| |  | 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 | | Greetings! Strong Tower Ministries translated means "Jesus ministries", for He is the strong tower that we can run to for shelter in our time of need. Jesus himself summed up our purpose here on earth with the invitation to enter into a loving personal relationship with Him and to love our neighbor. This ministry exists to be a conduit to accomplish those directives. By serving others you become a blessing, and your reward is a closer relationship with Him. The month of May is wide open with serving opportunities, and we invite and encourage you to be a part of them! In Partnership, Jim Kirk-Johnson Director of Ministry Operations | | |  | | WE KNOW, WE KNOW! You are not alone in wondering, "When does the 'Hearing Everett' film get released and how do I get to see it?". The Hearing Everett gang is just as anxious to get the project finished as you are to see it. Even though the Film and the Study Guide shorts have been shot, where a "film" becomes a "really good film" is in the edit process. And that's where we find ourselves during the month of May, still in the process. But we can tell you that people who are taking part in the edit process are excited about what we have and where it's going. By month's end, the film should move to the sound portion of the edit, and a new "'Hearing Everett" website and "Trailer" should be close. For those of you who are wondering about the status of the funding, we are still 60,000 short of the projects anticipated budget. But we know God will provide, and this film will be completed in HIS time. I was reminded just the other day that "God doesn't wear a watch"-- words to live by! In the meantime, we appreciate you keeping the project in prayer and if you get the chance, email Luke Everett and tell him to "hold his horses". | |  | | | | 
| | Door of Faith Open House and Celebration
Everyone is invited to join us on Saturday, May 31st for the "construction kick-off" celebration at the Door of Faith Orphanage. We plan to start the caravan from Orange County bright and early Saturday morning, with pick up stops along the way in the San Diego area. From there, we cross into Mexico and take the 40 minute scenic drive to DOF. Highlights of the day to include: - Take a tour of or make it a "work day" at the nursery construction site
- Watch the kids of the DOF decorate their 100.00 sponsored tiles that will be proudly displayed in the courtyard of the new nursery. The folks of "COLOR ME MINE", Rancho Santa Margarita, CA are coming down to assist!
- Have you or a family member decorate a 250.00 or 500.00 dollar tile along with the kids (100% of the proceeds goes towards the building project)
- Tour the rest of the DOF orphanage
- Set up your own craft or play area for the kids
- Enjoy a BBQ lunch
So bring the whole family, and invite your friends to join in the celebration. For more information you can contact Gesa at gesa@strongtowerministries.info or to R.S.V.P. please contact Rose at rose@strongtowerminitries.info . You can also go the website and download an event flier to pass out! | | 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. |
| | The Door Of Faith Project |  One of the rewards of getting involved in serving projects like this is the people you meet along the way. Take Sergio for example: Sergio is our on-site construction supervisor who you no doubt will see at the building site on your visit. At first glance, he seems to be your average husband, father of three, who earns a decent living for his family owning and operating his own construction business in Baja, Mexico. But underneath the smiling faced, good humored, hard working exterior lies something more. Sergio credits his character and his talents to his relationship with Christ. This relationship has led him to be a pastor at a local church, and to employ and mentor other men that attend that church, who are in the process of "rehabbing their own lives". Just thinking about Sergio, I almost laugh when someone asks if what we are doing can really make a difference in one child's life. For you see, Sergio himself was once an orphan who grew up in a local orphanage. It was there he found his Father, and continues to love and serve Him with all the passion of his being to this day. Take time to say hello and shake the hand of Sergio when you see him, he will be the one with the big smile and eyes filled with joy. | | Purple Palace | | Last Saturday was "Dental Day" at the Palace. Two of the most recent additions to our "family" were in need of some dental care in the worst of ways. Their mother is addicted to drugs & didn't have a lot of time for the 2 young kids (boy 5 yrs & girl 3 yrs). Lucky for the kids, mom had enough sense to bring the kids to the Palace. Their teeth had been neglected for too long - a main staple of their diet was candy and the result was numerous cavities along the gum lines. Fortunately, the Dentist is a believer and supports the mission of the Palace and gave wonderful discounts for our kids. Well, after a couple hours, the young boy was not shy about showing off his new smile to everyone who would look. The Palace does have a Dental chair in the infirmary. However, we need someone with plumbing experience to run the water supply and drain lines. We also have a list of parts that are needed to get the chair up & functioning for anyone having contacts in the business who would like to step up and put a grin back on a kid's face. If you have the means, experience and heart, please contact me through the STM website. The Purple Palace Project has another praise report: recently a small group came to the Palace and built a Kindergarten Classroom in the building. The classes are in full swing for the 3 - 5 year olds. I was amazed to find out that these kids are in the process of learning four (4) languages - Spanish, English, French, and German. Did I mention they are between 3 - 5 yrs old??? As a matter of fact they are counting in German! These kids - once in the direst of circumstances - are continuing to thrive, grow and praise God every day. This was all made possible by supporters like you. If you have a desire to step up, or an idea, or that small still voice is telling you to make a difference - get in touch & we will make it happen with God's Blessing. Mark Hawkins ~Purple Palace Project Coordinator | | DOFO "100 Tiles of Love" Fundraiser |  Thanks to your continued support, the month of May starts with almost 10,000 dollars received for the "Tiles of Love" Fundraiser and 40 children being sponsored for the "100 Tiles for 100 Kids" Fundraiser. There are currently 112 children living at the DOF, so that means we have lots of room for additional sponsors! Remember to go to the ministry website to get your downloadable flier that can be handed out to friends, neighbors, folks in your small groups, and whomever else you can think of! For more information on how to be a part of this amazing fundraiser please contact us at Strong Tower Ministries or directly to Gesa at gesageorge@cox.net Tile Donations: $250 Sponsor a Child's Tile: $100 | | 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 Rose@StrongTowerMinsitries.info. We'd love to hear from you!! | | "BUILD A HOUSE IN A DAY" PROJECT | | 
25 Gringos (about 20 of them youth group types), 12 kids from the Purple Palace (with Ramon supervising), and 4 brave guys from Spectrum Ministries loaded into vehicles and left from the Purple Palace en route to a Tijuana hillside with a mission to build a house in a day. We arrived in a neighborhood that rarely sees Americans driving up their street. There we unloaded from our vehicles to see only a concrete foundation with a pile of lumber and some tools sitting next to it. Immediately, our 4 Spectrum Ministry builders and Ramon began getting the group organized and soon wood was being cut and nails were being hammered. By lunchtime, four walls stood in place on the once vacant foundation. While we were busy building throughout the morning, Flora and her extended family, of who we were building the house for ,were busy making tortillas and beans in a nearby house for the entire work crew. It was humbling and very moving to see that people with so little were willing to give so much to provide lunch for us. The best part of the day was when during lunch one of the family members asked Ernesto, one of the Spectrum Ministry guys, why we were doing this for them. It was at this point Ernesto was able to share with the entire family about Jesus. By 4PM, we all circled as one big group and prayed in two languages with the family in front of their newly constructed home. Flora, while holding her baby, kept saying over and over," it's a miracle". Soon we were dropping off and saying goodbye to the Purple Palace kids, then it was getting in the line for the ride back across the border. During the ride home, we reflected on the miracle of those Purple Palace kids who just two years ago had a home built for them, and now those same kids were building homes for others. Never doubt how big the God is we serve. Stay tuned for the next "Build a House in a Day" adventure with the kids of the Purple Palace!! | | | | | |
