Days 5-6: Three performances and Niagara Falls visit!

adamsylvester55
Sep 24
3 min read

We spent the night in Richmond Hills, billeting at various houses. We awoke and headed to Summit Community Church to perform during the Sunday service. As the girls have to do makeup, they had to arrive thirty minutes earlier then the boys, which resulted in jests going both directions. Due to the layout of the church, the marketplace was set up in an adjacent building, which I stood watch over. While I missed the performance, I could hear the cheers from the congregation through the walls, and everyone told me how great the kids were. While I was unable to get photos/videos of the Summit performance, other team members did, which can be viewed on the Rescue Cambodia facebook page (link at the bottom).

I did, however, get some photos of preparation and practice.

The highlight for me of our visit to Summit Church was the congregation clearing out much of our marketplace after the service. After just our second performance we have already cleared out multiple boxes of inventory storage! All of the money used to purchase the items goes directly to Rescue Cambodia, meaning we have raised a significant amount of money in a very short period of time. We also saw several new sponsorships signed at Summit Church, making the visit a resounding success.

We did not have long to enjoy our success. The day was one of our rare double-performance days, meaning we had to quickly pack up once everyone finished shopping and saying goodbye to the team. Our next stop would be Northend Church in St. Catharines. The drive saw more games of Mario Kart be played, although Bunya and Veenang both became motion sick and had to stop. This allowed me to play against Yusaep and Kapriel instead of just watching, which resulted in some humorous attempts at trash-talk.

The setup at Northend went very smoothly, making it hard to believe that the team had already performed earlier in the day. The church fed us well and gave the kids lots of room to play before start-time, putting everyone in good spirits. The good mood continued into the performance, as the first-time jitters were now gone, leading to everyone doing their part very well. The Northend audience seemed to especially enjoy the closing 'Stick Dance', as they showered the children with applause upon its completion.

The next day saw the kids enjoy a major treat: a visit to Niagara Falls! The kids were enthralled just by what they saw on the bus, so you could imagine their excitement when we got up close to watch from above. The usual comments about being cold were not present, as everyone was entranced by the sight. Once we got everyone in rain ponchos and on the tour boat, the kids were quieter than usual, as they knew this was a special moment. They all erupted in cries of glee once we got close to the falls and were drenched by the heavy mist.

The excitement did not end at the falls, as on the way back to the bus, the children noticed an excessive amount of fallen leaves. What would likely seem trivial to most Canadians became the source of much excitement for the Cambodians, as they frolicked and played in the leaves as if it were snow. Several piles were picked up and thrown, and I may have pie-faced a few of the boys. Thankfully there were no slugs.

After our visit to Niagara Falls, our next stop was Bethel Reformed Church in Acton. While we were setting up for the performance, we took a moment to celebrate Yusaeb's 13th birthday. This was very special for Yusaeb, as birthdays at Rescue are normally celebrated at the end of the month for everyone who had a birthday in that time period. It was quite heartwarming watching his reaction as his friends sang 'Happy Birthday' to him.

The performance at Bethel Reformed was a more personal affair, as the attendance for the evening was rather small. This did not bother the team, who put in the same amount of effort as they always do. Because of the smaller attendance, the post-performance market visit was over rather quickly, allowing the kids more free time. This was a boon, as the team was split between only two billets that night, meaning it felt like a large sleepover for both groups.