REPORT FROM THE FIELD! - PARAGUAY REPORT by Mrs. Tomoko Sato

Greetings to fellow members who are working hard daily with unwavering determination to establish the Cheon Il Guk amidst the apocalyptic phenomenon that is currently shaking the world. We pray for you and your family's good health! Here is my Paraguay report:

Spending True God's Day 2020 (Jan. 25) at the Paraguay factory

Starting last year, while we held memorial events for the late President & CEO Mr. Tateo Sato for Wonmo Marine Group who is my husband, I felt in my heart a thought that grew stronger day by day.

It was: "I must spend the True God's Day 2020 at the Chaco-i factory in Paraguay, the promised land that True Parents put their hopes on. I must come to a clear understanding of the mission left to us by our True Father once again. From the restoration of the nation of Paraguay which starts with the establishment of the Paraguay boat factory, restoration of the entire South American continent, to the establishment of a global Ocean Hobby Industry Providence, we must clearly understand it in line with the words of True Parents. Based on the business plan that Mr. Sato drafted back in 2007, we must draft a new business plan that is suitable for the year 2020."

The other thought was to meet everyone in the local pioneer team. Our young technicians ( the “Pioneer Team”) who are "heaven's precious treasures," continue to build the Good Go boats in spite of difficulties both internally and externally, despite the decrease in their ranks due to various circumstances. I wanted to meet them to share together in their time and space to start this important year of 2020. When I shared these thoughts with the current president Mr. Ogawa at Kaiyouheiwa Co, Inc. in Japan, he agreed with me wholeheartedly! I was really thankful.

This is how I decided to go to Paraguay during this time. The shareholders who heard about my intended travels sent me souvenirs to bring to Paraguay from afar and near. I can still clearly see in my mind’s eye the members who meticulously packed those gifts such as t-shirts, snacks, and various food into the suitcase for the local members. The bag of love was filled to the brim with the support they gathered for Paraguay.

No longer a “Pioneer Team,” but “Young Technicians

Mr. Sato repeatedly talked during his seminars about how True Father said on multiple occasions that "Geniuses will appear among the Blessed Children after a 70-year period after World War II." Anyone who attended one of those seminars might also remember that he often said, "because God had poured in his infinite creativity and science into the world's oceans that span 2/3 of the earth's surface, geniuses will appear among the Second Generations (and youth) who engage with the ocean."

When I observed the pioneer team at our Chaco-i factory this time around, I was amazed by their technical level! Their work reminded me of Mr. Henry Masters who designed the Good Go boats in the US under the guidance of True Father! The team has grown into a team that's worthy of being called the "young engineers"!

The "young technicians" start their day at 5 AM with an online Hoon Dok Hae that connects between the male and female dormitories. The person in charge rotates every day. They take turns reading for around 30 minutes and then each person talks about which words were most inspiring, impressions, and determination. They end the Hoon Dok Hae with a representative prayer followed by a bow to Heavenly Parent and True Parents. One thing I noted was that each of these youths' comments regarding that day's reading is truly amazing.

I can feel that True Father is spiritually nurturing each of them through these reading sessions! On many occasions, I was brought to tears thinking how both Heavenly Parent and True Parents are present at these meetings listening to their impressions and determinations, feeling comfort and hope. Sometimes I even cried out aloud, overwhelmed by such emotions. Interestingly, now I've gotten used to it (^^).

In the evening, they hold "coordination meetings" while eating dinner. They report the results of their day's work, discuss suggestions for improvement, and set up a plan for the next day. If some mistakes were made that day, Hiroyoshi Naruse, who is the production team leader summarizes the points of the meeting saying, "if we make sure to closely check, report, and contact the more experienced person at each stage, we have a higher chance of preventing failure. Let us double, triple check with each other."

Certainly, technical ability is the key to making a boat. It also is an accumulation of experience over time. If one doesn't have high technical ability, he/she cannot do a good job, win trust from customers, and make a profit.

I think that through a regrettable experience of failure, one can acquire more reliable and advanced technical skills while repeating organizational and technical training to minimize the repetition of failures. The young engineers clarify the cause of their failures and continue their studies while learning and understanding that such failures can lead to delays in order delivery and loss, even affecting the operation of the company. I felt that they are really the source of hope who inherited True Parents' spirit of "never surrender, never give up, and constant advancement."

Acuamundo, working hard towards becoming economically independent!

While aiming to achieve the 278 Good Go boat construction (to be sent to Japan, instruction from True Parents), the Acuamundo, centered on John, the chief engineer, is working hard to establish an economically self-sustaining company structure. Currently, we are engaging in boat sales, repair business, steel ship dismantling business (application is done, waiting for government approval), Torquido sales (electric engine and parts as sales agency in South America), Suzuki engine sales (as regional sales agency), and others. We are awaiting the growth of the local boat market as well as our sales team.

Construction is already underway for the bridge that connects Asuncion City and the new city center in Chaco-i from the Asuncion side with the aim to complete it by the year 2023. Along with that, the development of the coastal area along the Paraguay River will be fairly underway by 2023. There is no doubt that the demand for boats will increase with such development.

We are also being asked to design boats for use in this region. Although unstable, aluminum boats have been the mainstream until now. If we can overcome price competition, fiberglass boats, which are stronger and more stable, will become the mainstream.

Currently, Aucamundo's advanced boat designs are in the spotlight. The orders we receive are typically: "please design a boat for so-and-so purpose. If we like it, we will buy it." Price is always the problem, but if we can meet the clients' needs and the price is affordable, sales should start.

Currently, we have 7 Japanese technicians at the core and 3 growing local technicians. From now on, many youths (and youth at heart!) will come to gather at this company, Acuamundo.

Heaven's hope is for Acuamundo to become a company the Second, Third Generations (and youths at heart!) look to with aspiration. True Father had been praying at the boat factory in North Carolina to God that, "I have prepared the Ocean Providence for the Second and Third Generations."

In the future, geniuses will be raised through the Ocean Hobby Industry businesses that are established for the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven, and they will lead humanity to the realm of the Third Blessing. Heaven expects Acuamundo to promote the "Industrial Revolution of the Completed Testament Age" centered on our Heavenly Parent!

Improvements with Support from Japan

There is the male dormitory (called the Security House) near the factory. On my way, I saw the innocent-faced family of horses eating the grass in peace. There were also friendly dogs and even cats.

We have 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen at the male dormitory. We have electricity, water, and an internet service that stops occasionally, but there is no major inconvenience. We get bottled water delivered.

This male dormitory has suffered 6 floods since 2014. The walls were stained from those times, and I saw that the wooden doors and kitchen counters were swollen and battered-looking. They are painful scars left by the floods! However, this doesn't bother our young technicians at all. Their eyes were focused on something completely different.

They were not looking towards the rich with $1 billion but the 1 billion people in the world who suffer from hunger and the 25,000 who die every day of hunger! They live their daily lives being aware of the people who are suffering in the world. When I asked, "isn't it hard?" one answered, "There are people who suffer more than us. I would feel bad if I call this suffering. There are even Japanese investors back in Japan who struggle more than this."

I myself also only mostly lived in Japan and the USA where life is convenient and had just occasionally visited Paraguay, but through my extended stay this time around, I came to feel: "This simple life is the truth and the reality of the rest of the world. What feels normal in Japan is not the norm for the rest of the world. " My mindset is gradually going through a change.

At the male dormitory, we immediately put the special donation from Japan to use and repaired the doors, repainted the walls, and improved the bathrooms. Tamori took charge of this along with Martinez and Eusebio at the scene. The dormitory ended up looking completely different after the renovation. The bathrooms became beautiful enough for us to offer its services to the guests that visit our factory!

I was shocked when I visited the Auamundo company office in Asuncion. In January, this region was in the middle of summer with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the office didn't even have an AC or even a refrigerator!? The only thing there was a standing fan stripped only to its spinning blades... They were using the fan by the window to capture some wind. How dangerous! They couldn’t even drink cold water. It seemed that they were trying to minimize their living costs to the limit (they told me that at one time, they were even saving costs for toilet paper...?!).

However, with the support funds from Japan, we finally were able to install an AC and a refrigerator in our office, just like a regular office! The love from Japan was brought here just in time to start up the new year of 2020. I offered gratitude to Heavenly Parent who works behind these proceedings.

2020 True Heavenly Parent’s Day Fishing

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