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.) 

*|MC:SUBJECT|*
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
Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved.
*|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|*

Our mailing address is:
*|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|*

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

*|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*
© A Gardener's Daughter. Design by Fearne.