Life during quarantine for the Children of the World

When the coronavirus outbreak happened, the Children of the World choir had to stop touring. So, what have the kids been up to?

Well, they’re certainly staying busy that’s for sure.

Where are they?

When lockdown procedures went into effect, the choir was on the West Coast, so they were unable to make it back to World Help’s headquarters in Virginia. God already had a plan worked out, though! Long-time friends and supporters of the choir own an event and retreat center in Washington state and offered to let the choir stay there until it is safe to travel again.

Sending the children back to their home countries unfortunately wasn’t an option since most countries quickly closed their borders at the first signs of the outbreak. The choir members are making the best of the situation, though. They are enjoying spending time with each other and with their chaperones at the retreat center, relaxing and playing. They have the whole place to themselves!

The kids are fully aware of what is going on across the country and the world. The choir leaders have been honest with them about it and have emphasized washing their hands, coughing into their elbow, and using other good health practices. The kids are not feeling scared or worried, but they have understandably been asking a lot of questions as children always do. They have all been very brave and understand the importance of social distancing at this time.

What have they been doing?

The children continue to do their school work in the afternoons. The choir team also has daily devotions to encourage the kids and remind them that God wants to use them each and every day regardless of their circumstances.

On Wednesdays, they practice their songs as they still plan to record a new Children of the World album if possible this summer before returning home. All the boys and girls are working hard, but their favorite part of the day is going outside to play.

The event center has large grounds where the kids can play soccer, basketball, and baseball. They also love riding around on scooters and hula hooping.

Their favorite indoor activities include coloring, putting together puzzles, building tracks to race marbles down, and watching movies.

On Easter, they had a massive Easter egg hunt. It was definitely the highlight of the week!

Do they have everything they need?

At first, they choir leaders were concerned about being able to buy enough food for the kids. As you’ve probably seen in your own grocery store, stock is limited right now, and some items can only be purchased in small quantities to avoid hoarding. That can be a challenge when you’re trying to feed 15 kids.

But the local public school system has been using their buses to deliver breakfast and lunch to all school-aged children throughout the district. When they heard about the Children of the World, they decided to include the choir on their route. Neighbors from the community also dropped off food, especially in the first two weeks after the lockdown.

These gifts have been a tremendous blessing. However, the choir still has many other needs. Since they are no longer receiving love offerings at concerts, they have no way to raise money for essentials like clothes, toiletries, school supplies, and all the other things that kids require.

Your donation to the Children of the World will help make sure the boys and girls have the necessities they need during their hiatus.

The choir has never been in a situation like this before, and no one knows how long they’ll have to hold out before they can hit the road again. So please give as generously as you can.

Your support and prayers mean so much to the Children of the World team.

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