Nozomi

I've shared on Facebook about a neat ministry that has grown out of the recovery efforts here in the Ishinomaki.  In short, Japanese ladies are making jewelry to sell, using shards of pottery and dishes that have been found along the beach in this area.  This has provided not only needed income for these ladies, but also a place to share life together post-disaster, and to be encouraged by Jennifer and the other teammates working here to show Christ's love to them.  Nozomi means hope, and the opportunity to work and be together has helped immensely with the healing process. 

This video is a few minutes long, but it is a great documentary about the Nozomi Project.  If you can take the time to watch, you will certainly be blessed:

So, today Johanna and I had the opportunity to help with a few things next door where the Nozomi ladies are working.  It was such a treat to be able to meet and chat with them.  Each of the ladies has lost a family member in the tsunami, and a line of jewelry is named after that loved one.  I especially enjoyed chatting with Yuri.  Jennifer sent me a necklace at Christmas that was made by Yuri and I pray for her every time I wear the necklace.  These ladies are hearing about God's love, are studying the Bible, and their lives have been profoundly impacted through this ministry.

Shards of pottery are cleaned, sanded, polished, and turned into beautiful pieces of handiwork.  Their business has really exploded and they are working hard to keep up with the demand.  A neat problem!

Please check out their website and feel free to make some purchases  :)  http://nozomiproject.com/

The 10 Crazy Cousins had plenty more fun today.  Gideon regularly visits a grandma next door.  She has suffered and lost much from the disaster and was very discouraged.  She said that having Gideon's visits have cheered her up so much and given her reason to carry on.  Ami went over for a visit with Gideon and ended up spending about 5 hours with her today!  They went out for lunch, got fed lots of treats, played games, watched some cartoons, and just had a great time.  Ami has almost no Japanese language, but Gideon, at just four years old, is pretty fluent.  They had a great time!

Here at the house the kids made slime, played games, played outside in the rain, and just enjoyed being together.  Chris helped get some more work done at the park.  This evening Jennifer and I fixed dinner for 24....our fourteen, plus four volunteers, plus a teammate's family that was in the process of moving to a new home today.  Jennifer has become quite talented at preparing dinner for mass crowds.  I admire how she just goes with the flow, always welcoming whoever comes to the door (which happens SO many times a day), is constantly interrupted by calls and texts that need answering, etc.  Chad and Jennifer have such a heart for what they are doing here....amazing, and only through His power that they can sustain the pace at which they go day after day.

Looking forward to sharing more life together tomorrow with the Huddlestons and the beautiful Japanese people that they are serving here!