For  The Children
This song was written during my visit to an orphanage in central China in 2004. An international "mercy team" visited the home for about 10 days. On the final day, as a group of "mercy workers" left the orphange with mixed feelings after the farewell to the babies and children, we saw one of the residents (a short, elderly chinese lady in traditional dress)  sitting on the  carousel in the children's playground out the front of the home. She was leaning back on the play-equipment and pushing herself around and around with a stick. As she did this, she was singing loudly and as the "mercy workers' came closer, she stopped turning to sing a song to us. At first we didn't know what she was heartily singing, until one of our team who knows chinese, interpreted her special song. This song which I have titled "For The Children" , tells this story and gives the interpretation of her song to us. We really felt it was God's way of affirming our presence at  the orphanage at the close of our time there.
 
Walk in silence, heavy heart,
Farewell's over, torn apart.
Orphaned children left again,
Still God's mercy doesn't end.
 
See you turning, round and round.
Leaning, beaming, hear this sound.
Plaintive chorus, warm refrain,
Dear old lady turns again.
 
Watch her singing,
She stops and cries
To "mercy workers" passing by.
Oh, to know her mother tongue !
She sings her soul to everyone.
 
God's mercy shared through old and young,
Interpretation blesses everyone.
She sings...
"You're not their father,
You're not their mother,
But for the children you came". (repeat)
 
Though we leave, we believe
True Father's love remains.
And this China song,
Sounds we too belong,
For God's children we came. (repeat)
©Don Stott, 2004, http://eliab.com