Amahoro ava Mw'Ijuru - Bujumbura, Burundi - 7 February 2010

Due to technical difficulties this update, which I wrote on Sunday night, isn't appearing here until mid-week.

If all you’ve seen of Amani is Nairobi, know that things feel a bit different in Bujumbura & Kigali. Amani Nairobi is vibrant and lively. A host of cultures from around Africa and the world fuse on a daily basis. Visitors frequent the shop & café. The Export Office keeps work consistent. And the 60 or so women working as trainees keep things a-buzz.

By contrast, the centers in Rwanda & Burundi are newer and face more challenges in accessing markets. The women at these small centers have to rely on one another to survive. For the past ten days, we’ve spent time with them, catching glimpses of their unique challenges and calling to peace in Burundi & Rwanda.

Jua kali sana. This Swahili phrase loosely means, “The sun is very harsh.” Bujumbura was experiencing a bit of a heat wave when we arrived with temperatures well into the 90s and some pretty intense humidity, thanks to Lake Tanganyika. But Amani’s Burundi Country Director, Goreth (pronounced “Goretti”) and her husband Evariste were such gracious hosts, and our time with them was rich. Our certain lack of Kirundi (Burundi’s national language) meant conversations with the rest of the ladies relied on my shaky Swahili or translation. We found this small group genuinely warm despite our differences. They welcomed us into their prayers and devotions, sharing with us about how Amahoro has been a lifeline to them. Their stories are powerful testimonies to the transforming power of peace.

Goreth & Evariste at their plot of land where they hope to build a home. Owning land is a source of security in Burundi, and they are grateful that Amani helped them purchase it.

During our two days at Amahoro ava Mw’Ijuru, we worked on samples of new products, made recommendations for export, and scourged Bujumbura’s fabric markets for quality cloth. We witnessed first-hand the challenge they face to grow their market in Bujumbura, and prayed together with them for customers and sales. They have some great ideas for the coming year. These are women trying to work in unity and excellence for their families, as well as the health of their nation. To them, Amahoro represents hope for Burundi. It’s clear that there’s still much to be done—at Amahoro as much as anywhere—but as the women will readily tell you: this peace is real. And it doesn’t fail.

Naomi, Esperance, & Joseline enjoy a lunch feast of rice, beans, greens, and bananas. Feasting together is an important part of welcoming visitors.

It was hard to leave the ladies in Burundi on Wednesday. Our time was short, but so sweet. We were welcomed with dancing and singing on Thursday morning at Amahoro ava Hejuru. I’ll share more later about our time with these ladies. We still have two days left with them before heading back to Nairobi.

My mom and I decided to take this past weekend to visit the shores of Lake Kivu. We stayed in Gysenyi on the lake, just a 3-hour drive from Kigali through the stunning Rwandan mountains. Our time away gave us some much-needed time to be still and rest. As we drove back this evening through rain clouds clinging to the mountains, I found myself again seeking that thin opening between broken-heartedness and inundation, where joy slips in. We have seen and felt injustice, even uncomfortably so, in our time here. I know there’s even more beyond the surface. These realities are painful and can leave you feeling powerless and overwhelmed. But I’m reminded of the gospel that tells us, “Soon shall close thy earthly mission,/Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,/Hope shall change to glad fruition,/Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.” I’m grateful that, ultimately, peace wins.

The faith of these little groups of women scattered around the world is in something far more lasting than what we see with our eyes. Despite the brokenness, we have this stronger, more unifying hope through Jesus Christ. And that’s where joy breaks in, like the sun cutting through the clouds over the dramatic Rwandan hills.