Hello everyone, 
Someone once said that "Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end".
One of the most exciting new beginnings we have to announce
is the birth of my beautiful little boy Noah James. He is delightful!
Tristan, the girls and I are simply in love with him. He is a great
blessing in many ways. Baby Noah’s arrival has reminded me of the
importance of new life . New beginnings. Second chances.
Everyone deserves a new beginning - a second chance.
Wishing you could go back and start a new beginning is pointless because
it will never happen. You can not change the past, but you can
change your future. Making a decision to let go of the past and start
afresh TODAY will help you to create a better tomorrow . The Grace of
God is available to all of us to help us make that decision.
With less than 100 days to go until we are in 2012, It's
time to look at our lives and see if there is anything we need to let go
of. Many of us can get incredibly busy, we can lose focus, and even
become preoccupied with other things in life. Rather than living a life
of design and purpose, we begin to live a life of default, falling into
anything that comes our way.
With Spring having arrived what better time than now to
begin again. Start afresh. It's time to refocus, get rid of the old
and replace with the new. Spring means new beginnings, rebirth and
fresh starts. As you consider the last of the 2011 year and consider
how you want to start your 2012:
- Come back to the vision, the goal, the purpose and your reason for life. Write it down so you can remind yourself often.
- Take time to write a list of things you want to
eliminate from life and the things you want to replace them with. For
example, eliminate comfort eating and replace with fitness and sports
- Decide what you want to achieve and do it. Stop
procrastinating and seize the moment. Strengthen that back bone, get
rid of the wish bone, and roll up the sleeves to get your goal.
At Jade Lewis and Friends Inc, what we call the beginning is
actually the end. The end of drugs, crime and violence for so many
women and their families. We are so glad you have joined this journey
with us. We love and appreciate you all and pray great blessings on all
your lives. May the rest of 2011 be greater than you expected and 2012
be beyond your wildest dreams. We think you are amazing!
Love & Blessings from
Tristan & Jade Lewis
and all the Board and Committee at Jade Lewis and Friends Inc.
5 second Inspirations
Positive thinking:
- An obstacle, provides an opportunity to overcome.
- An adversity, provides a an opportunity to triumph.
- A mess, provides an opportunity for a message of hope to pass onto someone else.
- A test, provides an opportunity to share a testimony.
It's all in your mindset
Wishing you could go back and start a new beginning is pointless
- it will never happen. But making a choice to start again TODAY and make a new ending is possible. God's mercies are new EVERYDAY.
We all need vision, a purpose, a goal. It is far better to die knowing that you gave everything for your idea; than to live so scared and predictable that you would never give your idea a go. Take the limits off and really live your life. You will never go back!
2011 Women's Conference's I have spoken at this year
There is nothing I love more than sharing at womenss conference. 2011 has already brought many opportunities to encourage women from around Australia. No matter what our experiences may be, make your mess a message and use it to help other people. People often find their life purpose in the things they have overcome. I thank God everyday that He helped me overcome and I get to help so many others overcome too. It is the best thing ever to know that you have been able to help some one.
Here are some of the great women I get to partner with from these conferences this year
Salvation Army's State Women's Conference - May 2011
Queensland Australian Christian Church State Women's Conference May 2011
WA Australian Christian Church State Women's Conference August 2011
Wheatbelt Women's Conference Bruce Rock 2011
Victorian Baptist Women's Conference August 2011
Team member profile
Ada Lee is our Step UP Coordinator at Bandyup Women's Prison. Her background is in fitness training, and currently works at Jetts in Midland. Ada has always loved and enjoyed a healthy lifestyle, having played state basketball, taught martial arts and run a small business in personal training to help others achieve their goals.
Ada's commitment to Jade Lewis & Friends Inc. comes from personal experience, and she rediscovered her passions in life after overcoming challenges she faced.
"I wasn't always a healthy and active person throughout my life," Ada says.
"When I was 25 years old, I had found myself in a psychiatric unit due to drug addiction for nine years.
"I entered into a program called Teen Challenge for 15 months where I rediscovered my love of sport and fitness." Ada says that at 25, she was a broken woman. But after graduating Teen Challenge a year later, it became a dream of hers to help other women learn to love and look after their bodies. She sees fitness as a practical and easy way for people to feel great about themselves, and believes it prepares individuals to go through mentally difficult times. "I took up studies and have been a personal trainer now for over a year," she says.
"I set up my own business and it became rewarding to me to help others achieve their goals. My motivation to helping others reach a healthy lifestyle mostly derived from my own struggle of a destructive lifestyle and thinking in the past. Ada has been a part of the Jade Lewis & Inc. family for four months now. Committing herself to twice a week, she works with the women at Bandyup Prison where she's expressed there aren't any words to describe how much she loves working with them.
"When I think of how I train with these women in the gym, I have come to realise that my purpose is more than just personal training," Ada says.
"It's about helping these women tap into a greater purpose to a higher level that was never forseeable in themselves.
"It's more than just a job to me, it's a passion, and by the grace of God I live a fulfilling and meaningful life. I love being who I am and doing what I do and am committed to being a part of the solution."
Just Say NO to Drugs and Step UP in Highschools
With almost 100 presentations given to schools and community groups since the beginning of this year, Tristan and I stand firm on our belief that prevention is truly better than cure. Young people want positive role models to follow, and teachers are very supportive of our drug prevention presentations. Here are some wonderful, heartfelt testimonials from these groups after presentations were given.
"The session today with Tristan was fantastic! Our year 10 students were really attentive and engaged in his presentation. They really appreciated your honesty and willingness to share your experience, as did I." -
"Tristan was wonderful and his presentation had a very strong impact on the students. I'm sure we'll have you both at some point in the future."
"The retreat was great! Thank you to Tristan, he was wonderful and the students were very engaged. We look forward to working with you again next year!" -
"Jade has an awesome way in which she connects and holds her audience captive when she tells them about her life story. We also love the physical component; Jade compliments this with the feel good facial at the end of the session, a great feminine touch - the girls had a ball!"-
"Just wanted to again say thank you for today. Jade, you truly have a gift with telling stories and making people want to listen. A student who recently was suspended for coming to school under the influence said "it was inspiring' and that is a win for me." -
Step UP in Schools
Thanks to the Wind Over Water Foundation and Natio (www.natio.com.au) we now run Step UP Personal Development in schools. Teaching the girls fitness, skin care, goal setting, etiquette is a great way to build self esteem and give a positive message of hope.
Partnership with the State Government Mental Health Commission
Jade Lewis and Friends are proud to announce the recent partnership with the State Government to run Step UP throughout the WA Women's Prisons. This will see that the women at Bandyup Womens Prison, Boronia Pre-Release Centre and Rangeview Detention Centre reach with a positive life changing program.
Mental Health Week - 9th to 15th October 2011
Depression and anxiety don't discriminate. Do you?
Depression and anxiety can affect anyone at any time but often, people won't talk about how they're feeling because they're worried what others will think.
Don't let discrimination and stigma stop you, or someone else, from getting help.
Depression and anxiety can affect people's thoughts, mood, behaviour and physical health. They are common illnesses - around one million Australian adults have depression and two million have an anxiety disorder. If it's not you, it could be someone you know.
People with depression and anxiety need to talk to a doctor or other health professional to get appropriate treatment.
We encourage everyone to visit the Beyond Blue web site, http://www.beyondblue.org.au Here you can seek information and download useful resources, for your work place colleagues , to help break down the stigma associated with depression and anxiety.
During Mental Health Week, One Life Suicide Prevention Strategy is asking everyone - individuals, community groups, schools and workplaces - to help raise awareness of depression and anxiety, and reduce the associated stigma; in order to reduce suicides.
City To Surf Success
On Sunday 28 September, a team of over 11 runners and walkers completed the 12km City to Surf course in Perth, Western Australia. Jodie Burwood of Sublime Enhancements organised local businesses to sponsor the team, and won't you believe it - a pink limousine, thanks to Perth's Pink Limo, drove the team to the event. We're already planning to do it all over again next year, so if you're interested in joining the team for 2012, register your information here. We want to be able to grow the team so that the sea of pink "Giving women prisoners a second chance at life" is seen throughout the thousands of competitors.
Upcoming events - May 2012
We are beginning the exciting preparations for the launch of "Second Chance Day for Women Prisoners" in May 2012. Look out for your invite in the next few weeks. Our last event sold out, so be sure to secure your seats as soon as you receive your invite. We would love to see you there.
Social Media - Exciting announcements
We have finally launched our Facebook and Twitter presence for the online community! We would love to see you support our pages by following them and telling us what you think. It's also a great place to meet others with similar interests and find support when you need it, so if you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to connect with us there and help us spread the word on the internet.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JadeLewisInc
Twitter: @jadelewis_wa
