Looking Forward to 2019
We can’t believe the year is already over! 2018 has been a year full of slow but steady progress for New Song International and we are ready to see what 2019 holds. There is no doubt that this coming year will bring some very big decisions and exciting steps towards building our care center. Many things have been happening behind the scenes in 2018, the most important of which revolve around being able to purchase land in Ukraine and begin planning and designing the care center building. Below are some summaries of this past year’s events.
New Song Care Center
Our goal is to build a care center that provides a nurturing and healing environment that is well-equipped to care for each child's individual medical needs. This could be providing specialized treatment, therapy, or coordinating medical procedures with local doctors. Our hope in doing so is that each child has the foundation needed to live their life to the fullest. Once they have been in our care and are medically stable, the goal is to place them with their forever family, whether that means they are reunified with their biological family or are adopted into a loving family.
New Song’s care center will be located in or just outside of Uzhhorod, Ukraine. Our dream is for the building to be painted bright, cheerful colors with murals both externally and internally. Everything about the building is designed for children with medical and special needs and will be fully wheelchair accessible. The care center’s three family-style rooms will provide a nurturing, consistent, and healthy environment for the children. The rooms are further split into a living area, sleeping area, and bathroom. There will be about 6 kids of different ages in each room unit and one nanny caring for two children. Between the two nanny shifts, each child will have two consistent people that care for them and meet all of their daily needs. This helps create a healthy attachment between the nanny and the child, ultimately allowing the child to trust adults and eventually be able to develop a strong bond with a family.
Whether a child lives at New Song’s care center for a few months or a few years, we pray that their time with us brings hope, healing, and Jesus’ love upon their precious lives. We pray they know that they’re fearfully and wonderfully made, completely adored, and we are honored to be able to care for and love them.
Our Next Steps
Our current priority is fundraising for and purchasing land in Ukraine. We are working with our Ukrainian partners to find around a one-acre piece of land near Uzhhorod that would be suitable for our needs. This allows for space for the building, a playground, and a little extra land for the children to play on. After we actually own land, we can begin fundraising for the construction costs and finalizing building plans for the specific land plot that we buy. We are partnering with a wonderful organization called International Networx in designing and implementing construction for the care center. Their founder, Becky Ruland, has come alongside us as our building project manager and we couldn't be more grateful. We have a rough draft of the building plan, but we are actively working with Becky and her team to design and finalize the care center.
We know that these are big picture goals that take time, but we are taking steps forward in faith. We pray that God continues to open doors and bring along the right people and connections. As these steps seem daunting, we remember that New Song is God's heart and vision for the most vulnerable and overlooked children in Ukraine and that He will see this through to completion.
Plans for 2019
2019 is looking to be a very big year for New Song as we will be starting off by traveling to Ukraine in February to do some serious land hunting with our project manager, Becky. We know the specific part of town that we’d like to buy in and pray for discernment as we search for land that will hold the foundation of New Song’s care center. While in Ukraine, we also will reconnect and touch base with our in-country partners and friends. We are trusting that God will lead us to the right property and provide the means to purchase it. We’ll continue actively pursuing grants and funding options, while praying for God to bring forward people that have a heart for overlooked and vulnerable children and desire to help New Song financially. After purchasing land, we’ll be able finalize building plans and begin fundraising for building costs. Plans are also in the works for another trip to Ukraine in the fall of 2019. Many exciting things to look forward to in this next year! We are so incredibly thankful.
Partner With Us
We invite you to partner on this journey with us to stand up for, defend, and advocate on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. We believe every child is made in the image of God and has infinite worth, and that the global church is called to respond to the gospel by meeting the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children around the world. We cannot do this alone, so we covet your prayers as we continue to walk forward on this journey.
Here are ways you can partner with us:
Commit to praying for New Song International, that divine connections are made and doors are opened
Support New Song International financially by giving a one-time gift that will go towards the cost of purchasing land
Support New Song International financially by giving recurring gifts that will go toward our general expenses
To make a donation, you can give online by visiting this link and clicking the donate button. We can also accept cash and checks made out to New Song International. Please mail to the following address:
New Song International
P.O. Box 940572, Houston, TX 77094
We have two very special opportunities for YOU to become a Founding Partner in New Song’s care center and have an impact on generations to come.
Make a one-time gift of $2,000 or more by March 31, 2019
Make recurring donations that equal $2,000 or more by March 31, 2019
Please indicate “Foundational Partner” in the note section when donating. 100% of your donation will go towards purchasing land.
All Founding Partners will have their name engraved on a special display at the care center.
We'd really love to hear from you if you have any thoughts, opinions, or questions to share with us. Please join us in praying specifically for finding the right piece of land, the building planning process, and resources and connections for funding. Thank you so much for coming alongside New Song International in prayer, encouragement, and support! We greatly appreciate you!
Sincerely,
Kelly VanDevender & Leah McGowan
