It was really awesome to see our Nozomi team come together to pull weeds and pick up trash in our parking lot and our community!  Despite discovering many more bugs and spiders than we would have wished, we were thankful for the whole team working together and we loved how everything looked at the end!  Nice job, Nozomi staff!

Afterwards, we enjoyed some ice coffee, cold tea, and snacks.  Cheers to working together and making something more beautiful than it was before!

Two weeks ago we had the privilege of attending Yokota Air Force Base's Asian bazaar.  Located in the city of Fussa (in western Tokyo), the base hosts 14,000 personnel.  This was our second time attending the spring bazaar, and both times have been a wonderful experience for our Nozomi staff.

We were hosted by Grace Christian Fellowship Church, and they cared for us so well!  From the time they picked us up on Friday afternoon until they sent us off on Sunday, they ate with us, served with us, worshipped with us, re-arranged their schedules for us, and just spent time with us.  We're incredibly thankful for this ongoing friendship, and looking forward to their next visit to Ishinomaki so the rest of our staff can experience the way this group of ladies loves and supports the Nozomi Project. 

The Yokota staff were also a great encouragement to us.  They had been advertising for us leading up to the event, and thanks to them our booth stayed very busy!  I asked each customer if they were familiar with the Nozomi Project, and only a handful said it was their first time to hear about us.  

The bazaar is a two day event, starting early Saturday morning and continuing until the evening, and then it resumes from Sunday morning until Sunday afternoon.  Due to travel time and our desire to participate in worship on Sunday, we decided to only sell on Saturday.  However, thanks to a very persuasive Yokota staff member (we loved your enthusiasm, Kirsten!), and thanks to our friends at Grace who completely re-arranged their schedules for the day, we were able to participate on Sunday afternoon too.  This allowed us to interact with people who were not able to attend the sale on Saturday.  Our staff also had the chance to share a bit of their own stories at Grace's worship service on Sunday.  

We were thrilled to get to stay at the Rose Town Tea Garden for both nights of our stay.  If you're ever in Ome, Tokyo, PLEASE make a visit - you won't be disappointed!  The quaint little cafe is tucked in amongst lots of trees and beautiful scenery, and the company and menu are just as inviting.  Steve and Edie opened up the top floor of the building for us.  We loved getting to stay in their Victorian style building and sample some of their teas and handmade treats!

Our hope for these events is always centred around the Nozomi staff.  While sales are important, our greatest desire is for them to have a positive experience - to have a few days away from the sights and sounds of home and be loved and cared for by friends in Japan and around the world.  We believe God uses these times to heal, to transform, and to reveal Himself to the ladies in a unique way.  So thank you, Grace Church, Rose Town Tea Garden, and Yokota Bazaar staff for this opportunity!

Hiromi and Yuko behind the Nozomi Project booth

Nozomi ladies with Grace ladies after setting up our booth!

This morning for our Nozomi Project staff meeting, we divided into three working groups.  Each group was given a handful of raw spaghetti, a roll of tape, and a marshmallow.  Each team had 18 minutes to build the tallest free-standing structure they could, with the marshmallow at the end as the tallest part.  

It was great fun to watch the women start.

What I loved was how each team worked hard on making a strong foundation.  One team tested three different foundations and finally went with the strongest.  Several times the teams readjusted their strategies.  Near the end, all three were working with tall towers.

At the last minute, they put the marshmallows up.  And suddenly the tall and straight structures began swaying.... One of the teams couldn't let go for the final measuring... and the marshmallow swayed its way down. 

Here are the teams with their final projects:

We had a good debrief after this.  The foundation really is important!  Nozomi Project's three key words are community, restoration, and hope.  The community part is so important for who we are.  Each piece of jewelry that we sell has been handled by about eight different staff, from start to finish.  We are moving more towards a team approach in our larger projects, as well.  We need to be a team - a community -- that works together and supports each other.  That allows for mistakes midway through and re-focusing efforts.  For this to happen, our foundation is important.  

We also talked about what happens as we grow taller and get more stiff, and then add the marshmallow on top. The formation becomes at risk.  It's a lot harder to introduce new ideas, new staff as teams become comfortable and get into patterns. As we continue to introduce new ways of doing things and bring new staff into Nozomi Project, we will have to all be more intentional. But we need the perspectives that new people bring.  

And... of course, there has to be room for having some fun. 

Tonight three of our Nozomi Staff returned from Tokyo.  They had gone for the weekend and sold our products at the Yakota Air Force Bazaar.  We had a record one-day sale yesterday!  

Then this morning the three of them had a chance to participate in Grace Christian Fellowship's worship service.  It sounds like it was really meaningful for each of them.  Then, thanks to the persistence of the Bazaar staff, the Nozomi Project made an unexpected return to the base and sold products for three more hours.  

We are so thankful for the friends from this great church who did so very much to help our team to do this sale -- setting up, selling together, hosting overnight, treating to Mexican food, driving us to and from the station -- we were so blessed and amazed by your love.  Thank you.

And we are also humbled by the interest that continues for the Nozomi Project!  Thank you to many who buy our products,  wear them proudly, and continue to share about us with your family and friends.  

Today is the third year anniversary since the triple disaster crashed through this region.  This year, the prefecture of Miyagi made it a school day off.  This has posed a problem for many parents, because most businesses remained open.  

At the Nozomi Project, we decided to give as many options as possible -- those who wanted to work, could do so;  of course those who needed to be home with family could choose that way; we also offered childcare for any moms who wanted to bring their children.  

At 2:30 pm, some of us gathered in front of the Nozomi House to remember.  Some chose to keep working, finding it easier to handle today with as much normalcy as possible.

Outside, we prayed in honor of those who had died, and for those who are still living but grieving so much.  Just before the sirens began blaring at 2:46, the mail lady pulled up in her little red truck.  We had her come and join our circle.

After the silent prayer time as the siren reverberated around the region, we planted a tree in honor of the Nozomi loved ones, and those from Ishinomaki, who passed away three years ago. 

 It is a special kind of camellia tree -- it starts out small but our hope is that it will continue to grow and grow, bringing forth beautiful flowers and vibrant green leaves.

Please continue to pray for all of the women of the Nozomi Project and their families.  There are many different needs;  many different ways of expressing and dealing with the pain and the grief that remains.  We are thankful for their courage, and that God is planting many new and beautiful things in all of our lives.

Chiemi is our head grinder. She and two of our Nozomi staff had the wonderful chance to travel to Hawaii for five days and share about the Nozomi Project as well as sell our products. Here are a few of her reflections:

今回、経験させてもらった事は、したくてもなかなかできない貴重なものだったと思います。だから、自分が感じた事をわかりやすくどう伝えたらいいのかまだわかりません。

Nozomiが今後どうあるべきか、進むべきか、そのために私自身どうすればいいのか、考えさせられました。「破片から美へ」の言葉のように、まだまだ自分の一つ一つが破片です。その一つ一つの破片を美へと変えられる自分になれるよう、Nozomiと一緒に成長できたらいいなと思います。今回、貴重は体験ができた事、Nozomiメンバー、サポートしてくれた周りの皆様、家族に感謝します。

ありがとうございました。 

ちえみ

The experience I had through the Hawaii trip is something that was truly valuable. So it’s still a little difficult for me to express what I felt in a way that can be shared. I was able to think about how Nozomi can be in the future, how we can move forward to make that happen, and how I should be as well.

“Beauty from Brokenness.” Just as the phrase describes, I have many broken pieces within me. I hope that I can grow with Nozomi, changing each piece into beauty. I want to thank all the Nozomi members, people around me that supported me, and my family for allowing me to go have this amazing experience. 

Thank you very much!

Chiemi  

Check out this article by our friends at TEAM!  

https://horizons.team.org/stories/japan-finding-hope-in-broken-pieces

OCTOBER 11, 2013

Japan: Finding Hope in Broken Pieces

We are so thankful for how people hear about the Nozomi Project and then share about us within their circles of influence.  Today we wanted to share with you the blog of a new friend, Cammy who found out about NP from a friend.  Thank you! 

Also, for the rest of this summer you have a chance to win a free Nozomi product!  Take a picture of you or someone you know wearing a Nozomi product and share it on Nozomi's facebook page.  Our staff will choose the three most interesting photos/locations/poses.  Contestant winners will receive a free item of your choice from the internet.  Posts must be made by September 1st.