Amahoro ava Hejuru - Kigali, Rwanda - 10 February 2010

The women of Amahoro ava Hejuru dance. “They dance because they are celebrating what Jesus has done in their lives,” Grace whispered in Debbie’s ear. It had to be a pretty loud whisper. This is not your average, run-of-the-mill swaying and swinging of hands kind of dance. This is a sing-with-all-your-might, dance-til-your-feet-will-pound-no-more kind of dance.

It was a home visit on our last day with the ladies of Amahoro ava Hejuru in Kigali, Rwanda. We’d traveled across town by bus and then up a long, winding path to Florence’s home. There was a pretty little garden proudly displayed by the front door. Everyone wore her best dress.

After a quiet, somber meal, Theresa shared a word of encouragement from II Chronicles 20:4-6 about relying on God for strength when we know everything else will fail us. She inserted “Imana yacu ashimwe cyane” like periods at the end of each sentence. My Jesus be praised very much. These simple words uttered over and over by Theresa were later proclaimed by Vestine’s loud, strong singing; Beata’s decisively swaying head; Jane’s straight, cocked arms; and Rosemary’s firmly pounding feet. Children poked their heads in and were soon invited to join, their small feet learning the steps that will one day be second nature. The dancing kicked up dust that looked to me like incense rising.

After dancing.

I could ask for no better way to end our days with the Amahoro ladies in Rwanda. Much like in Burundi, our time with them revealed both deep personal and communal struggles, as well as an unwavering commitment to seeking God’s goodness—a reality not easy to hold in tension. Kiyarwanda is a beautiful language to listen to, but one not easy to pick up. We sat with them for daily prayers and devotions, relying on Grace’s translation to participate. Grace also helped facilitate a strategic planning session, lots of work on product revisions for export, and my efforts to gather stories to share from their work there. We took lunches together—a practice begun by the ladies in Rwanda and extending to other Amani centers.

It’s clear that these ten women are friends. They enjoy and know one another well. When business is slow or the iron breaks or the power goes out, they sit to talk and pray for one another. They show me the way to shoulder one another’s burdens. And their dancing teaches me something of celebration amidst the weight of suffering.

Tea, sugar, and a pile of work.

After a week in Rwanda, we bid the Amahoro ladies farewell and headed back to Kenya for one last brief stop. The Amani Kenya ladies welcomed us warmly, and I gave thanks that we could end our time with them. They sent us off with prayers for safety, wishes for our return, and hugs that dispel any doubt of lacking affection. We packed up all ten of our bags—six suitcases and four carry-ons—with products, gifts, and lots of dirty clothes. Leaving is always hard, but as Elizabeth told us at our farewell gathering:

“We are all one family. Even though you are going far away, we know that every day we are together. We are connected as one.”

This family is big, diverse, and widespread. But we are indeed interconnected. Our trip gave us opportunity to witness this reality first-hand and participate in the linking of Amani’s family in Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, and the US. These visits are costly in time and money, but they reap tremendous benefit in building one another up in our specific callings.

Thank you for supporting this trip and the work of Amani in all of these places. May peace continue to spread in Africa, the US, and wherever you find yourself.

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.

Amahoro ava Mw'Ijuru - Bujumbura, Burundi - 31 January 2010

Greetings from Burundi!

We finished up our week in Nairobi on Saturday. Our days at Amani Kenya were full, but productive. Mom finished up a couple stitching projects, even making a pattern to pass along to another lady. She brought one of the new product concepts along to test it out with the ladies here and in Rwanda. I spent much of the last few days meeting with other leaders to hammer out details for the coming year.

Even in the nuts and bolts, I'm reminded of the resiliency of the Amani's family and the importance of this message of peace reaching every aspect of what Amani does. Amani's mission is expansive and deep, as is the gospel. After a week with the ladies of Amani Kenya, one line keeps ringing in my ears: "Amani ya dunia sio kama amani ya juu." The peace of the earth isn't like the peace from above.

The ladies in Nairobi sent us out as ambassadors with many prayers and plenty of greetings to their sisters in Burundi & Rwanda on Friday. As evidenced above, we've been welcomed heartily by our dear friend Goreth and her family. Tomorrow we'll start the first of our three days with the women of Amahoro ava Mw'Ijuru (Amani Burundi).

Not too much to report yet, but please pray for us as we begin the next phase of our time here:

- That we would be a true encouragement to the ladies here in Burundi, and especially Goreth (the Burundi Country Director)
- For creativity and wisdom in helping direct product design and marketing for these smaller centers
- For continued health. We've felt great (after the jet-lag wore off)!
- For joy and patience as we communicate across language barriers.

Thank you for walking with us.

Amani ya Juu - Nairobi, Kenya – 27 January 2010

They served lunch at Amani today. Women arrived in higher numbers than usual, because it was the end of the two-week pay period and time to close the books. Lunch provides a chance to share a meal with friends, especially since not every woman comes each day, choosing instead to stitch at home and save the bus fare.

We sat in the shade and ate our maharague and mchele (pinto beans and rice) off of big aluminum plates with fat spoons. Next to me, a cluster of women who had come with their babies alternated bites for themselves and their children. To the other side, one woman loudly acclaimed that the kitenge wrap her friend was wearing was “smart.” Everyone finished off her meal with a hot cup of chai.

Both before and after lunch, the hum of sewing machines in the stitching room was a bit louder than other days. This bright room on the top floor of the Pamoja House, the main building standing tall behind the Amani café and shop, contains rows of all types of sewing machines. Many were occupied today by women with stacks of products to submit for payment. I sat with Margaret for a while as she changed the trim on her coin purses. She had used the wrong fabric, so Quality Control had returned them to her. We chatted about her children, the tailoring work she did before Amani, and the joy of working hard.

Mom was put to work straight away Monday morning making sample pillows out of scraps. (Finding useful occupations for the loads of scraps that are taking over the Amani center is a common goal these days.) She finished her first one today and made progress on the second. Her eagerness to get to the stitching room and work on her project is evidence of how much she’s missed stitching in recent months. Plus, it affords her the opportunity to chat with old and new friends while she works alongside them.

We’ve both been able to step into the “other side” of our work in very helpful ways this week. Mom spent time in Export getting a better sense of what it entails for that office to ship boxes to the US. Experiencing the process herself gave her a deeper understanding of the system she’s relying on as she schedules volunteer boxes from month to month.

I’ve gotten to sit in on some helpful meetings and talk at length with the administration here in Nairobi. Saturday’s Kenya Board meeting gave me a profound appreciation for the care that the Board puts into guiding Amani. I appreciated the opportunity to listen to their discussion of where Amani Kenya is headed in the coming year and present a report on Amani US. Also, I was invited to attend the monthly Administration Meeting today, which brings together the department leaders to update and think through current situations. In a way, that meeting is the counterpart to the many meetings we have informally in DC.

Sitting with Amani’s Kenya Country Director for a few hours on Monday morning, a sense of refreshment washed over me: we are not alone. There is a community of women here in Kenya searching for the same balance of ministry and business, battling endless system breakdowns, and imagining peace among brokenness.

Some pressing communications projects have needed more time than we’d like to give them, and each day we find ever present that old truth of working for Amani: there’s always so much more to do than we can feasible undertake. So we continue trying to strike the balance between being diligent and savoring the moments. These days are precious. We marvel together at the growth we see in our sisters since we last saw them and wonder how they find us changed.

Debbie & Brittany at Amani Africa: Jet set!

In February 2006, I visited Amani ya Juu in Nairobi for the first time. It hardly felt like an introduction; Amani had already been an important part of my life through my friendship with Rachel. But that's a story for another time (perhaps one that's already passed). After two weeks at Amani Kenya, I begrudgingly returned to Washington, DC and my ever-supportive parents. Standing in the kitchen, jet-lagged and crotchety for being forced to return to my snowy, cold life in the States, I distinctly remember my mom's exact words: "Next time, I'm going with you."

And so she did. We spent two weeks at Amani Kenya in July 2008. And again, more of my mom's words are still clear as a bell. Sitting in a meeting on how-we're-going-to-make-this-US-volunteer-sale-thing-grow, she said, "I can do that. I can help coordinate the volunteers for Amani. I would like to do that."

And so she has. Thus started a new chapter for usm one of sharing our experiences with Amani by working together. It's not been without challenge, but we have truly enjoyed working alongside one another for the past 2 1/2 years.

Now we're embarking on yet another chapter, and kicking it off with this trip together. We're so thankful for the support in the form of prayer, donations, and encouragement we've received from many of you as we set out. I'm going to try to update regularly as we have time. In the meantime, please remember us in prayer over the next three weeks.

Here's what we're up to...

Jan 21 - 22: Travel to Nairobi, Kenya
Jan 23 - Feb 30: Working at Amani Kenya
Jan 31: Travel to Bujumbura, Burundi
Feb 1 - 3: Working at Amani Burundi (Amahoro ava Mw'Ijuru); travel to Kigali, Rwanda
Feb 4 - 9: Working at Amani Rwanda (Amahoro ava Hejuru); return to Nairobi
Feb 10 - 11: Wrapping up at Amani Nairobi
Feb 11 - 12: Travel home to Washington, DC

The next three week may try our patience, grace, and resilience, but we are so excited to spend time at the Amani centers and share about how Amani is growing in the US as well. It's always a good thing when the women of Amani get together, and so we look forward to what will come.

More (I hope!) soon...

Wrapping up 2009

Happy New Year! I'm excited to welcome 2010 along with the rest of the Amani staff. We've been on a much-needed break the past few weeks, and now that we're back, I'm catching up on a few things that fell through the cracks in the mayhem of the holidays.

Below is my end-of-year letter wrapping up 2009 and looking ahead to 2010. I hope to have some more updates soon.

December 2009

Greetings of peace! This letter comes to you from my desk at AmaniDC, currently surrounded by piles of products just arrived from Amani Kenya, along with tall stacks of orders ready to ship to customers. In the past few months our small staff has been flooded with volunteer sales, website orders, shop customers, and wholesale buyers — all symbolizing a growing market for Amani’s beautiful products. We are seeing now the fruits of the past year’s labors, and the importance of healthy, growing US operations now based in DC.

By your support of my work with Amani, you have had a hand in bringing these fruits about. I want to share with you an update from the past year and a glimpse of what’s ahead for 2010.

2009: “We start as fools and become wise through experience.” -Tanzanian proverb

A retail shop opened in January during a recession — it is a story unlikely to end in success. And yet, while AmaniDC’s success certainly cannot be measured in one year’s time, we can say with confidence that sales and outreach this year have far surpassed our expectations. A thriving DC location has made it possible for Amani to weather this difficult economic season.

The year involved a lot of “firsts” for our staff. We went from working on the floor with piles of paper and products to a welcoming boutique, office, and warehouse with systems on which we can rely. Below are some of our most notable business-related successes:

• Established inventory and financial systems for moving products and tracking US sales
• Designed and set up Amani’s first US retail shop
• Increased communication with customers, volunteers, and donors through mailings and e-newsletters
• Provided product feedback to the Africa centers efficiently, resulting in a refined product line
• Strengthened and expanded our partnership with volunteers selling products throughout the US (Product shipped to volunteers from the US Warehouse this fall doubled that of 2008!)
• Implemented an upgrade to our online shop enabling web sales to increase significantly.

AmaniDC has indeed become a fully functional part of the Amani family. Amani’s unique products (made even more marketable this year!) give us a natural way to extend peace to many new people. We see it in the faces of our eager customers and hear it in the voices of our enthusiastic volunteers—Amani’s message of peace is impacting lives.

We have been encouraged by our warm reception in a neighborhood struggling to attract business. One woman from the church from where we rent space told us, “Amani opening here was a glimmer of hope for this neighborhood. It encourages us that Mt. Pleasant is a place where people come and thrive.”

I’ve been able to represent Amani to the Mt. Pleasant Business Association this year. Through relationships with local organizations and business owners, it’s become clear that Amani’s mission has a unique niche in Mt. Pleasant. The struggles of small business owners to adapt to a changing, multicultural city are acutely felt here. I look forward to continuing to learn from and with these new friends in the coming year.

We have also this year continued our conversation with Restoration Ministries about partnering together toward a job skills training internship for the women and girls with whom they work. We have been able to encourage one another as we develop each of our ministries. We hope to begin an internship program with Restoration Ministries in 2010.

Thank you for your financial support this year. The donations from my supporters have provided approximately 30% of the salary costs for my full-time position this year. Your generosity has made the growth of Amani in the US in 2009 a reality. The network of friends investing in Amani in this particular way has been a tremendous encouragement to me. I thank God for you!

2010: “Reason is our soul’s left hand, Faith her right.” -John Donne

The coming year will certainly hold a new set a challenges. As you may have heard, I have agreed to step into the US Country Director position on an interim basis in mid-January when Rachel Kistner (who currently serves in this position) resigns in anticipation of the birth of her first child. The change is bittersweet for us all. We rejoice with Rachel and her husband Ben, but will miss her greatly at Amani. The interim nature of the position will allow Amani and me time to discern whether the role is a good fit for me. The Board and I will evaluate my performance and experience after six months, and then decide whether to make the position permanent.

What will happen to my current job, you ask? I will merge many of my current responsibilities with the Country Director position. We are also hiring part-time staff right now to help alleviate shop responsibilities that Rachel and I have shouldered in the past year. This is an immediate need. If you know of anyone in the DC area who would be interested, please let me know. This will be the first aspect of changes to our staff next year. Please join me in praying for the right people to join our AmaniDC team in 2010. Your continued financial support of my position in the coming year will enable this change and growth.

As you can see, the new year will get rolling with big changes at AmaniDC. I’m also excited to start it off with a long-awaited trip to the centers in Africa. Amani’s mission is grounded in relationships. It’s essential for us to stay connected to those who first shared this peace with us: the women at the centers in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi. Visits also help us work together as co-laborers to refine Amani’s global operations. I am planning to travel to all three of the Amani centers in Africa in late January/early February. You may know that my mom, Debbie, works part-time with Amani connecting volunteers in the US who sell products through our Kenya Export Office. Her involvement in Amani has been such a joy for us both. I am excited that we will be making this trip together as mother and daughter, co-workers, and friends.

This upcoming trip will allow us to rekindle relationships with friends old and new, as well as work to improve Amani’s US support of Africa operations. Time together affords opportunities to share about our lives and the extension of peace in the US. The women at Amani’s centers in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi work hard to share this peace with excellence through their products. Trips like these foster continuity and unity among the widespread Amani family.

We also have some specific ministry and business goals for our trip. Debbie will do some technical stitching training, as well as working with the Kenya Export Office to help her better perform her tasks in the US. I will work with Amani women on communications — facilitating exercises in personal storytelling and writing to create opportunities for the women themselves to share about Amani — and I will also represent the US staff as the Interim US Country Director and meet with leadership to work on specific ministry and production goals. We hope to visit some of the women in their homes and pray with them.

As we enter 2010, please join me in praying for God’s care and guidance for the Amani family and the DC location in particular, as well as our upcoming trip.

As you know, Amani uses donations for outreach and strategic growth. Because it values the connectedness of its staff, Amani is investing approximately 25% of our trip costs. My mom and I have decided to contribute 40% personally. We are fundraising together the remainder of our trip budget, which is about $2,600. If you are considering year-end donations for 2009, a gift to Amani for this trip beyond your current ongoing support will be an excellent investment in the growth and ministry of this unique organization.

To make a gift via check or credit card or to update your giving information, please fill out the enclosed giving card and send it to Amani Foundation, PO Box 28133, Chattanooga, TN 37424.

Again, I am deeply grateful for your friendship and support. I look forward to continuing to share with you how God’s peace is thriving at Amani—both here in DC and around the world. If you are interested, I would be happy to talk more with you about plans for the upcoming year. Now more than ever, I am passionate about Amani’s ministry and believe in its mission. I hope you are captivated by this work as well and the peace from God that it demonstrates.

Warm blessings to you and your family this Christmas season! May you find many reasons to celebrate and take heart as we give thanks for Christ’s coming and await his return.

E-mails, Coffee, and Prayers.

A woman in at the Kenya center feels inexplicable pain.

The ladies are thankful for recent rains.

Another woman reports that her neighbors were robbed last night, and she is feels scared and sad for them.

Still another gives thanks for a recent home visit from Amani women and their children.

The Burundi center has seen a drop in sales from slowing visitors. Rwanda gives thanks for a few big sales that cleaned them out.

Children of the Amani women are sitting for standardized examinations at school.

The Nairobi streets and buses are unsafe from crime and rough conditions. The women give thanks for their safety and pray for all who travel.

Several women at the Rwanda center are caring for children sick with malaria.

These are just a few of the prayer requests that have appeared in my inbox recently from Amani's Africa centers. Gladys from the Kenya office collects and circulates a simple daily e-mail that keeps us all connected. Some days, the list is short and full thanksgivings. Other days, like earlier this week, it seems a litany of woes too heavy for anyone to bear. Sometimes I marvel at the breadth of it. Generally, I'm thankful that these concerns are voiced with the hope of sharing the burden with others through prayer. The Amani women continue to remind me that our struggles are not meant to be faced alone.

We do this in our own way at AmaniDC. Our staff is small, but it's the same spirit playing out here of caring for those with whom we work . Our middle office has become a makeshift gathering place, much like the old stitching room at the Kenya center used to function before their chapel was built. We take time in the mornings before opening e-mail or packing up products to talk, drink our coffee (perhaps the American equivalent of chai?), and remember that we are friends sharing life together through our work. We tell stories about our families and homes. We laugh. We pray for one another and for the requests coming from Africa.

Sometimes the challenges we face here are very different from those facing our African sisters. More often, they're strikingly similar. Even in just the past few months, the Amani family has walked together through loss, new life, changing seasons, wont, instability and perplexity. Today I'm grateful for the everydayness of it. The little prayers and brief encouraging e-mails become the glue that holds us together across so many distances. On a usual day at the Amani centers, our connection may be imperceptible. But it's a source of strength for me and many on a daily basis.

Last week, a new volunteer was tending the shop when a woman came in with her newborn baby. The volunteer, a recent empty nester, was soon chatting with the younger woman who was herself adjusting to a new season of motherhood. I eavesdropped on their conversation and gave thanks that Amani is becoming a place where people who might not otherwise meet are connecting over common experiences. It would appear that the Amani culture--and the peace in which it is grounded--is naturally and ever-so-slowly making its way known at AmaniDC.

Please join me in praying for the needs of the Amani family in Africa and the US.

I love this photo of my mom & Elizabeth at Amani Kenya.
Theirs is a particular and lasting connection over motherhood and resiliency.

Sweet success.

For those of you thinking about Amani over the weekend, thank you! Both days' events were a great success with lots of sales and connections with visitors.

Saturday's sidewalk sale was a huge hit and our best Saturday as far as sales go. Sunday's Fiesta DC event brought tens of thousands of people to Mt. Pleasant St, many of whom stopped in to find out about Amani. Throughout the day, we heard, "I've been meaning to check out your new shop. I'm glad you're out here!"

I posted some photos on the AmaniDC blog. You can snag a peek here.

Just a word...or 175

We're heading into one of our first busy fall weekends, with a sidewalk sale on Saturday and Fiesta DC on Sunday. We've been had our hands full making sure that Amani products get to volunteers and webstore customers throughout the United States, so we appreciate opportunities to connect locally with these events.

As a little boost of affirmation, Zoe Sandvig, a local writer friend, visited us during the Grand Opening and wrote a profile on the AmaniDC center for World Magazine. It offers a glimpse of the friendships and experiences behind the new location. Check it out here. And I got to chat with a reporter from the Memphis Commercial Appeal who wrote this piece to promote a volunteer sale in their area this week. Opportunities to share about Amani and why I love it are so energizing.

With lots of product-related tasks coming in, our little team of staff and volunteers are pulling together and pitching in a lot these days. It's a refreshing change of pace to be able to work on a variety of things and so gratifying to watch products that represent our friends' livelihoods. It's an encouragement to them and makes me anticipate the day when I can see them again. Hopefully that will be in the new year. More on that next time!

Cooling Down and Gearing Up

Fall arrived rather abruptly to DC last week. On the first of September, the temperatures dropped and the humidity seeped off to torment some other poor city. We were ready for this--the District, as well as Amani.

It was nice to have a slower pace in August, with the grand opening past and the fall rush not yet upon us. We took the time to catch our breath and get ready for the events and sales we anticipate for the fall. A few weeks ago, a few friends and their little ones spent the morning with us modeling bags and kids items. The photos are now scattered throughout the online shop. And with the arrival of six big boxes last Friday from Nairobi, the fall rush officially got underway. (Just a tip: there are some really great new things online and in the shop right now. Plus, free shipping in September!)

The back-to-school season has also meant that some of our summer volunteers are returning to their work schedules. Fortunately, we've been getting some other nice folks to help us out. Between Idealist.org and the local universities, we've got lots of willingly, helpful hands. We find their presence with us not only practically helpful, but encouraging too. It draws in new people who connect with Amani in their own unique way--be it organizing and system-tweaking, learning about the craftsmanship of the products, or deepening their understanding of development and social enterprise.

Speaking of events, here's a list of some of the events we have coming up. Mark your calendars if you're in the area!

Saturday, September 26th - Mt. Pleasant Sidewalk Sale
A pre-Fiesta DC sidewalk sale with other vendors on the main street.

10:00 am to 4:00 pm @ AmaniDC

Sunday, September 27th - Fiesta DC
Fiesta DC is an annual event celebrating Latino cultures and heritage in the DC area that takes place on Mt. Pleasant Street! This is a big event with lots of food, people, and music. It should be a lot of fun.

11:00 am to 7:00 pm @ AmaniDC

Saturday, October 17th - Hearts & Hands Bazaar
This annual crafts bazaar has become a staple for Amani's fall schedule.

9:00 am to 3:00 pm @ Messiah United Methodist Church (6215 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA)

Friday & Saturday, November 6th & 7th: AmaniDC Holiday Open House
Our big sale event for the holiday season with a large sale section.

2:00 to 7:00 on Friday, 10:00 to 4:00 on Saturday @ AmaniDC

As we move into this busier season, there are certainly some items for prayer:

• Opportunities to connect through Amani with customers in the shop and at these events.
• Strong sales at volunteer sales across the US, online, in the shop, and at local events.
  
• Good communications with the rest of the Amani family in Africa, that we might encourage and strengthen one another.
• Energy & creativity for everyone working together at AmaniDC.
• Ongoing relationships with groups and individuals in the community, that Amani would be an agent of peace where there is discord.

Thank you for your prayers, visits, donations, and words of encouragement. I cannot express enough how important it is for me and for Amani.

Now, go celebrate fall and enjoy an apple.

On Fortitude or "Amani's Not for the Faint of Heart"

A friend recently gave me Lisa McMinn's new book, The Contented Soul, assuring me that, while it wasn't a judgment of my own practice of contentment, she thought I would find its reflections a helpful reminder of that toward which what we're often spurring one another. McMinn centers an early chapter of her book on the concept of fortitude. This struck me as mildly surprising. Fortitude much doesn't find its way into my everyday conversation. But McMinn casts it in a beautiful light, calling it "the ability to stay in the moment, and respond virtuously to it" (p.39). It encompasses resilience, mettle, grit, spirit, and strength of mind and character. Contentment comes as we learn to trust our bodies, minds, and spirits as they are tested by life's challenges. "A bit of courage and mastery foster contentment--the satisfaction of knowing how a thing works, how to repair it, what's edible in the wild, and what alternative one might have if, in a pinch[...],one needs to be resourceful." (p.47)

We have a favorite motto around the AmaniDC office: "Amani's not for the faint of heart." It's usually repeated when someone is precariously juggling products or working out the mental puzzle of (once again) reorganizing our limited space or lugging an over-sized box up the stairs. Another way of saying the same thing might be "Amani takes fortitude." I'm consistently amazed by the new challenges that arise with each new phase of AmaniDC's life. The past eight months at AmaniDC and getting to know our neighbor businesses have given me profound insight into the struggles of small business staff. Navigating legal and tax codes, setting up a working wireless network, or sorting out financial systems can consume the hours of idealistic, creative people who simply want to see their operation thrive. At the same time, I'm always impressed by God's provision for Amani in the form of ingenuity, encouragement, volunteers, and simple joys--like a surprise video chat with the women at Amani's center in Kigali, Rwanda.

I've certainly been stretched by the experience of the last eight months to work with diligence and determination at things I never imagined myself doing. It might not always look like mastery, but certainly resourcefulness. And it's not something to be done alone, but rather alongside the Amani family here in DC, throughout the US, and in Africa.

This fortitude is something demonstrated particularly well by my sisters in Africa. Their photos now hang above the product displays on the tall walls in the shop. They trade prayer requests with us regularly that we might carry one another's burdens. Their testimonies give me perspective on the daily struggles we face here. We are not alone in what seems like an endless string of struggles. They face these and many others with gratitude and grace. We each have our own difficulties with trusting God and choosing to pursue peace, but our partnership strengthens us in this task. They remind me to quit my whining and see challenges as an exercise in fortitude--and one in which I'm called to rely on those around me--transforming annoyances into opportunities to witness provision, invention, and interdependence.

Thank you, friends, for supporting this work.

I Spy with my Neighborhood Eye

I'm beginning to see early signs of a trend.

In the past two weeks, I've had three sightings of Amani bags on the shoulders of folks on the streets of Columbia Heights and Mt. Pleasant. First, it was the Black Limited Tote in front of the Rita's on 14th Street. Then I passed a woman on Newton Street carrying the new Khaki Kikoy Sack Purse. And just this morning, it was the Kikoy Simple Bag at the bus stop on Lamont Street.

Amani has arrived in the 'hood!

Some of my favorite things...

I posted some photos yesterday to the AmaniDC blog and linked them from my previous post. Along with those visual glimpses of the weekend, I also wanted to post some of my favorite moments.

These little morsels of goodness include:

...overhearing comments from pleasantly surprised passersby about the beautiful products at our sidewalk display.

...little Adelaide walking into the shop and marching straight over to the "Watoto Nook" meant just for our younger visitors. She knew exactly what to do with the chalkboard wall and was enamored of the illustrated African folk tale books.

...catching up with supporters and friends who came by to check out the new space.

...hearing stories of Amani spreading through word of mouth and the visitors who trekked into DC just to visit the shop.

...meeting some of the girls and volunteers from Restoration Ministries who came to check out Amani. We got to share with them about internship opportunities at our shop.

...looks of recognition from Amani friends who have visited the centers in Africa when they saw photos of their friends now displayed in the shop.

...reassuring a small group of teenage boys that there was free food inside as their mom paused mid-step and declared, "Sorry guys, I've got to stop in here for a minute," upon eying a necklace on display.

...chatting with neighbors about how much we love Mt. Pleasant and our hopes to see it thrive.

...many bags full of products being carried out by happy visitors who helped us clean out our sale section!

Thanks to many of you who stopped by to see us and the newly-debuted Amani boutique. If you haven't had the chance to check it out yet, you're most welcome to come see us any time. We love visitors and often have some tasty treats to share!

Photos courtesy of Lou Ann Aepelbacher (www.angazaphoto.com).

From the Grand Opening...

I just posted some photos on AmaniDC's info blog from the weekend's grand opening event. You can check them out here.

Opening. Grandly.

The AmaniDC center opened in the dead of winter during a recession. It was gutsy, to be sure. But, heartened by the fact that doors had been thrown wide open for us, we walked through them with faith. This morning, I walked into a shop flooded with summer's light and warmth. What at first felt stifling soon became a metaphor for the provision we've seen here in our small space on Mt. Pleasant Street. By mid-day yesterday the shop was bustling. Customers tried on dresses and marveled at the children's items. It's tremendously encouraging to see strong sales and such positive responses to people connecting to Amani through this location. Thank you for your support that has made this possible!

Although we opened our doors earlier this year, bringing together the various aspects of Amani's new DC home has taken several months. Now we're ready to "officially" welcome everyone to our new space at the end of the month. (In case you haven't heard, there's more information here.) Rachel has really been the mastermind behind the shop design. She's done a great job maximizing the space and infusing it with true Amani flavor. I'll post some images below to give a taste of the new look, but I definitely encourage visits to get the full effect.

It's continually a challenge to connect visitors with the spirit of Amani. Recently, I've been thinking about the distinctive spirit of the Amani centers in Africa, particularly the way they stand out as welcoming havens of serenity & prosperity in places rarely known as such. The women working together have been welcomed into Amani, and they eagerly extend this to others. Visitors of many cultures and backgrounds discover this and often marvel at Amani's uniqueness. Accomplishing such a spirit in the US inevitably looks a bit different. Personal connections with staff and volunteers are important, but we're also thinking through how to do this visually with images and words that highlight Amani's sense of care, community, sustainability, and dignity.

Another fun part of that effort will be "Watoto Hour" - a regular children's story hour that we're planning to get started next month. A group of moms from a local church are interested in helping us get this kicked off. And with the local library closing for renovations, we're hoping to connect with more neighborhood children and caregivers who have attended a similar event there. The possibilities are endless!

As promised, here are some photos from my friend Matt's photo shoot in June:

The AmaniDC team - Debbie, Brittany, Rachel, & Julia.
(Not pictured: lots of volunteers and another Rachel, our summer part-time Shipping Assistant/Saturday Manager)

This dress drew in countless passersby with its bold colors and striking design.

The jewelry display is a popular destination for most customers.

So many bags. So little space!

Julia makes use of the cozy Watoto (Children's) Nook.

The products that tell a story.

Mt. Pleasant by day.

Last thought: I've had fun in the past week setting up and experimenting with a Facebook fan page. You can become a fan of us here!

An Abundant Rain

Rainy afternoons have the unmistakable power to make me want to curl up and restfully muse. They somehow put a governor on the breakneck pace I tend to maintain day to day and give permission to just stare out the window at the heavy, falling drops and scampering people trying to avoid them (or not). Rain speaks of suffciency and provision. We're seeing that here at AmaniDC.

Today it's both rainy and quiet in the shop. Perhaps one gives way to the other, but today's quiet is also a result of my being the only staff member in for the day. Being a Friday (our long days with evening shop hours), I feared the solitude of many hours flying solo. But it's been a nice rhythm, giving me the chance to get some things done and eagerly welcome visitors when they venture into the shop.

Today's mix reminded me why I so enjoy getting to know the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. Men and women of a whole variety of ages and ethnicities wandered in - some curious and alone and others with friends who had stopped in before. Now that the weather's warming up and we've got our sign out (check out the photo to the right), there are more people simply dropping in. I chatted for a while with two ladies about the jewelry and the women who make it. One woman stopped in after work on her way home from her international development job. I was able to share simiarities and distinctives about Amani. And I marveled at the fact that only in DC would the frequency of international development professionals be so high.

One of our favorite regular visitors is a man from the Community of Christ who is caring for his infant son this summer. They come in to "monitor our progress," and we love oogling over our littlest AmaniDC fan. Yesterday we roped the father into modeling our Father's Day gifts for the website. He's quite the natural.

I've wondered when (or if) I'll tire of sharing about Amani with new people coming into the shop. But the enthusiasm that builds behind eyes of people resonating with Amani's story still manages to spark something new in me. I'm inspired to find fresh ways to translate the nuance and depth of Amani's ministry to different audiences. Sometimes it's the last thing I want to do, particularly when I'm engrossed in a writing project or thinking through Amani's latest logistical puzzle with Rachel or Julia, but it's rewarding - and often surprisingly so - when I do.

Next week my friend Matt is coming to take photos of the shop, office, warehouse, neighborhood, and our staff & volunteers. It'll be nice to have more images to tell the story of this ever-expanding little community here at AmaniDC.

Being the end of the month, we're looking at the final sales numbers for our shop and online store. It's incredibly encouraging to see these number well above our projections. It's not just rewarding for our work here, but vital for Amani's health. We're struggling to recruit volunteers who provide a direct market for the women in Africa. But I'm encouraged to know that there has been abundant provision amidst the risks Amani has taken to open a DC center. May the early taste of summer - be it rain, sunshine, or humidity - be a foretaste of good things to come for Amani, both here in DC and in Africa.

Because assembled shelves & drawers are just so encouraging...

I can’t help but add in a separate word on a special project this past weekend. I was particularly grateful for a group from Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virgina who visited us this past Saturday to see AmaniDC and help us put together some new display units for the shop during their Urban Immersion weekend. What was meant to be a short 2-hour stop turned into six hours of assembling and installing! Their labors were greatly appreciated as we realized the countless hours we would have spent on it
otherwise.

Amidst the screwdrivers and pressboard, I was encouraged to connect with this multi-generational group and share Amani and Mt. Pleasant with them. They fell in love with Mt.P’s diverse vibrancy, eagerly explored the local Pollo Sabroso restaurant, and chatted with neighbors on the street.



On Friday night, the AmaniDC team also connected by taking Amani from the city to the suburbs for Immanuel’s Women’s Ministry spring coffeehouse event. Over 200 women gathered to spend time together with music, food, and some purposeful shopping. Amani was invited as one of the vendors in their marketplace. We were grateful for their support in providing sales opportunities and the chance to let people know about our new DC shop.

People are drawn to Amani from across the DC metro area, and when they come, they fall in love with an often-unseen part of this vibrant city with which I dearly love. It’s a thrill for me to see ideas change and eyes open to the deep needs and tremendous joys that swirl around one another here.

Come check out our newly outfitted shop!

The Little Sister Finds Her Way

I’m tempted to start this off with a lamentation for the delay in updating. Instead, I’ll direct you to the other things that have been occupying my time in recent months. A significant part of my work with Amani is helping connect people in the States with happenings in the Amani family in Africa and the US. This takes the form of an update blog for Amani ya Juu and regular e-newsletters with product and ministry updates, which can be subscribed to here. I also manage the info blog for the AmaniDC to share about our location with the DC area.

The past few months have gone from a whirlwind to an emerging rhythm. And I’m so grateful. I’m beginning to see how Amani’s DC presence will emerge. I imagine it’s something like watching a child grow: it is both part of you and an entity all its own. As the first US center, AmaniDC is the third daughter center to be planted through relationships grown out of the mother center in Kenya. Amani - and living out peace as a whole - look different in these distinctive places. Our two older sisters in Burundi and Rwanda have struggled to discover their own identities and work through their particular struggles. They show us the way forward in this as we live out amani (peace) in a new neighborhood, city, culture, and continent.

The provision of helping hands
As we began thinking through all that would need to happen in our DC location to support sales and communications throughout the US, we knew the task was far greater than the four people in our office could handle. Volunteers are our lifeline. I was unsure where they would come from, but trusted that our need would be provided for. And it has been. Whether it’s a local nurse with random free afternoons, an unemployed friend, someone in transition, or a friend of Amani who connected with an African center and sought us out to stay in touch, there has been an abundance of helping hands to lighten the load. Amazingly enough, organizing product, welcoming customers or filling web orders can be a respite for our volunteers from the tedium of job searching or their usual work/life routines. Serving at Amani gives them a chance to support the work and connect locally in a unique way. And their presence is an encouragement to us as we work to support and speak on behalf of the women in Africa.

A visit from "Mama Becky"
Becky Chinchen founded and serves as Amani’s Executive Director. Over a decade after fleeing to Kenya as a refugee, she returned to Liberia in 2008 to join her husband Del in rebuilding the African Bible College where they worked before the civil war. From Liberia (with many and frequent trips), she provides direction and cohesion to Amani’s widespread family. We were excited to have her with us in DC for a week in early April. Over the course of five days, we worked through many major issues to give the new DC center a strong foundation. I was stretched in thinking through our budget and strategic growth. We brainstormed about Amani’s presence in the US and talked about product design. Becky and I planned out more regular electronic communications and fundraising initiatives for Amani ya Juu. It was an exhausting week that left our plates piled high with work, but also a sweet time of fellowship and vision-casting.

Listening and learning
Getting settled has taken priority in recent months, but seeking relationships with local people and groups where peace can be lived out is a core element of the vision for AmaniDC. For now, that means getting to know our neighbors in proximity and in common purpose.

I’ve shared before about our growing relationship with Restoration Ministries, a local organization working with victims of sex trafficking. Rachel and I were able to visit the residential school in Virginia where many of the girls they work with live. Our time there and dialogue since has helped further identify how we want to partner. In the next year, we are hoping to begin an internship program with young women who graduate from the school, as part of their holistic, relational care through RM. Please pray for this partnership and for the timing and details of moving forward.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been helping connect AmaniDC with the Mt. Pleasant Business Association in an effort to develop our relationship with local small businesses. The group is active and organized. We know we need to work together to facilitate everything from the use of sandwich board advertising on the sidewalks to parking to drawing people to Mt. Pleasant. Amani realizes that opening a retail operation during a recession is no small thing, and I’m excited to learn from and work alongside our neighbors who have both new and longstanding presences in this place that has seen its fair share of dark days and bright. Remember these businesses and our common efforts in prayer as well.

My days at AmaniDC are full and varied. Part of what makes it interesting is the fact that customers and curious visitors pop in to see our products and ask questions about the shop throughout the day. Sometimes it takes conscious discipline to pause my work and be fully present, but these people are Amani’s lifeline. They buy the beautifully handcrafted products and receive the stories of peace from the women in Africa. People are curious and eager to hear about this unique organization. Speaking on those women’s behalf of the peace they’ve found is a privilege I’m challenged to savor. And I find that as I do so with authenticity, I discover neighbors, hear their stories, and learn how they’ve experienced this place.

Speaking of learning about this place, I’ll leave you with a fun tidbit from a popular local blog. A writer from Prince of Petworth stopped by the open house hosted by La Casa/Community of Christ to introduce us and their other new tenants to the neighborhood. He wrote up a nice piece on our shop. Check it out here.

I am thankful for the support that enables me to devote my time to this. While it is work, it is also a rare joy to represent and work for the growth of a family in which I believe. Thank you for your support - in many ways - which makes this possible.

From Amidst the Settling Dust

Much has happened with Amani in DC this winter! We're still in the process of big transitions, but an update is in order. Here are the highlights:

A Giant Leap Northward
In December, our North Carolina warehouse closed and the Amani leadership decided to move its operations up to DC and incorporate it into the vision for an Amani ministry center. The US warehouse has supported volunteer sales throughout the States during significant growth since Amani’s export system launched in March 2006. The warehouse receives returned product and processes payments for volunteer sales, as well as fulfilling website orders. The warehouse makes it possible for volunteers to sell products that both support and tell the stories of the women of Amani in Africa.

Of course, an essential part of moving new operations to DC has been finding a space for Amani to live. We thought this would be our biggest obstacle in light of DC’s pricey real estate market. But after casually looking for years, it was in just the right timing that I noticed an advertisement for space in a church on Mt. Pleasant Street a few blocks from my home. The space includes a well-lit front room with street-level display windows and two back rooms for our office and warehouse. Mt. Pleasant is a diverse, lively, community-oriented neighborhood in northwest DC. As we investigated the space, it occurred to me that there might be no better place for Amani's DC home than “Mt. P” with its international flavor, strong neighborhood identity, and accessibility to visitors.

Settling In
Amani has been warmly welcomed by the congregation at Community of Christ who owns the building called “La Casa” where we are renting space. Community of Christ undertook major renovations of their building a year ago with hopes of renting it to local non-profit organizations at a reasonable price. Their decades of experience in the community and desire to support Amani’s work is tremendously encouraging.

On December 15th, a team of superstar volunteers went down to North Carolina to move the product and warehouse items. Then on December 18th, we hosted an informal open house to introduce local Amani friends and neighbors to our new space. Since then we continue to make new friends and have had lots of interest from passersby. The other day, a friend of mine overheard a co-worker ask if anyone had heard about "the new cool shop in Mt. Pleasant that sells handcrafts from women in Africa." It’s exciting to hear that Amani is already creating a buzz!

Assembling a Team
The tasks that come along with warehouse operations are substantial. Our previous Warehouse Administrator, Kerry Shea, worked tirelessly to maintain it and support Amani’s growing warehouse needs. Bringing the warehouse up to DC necessarily meant a new hire for our DC office. Personally, I'm quite thrilled with the person we found to oversee warehouse and financial operations! She is a friend and former co-worker of mine from Central Union Mission, Julia Simerly. Julia and I have worked closely together, and I'm excited to use our gifts again toward a common purpose. (She is pictured here with the rest of the DC staff: Rachel, myself, and my mom, Debbie.)

Volunteers have already been an incredible help and encouragement at AmaniDC, whether they help organize product, check in volunteer boxes, tweak shop displays, or put together mailings. We are counting on weekly and one-time volunteers to help make AmaniDC a place where people come together to work and share their lives together. We look forward to knowing and sharing Amani with our growing volunteer community.

Much remains to be organized, planned for, and thought through, but every day we are making progress and slowly seeing AmaniDC come together. This season of establishing systems, getting organized, and building a support network is important so that Amani can thrive in its new home. I believe Amani has a unique ability to share peace with the people in this city and look forward with eager anticipation to watching the specifics of it emerge.

We are currently keeping regular shop hours on Fridays (10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) with plans to expand that as through volunteers serving as shopkeepers. For more information on AmaniDC, please visit our blog at amanidc.wordpress.com. If you live in the area, please make plans to come see us sometime soon!

Thank you again for your faithful support of my work with Amani ya Juu. This is a work of ever-expanding possibilities and new direction. I’m grateful for the opportunity walk this road and would love to share more if you have questions or ideas. I am always available at brittany (at) amaniafrica dot org.

Endelea na imani.
Continue in faith.

Looking Back. Walking Forward.

From Lucy's vantage point in an armchair in my parents' living room, she had a direct view of the kitchen sink where my father stood, both hands deep in a sink full of dirty plates and bowls. We'd just enjoyed a delicious dinner together with the Sankofa team and DC Committee, but 20 people make a mound of dishes, and he'd taken on the task of dismantling it. Lucy was amazed. She called me over and whispered, "There are so many women in this house, and he is doing the dishes." My mom and I smiled, and we all joked about the strangeness of American men who do housework and how different things are in our cultures.

The weeks I spent with the Sankofa team were full of these moments - amusing, simple, and sometimes sobering - as the Amani family opened share its homes and communities to our friends from Africa. Together we explored the world of line dancing, hauled baggage, hung out on runways, steamed costumes, and piled into countless vans. We prayed together for families far away and comforted one another as in loneliness and exhaustion. We laughed and ate till we thought we could bare it more. We feasted on good things.

The Sankofa US Tour was unlike any other experience the Amani family has shared before. It was new for all of us, even the Americans traveling with the team who constantly improvised our way through new circumstances. Yet after spending the past four years sharing about Amani in the United States, my eyes were open to new depths of its ability to draw people together and facilitate meaningful bonds of peace, hope, and encouragement. In Florida, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, and DC, I heard the Amani women boldly share their personal experiences of sorrow and renewal with a striking blend of meekness and conviction. (Unfortunately, I was unable to be in North Carolina with them but heard great reports about it.)

Naturally, I was particularly grateful for the meaningful experiences we had together in the DC area. My experiences and relationships through Amani over the years have given me vision for hope and peace in DC. The Sankofa team brought fresh particularity to that reality. Goretti shared weighty words of God’s presence with us in sorrow at a gathering of senior citizens at Central Union Mission. Mary K. led a hundred elementary students at the E.W. Stokes School in NE DC in a raucous round of old spirituals. Stella shared with the students – many of whom are recent immigrants themselves - about her experience growing up as a refugee. Audience members at the show in Springfield told me in wide-eyed wonder that the event was far beyond what they expected in quality and beauty. In a region buzzing with international news, whose pulse beats with world-change and power-wielding, the women of Amani shared truth about the source of hope and peace. Their presence grounded me and still reminds me that this is a message we so need here.

Now the Sankofa team has returned to homes in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and throughout the US. As we do so, the richness of these weeks will continue to unfold in our lives and relationships. We continue to look back and walk forward. I’m inspired for the work ahead of us in DC to do just that.

Amani's Kenya Country Director Mary Maina concluded each Sankofa show with the following words. They are timely and sum up well the message of Sankofa that I carry into the days ahead:

"At Amani, we are discovering hope for the future: a peace that comes from Jesus Christ. As we are learning to thrive amidst sorrow, we entreat you to join us in this journey of learning from the past and walking boldly toward the future. Despite the uncertainties that the future holds for all of us, our families, and our countries, may we leave this place tonight knowing that we can be ambassadors for a peace that transforms."

You can watch the show online thanks to Forest Hill Church, our hosts in Charlotte, NC. Check it out at: http://foresthill.lightcastmedia.com/console.php?u=3037&c=697757024.
Note: Due to a technical glitch, the narration pieces before each of the three sections of the show are not included in this recording.

Below are a few more images from Sankofa courtesy of Jillian Pichocki (www.jillianpichocki.com) and Brian Tropiano (www.briantropianophoto.com).