Extreme Makeover, HQ edition

 

Last year, we spent our time clearing out a former nail salon which had been mostly unoccupied since the earthquake. What I didn't know at the time is the building (and the other building next door) would serve as headquarters for Noto Help.

Stephen is in charge of headquarters. He asked if we could clean out and help reorganize the variety of items that were located in different, sometimes random locations. We said we'd be happy to help out. We emptied out much of what was downstairs, including the storage area. We also helped prepare some donations for use. In this photo, Miyuki, Carol, and Keiko completely cleaned out a donated refrigerator.

A quick side note. Keiko is an international business and entertainment entrepreneur who posses a caring heart. Technically she's my niece once removed (her Dad is my cousin, but that didn't seem right, so I just refer to her as family. Learning through social media that we were here in Japan, she messaged me about whether she could come by to help out, even for a day. We're so glad she joined us, she helped us get a lot of things done. Plus the hat I'm wearing once belonged to her Grandpa / my uncle / Keiko's uncle / my Dad. The hat made it back home to Japan.

The other family members who joined us are Hisako-San (Daniel's Mom) and Alec (Daniel's younger brother). They'd arrived the night before and were ready to go the next day. In this pic, Hisako is helping organize the trash between "burnable" and "non-burnable" items.

My (Alan) job entailed repackaging old wallpaper into disposal bags, the old wallpaper sitting in a water-logged oversized bag that had a fair share of mold. Earlier, Stephen and I tried to remove a blockage in the sewer line. We weren't too successful, necessitating help from the city's street maintenance crew. Suffice to say after these two tasks, I was the first in line to take a shower.

I forgot to take a "before" shot, all I have is the "after." Trust me, it was a bit chaotic, since one or two staffers had neither the time nor the resources to put away and organize supplies. But with a team of seven, a lot could get done. We removed everything in the storage closet before Miyuki, Daniel, Ty, and Alec helped dust, sweep, and vacuum the room.

There's still a bit more to be done, but suffice to say Stephen was happy with the results.

Kim Sensei, a Pastor from Korea, will be serving at Noto Help over the next week. She kindly treated us to dinner at Coco's. A good way to end the day.

Twelve days have gone by quickly. We've some reflections to share in our next posting.

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