One of the boys put on lipstick and left a kiss mark on the cheek of my mom, Shelly. Not sure how I feel about that.
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Before I get started recounting the events of the last few days, I feel I should give an updated list of how I perceive the kids. The last time I did it was for the blog on Day 6, which was quite a while ago!
Yusvae (Joshua) is the group troublemaker. He can be very charming and sweet at times, but he seems to love figuring out what he can get away with. Nothing out of the ordinary for a 12-year-old boy.
Kapriel (Gabriel) is the good boy of the group, and also the boy with the best English. I am always surprised when he says something in English as it sounds very smooth and natural.
Moses is a little gremlin, who is frequently climbing on people larger than him. Since having his infected teeth removed, he has reverted back to his clown ways, as he is often getting laughs out of everyone.
Samuel is still very pensive and quiet, but he does enjoy playing video games with me. He doesn't seem easily fazed or bothered by the world around him, as I have yet to see him look even remotely upset.
Minea has become my shadow when we get on the bus, frequently requesting to "play game". Even if I don't play video games with him, he is very interested in whatever it is I am doing on my laptop or phone.
Veasna interacts with me through video games or wrestling, often laughing in a very distinct way (haaaa-ha). He is normally one of the more quiet kids, but there is the odd time he surprises me with an outburst of silliness.
Neang went from bullying me to giving me hugs...then bullying me. She realized she can harass other adults too, which has led her to pinching and tickling the other chaperones.
Sreyna has come out of her shell and now enjoys fooling around with the group. I still find it crazy that she is only 11, which means she will likely be a very tall woman. She seems to nap more than the other kids.
Leah is still the queen of attitude. Despite being the smallest girl, she makes up for it with her fiery personality. She is really a sweetheart though, and knows when to be friendly or tender with others.
Lin seems to be the first to be struck with homesickness, which is natural. Despite this, she continues to act as the big sister of the group, as it seems that nobody dares defy her. Thankfully, she is a very nice girl.
Chanthy and Chantha (the twins) continue to be very similar, but I have noticed some differences. Chanthy is more extroverted and tomboyish, while Chantha is more reserved and observant. They are both the most overly friendly girls on the tour.
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After leaving Brandon and rewatching Despicable Me 2, we drove past our ultimate destination of Macgregor, so that we could go bowling at Southport in the Central Plains RecPlex. Now that the kids had bowled twice before, they seemed to understand the game much better. We played two games, which had several highlights:
Moses throws his ball with both hands and from the side, which remarkably worked better than it should have.
Thavin had an awful first game which all the girls made sure to tease her over.
Sokthon yelling "yes" repeatedly as soon as the ball left his hand.
Lin having two incredible games which put her on top of the overall scoreboard.
I just hope the kids know that the kids stick with five-pin bowling, as there is now way their little hands could handle a ten-pin bowling ball.
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We had a rather funny, if not somewhat gross arrival at Westend Community Church in Macgregor. The final stretch on the bus ride saw numerous foul odors arise, which led to multiple accusations as to who the source of the smells were coming from. When we got into the church, the boys...well let's just say I had to use almost an entire can of air freshener to make the church basement habitable.
Once the kids set up in the basement, they killed time doing various arts and crafts. Several drawings were exchanged, as well as numerous portraits done by some of the more artistically gifted kids. I was often being approached by a new kid every few minutes who wished to hand me a drawing/craft with my name on it. It was really heartwarming and also pretty funny.
The performance was great, as the kids really have found their groove. There was one minor incident that went unnoticed by me, which shows that the kids adapt on the fly. Apparently one of Lin's coconuts broke on stage, which meant she had to carry what remained in her hands. The kids were all giggling about this after, insisting I get a photo of the broken coconut as proof.
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The next day saw us make the drive to Morweena Evangelical Mennonite Church, where the team would do a mini-performance for the students of Morweena Christian School. The Morweena children really liked the two dances ('Stick Dance' and 'Praying Mantis'), with even the older students showing visible excitement at them. Thavin and Andet then shared a little bit of their testimonies and engaged in a small Q&A session. The best moment was Andet confessing to breaking a window with friends when he was a child.
The night's dinner was unique, as we would be joining the church for their Thanksgiving harvest supper. I was shocked at how many people there were, showing that this would be one of the largest attendances we would ever have. The kids were extremely eager to eat, meaning we had to routinely tell them to be patient. The smoked chicken served to us was delicious, and the dessert was amazing.
I quickly realized after the supper that there was an excessive amount of kids. The church quickly became a giant playground, and I found it difficult to find a place to write. It was fascinating to see an audience that looked to be split between kids and adults. Everyone settled down before the performance started, which started later than usual due to the supper.
God bless & Jesus saves.
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