December Letter

Christmas greetings from DC! I pray this letter finds you well during this season of our Lord’s birth.

Ben and I continue to be blessed living in the District. We have been excited to see an Amani storefront space become available for the US office! Last night we unpacked a uhaul with friends, moving the rest of the Amani products into the new space. Friends from church helped to not only drive the items up from NC, but also a small group in the neighborhood helped to unpack it all. This truly is a community effort, and I am honored and blessed by the friends and supporters who are helping to make this new location a home for Amani in DC!

Sankofa US Tour
Let me back up and share a little bit about Sankofa. Ben and I were especially excited to be able to open up our home to the Amani Sankofa team that was touring the US this Fall. The team spent a week in the DC area, and we hosted a big African style banquet in our home. We were maxed out at 30 people, but we had a wonderful time all packed in the kitchen cooking together. Grace made an amazing beef stew, Gladys and Catherine made Chapatti’s, Lucy ugali, Rahab perfected the suma- weeki (greens), and I made an American jumbalia. It was a great time, and we felt like one big family.

Sankofa was wonderful. I was able to travel with the team through four states and be a part of the Sankofa presentations and events. We had many wonderful times of outreach in different homes, offices, groups, and each show shared the message of Christ’s transforming peace to eager audiences. This included a Charlotte audience of over 1,000 people. We were all truly amazed! If you didn’t get a chance to see the Sankofa show, there is a link below to a video of it from Charlotte.

New AmaniDC shop
So Sankofa wrapped up by November 10th. We were able to take a deep breath and a few days off before diving into the next big project. This one though has been a long time coming- opening a US Center in DC! We have dreamed of it for years, have made countless proposals and plans, and this year the details finally came together and we found ourselves in a sound place to plant a new center in DC.

Brittany Noetzel has been helping with the location search since she came on in the beginning of this year. A month ago she walked by a storefront property on Mt. Pleasant St., which is owned and managed by The Community of Christ La Casa church. After looking at the space and talking with the church, we realized it was just a perfect fit. There is room for a storefront (two windows right on a main retail street with foot traffic), an office, and a back-room warehouse. In addition our landlords are wonderful and excited about the mission of Amani, and working with us to reach-out to the DC neighborhood surrounding us. We signed the lease on Monday Dec. 8th, and are currently moving ourselves in.

We are also welcoming Julia Simmerly to the Amani US team to help with the US warehouse which is relocating this month to DC. We are also grateful for the hard work of Arnila Santoso who has been volunteering to help us recruit volunteers for Eastern Market and other DC market opportunities. Countless other volunteers have helped us tremendously this year, especially with Sankofa, and I am thrilled for us to have a space to all share together now.

I want to thank you for your prayers both for me and for Amani in the US. The fact that AmaniDC is opening next month is a true testimony of the Lord’s provision and answer to prayer.

Ben and I pray you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Thank you for your tireless support and prayers. You have walked with me along this long road, and I give thanks for you.

With a full and grateful heart,
Rachel

New AmaniDC shop!

Friends- I'm thrilled to say that we have finally opened up our first storefront, and its here in DC! We are combining the existing US office, with warehouse, as well as a storefront. On Monday we will be moving the warehouse from NC to DC, and begin setting up the new place.

I hope you can come visit us soon! Our new location is 3166 Mt. Pleasant St, NW Washington, DC 20010. Directions are available on or blog, along with more information about the new location. AmaniDC blog.

On the 18th we are having a REALLY informal open house. We'll be going through all the product and setting up, so please come by and see us! There will be a bargain bin, so its perfect for some last minute Christmas gifts.

We are also accepting donations for items we need for the office, warehouse, and shop. Please check out the list on our blog and let us know if you have anything you would like to donate.

Its amazing to see the dreams for an Amani store become a reality. Hope to see you soon!

Sankofa group after the last DC show

IMG_4497, originally uploaded by jillog.

Here we all are at the end of tour!

Photo courtesy of Jillian Pichocki photogrpahy, www.jillianpichocki.com.

Link to a video the of the Sankofa Fashion Narrative

Forest Hill Church in Charlotte, NC was wonderful in providing us with a video of Sankofa. Check out the link below! http://foresthill.lightcastmedia.com/console.php?u=3037&c=697757024

After the feast...

"We were like men who dreamed
Our mouths were filled with laughter
Our tongues with songs of joy
Then it was said among the nations,
'The Lord has done great things for them.'

The Lord has done great things for us.

For those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy
He who goes out weeping
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of Joy
carrying sheaves with him." Psalm 126

Mary Maina shared these words with Amani staff and the Sankofa team as an expression of PRAISE to the Lord for the great things He has done.

As we traveled through Orlando, Dallas, Charlotte, and the DC area, we saw first hand the work of the Lord. Each stop, each speaking engagement, each show, and each host home were filled with the Lord's provision and blessing. The entire trip far exceeded our plans and even vision for Sankofa, but the Lord used Sankofa to bring glory to Himself- "He has done great things for us."

The women of Amani shared their difficult stories with strength, boldness, and dignity. Their stories of pain and injustice also produced thanksgiving and joy in what the Lord has saved them from and given to them.

"The Lord has done great things for us.

For those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy
He who goes out weeping
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of Joy
carrying sheaves with him."

As we prepared for the shows and were overwhelmed by logistics, we sat in awe as each show carried on, and produced a presentation that far excedeeded our expectations- full seats, involved audiences, wonderful lights and sound, and cast and crew enjoying themselves. "The Lord has done great things for us."

We set up the involved stage and boutique each stop, surrounded by boxes of products, hangers, hooks, hours later relieved to see it all set up- we worried about selling enough product or if we had enough of this or that- but at the end of each show we were in awe of the empty tables, cleared racks, and excited faces of our guests. As we packed back up we were thankful for the empty boxes that could be thrown away. And at the end of the tour we praise the Lord for the financial support each sale provided for the women of Amani that far exceeded our expectaions. "The Lord has done great things for us."

In the end we realize how much this was NOT about ourselves, not about how much work we put into it, how far our publicity went, or how high our sales got. This was entirely about how the Lord was going to use it for His own purposes, to bring glory to Himself. "The Lord has done great things for us."

I know that a countless number of lives were touched over the past three weeks- not only ours (the women of Amani ya Juu), but every person we came into contact with. I pray that the Lord reaps the seeds that were sown, and that we will be here to help guide more to know His eternal peace and gift of salvation.

As I come off this mountain, tired in mind and body, I find myself also envigorated by the Spirit. The Lord has great plans for Amani, as He does for each of us in the coming months. He asks that we give ourselves and everything over to Him. Sankofa is a testimony of His care and provision- one that I will carry with me as a reminder of what happens when we place our troubles and concerns at His feet.

"We were like men who dreamed
Our mouths were filled with laughter
Our tongues with songs of joy
Then it was said among the nations,
'The Lord has done great things for them.'

The Lord has done great things for us.
Psalm 126

Sankofa October 17th

In less than a month I will be traveling to Orlando, Florida to work alongside the Sankofa team of 10 Amani women traveling from Nairobi to present Sankofa. Sankofa is a fashion narrative that uses the beauty of Amani's fashion and textile to present a three chapter story of Separation, Transformation, and Celebration. The narrative is presented with music, readings, dance, and vibrant costumes depicting the corporate story of finding peace and wholeness through Amani ya Juu.

Sankofa has been put together by the Amani women, and lead by Lynn Windmeyer and Rachael Segrest who have served as missionaries at Amani for the past few years.

I am so excited to see the show first hand as I was not able to go last year to the first Sankofa in Nairobi. I believe the stories and beautiful presentation by the Amani women is a testimony to the Lord's amazing grace and saving power as He transforms us. It will be a powerful experience for all who attend the shows in Orlando, Charlotte, and DC.

I will be traveling with the tour to each state to help represent Amani's ministry programs in the US as well as just helping out where I can. I will be leaving on Oct 3rd, and returning to DC on Oct. 11th, in time for the team to arrive and prepare for the DC show that Friday.

I hope you can join me at the DC Sankofa on Oct 17th. It will start at 8pm at the The Waterford: 6715 Commerce Street, Springfield, VA 22150 32801. You can purchase tickets through the Amani webstore, and please also feel free to call me is you have any questions about it.

Praying that the Lord's peace is embracing each of you!

IBC Coffee, Tea, and Chai!

Being a part of the IBC Coffee, Tea, and Chai was a true blessing! The fellowship was great, the food was AMAZING, and the messages from Ammani, Patricia, and Bethany were so encouraging. I had a great time with everyone who volunteered to run the Amani marketplace and it looked fabulous. I think the best set up so far!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for the event, and who prayed for me as I prepared to speak. The Lord brought a spirit of calm when it came time for me to speak, and I truly appreciated the opportunity to share about what He has been doing in my life through Amani and relationships with women in my life. I hope it was an encouragement to others!