep us in your prayers this week as we spiritually and emotionally prepare for this mission. We are savoring these last days with family and are soaking up as much American food and community as we can. Sunday will most likely be an emotional day for both us and our families so if you would lift us all up in prayer we would greatly appreciate it! 

“There is something wonderfully sacred that happens when a girl chooses to look past being set aside to see God’s call for her to be set apart.” — Lysa TerKeurst 

We love you all!

Amanda & Chelsie

34 days....

Well, big news on all fronts. 34 days until our departure. It's surreal. Somehow it has crept up on Amanda and I and we are in the midst of working through the logistics that go into a life transition across the world, such as this one. We fly out December 28th, so believe it or not I have already begun "see you laters" with some out-of-town family and friends. Looking at the calendar quickly realizing my available nights and weekends, prior to that date, are limited was quite an overwhelming feeling. As chaotic as things are preparing for this big change we are reminded and thankful that God is more interested in our hearts than our plans.

Today begins my second week on the "job" at Sozo Children. Last Monday I began my required 40 days of volunteer work in the office leading up to my departure date. What a great Monday-Friday change this has been so far. Different from the corporate world? Absolutely. But a good different....a breath of fresh air. I am spending each week shadowing a different Sozo staff member learning the ins and outs of each job behind the scenes here at Sozo's headquarters in Birmingham. Last week I learned the back end of child sponsorships and child partnerships process. 

Amanda fulfilled her 40 days last fall prior to her 3 month travels to Uganda with Sozo at the beginning of this year. Although we are not experiencing our "40 days" together we still find ourselves communicating every day finalizing the details of our mutual journey. Today, we sent off documentation for one year multi-entry visas. We are looking into medical insurance options, deciding on curriculum for the ladies in the village to be discipled through, fundraising, discussing "on the ground" plans and of course encouraging each other and trying to contain our excitement. 

So many have the same questions for us...

Where will we be living? The same house I have stayed in for Sozo team trips will be our humble abode for 5 months (pic below). It is located on a compound, connected to Sozo Children 'House 1'. Bunk bed style living with 1 bathroom- 1 shower, 1 toilet, 1 sink, 1 mirror. When teams come, it very much reminds me the sorority house sleeping porch-- tons of girls living on top of each other but making the most of it. 

What will we be eating? Just like my 3 short-term Uganda trips we will be dining with our Sozo children in the homes for lunch and dinner. This means a lot of rice, beans, and potatoes. Luckily, I can never get enough of carbs. We will be sure to pack plenty of protein bars, of course, as well as indulge in an American burger and milkshake around town from time to time. Breakfast is up to us so we will take oatmeal, buy bananas, and occasionally make "egg in a nest."

What kind of security will we have? We are not nervous but instead eager to follow His call and begin this journey. When this journey was being finalized a few months back God reminded me at a women's conference in His perfect time that "Jesus never told His friends to play it safe. People don’t choose to be courageous, they just decide not to be afraid anymore." Sozo has many rules in place for the sake of our safety and we believe we will be fine. We will be intentional about keeping our guard up and also look out for the development of a false sense of security even after we have been on ground for months. For anyone who knows my dad and his career, you know he will certainly not neglect to remind us of this. 

We know these things but there is a lot we won't know until we arrive, so we are embracing the unknown. We would love to step foot in Uganda with a plan for each hour as to how we will executive the women's sustainability project in the village (read more about in "our story") but that’s not the reality here. Bob Goff's truths ring true in my ear in these days of preparation..... "Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later. Quit waiting for a plan; just go love everybody. We are thankful that our failures will be our foundation. We are thankful that we won’t be defined by our mistakes or lack of knowledge. We are thankful that our failures will be covered by His grace. Don’t be enticed by success or scared by failure, be captivated with purpose. It’s all about sharing His love. Don’t save up love like you’re trying to retire on it; give it away like you’re made of it. Love one another- we don’t need more instructions on this command, we need more examples."

"If we’re satisfied doing what we’re used to, it will be easy to miss what we’ve been made for."

I'm thankful for your prayers, encouragement and donations! If you want to make an end of the year donation, now is a great time and can easily be done on this site. I am believing the greatest chapter of my life is still to be written and I cannot wait to share in this with you.

Made for More,

Chelsie

Leap of Faith

Hello friends, family, prayer warriors, supporters, and followers!

Thanks to each of you for visiting our blog. The time we have spent serving in Uganda thus far, with Sozo Children, is just the start of the Lord's plans for our futures. Through our short time spent in Uganda over the last year we have been blessed in so many different ways and it has forever changed our perspectives and future.

We hope you sign up for blog updates so that you can follow our mission in Uganda. More details to come in the near future, but in the meantime please click on "our story" above for an in depth look at our plans!

We are more thankful for you and your prayers than you know!

Chelsie & Amanda