A World Restored / Book Cover Design


A few weeks ago a beautiful powerhouse friend released her first book and I had the privilege of doing the cover art work. She had a vision for what she wanted so I drew up some sketches and we worked together tweaking the final details until we felt it was just right. If was a bit of a process as I often find that doing art with God can take longer than I plan but I have learned to trust the process and my sensitivity to Him as I add to an artwork. There are many times even with this book cover where I sat down and couldn't get anywhere with it and then there were other times where God's inspiration flowed and I'd have a big part done rather quickly and I knew that's exactly what it was meant to look like. Thankfully God honours deadlines and we got it done in time to send to the editor for printing.

The book is called A World Restored and you can find it on Amazon here. I haven't yet gotten to read it myself but Kimberly walked me through it section by section to get a feel of the book and it is definitely going to be a good read. You can also check out her website here.

Just figured I would share a few pictures of the process. They aren't set up nicely and are a bit messy but I barely took any while I worked on it so these will have to do. As per my usual style these days you will see some hidden words amongst the details if you look closely. To see the final cover you will have to look on the Amazon page :)







World Print. New Listing On Etsy



It's been a while but I finally have a new print in my Etsy shop and it is one I have wanted to do for a long time. You can find it here. I love maps so I have always wanted to do a print of a world map and this is the first one. I have a few ideas for another design with different meaning as well so we will see when I get to do that one. Probably someday when my heart is filled with wanderlust and I want to pack our family up and meander the streets of Europe. 






Lately I have been finding that I start a design with an idea from God and a few verses that often don't seem like they connect at first but I know that they are meant to be part of it. This one was similar but as I sought God for more words and verses to fill the shape I saw the story He was painting. I started with the truth that He will go with you wherever you go and give you guidance there. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you with my eye upon you. (Psalm 32:8) Then I also felt to include verses about peace and the omnipresence of God so I started on the left with peace. (I didn't plan on putting them in Canada but its appropriate considering Canada is a nation of peace makers!) Peace in knowing that God is with you, that He upholds you in His righteous right hand, and that He is King on the throne. Then there are lots of verses about how His plans for you are for good, that He will help you, and that He will show you the path to take. You shall have no difficulty in finding the way if you watch Me. Lastly on the right there are verses about how He is always there for you, that there is no where you can go from His presence, and that you are loved. Where shall I go from your spirit. Where shall I flee from your presence? Even there your hand shall lead and hold me... for you know me. (Psalm 139, in my own words)

I don't usually write those things out but I guess I was suppose to for this one. Those are the main points but there is so much more in the details of this print that you will have to look for yourself. I think there is a special truth in there for each one of you so check it out. 


Be at peace knowing that He is with you wherever you go and that His plans for you are good.

Love Jill

17 Months Old & Happy Fathers Day


I hope everyone had a good Father's Day! We got Jason a warm housecoat to weather the winter in and made him lots of good food, complete with a black forest cherry cake. It was a really good day and he deserves to be celebrated for how wonderful of a father he is. He and Ira have such a good relationship and I love seeing how it has deepened and developed. This boy loves his dada and no-one can be as silly or get him to laugh quite as hard as dada can. He gives the best bear hugs, thinks of the funnest games, and lets Ira play the piano with him! What more could a boy ask for? He is also faithful and selfless and patient and wise and all of those amazing qualities as well. As a wife and mom I am so thankful for Jason. He has matured and grown so much since becoming a father and takes care of us so well. I love that I can be gone for the day at work and not have to worry a bit about the two of them because they always have such a good time together. I am usually away waiting for Jason to send a picture of whatever silly antic that are up to at the moment. I can't wait to see him hold and love our newest baby boy in October! Happy Father's Day Jason! You are the best! 






Ira will be 17 months old this week which is something we have a hard time wrapping our minds around. He is becoming more and more of a little boy and less and less of a little baby everyday and we are completely enamoured with him. Here are some of the silly highlights from him in the past while: 

- Since he was little (littler? he is still little haha) he has specialized in animal noises. I would consider him a professional at being a dog, cat, elephant, lion, cow, horse, duck, penguin, snake, bumble bee, monkey, owl, sheep, fish, and a few more I can't think of. Our house is basically a zoo. 
- He sneaks hugs and kisses all day long. 
- He is a wild thing in every good and wonderful way and lives for wide open spaces like shopping mall hallways and the aquarium to run around in. 
- Everything is "Woah!" 
- He likes the sound of motorcycles. 
- He loves to snuggle up and read books. 
- He is still afraid of bubbles in the bath tub but also weirdly loves bubbles so you have to make them in a ice cream container and put it by the bath and then he plays and plays with them. 
- He is gentle and kind. 
- He loves babas, especially little tiny ones. We saw a two week old a the mall last week and he was so happy. I can't wait to see him interact with his little brother. 
- One of his favourite games is to push the couch out from the wall, pick one of his stuffed animals out, and then have you chase him with it around and around in circles. He laughs his head off and I think he has done thousands of laps in his short few months of walking. 
- He LOVES to sing. We have a mini whisk that is his special microphone and he walks around the house singing all the time. Lately he has been closing his eyes and raising his hands as if in worship but he usually peeks a little to make sure we are seeing him do it. It is the funniest thing. 
- He likes to watch Paddington Bear and videos of the baba aka himself. 
- He says a lot of words. Some common ones are cracker, flower, mama, dada, ball, water, car, tractor, all gone, tree, teeth, nose, eye, cheese, Gogo (Grandmother), star, whale...etc. 

I could go on and on. He comes up with something new everyday and I try to record and remember them because most of the time they are so silly and he is onto the next thing in no time. He is a dream come true. 

We took these pictures yesterday after Ira had some of the cake we made for Jason and therefore a bit more energy than we could burn running around the living room. Jason always takes Ira to this field called the Vlei to play so it was the perfect way to relax on a special afternoon. 

14 Months Old With Something to Share


Is he not just the cutest human being alive? We love him so and love that we were able to have him share some exciting things coming up in the sweetest way possible. Enjoy!

New Listing on Etsy. Lion Print.


I added another print to my etsy store a little while back. I did a lion a few years ago for a friend's baby that was full of prophetic words over his life and I had so many people say that if I did another one that they would want a copy. So here it is and I must say I love it. I love how God leads and puts together themes as you create and seek Him for words and verses to fill the shape. This one started with Proverbs, "The righteous are as bold as a lion." and from there God kept speaking of how much courage it takes takes to actually be righteous and how we will find it in Jesus. There are so many simple connecting words and verses. Enjoy!

2017's First Newsletter

Life has been busy and beautiful for us here lately and time has gone by so quickly that I almost forgot to send out a newsletter. I copied the html into this blog post so you could read it here too but if you want to go to the real newsletter and be able to click the links just go here: http://eepurl.com/cEzLxr 

(If you would like to receive these when I send them then just sign up in the link on the blog sidebar.) 

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Hello friends,

     Can you believe it is March already?! This year is already going by so fast I feel like digging my heels in the ground and trying to slow time down a little. We have been very busy in Cape Town with leadership, structuring a new ministry year, parenting, and having visitors! My parents as well as a close friend whom I (Jillian) have not seen in almost 8 years came to visit with her husband. So on our off times from work we have been tour guides and have grown more enthralled with this beautiful nation every day.
     As a family we are doing well and learning to balance ministry and parenting better without getting burnt out. That was one of our struggles last year as we can tend to get really busy but we are learning how to schedule things and still prioritize Ira's walks at the beach and reading books and playing silly games, etc. All the fun things. Ira is doing really well and growing much too quickly. It's hard to believe we have a toddler. He is sweet and friendly and well loved by everyone here. 
     Overall the year is off to a good start so thank you for praying for us and supporting us! It is summer here which has been a huge blessing to us as we had winter in South Africa then winter in Canada and then winter in South Africa again. We were in need of some warm days for a long period of time. The above picture is from the day after new years on Muizenberg beach. Its is always crazy busy on that holiday weekend but thankfully it is not always like that.

Ministry

Bethesda House


Getting Bethesda running again this year has been a bit of a challenge. We ended last year without a building but were still doing a lot of ministry all over Cape Town. With the start of the new year we felt the need to be very strategic in planning how we were going to run everything and instead of rushing into it we spent a lot of time praying and seeking God for His plan for the year. It has taken a lot of work and wisdom but we have a schedule that looks like it will be very fruitful. 

New Outreach!

In addition to the normal ministry sessions we always offer we will also be partnering with two small communities in our area. They are called Oceanview and 7de Laan. Both are extremely impoverished and as soon as you get to know the beautiful people in them your heart breaks. We will be partnering with friends of Bethesda who have already been working in these areas and offering support and help. Jason and I will be focusing on 7de Laan doing men's and women's Bible studies as well as visiting people in their homes and ministering to the teachers and staff in the area.

On a personal note...

The Gray's Visited!
 
My parents visited for the whole month of January which meant squeezing in as many of the amazing things Cape Town has to offer as possible. The above picture is from Chapman's Peak, one of the world's most beautiful drives. (Thank you again to everyone who donated towards out car last year! We couldn't have driven them there without you!) We took them to all our favourite places and enjoyed each others company. I know Ira loved having his grandparents around! It was a very sad goodbye. Having family visit makes the sacrifice of living so far away very real but getting to show them our home and all it's beauty also makes us realize how deeply we love this place. 

Ira turned 1!


Even though it has been over a month since his birthday Jason and I still find it hard to believe that we have a one year old. He is absolutely delightful and full of fun. He says a few words, his favourite of which are "bye" and "mama" and "papa". He is almost walking and can take quite a few steps on his own. He loves reading and climbing and eating. He is the friendliest person I know and waves and smiles at everyone. Here is a blog about why we chose his name if you would like to read it. 
Prayer Requests

- For health.
We are all just recovering from a cold and have felt quite tired and sick the past week. 
- For wisdom. 
We are constantly seeking God for wisdom in leadership as we make decisions and move our ministry forward. 
- For rest. 
That we would work had and rest hard. Ira has slept through the night but lately it seems like one thing after the other that is disrupting his sleep and naps, whether it is teething or a cold, and that gets us all very tired. 
- For our Bethesda Team. 
As a team we are still in a weird transition season as we look for another building to move into and although we have dealt well with it there have still been struggles. A lot of people are also dealing with some very heavy personal things and attack from the enemy so prayer for our team as a whole would be amazing. 
If you are interested in joining and supporting us financially please email and go to this page on our website:  Get Involved 
It's really simple and there is a place for both Canadians and Americans to sign up and receive tax deductible receipts.

Or you can donate through PayPal here:

https://www.paypal.me/lewisfamily123
Thanks for reading! Don't hesitate to contact us because we would love to hear from you!

With love, 
Jason, Jillian, and Ira
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