Back Home!

Dear friends,

I have returned back home from Africa, and I wanted to send out a quick thank you for all of your prayers, and also let you know about some of the highlights of the trip.

Pamoja House:
The first week was spent in Nairobi, and it was a wonderful reunion with the women of Amani!  I very much felt like I was coming home!  The new Pamoja House facility has been completed, and is an absolutely beautiful center.  Everyone loves coming to work to such a peaceful and serene environment.  I have attached a photo of the new center.

Amani Kazi:
We had a strategic planning meeting where I shared about Amani US, our goals and vision, and it was a true blessing to have the feedback and excitement from other leaders of Amani as we began to plan for the next year. In addition, we welcomed the new Amani Kazi group, which is a ministry to husbands and men of Amani.  This group of men presented their vision for spreading peace and stability to other men in their communities through a discipleship and woodworking project.   I have attached a photo of Amani Kazi members as well.  The pride and excitement which these men have for the project is incredible.

Rwanda:
I then traveled to the Rwanda center with a small team from Nairobi.  We were thrilled to finally see their new center!  The women of Amani Rwanda have been able to save enough to buy their first house.  Incredible!  I have also attached a photo of this house and the women.  They are doing so well, and again, it felt like coming home.  We worked hard on a new line of products, new pastors stoles, interviewing new women to join the center, and talking about thier vision and mission.  As the younger sister center, Amani Rwanda has been growing tremendously, and this past year marked a true step of maturity both in physical stability and also personal vision.  I was truly blessed to hear the women of Rwanda describe their vision for Amani to continue beyond them, to bring a community and refuge of peace to women for years to come!  

Family:
I stayed with friends over the three weeks, and it was a wonderful opportunity to renew the relationships and friendships we have as a global ministry.  Amani has become large, but the sense of family and sisterhood still remains strong.  

Prayer Requests:
I would like to close by also sharing a few prayer requests.  Amani exists because there is a need for peace in this world.  As beautiful, peaceful, and wonderful as Amani is, it exists because it provides healing from a broken world.

This became very tangible during my last two weeks at Amani.  Please remember our following Amani sisters during their time of mourning and need.

Rose from Rwanda- Her husband died from malaria leaving her with 4 small children.  Please pray for her strength and also for continued provision for her family of 5.  Rose's husband was a respected Pastor, and Rose desires to continue to serve the Lord as her husband exemplified for her family.

Fidelia from Kenya-  After getting married last year, Fidelia lost her 6 week old child to sickness, and last month her husband also passed away from a Kidney infection.  Pray for her comfort, and for the Amani family to be a strong support to her during this loss.

Elizabeth and Rahab-  They have lived in a slum for many years in Nairobi, and have provided for a large family of immediate and extended relatives through their involvement with Amani.  They have been evicted from their home as the government plans to bulldoze the slum.  Pray that a home will become available to them soon.

As these hardships came up, we were reminded as a family of believers, that we are called to lift one another up in times of need.  We are also called to worship the Lord and trust in His sovereignty, even in the most difficult and truly painful of circumstances.  I cannot imagine going through such loss, but I think God provides through communities and families like Amani to help to rebuild what breaks.

I am thankful to be back home, while at the same time knowing a piece of me has also has a home at Amani.

Thank you for all of your prayers, and I hope you are experiencing the peace of the Lord in your life!

Barikiwa (be blessed),
Rachel