August 16, 2024 • 31 mins
Have you ever wondered how faith and resilience can transform lives? In this throwback episode of Coffee Chat with Amber and Lisa, we are honored to sit down with a remarkable Leading Lady Sioni Rodriguez, a survivor of human trafficking and an inspiring advocate for forgiveness and healing. Listen as she shares her struggles, the scars that tell the story of her survival, and the unwavering belief that God loved her and ultimately would rescue her from this dark world. Her story is not just one of survival, but of profound healing and the transformative impact of sharing one's testimony.
Reflection Questions:
- How has faith played a role in overcoming challenges in your life?
- What does resilience mean to you, and how have you demonstrated it?
- How can sharing our stories of struggle and triumph impact others?
- How can you overcome the things you perceive as shameful from your past and let God shine through them?
Thank you for taking the time to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Visit leadingladies.life to find out more. Also, follow @leadingladieslife on social. Amber & Lisa are authors of the multi-award-winning book, Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success, which dives into the power of community and empowering women of faith to rise up and make a difference, using our gifts and faith to shine brightly in the world. Watch the Facebook Live edition on our YouTube Channel @coffeechatladies .
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, this is Amber and welcome to a throwback
episode of Coffee Chat.
We are so excited and yet we'restill taking some time off for
the month of August.
Everything has been amazing butcompletely upheaved.
(00:20):
In the middle of Lisa finishingup, casey Superstar and myself
with my baby girl going back toschool, my husband Philip and I
celebrating 30 years of marriageand, of course, recovering from
a very exciting ASSA conferenceand Christian Products Expo in
(00:46):
Fort Wayne, indiana.
We'll talk about that next week.
But we have an excitingannouncement for those who
haven't heard our leading ladiesbook Discover your God-Grown
Strategy for Success One, theGolden Scroll 2024 Anthology of
(01:07):
the Year we are so very proud.
And another excitingannouncement we have our Leading
Ladies, my Discovery and NextSteps journal available on
Amazon.
So we would love for you.
If you haven't yet, grab thebook, grab the journal.
We are so excited about thisjournal.
(01:29):
So our throwback episode todayis our conversation with an
amazing leading lady and dearfriend, sione Rodriguez.
You guys will want to tune intothis.
You guys will want to tune intothis.
(01:50):
Sione has an amazing testimonyof coming out of human
trafficking, which we know ifyou have read her story in the
book.
It's a powerful story.
This is officially our 35thepisode and I'm so excited that
you guys can hear it from suchan amazing woman.
So, without further ado, sioneRodriguez, hey, everyone,
(02:13):
welcome to another edition ofCoffee Chat.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I don't have a coffee this evening.
We're out of our normal mojohere.
We're not vibing like wenormally do on Saturday morning,
because we're pre-recording,and you're right.
I have no coffee either.
I have water, which is not thesame, and I don't want to drink
coffee now because there will beno sleeping.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Of course, sione, do you drink coffee at night?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
No, I'm a faker, I'm only doing decaf.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
And she loves warm milk.
That is one thing she lovesbefore she goes to bed.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Very nice.
Welcome everybody to CoffeeChat with Amber and Lisa.
Our guest today, sioneRodriguez, is one of our ASSA
sisters.
She didn't get to go this yearto the conference, but we've
stayed with her before.
It would have been an evenbetter party if you had been
there, sione.
It would have.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I have to make it next year Definitely.
It's just this thing that everyyear I have to go somewhere and
just but yes, we have someexciting news.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
While we were there, we actually went to the Golden
Scrolls Awards and, although ourbook is still a baby, like it's
only been born to what like twoand a half months, not even
three months, yeah, we somehow,by the grace of God, walked away
with a Christian market bookaward for leading.
(03:45):
Discover your God.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I would say thank you for voting for us, but nobody
voted.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Except for the judges the judges, that was a real
blessing and a wonderful honorto have the book honored.
And, siona, you were justtalking to us before we went
live about the book.
You said you just finishedreading the entire book.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yes, I did, and I have my copy too.
I read this book and I justlike, wow, every single chapter
in this book is just a goodchapter.
And what I love about this bookis just that it just speak to
everyone, whether it is you aChristian, you're not a
(04:29):
Christian, whether you have comefrom a good home or you have
come for a back home.
It just speak to so many peoplefrom so many different ways of
life and I just love the wholebook.
The first time I read in theback, it says Sister, it's time
to get down to business.
That's right, sister we got toget down to business, whether
(04:50):
it's business with Jesus or it'sbusiness with our friends,
business with our coworkers.
Let's talk about this book.
Everybody must have a copy ofthis book.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
That's a huge, nice verbiage there.
Everybody must have this book.
That's a huge, nice verbiagethere.
Everybody must have this book.
I want to point out that Sioneis one of our chapter
contributors.
She is our chapter 10 and herchapter is called Find Strength
in Telling your Story.
When we are asked in interviews,are there stories that stand
(05:22):
out?
And there are many stories thatstand out for different reasons
.
I know you had mentioned eventhe story Maureen Charles, how
that story affected you when youread it.
I have to say that a story thatstuck out for me is always your
story.
Some of the stories are warm andfuzzy and, yes, they have some
deep meaning to them, but someof them show that there are
(05:44):
those of us on this planetserving Jesus.
We've walked through somedifficult things and when I look
at your life, sione, I see awoman.
I look at you today and you'rejust a beautiful reflection of
Christ, of his love.
You are vibrant, you are fullof love.
I can't tell you, I can't eventell you people, how many times
(06:07):
Sione just texts for no reasonto say I love you, I'm praying
for you.
You truly have got a presenceof God that just emanates
goodness and joy.
But when you look at the story,the story of a little girl who
is betrayed by the people whoshould have loved her best and
(06:30):
cared for her, best.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
As you mentioned, I was so into human trafficking
when I was a little girl, by mymother, who was supposed to be
loving me, protecting me sothree times that's the name of
the book that I wrote me, andprotecting me so three times
that's the name of the book thatI wrote.
Now, in my adult life, Irealized that really hurting
people hurt people and Irealized that I'm not saying
(06:53):
that what my mother did, it wasright, it's complete wrong, and
I had chose to forgive her forwhat she did.
But I also believe that mymother was such a broken human
being that she didn't know howto love back.
I had to be the way I was myparents.
I had to be.
I don't have to love someonebecause nobody loves me, and we
(07:15):
don't have to live the life likethat.
We can break the chains andchange our lives.
I couldn't be that mother too.
I also have two children.
Well, they are adults now.
But I talk about when I was ayoung mother and I said you know
what?
I don't have to be like mymother.
I went through so much abusethat I can, if I look back, I
(07:36):
might be able to say you knowwhat.
I had the right to be an angryperson.
I had to be there, a right tobe an unforgiveness human being.
But I chose to change, breakthe change and be.
Say you know what, I don't haveto be like my parents and I
know.
Maybe you know, maybe someone ishere listen to this and might
say but you don't know what Iwent through, yeah, and I will
(07:58):
say you might don't know what Iwent through, but I know that
when we chose to walk in thehealing whether it is a healing
in your life, it it just makes abig difference.
And when I was a young mom, Isaid I don't want to be like my
mother, I don't have to be likeher.
I want to break the change.
(08:18):
I want to be a mom where mykids will say one day, you're my
superhero, kind of thing.
Yeah, and that's what I want.
I want to break the chains ofall hurt.
I don't want to be that personthat I'm going to hurt people
because somebody hurts me eventhough I did, went through a lot
, but because I know thatsometimes we want to do these
(08:40):
things our own.
Sometimes it just is very hard.
I always say that my life islike this beautiful thing.
It looks so beautiful outsideand then inside you're so broken
in little pieces.
And, yeah, you go in your lifeand try to glue things together,
put it in little pieces andthen you might be able to put
some big pieces together andglue together, but when it comes
(09:02):
to little pieces, only God canmake those things happen.
He is the only one.
And that's exactly what I didin my adult life.
After I came to the UnitedStates.
I was very broken.
I left Costa Rica because itwas so much hurt in that country
.
I encountered in that countryjust nothing but pain, bad
(09:24):
memories.
They hurt me, being so intohuman trafficking.
Then my mother she saw me forthe third time bring men to the
house and she literally broughtthe brothel to their home
because she knew that I wasgoing to escape, because I
escaped three times.
So she said, this time you'renot leaving me.
So all that I left behind.
(09:45):
And then I come to this countrylooking for the best, trying to
move forward.
And then I find another problem, another thing, this man, they
purchased me, they brought me toAmerica and thinking that my
life is going to change.
And it didn't happen that way.
But yeah, I was putting thosebig pieces together.
But when it came to thoselittle pieces, that's what I was
(10:08):
like.
You know what?
I can do this in my own.
I need Jesus and he was able toput those little pieces
together.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Can you tell us about Jesus?
I know that you encounteredJesus when you were younger.
I know that you encounteredJesus when you were younger, but
you were still very much in themidst of the sex trafficking
industry.
No-transcript be free from that.
(10:37):
You had another experience withhim.
Tell us about the differencebetween those times for you.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
So I think when one thing is, I think, one thing is
know him, and one thing isencounter with him, surrender to
him.
It just is such a differentthing.
I believe as a little kid, whenI was 12 years old when I came
to Christ, I think I did itbecause, yeah, I was desperate,
(11:03):
I was looking for love that wasgiven to me in that home, which
that was the first time I walkedto the house and people
welcomed me.
They were having church in thehome.
Pastor, you want to say Jesusas your Lord and Savior?
I'm only 12 years old.
I have not experienced anythingbesides pain, hurt and violence
in my life.
(11:24):
So I want that, but I didn'tknow exactly what was really
surrounded to him loving him,knowing that he is going to take
care of you, that he's going tobe there with you going through
everything, um, and then hereI'm coming to America, and then,
of course, I'm not ashamedabout that, because whatever
(11:46):
happens to me or whatever wehave done in the past, it
doesn't define who we are.
So here I'm coming to America.
The man left me.
So what I do, I went back toprostitution because that's all
I knew, and it's not because Icouldn't do another job.
It's just that I didn't knowthe language.
I didn't know how to speak aword in English and I didn't
(12:10):
know anything.
And yet I had two babies that Ididn't need to be fit, so I
went back and then I startedgoing back to church and I
realized that you know what thelifestyle it was not the right
lifestyle for me.
And then I eventually startedtrying to get back to serve him,
to surround it to him, and youknow what, when I started
(12:31):
experiencing that God wouldstart opening the doors for me
to get a job, he started openingthe doors for me to meet people
that really wanted to love me,help me.
And then I see the difference.
He started opening the doorsfor me to meet people that
really wanted to love me, helpme.
And then I see the difference.
One thing is to really to knowhim and to really have the
relationship with him, to reallyknow that he is there with you,
(12:54):
by your side, and it doesn'tmatter how things look.
You might not have a food forthat day, you might not have
nothing, but you have him and hewill never leave you or forsake
you.
And I do believe in that andI'm firm belief that God is
there by you and your side whenyou really have an encounter
(13:15):
with him.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, you know, Sioni , one of the things that I
remember you showing me ispulling back your arms and
showing all the burns that yourmother she would burn you with
her cigar.
And just seeing those wounds,how does that affect your
everyday?
Do you see those in a differentway now?
Speaker 3 (13:44):
in a different way.
Now I do so.
When I was a teenager, I wasvery cautious, very aware about
my scars in my body, not just inmy arms, I do scars in my back
and my legs.
I was very caught up in my lookas a young girl, maybe even
when I came to America I wasvery don't want to show.
But did you know, one timemaybe 10 years, I don't know
many years ago somebody told methat was beauty marks and now I
(14:05):
look at them and I realized thatyou know what this reminds me,
that devil always wants to killme and destroy me.
But God has a different plan inmy life and every time I look
at them, I look at the beautymarks.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Yeah, that is good.
I think it's exciting that evenJesus, his scars, won't be held
in heaven.
It's a testimony to what we'vewalked through and a testimony
for him of his love for us.
People would think that I wouldhave the right to be
(14:45):
hospitalized, I would have theright to be not right in my head
, I would have that all that,yet trauma just doesn't go away.
How did you deal with thattrauma growing up, and when did
you actually feel like youhealed?
Do you still have trauma?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
I was just.
I was actually sharing withLisa, when I'm married with my
husband, that I'm married now,which is I call him my boys
because he's my redeemer.
When Richard and I got marriedin 2003, the first three years,
it was the bootcamp in our liveslives and I look back and
sometimes we sit together we sayI don't know how we stood
(15:23):
together, but sometimes youdon't know that because that is
the one in control, right, but Iwas so broken and and very.
I don't think I had the traumaright now.
No, there is because I don'tknow if I do some things.
Okay, I'll give you an example.
I went to see the movie.
(15:44):
They just, it just came out andsound of freedom.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
The whole time I'm watching the movie.
I was that little girl and itwas so many tricks and I had to
like.
I came out of the movie I'mlike, oh my God, emotionally I
was destroyed.
I was destroyed emotionally andI feel like, oh my God, is that
it?
Did I do the right thing to gowatch this movie, because you
(16:10):
know that trauma.
It came back and I haven'texperienced that for so many
years.
But it went back and even rightout of the movie I broke out
and I started crying.
People Right out of the movie Ibroke out and I started crying.
People came and I went out witha whole bunch of friends so
they all started praying for mebecause it hit home.
The answer is you know what?
Maybe things like that, maybeit's still in the back end here,
(16:33):
and sometimes we put it in theback and we don't want to talk
about it, we don't want to dealwith it, and then it's here, now
and now.
What are you going to do withthis?
And I think maybe it issomething there that I'm not
sure.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Yeah, it may be, but so I feel like it, I'm healed,
but again things can come backyeah, that's why I like the
whole idea of just being honestabout what you're feeling and
that, because not just keepingsomething behind you and not
admitting that you have anyfeelings or trauma or anything.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
It just isn't real, it isn't truth.
I think things have a way ofallowing us to sometimes
encounter when we thinksomething's gone, it's back
(17:30):
there, we're not going to dealwith it.
I believe sometimes he doesallow us to encounter those
thoughts and those feelings andI have to believe that is part
of even deeper healing for us.
At the right time at the rightplace, you were able I'm not
saying it's good either way, butyou were able to have friends
(17:51):
around you, be in a situationwhere, yes, that little girl's
story resembled yours, but itwas not yours.
It triggered memories of yours.
You were not back there and youare now safe, an adult woman
with many years of experienceand God's healing, and he will
(18:13):
continue to heal.
It's also sometimes the timingof when these things come
forward.
I have to say that God knowswhat he's doing and how he's
doing it.
I'm just grateful that you hadfriends to watch that film and
that you're here smiling infront of us today.
(18:34):
Your story is remarkable to me.
I had to pull up Isaiah 43 justreal quick, because I had to say
this when you're talking abouthow do you walk through those
extreme spaces and I just lookat chapter 43 when he's talking,
he's basically talking toIsrael and he's saying Israel,
(18:55):
the one who formed you, says donot be afraid, for I've ransomed
you, I've called you my name,you are mine.
He doesn't leave us when we'rein the midst of those really
hard spaces.
When you go through those deepwaters, I'm with you.
When you go through rivers ofdifficulty, you will not drown.
(19:17):
When you walk through the fireof oppression, you will not be
burned up.
The flames will not consume you, for I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, yourSavior.
Look at that.
And I have to remind myselfthat when we do go through those
deep things and we bring upthose memories, god the Father
is with us right now and I haveto believe he was present even
(19:38):
then.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Yeah, I was thinking about the love of God and how
his love has never changed foryou, sione.
He loved you the same when youwere little and he loved you the
same when you were prostitutingyourself, and you know what.
(20:03):
God has some grace for that,and I know that it's easy to
hide that under a shame oh, Idid this and I should have known
better.
But the very fact that God'sgrace in those moments.
He knew where you were at, heknew the desperation in your
heart and he had grace for thosemoments, even with your mother.
(20:27):
God's love never changed forher, even though she did.
How do you face that the loveof God for a mother who was
despicable in everybody's eyes?
To me, it'd be hard not to goback and murder my mother, but
(20:49):
yet, even when she was ill, youdecided to sit by her side and
care for her.
What kind of strength did thattake?
Speaker 3 (20:59):
You know how God alone remember the whole thing.
With him going to the cross, heendures a lot of pain.
So he understands the pain we gothrough.
Why I do believe.
I know that my mother one dayI'm going to see her again my
(21:20):
husband was able to lead her tocry.
The way I see it is, if Iwouldn't choose to forget my
mother, if I wouldn't choose tobe by her side, taking care of
her for one month, doingeverything for her, the
opportunity for her to have anencounter with Christ wouldn't
(21:41):
be there, not chose to forgiveher, which is God's creation.
Who?
God really died for her?
Because God died for her, justlike it died for me and for you
and for anybody.
So it doesn't matter howspiritual this woman was, god
died for her.
Okay, so now, who?
(22:03):
I am not to be there and showher love, the love that I say
Christ leads in me.
So now I'm able to show you.
This is the real love that youneed to know, that God, the love
that God has given us, that hewas able to die on the cross.
And now I'm giving you what Iknow with this love that I have
(22:27):
to you.
She was able to receive thatlove and be able to say you know
what I want, that love that youhave, because if you didn't
have God in your life, youwouldn't be here, sione, taking
care of me and loving me the wayyou are after I've been such a
speaker of mom to you and andit's all because him.
(22:51):
Without him, I would not beable to do that.
The first thing we want to dois you know what you deserve to
be dead right, it's just anormal thing, the human, and
it's nothing wrong with that.
The, the people will think thatway, but what makes a
difference is him.
(23:12):
It's him.
Without him we'd be able to dothings.
But when we have him, our loveis different.
It's unconditional love thatyou want to give to someone else
.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Because of him, love is different.
How you love is different.
How you extend love isdifferent because of him,
because if it was left up to us,we wouldn't be very good
witness or example of love.
It can only be what it isbecause of him.
Tell me, what is God doingtoday?
How is God using you today andthis story in reaching so many
(23:52):
different women?
Speaker 3 (23:53):
God, just he has.
He's continued to open thedoors for me.
I was able to translate my bookin spanish finally.
I'm so excited because now Ieven touching the spanish
community, which is big and guysuse me.
I'm still going to, as indifferent churches, doing
(24:15):
women's conference, traveling todifferent countries.
I'm going to Thailand inOctober, I'm going to be working
with a ministry up there andI'm going to be working in
Bangkok human traffickingsurvivors.
I will be going to DominicanRepublic next month.
I just got back from Uganda,africa.
(24:36):
I got the opportunity to workwith these women who have been
in silence for so many years.
It was a woman who's been veryabused through men, people who
come to the village.
They have sexually, a lot ofthem missing limbs from their
bodies because they tried toretaliate and they saw abuse.
(24:58):
And I had the opportunity tominister and me be able to tell
them you know what God canchange, god can do things and
see the miracles and see them tosay you know what this God that
you said is going to work, it'sgoing to end, it's just a
beautiful thing.
We know that.
You know what With the deviland we heard this so many times
(25:20):
and everybody's saying the devilmeant to destroy.
God can turn around, do it forgood, and I'm such a firm belief
in that.
We all have a story to tell,whether it's a story about a
little dog who got killed orsomeone who went through
something like me.
But whatever story that we have, let God write your story,
(25:41):
because when he write, he frameit.
He just does such a good joband our testimony is to glorify
what God has done in our lives.
I go to the prisons on Sundaysand I got the opportunity to
minister to those women in theprison and I always wanted tell
me what's going on with yourlife.
Not that I want to know whatthey're there for, but I want to
(26:02):
know what God is doing in theirlives, because you can see the
transformation in their livesand how they want this God and
they want to change their livesand they have these stories to
tell and I told them.
Once you leave this place,you're going to go out there and
tell your story, because yourstory is so important, because
somebody needs to hear yourstory, because it will be
(26:26):
guidance for their future.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
That's amazing.
I love you tying that inbecause once again the title of
your chapter is Finding Strengthin Telling your Story.
And obviously telling yourstory has brought strength to
your life, and I have to believethat because you've been
willing to share the deepesthurts.
(26:51):
When you lay that all out onthe table, like Amber was saying
, when you keep it hidden andtucked away, when you put it out
here in front of yourself onthe table for all to see, then
there's nothing the enemy can dowith it any longer.
It's there for all to see.
He can't lie to you about it,he can't deceive you anymore.
(27:12):
He can't hold it over your head, he can't put shame upon you.
It's here and I'm offering thisout to God.
I'm giving it to him andletting him redeem it, letting
him do what he can with it sothat others can come to know him
.
I'm so grateful for you, sione,and for your heart.
(27:33):
I want to make sure everybodyknows your book.
Sione's book is called ThreeTimes Sold A Story of Faith,
survival and Forgiveness.
As she said, they're gettingready to release it now in
Spanish.
What you read about Sione inchapter 10, there's an entire
book full of such amazing Godstuff, all of the goodness.
(27:57):
Sione, the person in front ofyou right now is all because of
Jesus and what he's done torestore her and redeem her and
use her, and so go to theleadingladieslife website this
book you can get it there.
Sione, thank you so much forjoining us tonight.
(28:18):
We love you so much.
Do you have any last words youwant to say to anybody?
Speaker 3 (28:24):
I just want to say that you know what.
Just if you have a story totell your story, don't let the
devil to pull you back.
Don't let the devil to speaklies to you to tell how, because
whatever happened in our past,it doesn't define who we are.
That's all true, and keepmoving forward, serving god and
(28:49):
just loving people yeah that'sright.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
That's the best part about it.
Yeah, oh, sioni, thank you forjoining us.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yes, your final words for our we are going to be live
, hopefully, the week after next.
We're just taking on everyother week approach to our lives
so we can just get some Sabbathfor ourselves.
So we want you to be sure tojoin us also for our lives, but
(29:18):
also subscribe to our podcastover on Apple and it's on Amazon
, Spotify, iHeart, I think,anywhere their podcast.
Look up Coffee Chat with Amberand Lisa and you can subscribe.
We'd love to have you subscribeand get that feed direct to
your inbox.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Yes, okay, okay, everybody, we loved having you
for this episode.
Thank you so much, sioni.
We love you to pieces.
We're grateful for your storyand until next time we'll see
you later.
See you, guys.
Hello, this is Amber and welcome to a throwback
episode of Coffee Chat.
We are so excited and yet we'restill taking some time off for
the month of August.
Everything has been amazing butcompletely upheaved.
(00:20):
In the middle of Lisa finishingup, casey Superstar and myself
with my baby girl going back toschool, my husband Philip and I
celebrating 30 years of marriageand, of course, recovering from
a very exciting ASSA conferenceand Christian Products Expo in
(00:46):
Fort Wayne, indiana.
We'll talk about that next week.
But we have an excitingannouncement for those who
haven't heard our leading ladiesbook Discover your God-Grown
Strategy for Success One, theGolden Scroll 2024 Anthology of
(01:07):
the Year we are so very proud.
And another excitingannouncement we have our Leading
Ladies, my Discovery and NextSteps journal available on
Amazon.
So we would love for you.
If you haven't yet, grab thebook, grab the journal.
We are so excited about thisjournal.
(01:29):
So our throwback episode todayis our conversation with an
amazing leading lady and dearfriend, sione Rodriguez.
You guys will want to tune intothis.
You guys will want to tune intothis.
(01:50):
Sione has an amazing testimonyof coming out of human
trafficking, which we know ifyou have read her story in the
book.
It's a powerful story.
This is officially our 35thepisode and I'm so excited that
you guys can hear it from suchan amazing woman.
So, without further ado, sioneRodriguez, hey, everyone,
(02:13):
welcome to another edition ofCoffee Chat.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I don't have a coffee this evening.
We're out of our normal mojohere.
We're not vibing like wenormally do on Saturday morning,
because we're pre-recording,and you're right.
I have no coffee either.
I have water, which is not thesame, and I don't want to drink
coffee now because there will beno sleeping.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Of course, sione, do you drink coffee at night?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
No, I'm a faker, I'm only doing decaf.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
And she loves warm milk.
That is one thing she lovesbefore she goes to bed.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Very nice.
Welcome everybody to CoffeeChat with Amber and Lisa.
Our guest today, sioneRodriguez, is one of our ASSA
sisters.
She didn't get to go this yearto the conference, but we've
stayed with her before.
It would have been an evenbetter party if you had been
there, sione.
It would have.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I have to make it next year Definitely.
It's just this thing that everyyear I have to go somewhere and
just but yes, we have someexciting news.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
While we were there, we actually went to the Golden
Scrolls Awards and, although ourbook is still a baby, like it's
only been born to what like twoand a half months, not even
three months, yeah, we somehow,by the grace of God, walked away
with a Christian market bookaward for leading.
(03:45):
Discover your God.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I would say thank you for voting for us, but nobody
voted.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Except for the judges the judges, that was a real
blessing and a wonderful honorto have the book honored.
And, siona, you were justtalking to us before we went
live about the book.
You said you just finishedreading the entire book.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yes, I did, and I have my copy too.
I read this book and I justlike, wow, every single chapter
in this book is just a goodchapter.
And what I love about this bookis just that it just speak to
everyone, whether it is you aChristian, you're not a
(04:29):
Christian, whether you have comefrom a good home or you have
come for a back home.
It just speak to so many peoplefrom so many different ways of
life and I just love the wholebook.
The first time I read in theback, it says Sister, it's time
to get down to business.
That's right, sister we got toget down to business, whether
(04:50):
it's business with Jesus or it'sbusiness with our friends,
business with our coworkers.
Let's talk about this book.
Everybody must have a copy ofthis book.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
That's a huge, nice verbiage there.
Everybody must have this book.
That's a huge, nice verbiagethere.
Everybody must have this book.
I want to point out that Sioneis one of our chapter
contributors.
She is our chapter 10 and herchapter is called Find Strength
in Telling your Story.
When we are asked in interviews,are there stories that stand
(05:22):
out?
And there are many stories thatstand out for different reasons
.
I know you had mentioned eventhe story Maureen Charles, how
that story affected you when youread it.
I have to say that a story thatstuck out for me is always your
story.
Some of the stories are warm andfuzzy and, yes, they have some
deep meaning to them, but someof them show that there are
(05:44):
those of us on this planetserving Jesus.
We've walked through somedifficult things and when I look
at your life, sione, I see awoman.
I look at you today and you'rejust a beautiful reflection of
Christ, of his love.
You are vibrant, you are fullof love.
I can't tell you, I can't eventell you people, how many times
(06:07):
Sione just texts for no reasonto say I love you, I'm praying
for you.
You truly have got a presenceof God that just emanates
goodness and joy.
But when you look at the story,the story of a little girl who
is betrayed by the people whoshould have loved her best and
(06:30):
cared for her, best.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
As you mentioned, I was so into human trafficking
when I was a little girl, by mymother, who was supposed to be
loving me, protecting me sothree times that's the name of
the book that I wrote me, andprotecting me so three times
that's the name of the book thatI wrote.
Now, in my adult life, Irealized that really hurting
people hurt people and Irealized that I'm not saying
(06:53):
that what my mother did, it wasright, it's complete wrong, and
I had chose to forgive her forwhat she did.
But I also believe that mymother was such a broken human
being that she didn't know howto love back.
I had to be the way I was myparents.
I had to be.
I don't have to love someonebecause nobody loves me, and we
(07:15):
don't have to live the life likethat.
We can break the chains andchange our lives.
I couldn't be that mother too.
I also have two children.
Well, they are adults now.
But I talk about when I was ayoung mother and I said you know
what?
I don't have to be like mymother.
I went through so much abusethat I can, if I look back, I
(07:36):
might be able to say you knowwhat.
I had the right to be an angryperson.
I had to be there, a right tobe an unforgiveness human being.
But I chose to change, breakthe change and be.
Say you know what, I don't haveto be like my parents and I
know.
Maybe you know, maybe someone ishere listen to this and might
say but you don't know what Iwent through, yeah, and I will
(07:58):
say you might don't know what Iwent through, but I know that
when we chose to walk in thehealing whether it is a healing
in your life, it it just makes abig difference.
And when I was a young mom, Isaid I don't want to be like my
mother, I don't have to be likeher.
I want to break the change.
(08:18):
I want to be a mom where mykids will say one day, you're my
superhero, kind of thing.
Yeah, and that's what I want.
I want to break the chains ofall hurt.
I don't want to be that personthat I'm going to hurt people
because somebody hurts me eventhough I did, went through a lot
, but because I know thatsometimes we want to do these
(08:40):
things our own.
Sometimes it just is very hard.
I always say that my life islike this beautiful thing.
It looks so beautiful outsideand then inside you're so broken
in little pieces.
And, yeah, you go in your lifeand try to glue things together,
put it in little pieces andthen you might be able to put
some big pieces together andglue together, but when it comes
(09:02):
to little pieces, only God canmake those things happen.
He is the only one.
And that's exactly what I didin my adult life.
After I came to the UnitedStates.
I was very broken.
I left Costa Rica because itwas so much hurt in that country
.
I encountered in that countryjust nothing but pain, bad
(09:24):
memories.
They hurt me, being so intohuman trafficking.
Then my mother she saw me forthe third time bring men to the
house and she literally broughtthe brothel to their home
because she knew that I wasgoing to escape, because I
escaped three times.
So she said, this time you'renot leaving me.
So all that I left behind.
(09:45):
And then I come to this countrylooking for the best, trying to
move forward.
And then I find another problem, another thing, this man, they
purchased me, they brought me toAmerica and thinking that my
life is going to change.
And it didn't happen that way.
But yeah, I was putting thosebig pieces together.
But when it came to thoselittle pieces, that's what I was
(10:08):
like.
You know what?
I can do this in my own.
I need Jesus and he was able toput those little pieces
together.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Can you tell us about Jesus?
I know that you encounteredJesus when you were younger.
I know that you encounteredJesus when you were younger, but
you were still very much in themidst of the sex trafficking
industry.
No-transcript be free from that.
(10:37):
You had another experience withhim.
Tell us about the differencebetween those times for you.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
So I think when one thing is, I think, one thing is
know him, and one thing isencounter with him, surrender to
him.
It just is such a differentthing.
I believe as a little kid, whenI was 12 years old when I came
to Christ, I think I did itbecause, yeah, I was desperate,
(11:03):
I was looking for love that wasgiven to me in that home, which
that was the first time I walkedto the house and people
welcomed me.
They were having church in thehome.
Pastor, you want to say Jesusas your Lord and Savior?
I'm only 12 years old.
I have not experienced anythingbesides pain, hurt and violence
in my life.
(11:24):
So I want that, but I didn'tknow exactly what was really
surrounded to him loving him,knowing that he is going to take
care of you, that he's going tobe there with you going through
everything, um, and then hereI'm coming to America, and then,
of course, I'm not ashamedabout that, because whatever
(11:46):
happens to me or whatever wehave done in the past, it
doesn't define who we are.
So here I'm coming to America.
The man left me.
So what I do, I went back toprostitution because that's all
I knew, and it's not because Icouldn't do another job.
It's just that I didn't knowthe language.
I didn't know how to speak aword in English and I didn't
(12:10):
know anything.
And yet I had two babies that Ididn't need to be fit, so I
went back and then I startedgoing back to church and I
realized that you know what thelifestyle it was not the right
lifestyle for me.
And then I eventually startedtrying to get back to serve him,
to surround it to him, and youknow what, when I started
(12:31):
experiencing that God wouldstart opening the doors for me
to get a job, he started openingthe doors for me to meet people
that really wanted to love me,help me.
And then I see the difference.
He started opening the doorsfor me to meet people that
really wanted to love me, helpme.
And then I see the difference.
One thing is to really to knowhim and to really have the
relationship with him, to reallyknow that he is there with you,
(12:54):
by your side, and it doesn'tmatter how things look.
You might not have a food forthat day, you might not have
nothing, but you have him and hewill never leave you or forsake
you.
And I do believe in that andI'm firm belief that God is
there by you and your side whenyou really have an encounter
(13:15):
with him.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, you know, Sioni , one of the things that I
remember you showing me ispulling back your arms and
showing all the burns that yourmother she would burn you with
her cigar.
And just seeing those wounds,how does that affect your
everyday?
Do you see those in a differentway now?
Speaker 3 (13:44):
in a different way.
Now I do so.
When I was a teenager, I wasvery cautious, very aware about
my scars in my body, not just inmy arms, I do scars in my back
and my legs.
I was very caught up in my lookas a young girl, maybe even
when I came to America I wasvery don't want to show.
But did you know, one timemaybe 10 years, I don't know
many years ago somebody told methat was beauty marks and now I
(14:05):
look at them and I realized thatyou know what this reminds me,
that devil always wants to killme and destroy me.
But God has a different plan inmy life and every time I look
at them, I look at the beautymarks.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Yeah, that is good.
I think it's exciting that evenJesus, his scars, won't be held
in heaven.
It's a testimony to what we'vewalked through and a testimony
for him of his love for us.
People would think that I wouldhave the right to be
(14:45):
hospitalized, I would have theright to be not right in my head
, I would have that all that,yet trauma just doesn't go away.
How did you deal with thattrauma growing up, and when did
you actually feel like youhealed?
Do you still have trauma?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
I was just.
I was actually sharing withLisa, when I'm married with my
husband, that I'm married now,which is I call him my boys
because he's my redeemer.
When Richard and I got marriedin 2003, the first three years,
it was the bootcamp in our liveslives and I look back and
sometimes we sit together we sayI don't know how we stood
(15:23):
together, but sometimes youdon't know that because that is
the one in control, right, but Iwas so broken and and very.
I don't think I had the traumaright now.
No, there is because I don'tknow if I do some things.
Okay, I'll give you an example.
I went to see the movie.
(15:44):
They just, it just came out andsound of freedom.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
The whole time I'm watching the movie.
I was that little girl and itwas so many tricks and I had to
like.
I came out of the movie I'mlike, oh my God, emotionally I
was destroyed.
I was destroyed emotionally andI feel like, oh my God, is that
it?
Did I do the right thing to gowatch this movie, because you
(16:10):
know that trauma.
It came back and I haven'texperienced that for so many
years.
But it went back and even rightout of the movie I broke out
and I started crying.
People Right out of the movie Ibroke out and I started crying.
People came and I went out witha whole bunch of friends so
they all started praying for mebecause it hit home.
The answer is you know what?
Maybe things like that, maybeit's still in the back end here,
(16:33):
and sometimes we put it in theback and we don't want to talk
about it, we don't want to dealwith it, and then it's here, now
and now.
What are you going to do withthis?
And I think maybe it issomething there that I'm not
sure.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Yeah, it may be, but so I feel like it, I'm healed,
but again things can come backyeah, that's why I like the
whole idea of just being honestabout what you're feeling and
that, because not just keepingsomething behind you and not
admitting that you have anyfeelings or trauma or anything.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
It just isn't real, it isn't truth.
I think things have a way ofallowing us to sometimes
encounter when we thinksomething's gone, it's back
(17:30):
there, we're not going to dealwith it.
I believe sometimes he doesallow us to encounter those
thoughts and those feelings andI have to believe that is part
of even deeper healing for us.
At the right time at the rightplace, you were able I'm not
saying it's good either way, butyou were able to have friends
(17:51):
around you, be in a situationwhere, yes, that little girl's
story resembled yours, but itwas not yours.
It triggered memories of yours.
You were not back there and youare now safe, an adult woman
with many years of experienceand God's healing, and he will
(18:13):
continue to heal.
It's also sometimes the timingof when these things come
forward.
I have to say that God knowswhat he's doing and how he's
doing it.
I'm just grateful that you hadfriends to watch that film and
that you're here smiling infront of us today.
(18:34):
Your story is remarkable to me.
I had to pull up Isaiah 43 justreal quick, because I had to say
this when you're talking abouthow do you walk through those
extreme spaces and I just lookat chapter 43 when he's talking,
he's basically talking toIsrael and he's saying Israel,
(18:55):
the one who formed you, says donot be afraid, for I've ransomed
you, I've called you my name,you are mine.
He doesn't leave us when we'rein the midst of those really
hard spaces.
When you go through those deepwaters, I'm with you.
When you go through rivers ofdifficulty, you will not drown.
(19:17):
When you walk through the fireof oppression, you will not be
burned up.
The flames will not consume you, for I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, yourSavior.
Look at that.
And I have to remind myselfthat when we do go through those
deep things and we bring upthose memories, god the Father
is with us right now and I haveto believe he was present even
(19:38):
then.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Yeah, I was thinking about the love of God and how
his love has never changed foryou, sione.
He loved you the same when youwere little and he loved you the
same when you were prostitutingyourself, and you know what.
(20:03):
God has some grace for that,and I know that it's easy to
hide that under a shame oh, Idid this and I should have known
better.
But the very fact that God'sgrace in those moments.
He knew where you were at, heknew the desperation in your
heart and he had grace for thosemoments, even with your mother.
(20:27):
God's love never changed forher, even though she did.
How do you face that the loveof God for a mother who was
despicable in everybody's eyes?
To me, it'd be hard not to goback and murder my mother, but
(20:49):
yet, even when she was ill, youdecided to sit by her side and
care for her.
What kind of strength did thattake?
Speaker 3 (20:59):
You know how God alone remember the whole thing.
With him going to the cross, heendures a lot of pain.
So he understands the pain we gothrough.
Why I do believe.
I know that my mother one dayI'm going to see her again my
(21:20):
husband was able to lead her tocry.
The way I see it is, if Iwouldn't choose to forget my
mother, if I wouldn't choose tobe by her side, taking care of
her for one month, doingeverything for her, the
opportunity for her to have anencounter with Christ wouldn't
(21:41):
be there, not chose to forgiveher, which is God's creation.
Who?
God really died for her?
Because God died for her, justlike it died for me and for you
and for anybody.
So it doesn't matter howspiritual this woman was, god
died for her.
Okay, so now, who?
(22:03):
I am not to be there and showher love, the love that I say
Christ leads in me.
So now I'm able to show you.
This is the real love that youneed to know, that God, the love
that God has given us, that hewas able to die on the cross.
And now I'm giving you what Iknow with this love that I have
(22:27):
to you.
She was able to receive thatlove and be able to say you know
what I want, that love that youhave, because if you didn't
have God in your life, youwouldn't be here, sione, taking
care of me and loving me the wayyou are after I've been such a
speaker of mom to you and andit's all because him.
(22:51):
Without him, I would not beable to do that.
The first thing we want to dois you know what you deserve to
be dead right, it's just anormal thing, the human, and
it's nothing wrong with that.
The, the people will think thatway, but what makes a
difference is him.
(23:12):
It's him.
Without him we'd be able to dothings.
But when we have him, our loveis different.
It's unconditional love thatyou want to give to someone else
.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Because of him, love is different.
How you love is different.
How you extend love isdifferent because of him,
because if it was left up to us,we wouldn't be very good
witness or example of love.
It can only be what it isbecause of him.
Tell me, what is God doingtoday?
How is God using you today andthis story in reaching so many
(23:52):
different women?
Speaker 3 (23:53):
God, just he has.
He's continued to open thedoors for me.
I was able to translate my bookin spanish finally.
I'm so excited because now Ieven touching the spanish
community, which is big and guysuse me.
I'm still going to, as indifferent churches, doing
(24:15):
women's conference, traveling todifferent countries.
I'm going to Thailand inOctober, I'm going to be working
with a ministry up there andI'm going to be working in
Bangkok human traffickingsurvivors.
I will be going to DominicanRepublic next month.
I just got back from Uganda,africa.
(24:36):
I got the opportunity to workwith these women who have been
in silence for so many years.
It was a woman who's been veryabused through men, people who
come to the village.
They have sexually, a lot ofthem missing limbs from their
bodies because they tried toretaliate and they saw abuse.
(24:58):
And I had the opportunity tominister and me be able to tell
them you know what God canchange, god can do things and
see the miracles and see them tosay you know what this God that
you said is going to work, it'sgoing to end, it's just a
beautiful thing.
We know that.
You know what With the deviland we heard this so many times
(25:20):
and everybody's saying the devilmeant to destroy.
God can turn around, do it forgood, and I'm such a firm belief
in that.
We all have a story to tell,whether it's a story about a
little dog who got killed orsomeone who went through
something like me.
But whatever story that we have, let God write your story,
(25:41):
because when he write, he frameit.
He just does such a good joband our testimony is to glorify
what God has done in our lives.
I go to the prisons on Sundaysand I got the opportunity to
minister to those women in theprison and I always wanted tell
me what's going on with yourlife.
Not that I want to know whatthey're there for, but I want to
(26:02):
know what God is doing in theirlives, because you can see the
transformation in their livesand how they want this God and
they want to change their livesand they have these stories to
tell and I told them.
Once you leave this place,you're going to go out there and
tell your story, because yourstory is so important, because
somebody needs to hear yourstory, because it will be
(26:26):
guidance for their future.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
That's amazing.
I love you tying that inbecause once again the title of
your chapter is Finding Strengthin Telling your Story.
And obviously telling yourstory has brought strength to
your life, and I have to believethat because you've been
willing to share the deepesthurts.
(26:51):
When you lay that all out onthe table, like Amber was saying
, when you keep it hidden andtucked away, when you put it out
here in front of yourself onthe table for all to see, then
there's nothing the enemy can dowith it any longer.
It's there for all to see.
He can't lie to you about it,he can't deceive you anymore.
(27:12):
He can't hold it over your head, he can't put shame upon you.
It's here and I'm offering thisout to God.
I'm giving it to him andletting him redeem it, letting
him do what he can with it sothat others can come to know him
.
I'm so grateful for you, sione,and for your heart.
(27:33):
I want to make sure everybodyknows your book.
Sione's book is called ThreeTimes Sold A Story of Faith,
survival and Forgiveness.
As she said, they're gettingready to release it now in
Spanish.
What you read about Sione inchapter 10, there's an entire
book full of such amazing Godstuff, all of the goodness.
(27:57):
Sione, the person in front ofyou right now is all because of
Jesus and what he's done torestore her and redeem her and
use her, and so go to theleadingladieslife website this
book you can get it there.
Sione, thank you so much forjoining us tonight.
(28:18):
We love you so much.
Do you have any last words youwant to say to anybody?
Speaker 3 (28:24):
I just want to say that you know what.
Just if you have a story totell your story, don't let the
devil to pull you back.
Don't let the devil to speaklies to you to tell how, because
whatever happened in our past,it doesn't define who we are.
That's all true, and keepmoving forward, serving god and
(28:49):
just loving people yeah that'sright.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
That's the best part about it.
Yeah, oh, sioni, thank you forjoining us.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yes, your final words for our we are going to be live
, hopefully, the week after next.
We're just taking on everyother week approach to our lives
so we can just get some Sabbathfor ourselves.
So we want you to be sure tojoin us also for our lives, but
(29:18):
also subscribe to our podcastover on Apple and it's on Amazon
, Spotify, iHeart, I think,anywhere their podcast.
Look up Coffee Chat with Amberand Lisa and you can subscribe.
We'd love to have you subscribeand get that feed direct to
your inbox.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Yes, okay, okay, everybody, we loved having you
for this episode.
Thank you so much, sioni.
We love you to pieces.
We're grateful for your storyand until next time we'll see
you later.
See you, guys.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!