The grass is greener

 

(click on any photo to enlarge)


If I've learned anything from the past trips, it's the need to be flexible. So for us, we learned that moring we were shifting our cleanup efforts from taking down concrete walls to do a different sort of cleanup aht the Animizu Christian Center.


The building is currently deemed "unsafe," still the plan is to do the repairs and bring the center back for service.

As is often the case, there are weeds surronding the building which need to be removed, thus our task for the day.


As Aaron was cutting back some of the branches of the tree, there were other surprises including some wiring, debris, and other items.


It became a personal goal to chop down the overgrown bush (tree?) by lunchtime. Note we didn't bring a full-sized saw, nor any power equipment. All we had to work with was a smaller hand saw. Yet somehow we got rid of the tree, leaving a short stump (sorry, I tapped out after getting this far).


We were successful in getting most of the overgrowth removed except for one section. I was told we were just a few inches of angering a bee hive. That was a good reason to stop. Of course, at first I didn't recognize the bee hive.

As an addendum, I usually wear a long-sleeve shirt, but I thought the day would be hot, so why not choose a short-sleeve? I didn't know we would working removing weeds. Here's the scoreboard: Mosquitoes 5, Alan zero. It still itches.



Shoji are the paper covered frames used on windows and between rooms to diffuse direct sunlight. Many of the shoji were damaged or neglected since the earthquake. We wet down the frame, then carefully peeled off the paper, then wipe down all of the wood to remove any paper stuck to the frame or any remaining glue. It's less physically demanding but does require patience.


I'd like to think we did a decent day's work. We accomplished most of what we came to do, beehives not withstanding. On the drive back we saw areas still in need of repair and recovery. My guess is that's heavy machinery that toppled over during the quake.

We have Sunday and Monday off, unless there's an urgent need to send us somewhere. They hinted that headquarters needs some cleaning up, so that's what we'll do over the next couple of days. Also, our plans on Sunday are to visit family in Fukui, a nearby prefecture. Updates to follow. Your prayers and support assure us we're fulfilling our calling. Updates coming up. Feel free to ask questions or just say hello, ayoda77@gmail.com.

#GLINTS #WestlightCommunityChurch #NotoHelp


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