| | | JUNE 2008 | Vol 3, Issue 38 | |  | Strong Tower Ministries
~Inspiration, Announcements, News and Updates | | "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" ~Proverbs 18:10 |
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| | Greetings,
The month of June brings with it summer and a lot of serving opportunities for the whole family! Below are ways for you , your family, or your small group to plug in and be a part of actively making a difference in the lives of children living in Mexico. |
 | | As the Hearing Everett film project officially goes over the one year mark, we are amazed at how God has brought the project along thus far, and encouraged as to how it's going to get completed. T.C. Johnstone (the film's Director) just returned from a long weekend in Alabama, where he and Andy Erwin (the film's editor) spent countless hours in an edit bay, putting the finishing touches on the content portion of the film. 
Andy did a spectacular job on the edit, and now it's off to the music and sound people to work their magic. Tony Plana, a television and film star whose latest role has him appearing as the dad on "'Ugly Betty" (a popular television show) has come on board to be the voice behind the film's narration and be the "on camera" host of the Hearing Everett Study Guide. Soon, the films website www.hearingeverett.com will be updated to include a new trailer and how you, your small group, or church can get information on the film's premiere locations and distribution. |
| Rancho Sordo mudo
| Interested in your church being selected for a private test screening of Hearing Everett?
This
month we are starting the process of identifying and selecting
a chosen few churches for an exclusive test screening
of the film. We will be selecting churches
from across the United States and it doesn't matter if
your church knows about Rancho Sordo Mudo or not.
For those interested in getting your church on the list,
please email Jim with your name, a contact phone number,
and the name of your church at jim@strongtowerminsitries.info.
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| Missionary Family Needs place to stay, July 14-July 19! |  Charles and Anne Marie Smoker with their three children are returning on furlough from their mission field in Japan. Anne Marie and her husband Charles are missionaries with SEND and have a soccer ministry in the Tokyo area of Japan. They will be here in Orange County for six days in July, the 14th to the 19th. It would be wonderful if they could stay in someone's house, either while the family is on vacation or if you have an extra guest area! They have three children, Zachary (15), Kyle (13) and Ashley (10). If you are willing to open your home to them we would certainly appreciate it! Please contact Pepper Martinez at 562-505-9267 or email her at Peppermtz@Charter.net.
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| Ministry in Action | | For those of you who visit the Purple Palace, Rancho Sordo Mudo, or Door of Faith, we would love to hear from you on how your visit went. You can e-mail us with pictures of your visit, along with details of what made your trip a memorable one. Please be sure to include anything that comes across during your visit that you feel should be lifted up in prayer and that would be appropriate for the ministry to pass on to others to be praying for. For those of you who would like to commit to pray daily for any of our projects, just send us an e-mail with a contact phone number requesting to be added to the prayer ministry. For those of you who would like to volunteer a few hours or oversee smaller projects stateside, please contact us. We would love to have you join our team!
Email
your stories to Tracey@StrongTowerMinistries.info.
We'd love to hear from you!!
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| US Passport Requirements Passport Requirements Notice for Land Travel: Beginning January 31, 2008, in preparation for the implementation of the new passport requirements, U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present a valid government issued photo ID (driver's license or military ID) and proof of citizenship (birth certificate). Other forms of ID accepted under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will be: U.S. Passport, Passport Card (not yet available), SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document. Active duty military will be exempt from the passport requirement when traveling on orders. As early as Summer 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Mexico by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents (NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST, Passport Card, etc.) as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.
For updated information check the Department of Homeland Security website. |
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Door of Faith Open House and Celebration
After days, weeks of preparation and anticipation, all covered in prayer, a group of 60 people got on the road at the crack of dawn to head down to the Door of Faith Orphanage on Saturday morning for the Construction Kick off/Open House Celebration. With a carload of tile from "Color me Mine", food to prepare a barbeque lunch for the children, staff and us visitors, some with tool belts and working gloves on board we all arrived safely and in great spirits at 10:30am. We were welcome by lots of smiles and with an extensive and informative tour of the orphanage by the administrator DJ.
Not much time was wasted as the Color Me Mine staff set up their tile painting project in the recreation room, preparing for each child to design and paint their own tile that day. One group (the buff guys!) headed straight over to the construction site of the nursery building, to assess the progress and their job for the day. They ended up pouring concrete into the footings all day, laying the foundation on the biggest construction project this orphanage has taken on yet. Another group (guess who?) took over the kitchen to clean up 35 pounds of strawberries, while others started the barbeque outside. We all enjoyed a great lunch together; admiring how organized a family of 120 can have a meal together, including washing hands and prayer.
The highlight
for the children was the two bounce houses that appeared
on site after lunch, and brought many smiles and excitement
among them. A few of us had to agree to become children
ourselves and bounce with them. What a blast!!!!
Right before we had to wrap up our day, the Holy Spirit
gripped us all as we gathered in a circle around the construction
site and prayed over the foundation, a prayer lead by
Steven Hibler and Michael Walsh.
If we weren't sure why we had come down there for the day yet, this was the moment to understand and see. God was right there with us saying "well done my servants!" Thank you to all who decided to step out and follow God's will for us to serve and to care for the orphans. We were blessed that day and made many children smile!
Gesa
Strong Tower Ministries Prayer Coordinator |
| Purple Palace | Purple Palace is in need of food!
We have received word from several people recently who have visited the orphanage that food supplies are at a critical low. One hundred percent of funds received earmarked for the Purple Palace goes directly into the purchase of food for the kids. If you're up for buying it yourself and either walking or driving it to the orphanage, that works too! Just remember that it is illegal to bring certain items (such as chicken) across the border. Another option is to go shopping in Mexico or mail a Costco Card, which we will forward to the Purple Palace, so they can redeem them there. If your small group or church would be interested in sponsoring a food drive to feed the kids for a week, please contact Mark at blessdpapa@yahoo.com
Mark Hawkins ~Purple Palace Project Coordinator |
| Missionary Family needs home in Orange County, July 14th - 19th, 2008! | | Charles and Anne Marie Smoker with their three children are returning on furlough from their mission field in Japan. Anne Marie and her husband Charles are missionaries with SEND and have a soccer ministry in the Tokyo area of Japan. They will be here in Orange County for six days in July, the 14th to the 19th. It would be wonderful if they could stay in someone's house, either while the family is on vacation or if you have an extra guest area! They have three children, Zachary (15), Kyle (13) and Ashley (10). If you are willing to open your home to them we would certainly appreciate it! Please contact Pepper Martinez at 562-505-9267 or email her at Peppermtz@Charter.net.
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If you
have an interest in serving with Strong Tower Ministries
please contact us through our website at www.StrongTowerMinistries.info
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