Similar to snakes, Minea can unhinge his jaw to get more food in.
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The morning at Hinton went smoothly; taking down our stuff from the church was just as easy as putting it up. We once again had several volunteers who made our life very easy. One of the volunteers brought their little girl, who many of the Cambodian kids played with. She seemed to greatly enjoy having so many new playmates.
The kids gave an enthusiastic farewell, praying and singing songs in the foyer. The outside goodbye was heartwarming as the little girl cried when waving to us as we left on the bus. The Cambodians have certainly found a place in the hearts of Canadians! We added two more people on the Family Road Trip, as Carman and Twyla Dutz joined us with their Westphalia camper van. The couple were part of the vision-trip in February, and they now plan to go back to Cambodia for a much longer period.
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The bus ride to Beaver Lodge was a long one. This meant it was finally time to use the bus's DVD player! We watched Ice Age: Continental Drift, which entertained the team. The kids really seemed to enjoy it despite not following the story. Slapstick comedy is popular with the Cambodians, making movies such as Ice Age an easy choice.
After Ice Age, episodes of PJ Masks were put on, followed by the first few minutes of Despicable Me 2, which had to be cut short due to our arrival at Beaver Lodge. It seems that the Minions from Despicable Me are just as (unfortunately) popular in Cambodia as they are in Canada, as the kids immediately started imitating them when they appeared on screen.
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Our visit to Beaver Lodge Alliance Church was unique since we were not doing a performance there. The team would have supper with the billets, perform the stick dance, answer some questions, and then leave with those hosting them. Before that happened, the kids had plenty of time to run around and play, while Sarah took the time to treat different kids for lice. Sarah found one on one of the children days prior and did not want to take any chances. The kids were good sports and giggled as they walked around with their heads covered. The whole procedure went smoothly with no complications.
Trakuan once again proved her worth, as she made a delicious chicken curry. As is common with several East Asian countries, noises made during eating are not considered rude but as a sign of enjoyment of the meal. It is a unique experience to hear multiple lips smacking and loud slurps around the room, which I have come to find strangely endearing.
After finishing supper, the kids treated the billets to a performance of the stick dance. The dance went fine, which was a relief for me since the kids seemed to struggle when practicing the dance. I wondered if performing in basement hall threw them off. After the dance, Marie spoke of her time at Rescue and answered some questions. Once finished, the team took open prayer from the billets, and then sang songs of praise.
The billets made sure that the kids had a memorable experience. All of the girls were billeted together, where they had watermelon and watched Dolphin Tale. The boys were split up into two groups, with one group getting to ride quads, while the one I was with got to ride and drive a tractor.
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The next morning saw the team regroup at Beaver Lodge Alliance and bid farewell to the billets. The next drive would be the longest so far, as we rode to High Level. We quickly put Despicable Me 2 back on from where it left off, which pleased the kids. I attempted to use the bus's wi-fi, only to be routinely disconnected after roughly a minute's use. I gave up and watched the movie.
We eventually pulled into Manning for a picnic. I thought it was humorous how after we spent time looking for a picnic bench, the Cambodians opted to sit on the ground. They enjoyed sitting by the Notikewin river, with the boys jokingly threatening to push each other in. We grabbed some new movies at a gas station, which meant I had to veto several of the boys' choices, as they were grabbing any DVD that had someone with a gun on the cover. We walked out with How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda 2.
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The rest of the ride was taken up by watching How to Train Your Dragon and singing. The wi-fi was still not reliable, much to my annoyance. When we finally arrived to High Level Evangelical Church, I was alarmed to discover the High Level had been experiencing poor wi-fi issues for quite some time. No matter how often I connected, I was unable to upload photos or videos.
I gave up on trying to get the blog finished and focused on interacting with the kids. They have really warmed up to me, especially the two boys I chaperone at billets' houses, Kapriel and Yusvae. Chantha and Chanthy greatly enjoy greeting me with hugs, and Sreyna has begun to come out of her shell. Leah continues to give me attitude, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
The meal prepared for us by High Level Evangelical was tortillas, with a variety of toppings and meat available on the table. Some of the kids opted to stick with the rice, while others tried the tortillas, which resulted in some funny photos.
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The performance at High Level was great. The kids appeared to be extra focused, possibly due to the larger stage. The balcony gave me plenty of room to get good footage. If the kids notice me filming them, they certainly do a good job of not getting distracted. A special mention must also be given to Thavin and Andet, as their English improves with each testimony they deliver. It is an interesting thought-experiment to think that the 26-letter English alphabet can stump speakers of the 74-letter Khmer alphabet (the largest in the world), but it becomes clear when one considers the amount of contradictions present in the English language.
After the performance ended, the front lobby became rather crowded, as several people wanted to sponsor or donate. I ended up leaving the cash box unlocked as I was constantly having to open it. By the end of the night, our tour-total now sits at 68 sponsors, making us 22 sponsors away from meeting our 90 sponsor goal!
God bless & Jesus saves
It is wonderful to follow you on your journey! My love and prayers are with you all the way!
Enjoying rewatching the dances and seeing all the pictures!