In this episode of the Sozo Podcast, we welcome back Ron Owens, Village Project Director and Sozo CEO Suzanne Owens, to continue telling the story of how Sozo Children began. Picking up after the land purchase in 2014, Ron shares how Engineering Ministries International (EMI) partnered with Sozo to design a master plan for the future Sozo Village. We hear the incredible backstory of drilling the first three wells on the property — from small yields to a miraculous 22,000 liters per hour — and how God turned a “mistake” placement into the community’s primary water source. Along the way, Ron and Suzanne reflect on God’s provision, the importance of different gifts working together, and how water became both a practical and spiritual lifeline for Sozo Village and its neighbors.

From Thrift Store to Choir Tour: The Vision Expands

In this episode of The Sozo Podcast, Haley Jones sits down once again with Sozo Children founder and CEO Suzanne Owens to unpack a pivotal season in the ministry's journey. From the move into their Avondale headquarters in early 2015 to the grand opening of Sozo Trading Co. that summer, Suzanne shares the behind-the-scenes story of how a passing comment at a donor dinner sparked the launch of a thrift store that now serves thousands.

But that’s not all—this episode also dives into the heartwarming origins of the very first Sozo Choir. Hear how a vision planted in 2007 came to life in 2016, as 21 children from Uganda traveled to the U.S. for a six-month tour that would forever shape their lives and the hearts of everyone they met.

Highlights:

• How a business partnership with RJ Mechanical made Sozo’s headquarters and thrift store possible
• The logistical mountain of bringing 21 Ugandan children to the U.S. for the first choir tour
• The unexpected spiritual, emotional, and academic growth the choir kids experienced
• Why reverse mission trips matter—and how they’re changing lives

Tune in and be reminded: when you follow God’s lead, even a simple idea can change the world.

Ask ChatGPT

In this episode, Haley Jones and Sozo Children founder Suzanne Owens pick up the story where Ron left off—when Sozo was out of money and relying fully on faith. Suzanne shares how they opened a third home for boys in the slums of Kabalagala (yes, it means “pancake”) without knowing how they’d fund it—and how God provided again and again.1

From makeshift offices and volunteer staff to organizing 20+ interns and running epic mud run fundraisers, Suzanne reflects on the chaos, exhaustion, and beauty of Sozo’s early days. Most importantly, this episode reveals how, just four years in, Sozo took a massive leap of faith—buying 28 acres of land in Uganda. Spoiler alert: it involves surprise checks, divine timing, and a bankroom miracle.

If you’ve ever doubted whether big dreams born in small living rooms can become reality—this episode is proof they can.