"Uganda" be kidding me we thought...

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20 

So 4 months ago when we were more consistent bloggers (please forgive us!) we talked about choosing love and joy in a world of darkness. In a recent study of Isaiah 61, God revealed the beautiful visual of a festive praise instead of despair. I couldn't get through the study without thinking story by story the life our women live in the village. With nothing to their name, contaminated water, little food, and no medicine for their many illnesses. they still choose to reflect the Light, they still choose courage, they still choose joy, they still choose hope... and it all starts with Jesus. They come many miles to sit on the dirt ground on a tarp under a tree with their Bible in their lap thirsting for His Word, His promises, and His love. The Two for ONE Purpose women may say that we bring hope to the dark places of Uganda, but we are moved every day in seeing them bring the hope, joy, and love of Jesus.

In a complete state of transparency, I can assure you that I still struggle with being chosen. I give thanks every day that God called me to this job and this life but over a year later, I still feel like He has too much to teach me to be an effective leader to these women. I recently heard a sermon that spoke to me-- "There is more inside of you that God can use than your mind can comprehend." I walk in trust knowing that He has made me for MORE and that I can do anything He has called me to.

Times I doubt this are especially when I am on the other side of the world hurting, confused, and trying to comprehend a tough situation that makes no sense because of the cultural differences. Last November we found ourselves in a low. Actually, the lowest most desperate place we have ever been in while living in Uganda. The days were long, the questions were big, the sadness was present, the inability to understand was bigger than ever. In the last post, we requested prayer as we were navigating through some muddy waters in the midst of a storm. We were betrayed by someone we were very close with. As an American living in a poor country you are looked at as rich rich rich (little do they know we don't get paid to do this & they would be sad to see our bank accounts). That is why you hear the Ugandan men yelling for you as you walk down the street, why you see the children running after you, and it goes on and on. They see us as a symbol of hope, money, and a dream/America. It's devastating really that they are missing out on the hope of the Cross, instead, and something we will never get used to. With that said many are out to get our money and try to take advantage of us whether it's something small that we see everyday, like increasing their prices when they see us coming. This was different and without getting into all the details, just know it was a tough time that seemed to never end. In a foreign country where there are so many cultural and communication barriers, things don't tend to be so black and white. It was an emotional roller coaster everyday waking up to new deceit, and many unanswered questions. It lasted about a month and to be honest there were many days I questioned whether I could get through another day over there or if I needed to come home.

Those days I wondered if I was enough. If I was capable of leading well despite having a broken heart. If I could love well despite having been betrayed by a close friend. The Lord taught me something in those days. It wasn't up to me. The results are up to Him. My job is to be obedient. He was with me every step of the way and because of Him we were still able to accomplish more that month than I could have ever thought. That month the women made 1,000 bracelets and everyday made money from that, which would cover basic needs to get by. For this, we praise our great God and are blown away by what He has done through this ministry.

At the heart of Two for ONE Purpose are the stories. We love to hear how God is moving through the women that make us this community, this family. As I will soon be back in my "happy place" get ready for some of those stories. Stories of salvation, prayer requests, love, and God's hand in all of it.

As I mentally prepare to head back out to Uganda tomorrow, Matthew 25:45 consumes my thoughts... "And He will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'" My prayer is when things get hard after months in a third world country, alone (Amanda, I'm going to miss you!), my God will make it ever so clear every morning why He has called me to do what He has. I know that God is continuing to teach me to trust. Trust even when the bottom falls out,  the hurt comes, and feel lonely on the other side of the world, I will remember I am not alone!

Please pray with me for this challenge that lies ahead working with the women on my own, please pray for Amanda as she continues touring with the Sozo Choir in the US, and please pray that God uses us to advance His kingdom while touching the lives of anyone we come in contact with whether here or there.

Made for MORE,
Chelsie

Choose Light. Choose Love.

“What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.” Romans 8:18

Just as you see in the pictures- smiles, laughter, joy, hope, cuteness, beauty- it’s what we choose to see every day on this side of the world in Uganda. We are comfortable and settled in to this life we have lived in Uganda for (almost) the last year. We adore God’s people and His creation over here and this life He has called us to. Many times our pictures surprise people because the ugliness and darkness of a third world country are overshadowed by the beauty of the genuine smiles on the faces of these people.

Do we see the ugliness, brokenness, and darkness still? Let me tell you about two powerful stories from our last week of work here.

In our village ministry (Sozo Women) we thought it would be a beautiful picture of compassion & support if our ladies gave an offering to a fellow sister in Christ in our group. The lady in need is Margaret and she is about to lose a finger. It is infected so much that it is swollen to the size of Andre Smith’s thumb (bare with me, Alabama football reference). Remember that we minister to the “least of these” who struggle to survive each day because of finances. The Widow’s Offering in Mark 12:41-44 is about to come to your mind. We asked our translator to tell these women what we have in mind- it’s our first time to ask anything like this of them & frankly I was a bit regretful as we got blank stares in response. Come to find out the women did not have money on them that day (or any day for that matter). We left it at that and the next time we gathered 3 days later it was a “jewelry-making” day which means PAY DAY for the women. We handed out the money earned and immediately one by one the women handed back to us on average 1,000 shillings (approx. .39 cents) for Margaret’s offering. In the village that is about half a day’s work so it was nothing insignificant as you might think. “A poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents….she, out of her poverty, put in everything- all she had to live on” – Mark 12:42-44. This was a beautiful thing to see. That day we had not reminded the ladies or pushed for it again- we simply allowed the Holy Spirit to do His thing and Sozo Women collected 60,000 shillings (the amount of Margaret’s necessary medical treatment)!

Pictured: Margaret making jewelry with her finger wrapped and i.v. in hand post medical treatment

To say we were proud of our women and encouraged by what we had witnessed was an understatement. Meanwhile, I visit Maama Rodene’s house on the day after. (Now if you have followed any of my picture posts on social media you have met Rodene in numerous pictures. My 3 year old village boy who has become much like a son to me). It is not abnormal for me to visit Maama Rodene aka Maureen (about 20 years old) before our bible studies begin. She speaks (broken) English which I’m thankful for, so we can communicate directly most of the time. I ask her if she is born again in Christ and she says yes. I gently encourage her to join Sozo Women for bible study as I would love for her to be a part of this growing group. As many times as I have asked her to come in the past she refused because she has no husband,  a 11 month old baby Christopher, and needed to find a way to make money that day to feed her 2 sons. Something was different Monday.... she frantically jumps up from these rocks we are sitting on on the ground, begins gathering the (few) clothes off the line, throws pants on Baby Christopher, and has Rodene quickly wash his mud covered sandals. She says “Chelsie! I’m coming. Today, and every other Monday and Thursday!” So we walk down the dirt road hand in hand, drop off Rodene and Christopher at Sozo Kid’s Club and as we approach the women’s ministry she abruptly stops and looks at me and says that she can’t come. Immediately I knew something was up- what could have changed in the blink of an eye. She starts telling me that there is a lady she sees in the group who hates her. Maureen says that if she walks up to the group this lady will begin yelling at her and causing a scene. At this point she won’t give me much detail so I encourage her to still come and by the grace of God she does and everything was fine. Afterward as we make our way back to her one room dirt-floor “house” I am asking questions trying to get the story. Apparently the woman in our group is accusing Maureen of sleeping with her husband and has threatened to BEWITCH Maureen because of this. (Witchcraft is a common cultural practice in Uganda and we hear of these stories often, just not about our own Sozo Women anymore. We would like to think they are now changed women by and through Jesus Christ and have turned from those wicked ways). So now, I begin to shutdown because I am heartbroken someone is accusing Maureen of such a thing and more so that one of our women is practicing witchcraft on another! Hundreds of thoughts flood my head and tears form in my eyes and I say to Amanda “How has God used us in the lives of these women since forming Sozo Women in January; What are we doing; Should we just throw our hands up and forget all of this???). Long story short, I pray with her and Rodene for the situation at hand and tell her I will see her Thursday. A few phone calls are made that night and come to find out Maureen is sleeping with the other woman’s husband and has even been living with him for 3 months.  He is HIV positive and very old, by the way. My heart immediately breaks for Rodene and Christopher and even Maureen. Did I mention that Maureen’s brother Joseph is on his death bed (aka a mattress outside on the dirt in the village) from AIDS? I try to find a positive note from the truthful info I have gained… we are assured by many that the other lady never threatened to bewitch Maureen and does not even practice witchcraft. Thank God!

I am hurting and devastated by the facts of Maureen’s actions. And what this means for Rodene. I love, treasure, and care for Rodene and now grieve for his young mother is now HIV infected. Maureen is living in darkness and that darkness is real, and that darkness is horrible. It comes from Satan. But I can confidently say Satan will not have the last word in this story. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5. We will keep praying for this entire family, their health, and their futures.

Pictured: Rodene and younger brother Christopher, the 2 sons of Maureen

Two stories, one of light and one of darkness, in the same week in the same village. We choose to claim His Light in the midst of all we see. Now is not the time to despair. We believe God called us to this life in Uganda and we are prepared to follow Him into every dark place. We believe He is powerful and able to transform and to heal. We believe He is big enough and good enough to save every woman who comes through Sozo Women. We claim beauty from ashes. He will meet them and us in this broken, dark place and He has chosen us to deliver His hope and love. 

Pray with us and for us as we navigate through some muddy waters as we are in the midst of a storm we will mention in the next post. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only Light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

We love you guys! 

Made for MORE,

Chelsie & Amanda

They are flourishing!

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Sozo Women’s Ministry is flourishing....

Sitting under the trees listening to her preach about Ruth made me realize that prayers were being answered! I sat in awe of God and how He works. Our ladies were becoming leaders!

Coming back to Uganda this time, we had prayers for our women to rise up, be bold and to lead each other and that is exactly what has been happening this past month.  Our translator Dorah has been on and off attending the ministry the past several weeks because of a family issue.  Chelsie and I were nervous the first day without her, wondering how we would communicate since only a handful can speak and understand a small amount of English. God knew exactly what we would do.  He gave our women the confidence needed to create a praise and worship team and the boldness for Justine to stand up before everyone to give a word! We had been teaching about women of the bible the past few meetings and Justine asked if she could share about Ruth.  Even though I couldn’t understand her (except for the small amount of words I know in Luganda) I could hear the passion in her voice and could see the other ladies eyes locked on her, listening and engaging in conversation.  It was a moment I will forever remember!  I was proud and thanked God for her!

After bible study that day I asked another lady, Fatumah, if she wanted to co-lead with me the next meeting. She said YES!! We decided we would teach on Psalm 67. Last Monday, Fatumah and I lead bible study together. Since Dorah was back that day, I was able to understand what she was saying. It was beautiful!

It keeps getting better…. A few of our younger ladies who know English have stepped up too.  A young woman named Resty, a daughter of one of the women, and new to the group, didn’t hold back from helping when we needed her. Chelsie was leading that day and Dorah wasn’t able to attend.  Resty said she would help translate so bible study could keep going that day. Chelsie said it was a truly amazing day seeing the 19 year old stand before 50 women translating with boldness and ease. Resty is now the proud owner of her first English bible.

Monday I co-led with another lady, continuing our discussion about women of the bible.  Join us in prayer for our ladies to have the courage & boldness to want to stand before our group and share the love of Christ! I love this group and thank God for placing me right here right now!

Love to you all,

Amanda & Chelsie

for the Love

"Caring for orphans isn't easy. It isn't the glamorous, photographic moments that we all like to share. It's not all cute, little checks and cuddle sessions on end. It's not full of 'gotcha' moments and happily ever afters. It's daily giving yourself to another human so that they might know love. It's heartache and tears, hugs and break throughs. But it's real life, and we need more people who will say 'Yes!' to the fatherless and daily die unto themselves."

I have now been in Uganda again for just over 1 month. How can that be? The overwhelming emotions of constant love, unending joy, and supernatural peace have once again engrossed me in this place. But to be honest it has not been easy every day. This time there are 10 Americans here at Sozo doing similar work. This is very different from our first 5 months here, at the beginning of the year, when it was me & Amanda and only 2 others. I have been reminded of how much I love my alone time. But at the same time community is vital when you're doing life on the other side of the world. There are times when you're worn and exhausted ... I look at one of our little girls and ask for some loving and she shoots a sassy look and walks off. Kids are kids. Sometimes I feel like I'm a referee calling the shots as to which kid deserves the time on the iPad as they fight it out. Many days we are constantly busy doing chores around the Sozo homes serving the staff and taking as much off their plate as possible- i.e. Amanda and I 'Uganda mop' (bent over at the hip or on our hands & knees) a huge outside porch every morning followed by other chores for a couple hours. There are many rules for our safety this time and many days you want to get off the compound but it's not allowed. Some days I just pray my car would appear here and I could jump in it and GO! Drive myself to where I need to get. Maybe in my next life in Uganda...

When I landed in Uganda I didn't waste any time getting the jewelry making process started with the women in the village once again. This time they flew through the making of 300 more TwoforOnePurpose necklaces and bracelets. With the selfless help of some of the other missionaries we watched the women knock out the project in no time. Amanda & I were immediately able to pay the women their money earned from the extra profits received from the selling of the jewelry this summer. Like last time, we received tight hugs and sweet kisses of thanks....along with a 90 year old dancing a dance of JOY! Always a favorite day of mine seeing the proud smiles on their faces!

Don't forget their jewelry is sold in the Sozo store in Birmingham. These women are gaining necessary resources thanks to their job at Sozo Women and your purchase of their jewelry! In October the women will begin working on the new jewelry design and we are so excited to soon share pictures of these new bracelets with you.

Being back for Round 2, I'm once again thankful that God gave me another push out the door. Because after all "if we only do what we're familiar with, we might miss what we've been made for." Every day over here I am renewed with a joy and peace and an overwhelming love for our Father. Even on the hard days.

I am still learning that it's okay to live a life that others don't necessarily understand. It's not about living the "perfect" life. It's about simplifying real life to make time for what matters most.  There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind. The work we do here is for the love... of the Father.

Please pray for our health, deepened faith, fellowship, and ministry. We love you all and miss you already!

John 15:17 "This is my command: love each other."

Made for MORE,
Chelsie & Amanda

Nothing for granted.

With a little over a week remaining in the US, I seem to be asked one question these days. "So are you ready to go back to Uganda?" 

"Yes in a way, but no." My answer probably doesn't make sense to some, but then again maybe it does. I recently read another missionary's blog and it explains the current state of my heart so well. So, I'm going to share her words to explain my thoughts...

"Two weeks and four days until I say goodbye to the comforts of home for seven months. I have anticipated these goodbyes for so long, and never imagined they would come, but they did, and they are hitting me like a freight train.

My excitement is about to catapult me to the skies, while my insecurities anchor me down. It has been a liberating year as I have released the security of a typical college education, my sweet friends, my dear family, and my fluffy white bed. Some hold more weight than others, but they still fill my mind when I think of the day of departure.

As my relationship with the Lord has deepened I have realized we have not been called to a comfortable life. I don’t want to wait around anticipating the possibilities; I want to help make them happen. These next months will not be easy or luxurious in the least, and that is okay.

I am learning that I am selfish, prideful, and vain. I have days where my flesh becomes judgmental. Every morning I rise in need of a savior, and every night I go to bed in need of a savior. When I surrender my faults he replaces them with humility, tenderness, and joy. Joy comes in the morning, and today is a new day. Praise be to God for gracing me with this opportunity to be a vessel for his Kingdom. And today His grace is something worth celebrating."

Sitting here 11 days out, I, Chelsie Hogan, am ready. Ready to drive into the village and embrace the Sozo Women, ready to squeeze the orphans of Sozo Children, ready to pour out God's love on the people of Uganda, ready to learn more of the language, ready to build more relationships, ready to see what more God has for me.

Selfishly I am not ready ... not ready to leave the comforts and conveniences of life in America. Selfishly I'm not ready to leave my bed for a bunk bed for the next 6 months, not ready to live without air condition again, not ready to have mosquitoes buzzing in my ear as I try to sleep, not ready to have a constant trickle of sweat running down my shirt, not ready to have stained feet from the red dirt, not ready to eat rice/beans & potatoes every day. I'm not ready to miss more best friends get married and give birth. I'm not ready to leave my mom in a state of physical pain, not ready to leave my dad who needs help to get everything done in a day, not ready to leave my sister and our love for weekend travel adventures. 

But the last 2 months in America I am thankful for. I no longer take the things for granted that I used not to not think twice about. When I have gotten in the shower I thank God for hot water, when I wash my hands I thank God for running water, when I fill up my water bottle I thank God for clean water that will not put me in the hospital with typhoid fever. And the list goes on and on and on! My worst day in America will never even compare to the best day for my village women in Uganda. 

And for that I am grateful and reminded that God has placed this calling on my life to live a life of radical obedience despite the comforts and conveniences I am giving up. As David Platt says it best "Radical obedience to Christ is not easy... It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us."

I look forward to experiencing more unforgettable memories like the ones from my last 5 month stint in Uganda, captured in this video  https://www.youtube.com

Made for MORE,

Chelsie

Round 2

"It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now." 2 Corinthians 8:10-11

We are back!!! Adjusting to a bittersweet return, but with the hopeful plans of returning for Uganda Round 2 in late August. The verse above speaks to Amanda & I and continues to resurface, even today at a prayer breakfast. If I've learned one thing throughout this journey, when HE speaks I should listen because He has got a plan and purpose!

As mentioned in our last blog post, by April God was moving mountains and "showing off" within the Sozo Women's Ministry. We were able to lead the women in an overview of every book in the Bible and while doing so sharing a highlight scripture and how it applies to life. God was leading 100+ women to gather with us for Bible studies and as we rejoiced in that we began to lead into the sustainability project at the end of that month. 

Since January we had longed to get to this step with the women’s ministry. It was time to trust the Lord in His vision while doing something we, as the leaders, nor the women had ever done before. Amanda & I facilitated the project while we proudly watched our group of women carefully hand-make 312 pieces of jewelry to be sold in America. Through this project and God's faithfulness the women were being empowered, learning a new life skill, and hearing about Christ all while doing so. For the first time the women were feeling important, remembered, and most of all loved!

Amanda and I have recently returned to the U.S. for the summer, and we are joyfully selling the bracelets/necklaces for $20 each. All of the money directly goes back to the women! Praise God for what this means.. food, medicine, school fees, and so much more. 




While working on the women's ministry stateside, we are also here to fundraise for our upcoming stint in Uganda. The Lord is calling us to return to continue what has only just begun in Sozo Women's Ministry. We plan to launch numerous other sustainability projects with the women, continuing to give them an opportunity to have an income.  Of course we will continue with a Bible study, believing that faith will continue to grow and lives will be eternally changed. 

We believe God will once again provide the financial support needed in order to continue this calling. We believe your prayers will continue to touch our hearts and fill our cups. We believe God has plans, once again, so much bigger than we are picturing for Uganda Round 2. Please continue to pray for us as well as insight into God's will for Sozo Women's Ministry. To Him be all the glory for the great things He has done!




THANK YOU for your love and sticking by our side throughout such a powerful, life-changing last 5 months. We love you!




Made for MORE,

Chelsie & Amanda

Paper beads change lives.

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' 

Acts 20:35

God knew what He was doing much more than us when he sent Amanda & I to Uganda to help give the families of a rural village a chance at self-sustainability. Our hearts have longed to help these people in such a way that they learn a skill, something long-term that will provide income for their families. You see, income in the “bush” is rare. There are not many jobs being offered other than working in a garden growing crops aka “digging.” It involves long days, back pain, hard work, and little money—about $1 per day.

So last week during our Monday and Thursday gatherings with the women in the village we announced this upcoming opportunity, which was learning a new skill and being a part of a special project. Without yet knowing a payout is involved the response was overwhelming. Grandmothers, mothers, and daughters joyfully started shouting Amen and yelling catcalls with gigantic smiles on their faces. To them, this meant a chance… a chance at learning something new, a chance at getting their minds off their daily struggles, a chance at providing for their family, a chance at getting their children in school, a chance at not having to worry if there would be any dinner to be cooked on the open fire each night.

Thanks to our supporters we have been purchasing the necessary materials the last few weeks in order to make this first sustainability project happen. It’s a crazy thought but the majority of jewelry here is made from paper beads, which consist of paper rolled up tightly in a very skilled way. In order to get the specific size of paper strips needed we spent hours cutting this special kind of paper in exact dimensions on paper cutters.

After recruiting one of our Sozo house mothers, Maama Maggie, to join us we did our normal 35 minute bumpy drive down the red dirt roads into Ngongolo Village. But this time something was different. I was reminded how we got here to this point. Since January we had longed to get to this step with the women’s ministry. We knew we needed to ease into it and be assured the women were coming for the right reasons, not to receive gifts from us “mzungus”. Every bump we bounced I was reminded of how much we left at home- our jobs, houses, families, friends, best friends’ weddings & baby births, and so much more. But as strange as it may sound it now does not seem to hurt as bad to have left these for what is now at our fingertips. A chance to help the forgotten, the unloved, the poorest of the poor…just to make a difference, an impact for these women we have loved dearly for years. This is what has weighed so heavily on our hearts for more than a year. The time is here.

Yesterday Maama Maggie, being her perfectionist self, slowly taught the 112 women who came for training. What a site! There has never been such chitter chatter amongst the ladies. The ladies came energized- hyper in way like I have never seen them. They were excited, they were thankful, they were ready to soak in some knowledge! Maggie showed them each step of how to roll a bead. It was much like a kindergarten class with women everywhere reaching out their hand filled with beads they had rolled to get Maggie’s approval. It was chaos in the best way- a beautiful mess.  She thoroughly examined the beads giving pointers for continued improvement or in some cases giving her disapproval with an explanation.

Thursday is another day of training and on Monday the project will be in full bloom. We are anxious but at the same time confident in these women. Next week we will share with them that the bracelets/necklaces they are making (over the next month) will be sold to our American friends/families and in turn these ladies will be paid for their hard work. When the time comes for this announcement I will be sure to have my earplugs in because there is sure to be much hootin and hollerin!!!

To many the pictures may look like nothing special. But for us it was everything. Everything we had longed for…for over a year. We certainly didn’t know how things would play out with this ministry we came to Uganda to start. We didn’t know their language, we didn’t know their situation, we didn’t know their interest, we didn’t know how or when. We just knew this was the call placed on our lives and that it had to happen.

Because of the generous donations from special supporters over the last 6 months the hearts of 112 women are happy this week. You are providing an opportunity for a group of poor, like you have never seen, that is lighting up their faces, their children’s faces, and especially their futures. This skill they have learned will empower the women of Ngongolo Village to generate a profit of their own to support their families. So there will never be enough thank yous or enough pictures to show you the impact you are making across the world.

Continue to be with us in prayer for endurance as this 5^th and final (for now) month approaches, wisdom as we continue to lead spiritually, discernment as we share with the women the financial incentive, and unity as we come together as 112 sisters in Christ to make a dream come true.

Made for MORE,

Chelsie & Amanda

Two of our babies, Bushila and Yonah, who were great little helpers keeping things under control at bead training. (note: Yonah happily toting his mommy's Bible for her).