Bwana asifiwe--Praise the Lord!

After 15 hours and very little sleep, we have arrived in Nairobi! Lou Ann and I were met at the Nairobi Airport by Brittany and four wonderful ladies from Amani Ya Ju. After five minutes of warm greetings we moved on to our vehicle and "enjoyed" a speedy trip to the guesthouse. Upon waking up Sunday morning we saw Nairobi in the light of day. It is lush with tropical flowers and plants. There is not a better thing to do than to worship with brothers an sisters in Christ and to do it in Africa was a privilege and joy. The day was off to a great start!

Brittany is a supurb guide and took charge of us, since, due to jet lag, we could barely put to coherent thoughts together. She took us to a shopping center where we had a wonderful lunch and then browsed and shopped in the Masai market outside. We were able to spend the rest of the day resting and settling into our "home" for the next two weeks.

At dinner Sunday night we ate with the sisters who run the guesthouse. Germany is there home of origin. It was a joy to get to know them. Each has served the Lord for 30 plus years here in Africa and India. They are delightful ladies. Time to just sit and talk with these ladies and Brittany, Lou Ann and Laura (Brittany's traveling companion while she has been in East Africa) is truly a blessing. It is a time to wind down and think about life issues that I find are hard to focus on in the whirlwind of life in Northern Virginia.

As we wait for the rest of our team to arrive (they are in the air, winging their way here as I write) we are catching up on emails (yes, even in Africa!) and will go over to the Amani Center to get our first glimpse of the center, taking lunch there. Please pray for us, that Rachel, Jessie, Miriam and Betty arrive safely tonight and that our time with the ladies at Amani will be encouraging and productive in the Lord, bringing Him glory!

Peace and Blessings,

Debbie

(P.S. by Lou Ann - don't forget that I am also posting to a blog at this link. Enjoy!)

Four Day and Counting!

It is Monday night and I have just had dinner with a prayer warrior friend of mine making sure she left here armed with prayer requests. Am I anxious? No but I do feel the urging to gird our team with prayer support as we ready our selves for this trip. For almost a year now the Lord has prepared me for my journey to visit His children in another part of the world and it is almost here. Yes! I am excited and ready to meet the ladies of Amani. I want to serve them by just being with them, loving them and encourageing them in their journey with the Lord. I am also excited to share with them my love of quilting. Two of my quilting budies and I have made 14 quilted runners to take to the ladies as gifts. It will be fun to share with them what American quilt fabrics look like. You see these runners have fabric in them from eleven different quilter's staches!

I look forward to spending lots of time with the ladies watching them create the these beautiful pieces of art and just maybe I will be able to help. And as we stitch I look forward to all we will learn about each other.

In June we saw one child off to Africa as Brittany preceded all of us to Rwanda to visit her sister church. Last Friday, Brittany was at the airport in Kigali, Rwanda to meet our son, Jared, as he arrived with the IBC Team Rwanda. So on Friday Jon will see me off to Kenya. This is definitly the summer that the Lord has deamed the Noetzels are to travel to Africa. Not sure what that means but we all go with open hearts and hands to serve and glorify Him!

Bwana asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!)
Debbie

I can't put it off any longer...

Lou Ann here. In case you didn't already know this, I love to type. In fact, I love to type a lot more than anyone in their right mind wants to read. So I decided to start my own "Africa 2007" blog. That way the majority of you who want a quick update on our trip can stick with this blog. Those of you who want to read my ramblings are welcome to visit me at my Africa 2007 blog. Or, better yet, if you have a site feed reader, you can feed both of these blogs into your reader and see whenever either of the blogs is updated along with access to the full text of any posts. Enjoy! Thirteen days and counting!!

Preparation Stage...almost done...Blasting off tomorrow!

Wow. The flurry of activity to leave home for 5 weeks is incredible! Last minute running around for needed items for us and the missionaries we are visiting has kept me hopping! I know the trip ahead will be full of challenges and lessons, and I can't wait.

Our DC Amani Safari team will be gathering in Nairobi in mid-July. Before I join them, I will be visiting 4 countries in the next 3 weeks: Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Malawi.

In Rwanda and Burundi, I will have the treat of visiting the "sister centers" of Amani in each of the capital cities, Kigali and Bujumbura. I am really looking forward to meeting and enjoying the women there, hearing their stories, and learning about their centers where "peace is sown."

As an old African proverb says, "If you are rich and not generous, it is as if you had nothing."

Truly, it is better to give than to receive...and a lot more fun!

Well, off to finish the last minute packing!

Betty

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
Habakkuk 2:14

Welcome, Betty!

You may have noticed the addition of another beautiful face at the top of the blog, and the inclusion of the same friend in our "group" photo in the previous post. I got ahead of myself! :-) We are pleased to bring yet another member to our Amani group. Welcome to Betty, who will meet us in Nairobi.

Betty
Northern Virginia
It is exciting to be a part of the ever-expanding body of Christ. Ever since God allowed me to move to Africa in 1980, I have had a growing respect and admiration for African women. Having lived in both West and East Africa over the course of 10 years, I have seen the challenging situations that women face in Africa as they have to earn a living, care for their children and overcome the trials of poverty, war, and sickness.

When my family was living in Malawi, I met Becky Chinchen in 1987. She and I shared many child-rearing days and enjoyed fellowshipping in the same church. Little did I know that 20 years later, I would be joining a team of women to work with a fabulous ministry, Amani ya Juu, that God raised up through Becky to help African women. Because of Becky Chinchen’s devotion to the Lord, God was able to use her gifts, talents and her vision for what God could do in the lives of needy African women.

I am thrilled to be a part of the DC Amani Safari Team this July. We will all be challenged and probably inspired as we work side by side with the African women at Amani ya Juu. It is my prayer that as we serve one another on the team, and as we serve the African women in Nairobi, that God will use us to be a blessing and to bring Christ further glory as we do.

The group!

The ice cream social was a success. We had a house full of people, wonderful fellowship, we learned a lot more about Amani and about each other, we shopped and we ate ... and the seven of us decided that this would be our last chance to get a group photo. Unfortunately, we won't have a chance to meet Jesse before we actually arrive in Nairobi. But, for the meantime, here is a photo of the seven of us. Enjoy!! More images from the ice cream social to follow.


(Front Row, left to right: Miriam, Brittany, Rachel. Back row, left to right: Sharon, Lou Ann, Betty, Debbie)

Ice Cream Social!!

On June 7, we will be holding an Evening Ice Cream Social so that you can hear about our upcoming trip to Nairobi, Kenya to visit the Amani ya Juu ministry! We would love to share with you about what we will be doing, information about the ministry, and ways to pray for us while we are away. Please come and bring anyone else whom you feel would be interested in hearing about this trip.

There will also be some lovely Amani products available for sale!

If you want more details about this evening get together, please drop us an e-mail at the address you see above.

We hope to see you then.

Welcome, Miriam

We are extremely pleased to welcome a new member to our DC Amani Safari team. I'll let Miriam speak for herself:

Miriam
Washington, DC
"This trip to Africa -- my first ever -- means a lot to me as I've been working for a mission church of the Anglican Church of Rwanda (Church of the Resurrection in Washington, DC) for two years. I first caught wind of the Amani project back in 2005, when a mutual friend asked me to send driving directions to the church to Rachel, and explained some about her work with Amani. Since then, I've been faithfully purchasing bags, potholders, aprons and the like to give as gifts when special occasions roll around. I even tried my hand at selling stoles to pastors at a recent conference when Rachel had to leave the table. Now I get to go see where all these beautiful products are made! The relational aspect of this trip really appeals to me: I am greatly looking forward to meeting, learning from, and praying with my sisters in Christ halfway around the globe, as well as traveling with my sisters from here in Washington, DC and seeing how we can better minister to our city with this message of peace."

"When people ask, 'What can I do for you? I tell them, come be with me.' These wise words were spoken by Bishop John Rucyahana.

"I believe we should make space in the Body of Christ for storytelling. We really can’t survive without stories. When people who live with the virus tell their stories, they name and claim their identities. Instead of others labeling you or on your behalf, you name your experience of your reality. Telling our stories also helps us to make sense of what is happening."
-Denise Ackerman, After the Locusts: Letters from a Landscape of Faith (p. 86)

As our group looks toward our coming trip in July, these thoughts from one of my favorite authors speak powerfully to our purposes. Ackerman’s writings are shaped by her experiences living through apartheid in South Africa. Her experiences challenge and refine faith. She speaks powerfully of the importance of storytelling in our common life as followers of Christ, offering a helpful perspective for us as we prepare for our trip.

As our newsletter articulates, this particular trip is not centered on any major “project.” You may wonder, “Why are you going to Africa then? There is so much hurt and poverty. You must be planning to do something?”

We are indeed! Our mission is to understand, to learn, and to share. We are part of a tapestry of faith stretching through time and location, woven with our own stories and those of our sisters. At present our tapestry is quite familiar and limited. We recognize our need for the threads of our other sisters’ faith stories in order to begin to fill in the missing patterns, colors, and artistry, even as we continue to weave our own tapestry.

Ackerman writes the following on the implications of HIV/AIDS for women and children and the role the family of faith in this current crisis:

"I have heard stories that speak of triumph, of resistance, and of hope. Imagine a kaleidoscope with thousands of different-colored fragments. As it moves, it forms patterns. The myriad of stories of suffering and joy make up the big story of AIDS, in which each fragment is unique. My life has been changed by knowing the stories of people living with the HIV virus. Hearing and telling stories challenges stigmas and prejudices…Stigmas can paralyze us. They deny the active, meaningful, and contributing lives of many (HIV-positive) people. Through telling and hearing stories, we discover connections and then, hopefully, we begin to care in new ways because the shared story of our faith is our sounding board. It shows that not only Jesus’ care and concern for the suffering but confronts us with a person whose life makes sense and gives hope even when he suffers death on a cross." (p. 86)

We eagerly anticipate discovering this tapestry and invite you to join us in the journey. Stay tuned to this blog or feel free to contact us directly to do so. One day we look forward to seeing our pieces completed and added to the final masterpiece of the true Artist Creator.

Welcome!

Greetings friends and family!
You can download a colorful pdf file version of this information. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view it.

For most of us the devastation, instability, and fear known by a refugee woman is a foreign reality. It's difficult to grasp the experience of fleeing one's home because of violence, poverty, or alienation. For the women of Amani ya Juu, these painful experiences are an intimate reality. Yet, because these women tell their stories of pain leading to hope and suffering giving way to healing through the works of their hands, we have been gained a glimpse into their lives. In doing so, we've begun to witness the life-giving work God is doing to bring peace from above into broken lives.

We are writing you to share with you a little bit about Amani ya Juu and what it has meant to each of us. Amani ya Juu (Swahili for "peace from above") is a stitching project in East Africa where marginalized women come together to learn job skills while discovering the peace of Christ and its power to heal and renew their lives. Amani is far more than a job-training program—it is a community of women empowered by God's love and grace to be agents of peace. At the centers in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi, women are cared for in body, spirit, heart, and mind.

Since its inception, Amani has remained closely connected to an ever-widening circle of people in the United States. Recently, the Amani family has experienced great growth in depth and breadth. Amani's work is inherently relational—believing that true development happens when we get to know one another and act in response to relationship. As a part of this, our group of six women is endeavoring to take the next step in our relationship with Amani and our own journeys to becoming Amani women—women of peace.

You may have come to this blog because you are connected to this family as well. Or you may have come here some other way ... by God's design. Either way, we are excited to share with you the opportunity we have as a group to visit Amani Nairobi this July. We will be spending ten days at the Center, each paired with a host Amani woman who will share her life and experience at Amani with her guest. We will experience the many various aspects of Amani life including the production systems, shared spiritual life (morning prayer, chapel, and relational counseling), the Garden Café, shop, export, and design. We will all be seeking to bless the Amani community with our presence and skills as appropriate.

We look forward to encountering and working through this cross-cultural experience as a team. We see ourselves as ambassadors, bringing God's message of hope and peace from Amani to our own communities in the United States. And we would love to share our journey with you! For those of you in the Washington, DC area, we would like to host a tea to share more about Amani and our upcoming trip. This will take place in late April or early May, so be watching for details. Also, our "DC Amani Safari" will be chronicled here in our group blog. Keep checking back for updates every week or two before we leave in July, as well as while we are in Africa. And please leave comments on the blog so that we will be encouraged along the way!

Our hope is that this trip will offer greater opportunity for Amani's family in the US to grow and deepen. We hope that you will join us in this. Any of us would be happy to talk with you about Amani and its work. If you would like to tangibly support us in this adventure, we would ask for your prayers for us as individuals and as a team, that we might be unified in following God's leading and faithful in responding with love and grace. You can also join us by contributing financially to the cost of the trip. As a group, we are raising $21,000 for the trip. You can support us by sending a check to PO Box 28133 Chattanooga, TN 37424. Checks should be made payable to "Amani Foundation." Please indicate "DC Amani Safari" in the memo line so that funds will be designated for our trip.

We look forward to sharing more about this journey with you and thank you for your support!

Amani Iwe Nanye (Peace Be With You),
Lou Ann, Sharon, Debbie, Jessie, Rachel, and Brittany

Meet the Team…
Lou Ann
Lorton, Virginia
I grew up in the Buffalo, NY area and became a believer at a very young age. In 1996, I moved to the DC metro area to teach 8th grade math in the public school system in an ethnically diverse area. I have a love for teens, foreign cultures, and math and technology. In 1999 I went to Holland with a group from Immanuel Bible Church to work with missionary kids from all over Europe and North Africa while their parents attended missionary conferences.

I was introduced to Amani about a year and a half ago, and was instantly hungry to become more involved. I have developed a heart for the stories of the women who come to Amani because although we are all so different in some ways, we're all very much the same in God's love and in our responses to His involvement in our lives.

At the Amani center, I hope to help with administrative work and technology training. I look forward to meeting the women there, to connecting with them, and to building foundations of lasting relationships that will ultimately bring glory to God and minister to others.


Sharon
Springfield, Virginia
I've been volunteering with this ministry since 2004 and feel as if I know many of the women already through their stories, pictures, and even talking by phone. God has been using Amani to touch my heart and re-focus my life as an "empty nester." Visiting the centers will give me first-hand experience and help me better represent Amani in the US.

I am especially excited about meeting the children of Amani Watoto. My background has been in teaching and working with children, so I hope to learn of ways that I can better support the Amani leaders who provide for the spiritual and physical needs of these refugee children. Many of these children will eventually return to their war-torn homelands and influence a new generation. I know that these precious women and children will have a great impact on me, as I learn more about them and the world they live in.


Jessie
Rock Island, Illinois
I am a senior at Rock Island High School and am graduating in May. I plan to attend college in the fall. I am excited to go to Africa this summer. It has always been interesting to me. When I found out what Rachel does with Amani, I wanted to go visit and have experience it myself. When the opportunity arose to go with the group this summer, I had no hesitation in saying yes. I feel that this is where God wants me at this time in my life, and I hope I will come back with a changed heart and a different person. I hope to see how God can use me in the US with the knowledge and experience that I have gained from the African women at Amani.


Rachel (US Amani Missionary)
Washington, DC
This will be my 3rd year with Amani, and I have the privilege of leading this wonderful group of women to Amani in July! The women who make up Amani were influential in challenging and strengthening my faith, and I'm thrilled to be able to bring others to experience firsthand the ministry center in Nairobi.

I have been praying that this trip will speak to each team member in a unique way, guiding her in seeking the Lord's perfect will for her life. The Amani women we will be working alongside for ten days tangibly demonstrate the Lord's transforming work in their lives, and because of this I know each one of us will be challenged in our faith.

Amani started as a ministry of three women, and we have seen the Lord use it to spread His message of transforming peace across the globe. This team is an extension of this peace-building and peace-sharing mission. This team of "ambassadors" will have much to share on their return!

Brittany
Washington, DC
I am very excited to be returning to Amani this summer with this group of women. Personally, I've been connected to Amani for a few years now and, at the Nairobi center in 2006, I marveled at the depth of this relational ministry that reaches far beyond mere economic opportunity for those it serves. It has given me a great deal of hope for international partnership, holistic women's ministry, and my own life in DC.

I'm looking forward to sharing this cross-cultural experience with our team as we endeavor to bless and be blessed by the community of women at Amani in meaningful, Spirit-led ways. I pray that we will have the open eyes, sensitive hearts, and discerning minds to enter into our time at Amani. We are just a handful of people who can testify that the peace being sewn at Amani and impacting lives across continents and cultures.

Debbie
Springfield, Virginia
As a mother, I have support my children as they have sought to serve the Lord in various ministry callings in the US and abroad. They have taught me a great deal about how to rely on the Lord to prepare and take them into new cultures. Since the winter of 2004 when my daughter Brittany came home from Africa talking about Amani, it has sparked an interest in me. The idea of a sewing ministry for refuge women captured my heart since I have a love of quilting and fabric arts.

After Brittany came back from visiting Nairobi and the Amani center there, God began to create in me a desire to visit the women and learn more about them and the art they create. Now, it seems that the Lord is preparing me to go and learn more from others in a culture far different from my own. I wish to see this first-hand at the Amani Nairobi center. What I do know is that we are all women seeking to serve the Lord with our gifts and talents.