{"id":814,"date":"2011-10-18T06:19:41","date_gmt":"2011-10-18T06:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.tenrikyo.org\/?p=814"},"modified":"2012-05-14T03:38:19","modified_gmt":"2012-05-14T03:38:19","slug":"tenrikyo-nioigake-day-fragrance-of-the-teachings-sprinkled-around-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.tenrikyo.org\/?p=814","title":{"rendered":"Tenrikyo Nioigake Day: Fragrance of the Teachings Sprinkled around the Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s Tenrikyo Nioigake Day was observed between September 28 and 30, wrapping up the month that Tenrikyo Mission Department annually designates as the month to emphasize and promote nioigake<\/em>, or sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings. This three-day period was designed to get all Yoboku to actively engage in missionary work. The first day of the period was also designated as the day for church head ministers to give roadside speeches. This year, in relation to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the department made new pamphlets that carry the message that the mind of mutual help widely exhibited in the aftermath of the disaster needs to be applied to everyday life and spread in wider circles. What follows is the Tenri Jiho<\/em> newspaper\u2019s report on followers\u2019 activities to reach out to people in the disaster-hit area during the period.<\/p>\n

Seven months have passed since the disaster. A large number of people who lost their homes or family members are still living in temporary shelters or houses.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In the Ishinomaki District of Miyagi Diocese, followers visited temporary houses in the cities of Ishinomaki and Higashimatsushima on the 29th and 30th. Seeking to help the people regain their cheerfulness even if only a little, they went from door to door extending warm words of encouragement.<\/p>\n

Many followers living in the district were affected by the tsunami. From early September, they started discussions on how to go about Nioigake Day this year. \u201cWhat can we do for the people still living in temporary housing? Why don\u2019t we first listen to the worries and concerns they might have and help them along the way?\u201d Someone\u2019s suggestion in the discussion led them to a decision to bring relief supplies to the residents in person. Initiated by female followers, they prepared many sets of items including towels and toothbrushes.<\/p>\n

Shortly past 9:00 a.m. on the 30th, 12 followers gathered at a city park, in which about 370 temporary houses have been built. At each house, they handed relief supplies to the residents with words of support such as \u201cYou must have had a hard time\u201d and \u201cLet\u2019s make it through without letting our hearts sink.\u201d While answering with a smile, some residents voiced their concerns such as \u201cEven if I want to go shopping, I don\u2019t have transportation\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m worried about how to keep myself warm during winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the participants, Hatsuko Shibuya, 78, has been helping the elderly with leg disabilities by picking up their medication at the hospital and doing grocery shopping for them in the post-disaster months. \u201cAs long as my body is kept healthy, I want to attend with all my heart to each person\u2019s needs,\u201d said Mrs. Shibuya.<\/p>\n

When the followers were getting ready to leave the site after their visit, an elderly resident came up to them and said, \u201cI want to go to a Tenrikyo church.\u201d She continued: \u201cAs I was reading the pamphlet, my mother\u2019s face crossed my mind. She was a Tenrikyo follower.\u201d After hearing of a nearby church from one of the followers, she replied with a smile: \u201cI believe this encounter with you folks must have been arranged by my mother. So I\u2019m not going to waste it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Kenji Ota, the head of the district, said, \u201cWe want to continue our sincere efforts to visit the residents repeatedly and help them with their individual concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s Tenrikyo Nioigake Day was observed between September 28 and 30, wrapping up the month that Tenrikyo Mission Department annually designates as the month to emphasize and promote nioigake, or sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings. […]<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[13,69],"class_list":["post-814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","tag-nioigake-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t