Studio sessions with the Children of the World

The coronavirus brought an early end to this year’s Children of the World choir tour. The choir was on the West Coast when the virus began spreading quickly throughout the U.S., so they’ve been sheltering in place in the state of Washington since March.

Long-time supporters of Children of the World offered their retreat and event space as a shelter for the choir and chaperones until they can return home. The kids love its giant windows filled with sunshine and the green lawn out back. It’s been the perfect place to keep all the kids occupied … and even record the choir’s new album!

Recording the new album

It’s been several years since the Children of the World made a new album, so they were planning to create some fresh music once they returned to World Help’s headquarters at the end of their tour.

They had practiced, set the date, and even booked a recording studio in Virginia. When they realized that recording would no longer be possible, though, the choir leaders had to get creative.

“Instead of recording on the East Coast at the end of tour as planned, we were able to find a local engineer who was willing to get outside the box and come to us to set up a ‘studio’ of sorts since we weren’t able to actually go into a studio,” said Nikki Hart, the director of Children of the World. “We moved beds out of the boys’ room … and [the engineer] brought some of his equipment.”

He set up microphones, headphones, and other equipment to capture a crisp, clear sound and hung up blankets to help block out any background noise.

Karen, one of the choir members from the Philippines, especially enjoyed the engineer’s sense of humor throughout the process. “Uncle Aaron was great and fun to work with,” she said. “He was so funny.”

One of the Nepali girls said her favorite part was recording the solos and hearing herself in the playback.

Although the tour was cut short, the kids were excited to learn 12 new songs — songs about hope, freedom, and being a child of the King — and work with all of the professional sound equipment. It took a lot of time and effort, but the kids were real champs. They can’t wait for you to hear the new music!

Keeping busy

It’s been almost four months now since the choir began their quarantine in Washington, but the kids are still having fun. Someone asked one of the chaperones lately if the kids were getting homesick while waiting for their home countries’ borders to open, but she replied, “No, they love it here!”

Inside the retreat center, the kids can often be found hovering over boardgames, doodling at the dining table, or piling up on the couch to watch a movie. And they’re always willing to help out around the center. Sometimes they even help cook dinner! They also take time during the week to keep up with their school work and study God’s Word.

The lawn is open and spacious, so there’s plenty of room to run around and play outside, too. The kids love riding scooters, playing soccer, and drawing with chalk on the pavement. They also enjoy blowing bubbles, dipping their wands into the soapy solution and watching bubble after bubble shimmer as they float through the air.

Now that the weather has warmed up and summer has officially begun, the kids love throwing on their swimsuits and playing water games outside too — from skidding across the slip-and-slide to tossing water balloons back and forth.

One of the highlights over the past few weeks was the trip to a nearby lake. The clear skies, blue waters, and scenic mountains served as the perfect backdrop for a fun day in the great outdoors. The kids loved skipping stones across the lake and picking up pebbles along the shore.

Helping other kids find sponsors

Even though the kids are happy and healthy, they’re disappointed they had to stop touring because their tour was the main source for finding new child sponsors for kids living in poverty.

Since the choir went on hiatus, the number of new child sponsorships has dropped around 94 percent! And boys and girls around the world need help now more than ever since the pandemic has made life even harder for many families.

The Children of the World have been making videos, doing interviews, and anything else they can think of to help raise awareness about the need for sponsors while they are no longer traveling. And they wanted to take this opportunity to ask for your help, too.

With a one-time gift, you can cover three months of critical necessities for a child without a sponsor. You’ll provide essentials like nutritious food, clean water, medical care, and educational opportunities. And as a special thank you, we’ll text you a photo of the child you are helping!

Since the Children of the World aren’t able to travel and recruit sponsors for kids in need right now, they are hoping that YOU will help pick up where they left off.

Please continue to pray for the choir as they wait to go home … and please help cover three months of vital aid for a child without a sponsor if you can.

The Children of the World thank you for your generosity!

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