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).

Getting excited for Sankofa!

This is an exciting and groundbreaking season for Amani ya Juu. I came on with Amani full-time at the end of the summer, just in time to dive in headlong to planning for Sankofa: Look Back. Walk Forward., a high-end fashion narrative produced by the women of Amani on tour this month in the United States.

Through brilliant costumes, choreography, lighting and music, women from six countries - Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Burundi, and Uganda - use the fashion runway as their stage to depict courageous journeys from warn-torn pasts to their new community at Amani ya Juu. The narrative highlights separation from homelands, transformation through brokenness, celebration of hope in the midst of difficulties.

“Sankofa” is an Akan word that means “We must go back and accept our past so we can move forward. We do this so we can understand why and how we came to be who we are today.” We can all learn our past experiences in order to understand both who we are today and celebrate our future.

A fashion narrative uses the medium of a fashion show to share a story through clothing design, accessories, movement, music, lighting, and narration. In the case of Sankofa, the women of Amani will share their collective story of looking to past hardships and walking toward hopeful futures. Sankofa provides space to explore the painful yet redemptive journeys of Amani women through traditional dances and evolving motifs.

Creative design and ingenuity in Amani’s products reflect the restoration and transformation process at work in every person in the Amani family. Amani’s new clothing line Amani Pamba (meaning “Peace Adorned”) reflects this essential element. Amani designers have created “wearable art” using colorful motifs and patterns of African cultures to create pieces that reflect this process.

I've been thrilled to participate in preparations for the Sankofa tour. Sankofa presents a unique opportunity for the women of Amani to share their stories through their own creative stregnths. They will also be doing outreach through schools, community organizations, and churches during the tour to allow them to interact more personally with people of many walks in the US.

Sankofa is already underway! The first show takes place in Orlando this Saturday, October 4th. Then we're off to Dallas for a special event on Tuesday, October 8th before the next show in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, October 10th. The tour will conclude on Friday, October 17th with the DC area show.

If you live in one of the areas Sankofa will visit, I hope you'll consider attending an event. Tickets and donations opportunities are available in Amani's online shop.

Here's a link to the Sankofa announcement on Amani's blog.