Pictures to Match

I guess I was a little too long winded in that first installation... here are some of the views we had in France that I wanted to post with it....

Bonjour!

Here we are! Back from France... (sorry.. blogger won't let me add photos) All I can think to say right now is: Wow. Wow God. Many of you who read this blog were also a part of the updates we sent out... or mostly Drew sent out. So I don't want to bore every one with the details. Over the next few months this blog will more than likely be dominated by the word France. I want to document all the Lord has done and will do as we journey through this France thing. So for my sake, more than yours, I am going to start at the semi beginning and process this journey on the blog... it is also so that I can have this conversation with you all at once instead of repeating the whole process again and again b/c honestly sometimes I just can't share it all again.. it can wear me out! This way most of you who care will get the basics here and can then ask questions or for specifics as they come up! And if you know of people interested in our story you have a clear place to send them. So... here we go... installation #1. How far back do we go? Once Upon A Time.... We have been living in Louisville for what will be six years this October. Louisville was a surprise... like the kind of surprise when some one gets you something NOT on your Christmas List but is the best present you got and just what you needed. Who goes to Kentucky? Who wants to live in Kentucky? That's what we thought coming to this place. We will get some schooling, spread our wings and then we're gone. But then we fell in love. We fell in love with four seasons and trees and the small town feel in the midst of a city life. Most of all we fell in love with our church. So we settled down and prepared to stay. We have been holding our mouths open to the fire hydrant for five years... soaking up everything our church and community had to offer. Taking every class or training possible... trying to learn and grow in the gospel as much as possible. However, in the midst of all of this amazing community and spiritual growth there was a big thorn. In order to stay in this city we love Drew was having to sacrifice every day. He worked for years at ERAC and I can safely say it was mostly miserable. The Lord totally blessed his time there and he was very successful in getting promotion after promotion and the Lord made it painfully obvious that that is exactly where he wanted Drew to be... but it was hard. It was long hours with little pay and even less respect. It was suits and ties and rules and regulations and paying dues to "the man" every day. It was hard. For the first few years we applied to other jobs in Louisville and every thing that seemed promising fell through. But we weren't really willing to leave and so we just stuck it out. Then, in the last couple of years we finally felt like we could let go of Louisville if it meant Drew could have a job that was a better fit for him. So we applied and applied and absolutely nothing has worked out. That was maybe harder (for me at least). Why God? What is going on? This is so unfair. We have watched friend after friend get their dream job and yet we felt that our job situation was getting worse and worse. We prayed and prayed and begged God for a new job and a better fit... we will go ANYWHERE! Drew finally got another job, by no means a dream job but at least fewer hours and we were praying for confirmation if this in fact was where we were supposed to go and then out of no where... right after Drew got the offer from the new job he was fired from ERAC... Fired? WHAT?!?! They should be groveling at his feet for working two jobs for the price of one and always working hard when every one else slacked off and patiently waiting for that promised raise etc etc... It was shady and unjust and unexpected and yet... so freeing. I felt incredible joy the moment I found out Drew was fired. I felt so secure knowing that God knew we needed an answer loud and clear that we were finally released from our time at ERAC... So our time began at the new job.. selling printers. Not much more glamourous than selling cars but Drew got to see his daughter every day... a luxury he didn't have before and he had a friend at work who loves Jesus and went to our church, who we are even in community group with now... another luxury. Little did we know.....

France

Well, our France trip is finally here. Not exactly but pretty much. We have every day planned between now and take off and so I know it will fly by. Praise the Lord, the giver of all good things! We have officially been gifted the entire amount of our trip... that is $6000. I had a really hard time believing that we would be able to raise that much support. If that is the amount given in dollars.. I hope the amount of prayer given is ten fold! We feel extremely blessed by all of our family and friends who gave so generously and sacrificially. People we never expected to give gave over and above. We are truly thankful. We will be flying from Louisville Airport to Philadelphia where we will get to see two dear friends during our layover. I am just as excited to see their faces as I am about going to France. Then we fly over night to Paris, France and from Paris to Marseille. We will spend three days in Marseille and then travel to either Nimes or Montpellier, where we will spend a couple of days and then head to which ever we haven't been to yet and then back to Marseille. We will be ministering to and working with several missionaries on the ground in that area as well as trying to meet with businesses and get a feel for the cities in order to report back to the long-term team that is hoping to move there to do business and help start churches. I am so excited and yet with so many things to do between now and then it almost seems unreal. I still need to pack and do laundry and cook and clean and and and.... Most of all I am soaking up every single moment with Stella. We are going to parks and reading tons of books and eating all her favorite foods so that we can savor happy moments together before we depart. For her part, she could not be more excited for Susie, and Gigi and Gigi's Papa to come and stay with her while mommy and daddy are gone. We are planning to leave her some fun surprises too so she will know mommy and daddy are thinking of her and love her. Ten days is a long time. It hurts my heart to even think about it. One major thing that caused a little hiccup for me and some of the other ladies is dress code. We were told knee length skirts with t-shirts would be fine and then it became long skirts with long shirts and what at first seemed like a million other details. This threw a big wrench in my getting ready mode. So, I've been sewing skirts and dresses and trying to find deals on long skirts (thank goodness they are in fashion right now) and I still have no clue about the shirt situation. I'm thinking t-shirts with cardigans just in case. I'm also trying to figure out what shoes to wear. I know it sounds trivial to care about clothing when you are going to preach the gospel but when all you are taking is a backpack for ten days... everything you pack has to be appropriate and durable and useful. We will more than likely be on our feet from morning til night so I also don't want something as silly as shoes to be distracting. If you are praying for us please pray for our health as we travel. We have both had minor health issues lately but mine seem to be compiling. Currently I have a double sinus infection and a back problem. Please also pray for Stella and our parents as they take care of her. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel and boldness to do so with love and care. Just pray for us! I am so excited to get there and see what it is really like and see how the Lord moves through this trip! And for your viewing pleasure... more pictures of the two and a half year old!

Two and a Half

Next month Stella will be two and a half. I probably won't have time to write then and so I'm going ahead and updating you all on her now.
Stella is 40 inches tall and weighs a little over 35lbs. According to the internet, that's about the stats of an average 4-5 year old!
She wears 3T and 4T clothing and a size 9 shoe.

Our girl is a talker! I can't even remember all of the cute things she says and does because there are so many! We are really enjoying this stage in her growth because she is so fun loving and interactive.
Some of the funny things she is saying these days...
When referring to Drew and me she always calls us "You guys".
So a recent conversation went like this,
"Where we going you guys?"
"Do you want to go to Costco?"
"Perfect!!!"
(after a minute) "Let's go you guys!"
Stella loves to go on outings. As noted in the conversation above... every morning when she wakes up she says "where are we going" or "what doin'"? If I say that we don't have any thing to do today or aren't going anywhere she gets a sad look on her face and says "but I slept a long time!". Apparently good sleep earns fun outings.
And good sleep there is! Stella is sleeping from 730/8pm to 9/930am and taking a 2-3 hour nap most days. Every now and then we'll hear her talking and singing through out her whole nap.
Stella is also a really good mimic. She has very well behaved dolls too. Today while on a walk I heard her tell her babies in the stroller not to ask to get out and not to fuss. Later she told them they had to say hi to people that passed because it was sweet, kind and nice. HAHA. Those are obviously two lessons we are learning right now.
Every morning SJ wakes up with "friends" in her bed and they are always her friends in real life... with the occasional Bible character thrown in. Sometimes Moses is in there with a paci or Jonah and water and always Layne... her current BFF. They go with us in the car and on the couch and in the bed. They always have an imaginary paci too. She is also usually accompanied by her pretend phone in her pretend pocket and she calls her friends, their moms and her daddy a lot. It usually sounds like this...
"HEY! Yea. Ummm. Yea. Yea. We going to _____. Yea. Ok. Bye."
Another common phrase we hear is "cuz?" and when that gets no response she says "may I please ask why?". I had no idea the "why" phase would come this early!!
SJ loves sunglasses but hates if the sun is shining in her face.
She loves to play at Pottery Barn Kids with the jogging stroller, babies and big girl desk and kitchen.

(busy getting work done at PBK)
We love to walk and play at the playground a lot too. Slides are the current favorite.
Stella also had her first admirer the other day at the playground. This little boy from our church followed her with in inches at all times and even attached himself to her going down the slide. He would throw a ball to her and if she didn't catch it, her friend Layne would grab it. When this happened the little boy would cry to his mom, "I don't want to play with THAT girl... I want to play with THAT (SJ) girl!". It was so so so hilarious. Stella was definitely playing hard to get. The attention sort of freaked her out.
SJ also loves to do "exercises", which consist of push ups, crunches and arm circles and sometimes high knees.
Her favorite foods are still basically the same... mac n cheese, avocado, sweet potato, bread, pizza, pouches, any crunchy salty food, apple sauce and yogurt.
Stella also LOVES to sing. She tries to pick up on the words to any song. She can sing pretty much all the words to an entire kids praise CD, Oh No You Never Let Go, Jesus Loves Me, ABCs and a few choice elmo songs. She likes to make up songs too. I love to hear her singing to herself while she takes care of her babies or when she is in her own world in the back seat of the car.
We are also in the do it yourself phase. She can put on her own shoes, help get dressed (and pick out the clothes), get in her carseat and booster seat and help buckle, get her milk from the fridge, and feed herself most foods.
Our girl is not a baby any more but we are really loving our big girl!

Savoring the Silly

Stella has been growing so fast, it's hard to catch any moment much less every moment. She has already out-grown almost all of her Christmas clothes, potty trained and hurdled herself head-long into the "two-year-old phase".
I can't believe how fast she potty trained. I was fully dreading it and it went by so fast and easy I can't believe it.
She cracks me up every single day.
Lately when I get her up in the morning she is either "Mary" holding her baby "Jesus" (the blanket) while "Joseph is at work". Or she is "Ellie" holding "Charlie" (the blanket) while "Chris is at work" (daddy).
Most recently she said "I'm Ellie and this is baby Jesus, Joseph is at work and YOU are my wife!". HAHA. When Drew is home he is either Chris or Joseph and her babies are either Jesus, Eli (the boy we babysit) or Charlie (cousin) and I am always her wife. Cracks me up every.single.time.
Tonight we were having a bedtime snack and she was pointing to the "pretend berries" on the table and said "I have some berries in the refrigerator, their applesauce berries... they are hiding". Hilarious!
She also tells me all the time that it's time to "go to Costco". She loves that they have samples.
We really love our Stella Jane!

Fleurs for France

As you may have read... we are raising money to go on a mission trip to France.
In order to help our fundraising efforts I am making all types of flower accessories for you to purchase.
Headbands are $12 or 2 for $20 (get it while it lasts)
Pins are $5
Gloves are $10
If you live in the area, there is no shipping... we'll just figure out a way to meet up.
If you aren't in the area, feel free to get a group together and make one large order b/c the shipping will be cheaper for you that way. I'm estimating $2 for small orders.
We really appreciate every one who has given to our trip and every one who is praying for our trip.
Blessings!

Bonjour et Joyeux Noël

Hello and Merry Christmas from the Lewis family.
This is our very first Christmas letter and we are excited to let you in on all the Lord has been and is continuing to do in our lives.
This past year we were blessed to celebrate our fifth anniversary and the second anniversary of the birth of our Stella Jane. Yes, that’s right, we have a two-year-old on our hands.
We are still living in Louisville, KY and serving in Group Life and worship at Sojourn Community Church.
One thing we have learned over the last five years in Louisville is that our plans are not God’s plans. We have made many wonderful friendships over the past years and sadly for us, we have seen most of those friends move away to become missionaries and church planters. We had never considered this as a real option for our family but as God has continued to close doors for Drew on his career path and open completely different doors in our hearts, we decided to let ourselves dream big dreams and allow God to do whatever he desires with our lives… big or small. We want to glorify Him! A verse that encompasses this conviction is Romans 10:13-15
13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
As we have made new friends over the past year we began to hear about a small group of people looking to move, long term, to Southern France, in order to minister to the French and North African populations living there. Like before, we never seriously thought we could do something like this but then God. That’s how all, good stories begin. Then God opened a way for us to go on a short-term mission trip to France.
On this trip we will be connecting with Sojourn’s missionary partners in Marseille, France to assist them with their work among Muslims and to help them expand their ministry into other cities in the area. It may be hard to believe but there are hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Southern France that have no knowledge of the Gospel. We will also be on a team going to other cities to do research on how people live, think and interact so that our partner missionaries will know how best to engage these unreached cities after we leave. The vision for the future is to send a team of long-term missionaries from Sojourn to plant churches in Southern France. We are prayerful that as we serve alongside the missionaries in France, God will make it clear if this is where He would have us serve long term.
We ask that you would partner with us in the Gospel. Please help send us to France by donating of your resources. Together, we need to raise $6000 and we long for the Church to rise up and send us in the name of the One we call Savior and Lord! Please click here to give online and select France 724.*
We also need your prayers. France is one of the most forgotten and unreached countries in Western Europe. We need a team of support on their knees with us before we go, while we are there and even once we return. Will you join our team?
For updates on our family and our trip you can visit drewandlindsey@blogspot.com.

We are thankful for your partnership in the Gospel here and abroad!

Drew and Lindsey Lewis

*“Gifts to the church, with an expression of a preference for my trip expenses (France 724), are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you are able to make a gift to the church, helping to fund my portion of the trip expenses, please give online or make your check payable to Sojourn Community Church. If I am unable to participate in the trip, your gifts will be used to support the short-term mission program of Sojourn.”

We realize that the people reading this letter have different means. Every gift is precious in our sight and in the sight of the Lord. To emphasize this, here are a couple of charts to help break down the cost and ways different partners can come together to help us reach our goal!

Giving Chart Examples:

Five ways to reach $6000….
10 Partners giving $600 each
20 Partners giving $300 each
40 Partners giving $150 each
60 Partners giving $100 each
120 Partners giving $50 each

Combined effort to reach $6000…
2 Partners giving $600 each (plus)
4 Partners giving $300 each (plus)
8 Partners giving $150 each (plus)
14 Partners giving $100 each (plus)
20 Partners giving $50 each