First Day of School

Well, the first day of school is upon us once again. We are deeply grateful to God for leading Vita Nova into its second year and into a new chapter with The Summit Academy. Students begin the 2008-2009 year on Tuesday, August 19, and we invite your prayers for the following:

• for all students at Vita Nova and The Summit to grow in the wisdom and understanding of the Lord
• for comfort and peace as teachers and students return and for those who are joining this family for the first time
• for guidance and wisdom among the faculty, administration, and board to lead with all diligence and faithfulness

We are looking forward to another extraordinary year of Classical and Christian education. Check back often for updates and pictures!

Colts Fundraisers

We kicked off the 2008-2009 school year even before school officially started with our first fundraising event at Lucas Oil Stadium, the new home of the Indianapolis Colts! Vita Nova and Summit Academy families worked together at several merchandise booths from which a portion of the proceeds will benefit our schools.

To see a glimpse of the stadium and some of the people involved, visit www.vitanovaindy.org/colts.html.

United Vision

Ecclelesiastes 4:12 (NIV) says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Psalm 133:1 (NIV) adds, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!"

We are bursting with excitement to announce a collaborative effort with The Summit Academy (http://www.thesummitacademy.com/), a Classical and Christian school like Vita Nova in Indianapolis. We had visited Summit back in 2006 when we were first exploring the idea of Vita Nova. Since then we had often wondered and prayed about a possible working relationship.

God answers prayers in wonderful ways! This summer leaders from both schools began talking and the result...well, for that you need to go to the United Vision page of our website. There you will find more about what God is doing with Classical and Christian education in the greater Indianapolis area and the role Vita Nova can play.

Annus Mirabilis

Annus mirabilis is Latin for "miraculous year." Nothing could be more fitting to describe the first year of Vita Nova's existence.

Those who have followed this blog and checked our ever-changing website have gotten a small glimpse of some of our miracles. By the grace of God we opened in August of 2007 at the Latvian Community Center. By the grace of God our teachers and students worked through a full year of rigorous academic curriculum. By the grace of God our students experienced numerous activities beyond our walls, including opportunities to serve others.

We had our challenges, too. There were the usual bouts of childhood illness. Melissa, our Head of School, was absent for several days while her father was in the hospital. Just recently one of our students faced a potentially serious medical issue, the miracle of which you can read about in the previous post.

What no one reading a blog or website can possibly know, however, is how much the lives of these children have been changed. A year spent anywhere would change the life of a child, but over 180 days spent in a Christ-centered, academically challenging, creatively stimulating environment have shaped these children in ways that will help them to live out the unique calling that God has for each of them.

As we leave for the summer, we thank God for His daily blessing and guidance of this enterprise. We are deeply grateful to all our prayer partners and to those who have supported us in any way, whether through a financial gift, the gift of time in serving, or the blessing of a kind word of encouragement. We pray for all our friends and families to have an enjoyable, rejuvenating summer even as we look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones in the fall. We invite you to read once again these foundational words for Vita Nova, words that come from the very heart of God.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21, NIV)

Our Prayer Family

On the Support page of our website (http://www.vitanovaindy.org/support.html) you can see that we have quite a list of prayer partners from several different states who pray continually for Vita Nova. Recently one of our students had a medical situation, and our prayer team instantly mobilized. The great news is that she is doing fine, but I wanted to share the comments from a friend of mine who is a scholar and member of Christian religious order in Italy. He wrote:

We usually pray only that the will of God takes place, but in this instance will make an exception and we'll pray also for her recovery. I realize firmly that sometimes one cannot follow the rule, and a little girl is a reason sufficient enough.

Indeed, we must always pray for God's will to be done, even if that will seems contrary to what we desire. Yet as my friend put it, a little girl is more than enough reason to pray earnestly and personally. From the way Jesus welcomed children, I am sure He would agree.

Camping Fun!

The first weekend in May, the families of Vita Nova enjoyed a camping trip at Turkey Run State Park. Originally the trip was to start on Friday after school and an overnight camping experience at the park. The threat of severe weather, however, caused us to delay our departure until Saturday morning.

When we arrived at the campsite at Turkey Run, we went about the business of setting up a couple of tents and building a fire for lunch. The students began making their camp shirts and finding sticks for grilling the hotdogs.

After a hearty lunch of hotdogs and homemade chili, we all headed out to the trails. You can find some of the most breathtaking trails in Indiana at Turkey Run, and our intrepid group headed out for Trail 3, which involved crossing a suspension bridge over Sugar Creek. On the other side of the bridge the students gathered to hear about the rare plant life that dates to prehistoric times that can be found in the park, as well as the unique, glacier-shaped rock formations. From there they continued on Trail 3 to the Ice Box, pictured below.

The Ice Box provided great climbing opportunities and the chance to explore some of the incredible beauty of God's creation.

Returning to our campsite after the hike, the families enjoyed s'mores as chill winds began to whip around us. At last the families said good-bye, and some stayed on through the weekend. All in all it was a great opportunity for our children to grow mentally and physically and for our families to grow deeper in their connections with each other.

To see pictures from the trip, click here.

Risks of Following Jesus

We are incredibly blessed to be able to operate Vita Nova in a country where our staff will not risk their lives just to teach. The following is a news bulletin from Voice of the Martyrs (http://www.persecution.com/)

SOMALIA Four Christian Teachers Murdered - VOM Sources

On April 13, four Christian teachers, two of them converts from Islam, were murdered by Islamic militants in Beledweyne in south-central Somalia. The four teachers, two British citizens of Somali origin-Mr. Daud Hassan Ali (64) and Ms. Rehana Ahmed (32)-and two unidentified Kenyans, were shot and killed by Islamist insurgents during a midnight raid on the Hakab Private English School. The Islamic extremist group responsible for the violence, alleged that they fired indiscriminately and that the teachers were killed in crossfire. Local people, however, believe the teachers were singled out for their suspected evangelistic work. The wife of Daud Hassan Ali alleged that her husband was targeted because he was a Muslim-born convert to Christianity. Pray the families of those killed will rest in the knowledge that those who die in the Lord will be raised with Him. Pray the perpetrators of this attack will come to repentance and salvation. Pray for wisdom and protection for those serving Christ in Somalia. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Spaghetti Success!

Few words could describe our Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday better than...WOW! We estimate around 70 guests visited Vita Nova and enjoyed a wonderful spaghetti meal, complete with desserts, including a cake with our name on it from one of our families.

And speaking of our families...what a tremendous amount of giving they all demonstrated. Parents and children alike gave of their time, talents, and resources to make this spaghetti dinner and raffle a tremendous success. Not only did we raise nearly $2000.00, but we got to meet some wonderful people, who in turn got to share in the spirit of Vita Nova.

We offer a huge THANK YOU to all who made this possible, whether through their donations or their hard work. We could not have done this without you.

Please click on the picture below, which will take you to the picture page on our website. You may also click here to visit the links to our growing number of community and corporate supporters.