An Unexpected Opportunity

DeMaria, a third-year student with New Song, has found a new favorite place this school year: the gym at Woodruff Place Baptist Church in Indianapolis! With its full-court wooden basketball floor, she has plenty of room to play tag, hopscotch, and run with our other students (her siblings!) and the New Song staff.

It is a different setting and experience than DeMaria has had on New Song’s Brown County campus, but it has given her a place to learn and grow while still receiving some of the personalized care and education the ministry provides.

As Summer Adventure Camps ended and August approached, 12 children were eager to enroll with New Song for the full school year, the majority of whom were returning students. Having experienced the care, education, and relationships our staff provides, their moms wanted that support to continue. Jazmin was especially hopeful that her children, including DeMaria, could return to New Song.

However, with no houseparents in place at the Brown County campus, none of the children could return to campus life as they had known it. But Jazmin loves her kids to death and was very persistent, which resulted in the Lord leading our staff team to take a new, creative approach for her three children, “KK” (age 7), DeMaria (age 9), and Amiri (age 12).

Through a recent relationship the Lord provided with the pastor and staff of Woodruff Place Baptist Church, the church offered New Song a large room at the church for a classroom. We are so very thankful to Pastor Ron and the church for this new partnership!

“We’ve been really glad to help New Song and the kids,” said Pastor Ron Nunez of the church. “It’s been great to see the kids here, working hard in school and playing in the gym.”

DeMaria is now in fourth grade, and this is her third year with New Song. She shared, “My favorite subject is math. And the best part of being in the church is the huge gym! I love playing tag with my siblings and the teachers here.”

Our Director, Bob Schloss, shared, “DeMaria has been a very diligent student with her schoolwork this year, and she has really made the most of this opportunity.”

DeMaria quickly adjusted to the changes in being at our Indianapolis location, but at the same time she still misses many of the things that made life on the Brown County campus special. “I miss playing in the home with the houseparents and the other kids, playing hide-and-seek, doing art projects, and seeing animals on campus.” DeMaria shared.

Those things may seem simple, but they are an important reminder of what New Song means to the children we serve. New Song is not simply a place where children attend school. It is a community where they build relationships, grow in their faith, gain new experiences, and are equipped for life, in Jesus’ name.

While this school year looks different, the mission of New Song has not changed. The children are still learning. Staff are still caring for them and encouraging their growth. And families are still trusting New Song to come alongside them in the care and education of their children.

While we look forward to having girls and boys back on campus, we give all glory to God for allowing us to continue our ministry to DeMaria and her siblings through this entirely unexpected opportunity in Indianapolis!