After what has seemed like endless months of interacting with the Lost Voices kids in little boxes on computer screens, we now have our entire team vaccinated against COVID-19 and ready to once again work with them in person. The month of August will see us at the Whaley Children’s Center in Flint, Wedgwood Christian Services in Grand Rapids, and a new facility to us, the Methodist Children’s Home Society in Redford.
During the months of isolation, the kids were remarkably resilient, and they completely embraced the technological work-arounds we came up with. Still, it will be amazing to be back in a room with them again! Just to remind of you of the complex blend of hope, confusion, anguish, and beauty of the kind of songs the kids come up with, here is a personal song written and sung with pride by a fourteen year-old boy when we were at Whaley back in 2019:
LOVE YOU MOTHER
Mother, I wish I was with you all the time
Because you are always on my mind
When you hug me I feel fine
Yeah, Mother I wish I was with you all the time.
Your smile is like a sunny day
Mother I wish I was with you all the time
Because I was away for seven years
Me and you had tears, and I had some fears
…And I switch gears
I love you mother.
Mother, I love you with all my heart.
I will never forget you. You are like a never-ending river.
Mother I love you all the time
I wish I was with you all the time
Mother you are like a clock, because you never stop.
Here’s another song written and performed by five kids between the ages of thirteen and fifteen during the same session at the Whaley Children’s Center:
Broken Things Are Beautiful
CHORUS (sung by two of the girls):
Broken things are beautiful
Knock me down, I’ll get back up
Broken things, we are not weak
Knock me down I’ll get back on my feet
Broken things can be built back strong
You think I’m down, I think you’re wrong
You think I’m down, I think you’re wrong
RAP 1 (by one of the boys):
I been through so much I can’t remember all the pain
Say y’all understand but ya’ll can’t really feel my pain
Going place to place where nobody knew yo name
All you see is dark, you don’t see no sunny days
Steady being broke when I’m just tryin live
Only 13 and I then seen all there is
There is the ground that I stand on I don’t think you can live
CHORUS (by first two girls)
RAP 2 (by the other boy) FREE STYLE
CHORUS (by first two girls)
RAP 3: (by third girl)
I might be broken, but I’m not weak
Unless you been through what I been through
You can’t feel me
You just see what’s on them papers
Not the real me
Many nights that I cried, asking why me
Been in the system for a while and I’m 14
I been broken for some time, tranna (trying to) build me
Put yo’self inside my shoes an try to feel me
CHORUS (by first two girls)
In a few weeks we’ll have more of this amazing work to share!
