We Are Grateful!

The holidays are here, the time of year when usually we gather together with loved ones and friends, sit around the table, and share and boast of things for which we are grateful. Since the pandemic began, this has looked different for many people around the world. We’ve had to adapt, change, and move forward into a ‘new normal’.

We believe that it’s important to feel, share, and give gratitude. We are all capable of feeling grateful, but we sometimes can get so busy that we stop noticing things that we can feel grateful for or about. 

This year at Azizi Life we are certainly grateful for incredible answers to prayer.

We continue to be thankful for the privilege of working with gifted and determined artisans across rural Rwanda, to provide you with handcrafted goods. We are grateful that this year we have had long periods of unrestricted travel and artisans have been able to make deliveries to our office.  It is a joy to see artisans sitting in the garden as they put the special, final touches to products you love so much.

Gratitude opportunities are everywhere, and we recognize that the vaccine roll-out in Rwanda has been a big blessing and a huge answer to prayer for us. Because of this, our team has been fully vaccinated, which enables us to work together again in a safe environment. In fact, vaccines have been distributed to the rural health centers as well, giving access to all of our artisan partners.

We as a team are celebrating the purchase of land and the creation of architectural designs for a new Azizi Life Rwanda facility. This years-long journey has been both exciting and sometimes discouraging. But through consistent prayer, we have seen God move. We rejoice knowing that work on our new facility will begin very soon. This facility will provide much-needed space for work, creativity, and impact to continue on a larger scale.

One more noteworthy thing is our upcoming shop on the Ellen Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. When God opens doors He doesn’t just unlock the door, He pours out His blessing upon us – we are so grateful for this partnership with the Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Lastly, we want to express our thanks to you, our community.  To be honest, the artisans could spend their lives creating things of beauty, but if there is no one to purchase those products, the artisans’ vision cannot be realized.  Thank you for placing your trust and confidence in Azizi Life as we all walk together to add beauty to the world.

From our family to yours, we share gratitude and look forward with hope for the days to come.

May blessings be yours this holiday season. 

The Azizi Life Family