Days 25 & 26: Performances at Lamont, Daysland, and Calgary
After awaking and being fed at the homes of our billets, we went to Lamont Alliance Church to take over their Sunday service. I always love watching the faces of church-goers who are not aware of the change of schedule, as they enter the church looking like they are wondering if they are supposed to be there. We had another great performance, although the girls were late for the Coconut Dance for the third performance in a row. At the time of writing, this was the last time this happened, meaning that Sany has finally gotten the girls to get out on time. We then had people come by the marketplace, where several people expressed interest in joining one of our vision trips. We shall see who joins us!
After bidding farewell to the staff of Lamont Alliance Church with song, we made the drive to Daysland Alliance Church, where we would perform that night. We had been to the church the year before, leading to lots of familiar faces. The kids had been spoiled by gyms at the previous churches, meaning that they ran around a very small area with boundless energy. Last year this led to one of the boys getting hurt, but thankfully no such incident happened this time around. After the church provided us a delicious supper, we went on standby as people began to show up for the night's performance.
This was a special performance, as we were joined by my father, Blaine Sylvester, who the team affectionately call Papa Blaine. Many of the adults knew my father back when they teenagers themselves, with some of them having done tours in the 2010s that were overseen by him. It was a sweet moment seeing them all swarm him when he tried to make a quiet entry into the church. The performance was another success, with the girls finally overcoming their issues around the Coconut Dance. We enjoyed the energy of the youth that were present, and the congregation donated generously after the performance.
While the rest of the team went to different billets around the town, my parents and I drove back to Calgary, where I slept in my parents' guestroom (which doubles as my office) along with their Boston Terrier puppy, Casey (pictured below in the gallery). The rest of the team had a great time at the homes of their hosts, one of which included a bouncy castle! These kids are spoiled, I tell you what.
While I regrouped at my parents' house, the team arrived in Calgary and went straight to a trampoline park, which is something that the kids have requested since our time in Hinton two weeks prior. From what Sarah told me, the kids went hard for the first 30 minutes before several of them crashed and napped on the nearby couches. From the photos and videos provided, it looks like they had a great time and enjoyed themselves immensely. It makes me very happy knowing we are providing these kids with great memories.
We then had a performance at Rockyview Alliance Church, a unique occasion in that it was arranged rather last minute by my father. We originally did not have a performance in Calgary, but several of our donors and supporters from Calgary diligently requested a performance from us, even if would be on the smaller scale. It was indeed a small-scale performance, but all who attended were longtime Rescue supporters who have been part of our family for many years.
Also, the kids were weirdly hyperactive this night. A lot of the boys wanted to show off strange dance moves, as seen in some of the videos in the gallery below.
The team then went to the various billets who would host them, including one location that means a lot to me personally. My good friends, Trevor and Reagan, have recently been graced by the arrival of Eden, their adorable daughter. Sarah and the two children she is charged with, Channa and Mastad, spent the night with them, and got several great photos with Eden. Normally I do not report on the specifics of those who host our team, but in this case I am unashamedly biased.
The next blog post will cover our performances at Banff and Revelstoke. I hope to have it finished faster than it took me to get this post out. See you there!
God bless,
Adam Sylvester
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