Prayer Update July 2018

‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the Lord will be with you wherever you go’ – Joshua 1:9

RWANDA

• We are thankful for dry season sunshine, and the arrival of tourists in Rwanda over the next couple of months. Tourism makes a huge contribution to the national and local economy, and Rwanda is making the news for the plethora of new tourist experiences opening all over the country. July to August is the height of tourist season, so please pray that all who visit this amazing country over this period will be impacted and moved by their time here, particularly for those who participate in our Experience Days!

AZIZI LIFE IMPACT (UBI)

• We thank God for the arrival of our British intern, Chloe, who is working on the Financial Literacy Project, undertaking baseline surveys. She is very enthusiastic and helpful!

• Following on from our prayer items last month, we are thankful and pleased to say that our action plan has been submitted to Muhanga District, and that we received a certificate of participation for the Open Day in Muhanga. All of this helps us to have a good standing in the local community.

• UBI has signed a performance contract this year with the District. Please pray for God to provide wisdom and all the necessary tools for us to deliver on this.

AZIZI LIFE CRAFTS

• We also thank God for our American interns, Elise and Brian, and trust that they will continue to be led in fruitful ways to promote the work of the artisans in Rwanda and abroad.

• We ask for health, healing, and thriving for our colleagues and customers in the US and around the world. This month, our Board of Directors plans to meet for our annual planning meeting. Please ask that we are led by God in choosing the best focus to serve the artisans.

• Please ask for God’s provision for additional volunteer leadership to move Azizi Life forward in the US.

AZIZI LIFE EXPERIENCES

• We praise God for a very good season! We are hosting a great number of tourists and every single visit is a success. We pray that the level of customer care will continue to be excellent and that more tourists continue to participate and learn about rural Rwandan life. We ask God’s blessing on every single guest on our Experience Days, that our hosts will provide a memorable experience to connect them and their nations with Rwanda.

• Our best facilitators (those that ensure everything runs smoothly between the artisan hosts and the visitors) are moving on to other jobs, which is great news for them, and we wish them all the best. This means that we must find others to take their place. Please pray that the Lord brings the right people to us.

• Please ask God for more people to come to the Azizi Life Studio in Kigali so that we will continue to grow and connect Kigali locals and tourists with our rural artisans, providing them with valuable income.

BEEUTIFUL CREATIONS

• We praise God for the first harvest from our trainee beekeeper. It was a good, high quality harvest, and we are now able to have a guaranteed market for his honey.

• Design:Rwanda, the store that Beeutiful Creations sells from in Kigali, has seen a considerable and consistent improvement in sales over the last quarter, and they are able to not only cover their costs, but make some profit as well, which is great news for the beekeepers and candlemakers! It means that they can remain open for another quarter and continue to employ staff.

Thank you for joining us in prayer.

The Azizi Life Team