Our first full day on Tour began with a visit to the Houses of Parliament. We got a tour of the building (very cool) which was interrupted by Queen Victoria! Ok, it was an actress dressed in costume but she was great and lovely in a Cinderella-ish way. (Michael Downs chased her down to get a selfie.)
We had a bit of free time to wander the Victoria Harbor. It is sunny and in the low 70s -- absolutely perfect touring weather! We encountered a street musician who let us join in on "Stand By Me."
While this was happening at Our Place, the rest of the choir headed back to the hotel to take care of laundry, grocery shopping, and some other tasks. I understand that Kaitlyn and Emily led Scott Dean on a long walk to the close Walmart.... they got directions from the Front Desk but somehow the girls didn't quite follow them! :-) Scott had a few things to say about his uphill walk. Ha!
We had a bit of free time to wander the Victoria Harbor. It is sunny and in the low 70s -- absolutely perfect touring weather! We encountered a street musician who let us join in on "Stand By Me."
Then, it was back to the Houses of Parliament for our first concert. Brie is a such a champion and managed to accompany while sitting on the steps with the keyboard propped up on sound equipment. The kids did a good job, and drew a wonderful, international crowd. We had lots of conversations with folks from different parts of the US and other countries.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch, played a bit of soccer, and left the Houses of Parliament just as an organized protest was getting underway. The issue being debated was teacher salaries -- so thankfully,the crowd that amassed was full of parents and kids.
We headed to Our Place where we enjoyed singing with the incredible Louise Rose and the choir from Our Place. We sang in the courtyard and had fun interacting with the people there.
After that performance, about a third of the choir stayed behind to help with service work. We topped and tailed green beans, and did some other food prep, and then assisted w/ dinner. Michael Saunders was a hit on the food line. They were playing a radio and in true Michael-form, he managed to sing and dance his way through the task!
Ellie, Shannon, Della, Sarah R., Jonathan, Allison, and Livi scooped ice cream. Lauren D. and Justin manned the coffee station. Madeline, Gabriel, and Josh washed dishes. Ben G. and Josiah bussed/wiped tables. The kids had some interesting conversations with diners and seemed to have a great time. While we were waiting for the bus to pick us up again, the crew met "Pastor Paul" on the street (whether he is really a Pastor is unclear) who asked the choir to sing. They launched into a lovely rendition of Blessing that left him with tears.
While this was happening at Our Place, the rest of the choir headed back to the hotel to take care of laundry, grocery shopping, and some other tasks. I understand that Kaitlyn and Emily led Scott Dean on a long walk to the close Walmart.... they got directions from the Front Desk but somehow the girls didn't quite follow them! :-) Scott had a few things to say about his uphill walk. Ha!
Then, we headed to Butchart Gardens to enjoy an evening in the beautiful gardens. The kids had fun walking around and goofing off. Several of the high school guys played chess... it was fun to watch the middle school guys yell out commentary as the game unfolded. At one point, Jeff criticized a move that Justin made but Justin was making a strategic move that the younger guys couldn't see. In the move after that -- Justin was successful. There are some thought-provoking lessons in that interaction....
We headed back to the hotel for Devo, led by Maddie on Psalm 39:6. She did a nice job leading the discussion with some very tired but very happy VIPs.
Enjoy a few pics from the day: