Lou Ann's African Summer 2007
My personal newsletter
Dated April 18, 2007
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. – Romans 5:1-2
Dear Friends,
For years it seems, I have been intrigued with Africa. I’m not sure where the intrigue started. I’m not sure what it is about Africa that has been so intriguing to me. I have watched movies like “Out of Africa” and “African Queen” literally dozens of times. I enjoy listening to African music. I always wondered why Scott Wesley Brown’s song, “Please don’t send me to Africa” was so amusing to so many people – I would wonder, “why would someone NOT want to be sent to Africa??” I have begged my friend Berhane to take me with her to visit her family in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for years. (She always tells me that we have to wait until the country is more stable!) I have even toyed with the idea of teaching at the Rift Valley Academy, a Christian boarding school in Kenya. And remember that I teach in a neighborhood middle school that is extremely ethnically diverse. I have always been drawn to the stories told by the families of our African students.
Back on December 1, 2005, my friend Debbie had a “party”. Debbie is a woman I know from the music & worship ministry at Immanuel Bible Church. We had two days before the final dress rehearsal for our annual Christmas cantatas and I couldn’t understand why she would ask us to come out on a weeknight to “buy stuff” so close to our concerts. But they live just around the corner from me, so I decided to check it out. And that’s where this story begins. :-)
You can read more about Amani’s ministry in the group's newsletter. In short, marginalized African women from different parts of the continent often find themselves in Nairobi, Kenya and come to the Amani centers to be cared for in body, mind, spirit and heart. They become part of a community of women who experience the power of God’s peace in their lives. Meanwhile, they learn job skills through participating in Amani’s sewing project. You may have seen my purse or another of my Amani products.
On that very day at my friend’s home, I knew that I wanted to participate in the Amani ministry somehow. Over the course of the past year and a half, and through several discussions with Rachel, Amani’s U.S. representative, and with Debbie, we have put together a group of women to travel to the Amani center in Nairobi in July of 2007.
My learning curve has been significant, even for the past three or four months that we’ve been discussing this trip. Although intrigued by Africa, my knowledge of the continent is slim. I have been doing quite a bit of reading, mostly biographies. The stories of genocide, war, and atrocities are heart wrenching. I made sure to see the movie The Last King of Scotland, a historical, yet fictional account of the evil reign of Idi Amin in Uganda. My fondness of African music has increased exponentially. (Especially the drum music!) I have found myself paying special attention to world news from Africa, and will often do Internet research on the regions that are central to the news stories.
I have also been doing a lot of thinking and praying about exactly what it means that these women are “marginalized”. According to Webster’s dictionary, to “marginalize” means, “to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.” This is certainly what has been happening to many groups of people on the African continent throughout modern history. The tensions between the Hutus and Tutsis come to mind, but there are many other Africans who have been marginalized. I believe whole-heartedly that Amani ya Juu is an organization that is in a position to be used by the Lord for the empowerment that only Jesus Christ can bring into a life. Each woman in turn will then participate in her own personal ministry to other African women.
There seem to be so many things that the Lord has brought together in my life to give me a heart for African ministry to women like I will meet and work with at the Amani center. Sewing is not one of my strengths. (I have been working on my first quilt for more than five years now!) Therefore, I will be helping in the office at the Amani center in Nairobi, working with the women on administrative tasks, and putting my computer and technology skills to work for them.
The Amani ministry trips are organized so that each American woman is paired with an Amani woman for the duration of the visit. All of my time at the Amani center will be spent with the woman that I am paired with. There will be a welcoming ceremony in true African style, a tour of the Amani center, and then we will work together on the office and administrative tasks that they have decided I can help with. At one point during the week I’ll visit her home and will have the opportunity to worship with her at her church. We will spend the evenings at the German guesthouse where we will be staying. It all feels so simple. But Rachel tells us that a visit from American women is so extremely encouraging to the Amani women that it will be ministry at a depth I think I might never comprehend. It is also my anticipation that I will form a long-lasting relationship with my Amani partner woman, and find that my heart has truly begun to long for that friendship.
Please pray about the possibility of joining our support team. First of all, we covet your prayers as we prepare for the trip and as we travel to Nairobi in mid-July. You can find general group prayer requests on our blog (see the link below). I have also included some personal prayer requests at the end of this letter.
Secondly, we are raising financial support for this trip as individuals and as a team. Each of us needs approximately $3,700, depending on airfare and one or two other variable costs. You may contribute to my individual support account, or you may specify that you would like to split your donation between two or more of our group members. Please see the enclosed stub for specific information on your tax-deductible donation.
You may be wondering what I mean by “our blog”. Well, if you’re not familiar with that term, a “blog” is a “web log”. It’s a sort of online journal. We have set up a blog for our trip. The link can be found below. Please bookmark it with your favorites for the next several months. There is even a link to feed to your newsreader! We have introductory information about our trip, links of interest, and will be updating it as our planning progresses. We hope to have enough Internet access while we’re in Nairobi to keep it updated regularly so that you can follow our ministry from across the globe.
As for my own personal prayer requests, I would first ask that you pray that the Lord will use me in significant ways to glorify Him and to truly minister to the hearts of the Amani women and to the Amani center, especially my Amani partner woman. Secondly, you may be aware that I am looking at making some significant changes in my life. I will be taking a leave of absence from my teaching position with the idea of beginning in a new career field. Since I’ll be leaving my job, I decided it might be a good idea to try making my new life in a different part of the country. I have always loved the beauty of God’s creation in Colorado, and would like to make Colorado Springs my new hometown. I have no idea what I will be doing for a living, where I will be living or what church family I will call home. I trust that the Lord will lead me as He wills. Please keep all of these life-changes in mind as you pray for me. I am looking forward to this Amani trip as a sort of commencement to my new life. Please pray that God would help me to balance my plans for Amani with my planning for a large-scale move.
So, visit our blog, follow some of the links, and leave us a comment. We’ll look forward to hearing from you! I would personally like to thank you for your friendship. If you are receiving this letter from me, you are someone who is special to me, and I am looking forward to connecting with you in this new venture.
On that last note, please share with me some of your own prayer requests. It would be my privilege to lift your needs up in prayer to our gracious Lord and Savior.
With much love,
Lou Ann
Group Weblog: http://dcamanisafari.blogspot.com/
My e-mail: louannaepelbacher@gmail.com
Please Don't Send Me to Africa
by Scott Wesley Brown
O Lord I'm your willing servant
You know that I have been for years
I'm here in this pew every Sunday and Wednesday
I've stained it with many a tear
I've given you years of my service
I've always given my best
And I've never asked you for anything much
So Lord I deserve this request
Chorus:
Please don't send me to Africa
I don't think I've got what it takes
I'm just a man, I'm not a tarzan
Don't like lions, or rivers, or snakes
I'll serve you here in suburbia
In my comfortable middle class life
But please don't send me out in the bush
Where the natives are restless at night
I'll see that the money is gathered
I'll see that the money is sent
I'll wash and stack the communion cups
I'll tithe 11 percent
I'll volunteer for the nursery
I'll go on the youth retreat
I'll usher, I'll deacon, I'll go door to door
Just let me keep warming this seat
Dear Friends,
For years it seems, I have been intrigued with Africa. I’m not sure where the intrigue started. I’m not sure what it is about Africa that has been so intriguing to me. I have watched movies like “Out of Africa” and “African Queen” literally dozens of times. I enjoy listening to African music. I always wondered why Scott Wesley Brown’s song, “Please don’t send me to Africa” was so amusing to so many people – I would wonder, “why would someone NOT want to be sent to Africa??” I have begged my friend Berhane to take me with her to visit her family in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for years. (She always tells me that we have to wait until the country is more stable!) I have even toyed with the idea of teaching at the Rift Valley Academy, a Christian boarding school in Kenya. And remember that I teach in a neighborhood middle school that is extremely ethnically diverse. I have always been drawn to the stories told by the families of our African students.
Back on December 1, 2005, my friend Debbie had a “party”. Debbie is a woman I know from the music & worship ministry at Immanuel Bible Church. We had two days before the final dress rehearsal for our annual Christmas cantatas and I couldn’t understand why she would ask us to come out on a weeknight to “buy stuff” so close to our concerts. But they live just around the corner from me, so I decided to check it out. And that’s where this story begins. :-)
You can read more about Amani’s ministry in the group's newsletter. In short, marginalized African women from different parts of the continent often find themselves in Nairobi, Kenya and come to the Amani centers to be cared for in body, mind, spirit and heart. They become part of a community of women who experience the power of God’s peace in their lives. Meanwhile, they learn job skills through participating in Amani’s sewing project. You may have seen my purse or another of my Amani products.
On that very day at my friend’s home, I knew that I wanted to participate in the Amani ministry somehow. Over the course of the past year and a half, and through several discussions with Rachel, Amani’s U.S. representative, and with Debbie, we have put together a group of women to travel to the Amani center in Nairobi in July of 2007.
My learning curve has been significant, even for the past three or four months that we’ve been discussing this trip. Although intrigued by Africa, my knowledge of the continent is slim. I have been doing quite a bit of reading, mostly biographies. The stories of genocide, war, and atrocities are heart wrenching. I made sure to see the movie The Last King of Scotland, a historical, yet fictional account of the evil reign of Idi Amin in Uganda. My fondness of African music has increased exponentially. (Especially the drum music!) I have found myself paying special attention to world news from Africa, and will often do Internet research on the regions that are central to the news stories.
I have also been doing a lot of thinking and praying about exactly what it means that these women are “marginalized”. According to Webster’s dictionary, to “marginalize” means, “to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.” This is certainly what has been happening to many groups of people on the African continent throughout modern history. The tensions between the Hutus and Tutsis come to mind, but there are many other Africans who have been marginalized. I believe whole-heartedly that Amani ya Juu is an organization that is in a position to be used by the Lord for the empowerment that only Jesus Christ can bring into a life. Each woman in turn will then participate in her own personal ministry to other African women.
There seem to be so many things that the Lord has brought together in my life to give me a heart for African ministry to women like I will meet and work with at the Amani center. Sewing is not one of my strengths. (I have been working on my first quilt for more than five years now!) Therefore, I will be helping in the office at the Amani center in Nairobi, working with the women on administrative tasks, and putting my computer and technology skills to work for them.
The Amani ministry trips are organized so that each American woman is paired with an Amani woman for the duration of the visit. All of my time at the Amani center will be spent with the woman that I am paired with. There will be a welcoming ceremony in true African style, a tour of the Amani center, and then we will work together on the office and administrative tasks that they have decided I can help with. At one point during the week I’ll visit her home and will have the opportunity to worship with her at her church. We will spend the evenings at the German guesthouse where we will be staying. It all feels so simple. But Rachel tells us that a visit from American women is so extremely encouraging to the Amani women that it will be ministry at a depth I think I might never comprehend. It is also my anticipation that I will form a long-lasting relationship with my Amani partner woman, and find that my heart has truly begun to long for that friendship.
Please pray about the possibility of joining our support team. First of all, we covet your prayers as we prepare for the trip and as we travel to Nairobi in mid-July. You can find general group prayer requests on our blog (see the link below). I have also included some personal prayer requests at the end of this letter.
Secondly, we are raising financial support for this trip as individuals and as a team. Each of us needs approximately $3,700, depending on airfare and one or two other variable costs. You may contribute to my individual support account, or you may specify that you would like to split your donation between two or more of our group members. Please see the enclosed stub for specific information on your tax-deductible donation.
You may be wondering what I mean by “our blog”. Well, if you’re not familiar with that term, a “blog” is a “web log”. It’s a sort of online journal. We have set up a blog for our trip. The link can be found below. Please bookmark it with your favorites for the next several months. There is even a link to feed to your newsreader! We have introductory information about our trip, links of interest, and will be updating it as our planning progresses. We hope to have enough Internet access while we’re in Nairobi to keep it updated regularly so that you can follow our ministry from across the globe.
As for my own personal prayer requests, I would first ask that you pray that the Lord will use me in significant ways to glorify Him and to truly minister to the hearts of the Amani women and to the Amani center, especially my Amani partner woman. Secondly, you may be aware that I am looking at making some significant changes in my life. I will be taking a leave of absence from my teaching position with the idea of beginning in a new career field. Since I’ll be leaving my job, I decided it might be a good idea to try making my new life in a different part of the country. I have always loved the beauty of God’s creation in Colorado, and would like to make Colorado Springs my new hometown. I have no idea what I will be doing for a living, where I will be living or what church family I will call home. I trust that the Lord will lead me as He wills. Please keep all of these life-changes in mind as you pray for me. I am looking forward to this Amani trip as a sort of commencement to my new life. Please pray that God would help me to balance my plans for Amani with my planning for a large-scale move.
So, visit our blog, follow some of the links, and leave us a comment. We’ll look forward to hearing from you! I would personally like to thank you for your friendship. If you are receiving this letter from me, you are someone who is special to me, and I am looking forward to connecting with you in this new venture.
On that last note, please share with me some of your own prayer requests. It would be my privilege to lift your needs up in prayer to our gracious Lord and Savior.
With much love,
Lou Ann
Group Weblog: http://dcamanisafari.blogspot.com/
My e-mail: louannaepelbacher@gmail.com
Please Don't Send Me to Africa
by Scott Wesley Brown
O Lord I'm your willing servant
You know that I have been for years
I'm here in this pew every Sunday and Wednesday
I've stained it with many a tear
I've given you years of my service
I've always given my best
And I've never asked you for anything much
So Lord I deserve this request
Chorus:
Please don't send me to Africa
I don't think I've got what it takes
I'm just a man, I'm not a tarzan
Don't like lions, or rivers, or snakes
I'll serve you here in suburbia
In my comfortable middle class life
But please don't send me out in the bush
Where the natives are restless at night
I'll see that the money is gathered
I'll see that the money is sent
I'll wash and stack the communion cups
I'll tithe 11 percent
I'll volunteer for the nursery
I'll go on the youth retreat
I'll usher, I'll deacon, I'll go door to door
Just let me keep warming this seat
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