Hey ya’ll,

It’s been a pretty jam-packed and hectic day today… so lets just jump right into it.

First off, we woke up, ate some breakie and heard an inspiring devotion from Sarah and Caitlin talking about perseverance… it was truely sensational. We then we did our usual walk and then went to aerobics. To shake things up a bit (pun intended), Mr Roberts and his three professional back up dancers – Emma, Jorja and Meetal led the session; they put their heart and soul into it which was very evident…

Then, it was time for the first ever Bocce Championships, the day we had been dreaming about since day 1 of training (we couldn’t sleep, we couldn’t eat, we couldn’t drink). We got put into mixed teams of the Bethany gals, teachers and Bethany students. Some teams were unsuccessful but there was one team that brought home the win today- Emily’s team was victorious! Coming in second was Jorja and Miss Prosser’s team and coming in third was mine (Asher) and Bree’s team (*not biased* but we should have won… I (Asher) will be speaking with the umpires tomorrow).

After a strenuous morning of bocce, we ate lunch (rice, curry, fish and vegetables; oh and lets not forget the main component – soy sauce) and then some of us finished painting the banner (I think we are up to 5 hours of painting to complete that banner) and some of us went to classes. I (Asher) and Emma were in the physio room, mine (Emily) was in room 4, Caitlin, Bree and Meetal were in the work skills room. We then finished our game of Harry Potter Uno which had been running for around 3 hours over the duration of 2 days… Miss Prosser took the win. Exhausted from the stress of the Uno game and distraught from Miss Prosser’s win, we then worked on the mural – we painted the buildings and took the tape off the windows (personally, my favourite part of the day… so satisfying).

Then, the lovely Phillomina took us out for drinks (*non alcoholic beverages*… calm down!) at Old Town White Coffee Cafe. We then ate dinner at Rajesh’s house. She cooked us some very tasty noodles, fish, rice, fried chicken and vegetables. We played with her very cute (clean, vaccinated, with NO rabies -it’s ok parents, your children are fine) puppies. We then came back to HQ (or as we later found out is called ‘IQ’, which stands for International Quarters,  (what?! biggest plot twist)) and played some cards and just chilled out.

To close this blog post, we just wanted to highlight the hospitality the people at Bethany have shown us so far… although they don’t have a lot, they share with us what they have and this generosity has been very inspiring to all of us girls.

So, goodnight all, we are now going to bed after Bree tells us a bedtime story – tonight it’s ‘Revenge of the Mosquitos’ (a sequel to ‘Emily vs Mosquitos’) which we are all very excited about.

Love from your  favourite bocce champion and actual fav Bethany gals,

Emily and Asher xox

Go team!

Serious stuff!

Champions (Yay Emily!)

Back to work!

Hi everybody!

We started off today with our morning walk:

Next we did aerobics with the students, we are getting a handle on the routines:

Emma, Asher and Izzy spent the majority of the day working in the physiotherapy room. We began by throwing balls to the students to work on their motor skills, participated in a very relaxing nap time, and ended the session by colouring in.

Jorja, Caitlin & Meetal spent the day in the special needs unit, where we enjoyed singing a variety of English nursery rhymes (with particular enthusiasm during our favourite; “The Apple Song”) , along with a variety of activities to improve coordination and motor skills.

Bree and Sarah went to the Lighthouse Learning Centre to make thank you cards.

Emily worked in level 1 with the younger students. They enjoyed spending time outside on the equipment.

Now STOP… banner time!

Jorja, Caitlin and Sarah were tasked with creating a banner for an upcoming Bethany dance performance. They worked tirelessly for 3 hours before being joined by the rest of the crew.

While they were working on the banner, the remaining girls began painting the mural. We have planned for a Peter Pan themed wall with a sunset and a city sky line. This is the progress we have made so far:

We are currently engaged in a marathon UNO event, spanning hours with a result still pending. Winner TBA, tune in tomorrow for the result.

Lots of love from the Infinitely Superior, Unwavering, All Conquering, Universally Loved And Admired Bethany Gals, WHO TAKE NO PRISONERS.. You Know Who We Are.

-XOXO Emma & Jorja

Hey all,

Today was our first day working at Bethany Home. We were excited to meet all the students when they arrived this morning. The first thing we did was attend a Devotion led by Asher and Emma where we sang hymns and a Tamil song.

We then took the students for a walk out the front of the home, followed by aerobics. After this we split off into seperate classrooms where we helped out different students. Caitlin, Meetal and Emily helped out in a PE class; Sarah, Bree and Izzy helped out with the high needs class; Jorja helped out with motor skills and English in a Level 4 class; and Asher and Emma helped in a life skills class. After helping out, we all had lunch supplied by the Bethany staff which was delicious.

After lunch, Bree helped out in the hydro-pool and everyone else started stage one (the undercoat) of our mural. The Bethany staff then organised a bocce game where Bree, Meetal, Miss Prosser, and Mr Torquato (the yellow team) dominated. Sarah, Izzy, Jorja, and Caitlin shot photos for their album cover, coming soon (see photos below). We then relaxed in our rooms and played cards until we walked to the street markets to buy our dinner and the odd pair of happy-pants. For dinner, people had fried rice, noodles and chicken, corn on the cob and oranges (for Bree). We then played charades, cards and music to finish off the day.

Looking forward to tomorrow and seeing the students again.

Lots of love,

Your bestest Bethany gals (Sarah and Caitlin)

xoxo

Starting the day!

Morning Walk

Lunch.. mmmm!

Mural Stage 1

As only Bree can!

What’s going on? Mmmm!

Bocce!

Dear All,

Today we woke up and had a buffet breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we packed up our suitcases and bags and relaxed in our hotel rooms until it was time to check out. While waiting for the bus to arrive to collect us we played a round of Cheat, which Bree won.

When the bus arrived, it was a lot larger than we all were expecting which we were very grateful for. On the way to Bethany we observed many interesting things including; palm trees, various forms of greenery, buildings, and many temples. We also noticed that the traffic rules are non-existent, which we were quite shocked by. And before we arrived we enjoyed several games of ‘Mafia’ and then went for a Maccas run.

When we arrived at Bethany Home we had a good look around whilst waiting for the Reverend. Then we got settled into our room & cranked up the air conditioning & bathed ourselves in mosquito repellent. We all gathered in the HQ and enjoyed a few round of various card games.

Then we went our for dinner and ate some yummy Chinese which was thoroughly enjoyed with Reverend Eleizer & his wife, Sarah.

From your ACTUAL favourite Bethany Girls,

Isobelle & Meetal

Waiting for the bus to Bethany

Arrived!

Cards before dinner

3 happy girls that tucked in!

Really tasty Chinese cuisine!

Dear All,

We have arrived….

It’s been a long day filled with lots of adventures and exciting things to do. As we started our long journey at Perth Airport Australia in the early hours and travelled to Singapore where we had a stop over to shortly venture on to the plane to KL Malaysia.

Once we arrived at our hotel, the Melia, and checked in, we went out to dinner at the food court across the road.

After this long day of getting ready for the adventure which is to come, we are all heading to bed to rest and recover for our 5 hour journey to Bethany Home tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, your fav Bethany gals (Ash and Bree) x

Dear All,

Just adding the Global phone number: +61 0438 605 188

Itinerary simplified:

• Sunday 6th to Bethany
• Thursday 10th to Penang
• Sunday 13th to Bethany
• Wednesday 16th to Kuala Lumpur
• Friday 18th to Perth

Dear Everyone,

Almost there! Pretty exciting now! Just reminding you of a few things:

• 24 textas, a lead pencil for drawing on the wall, a pack of cards, earphones…
• 4.15am – 4.30am at the airport; we book in together
• bring your positive, adventurous spirit and DON’T FORGET YOUR PASSPORT!

Mr Roberts