Abby Nadeau
Community Editor

It came to him in a ìprayer walkî 25 years ago. He saw a huge building with lots of windows. He saw brown children playing beneath a 30 ft. high bronze cross with thorns.

Some people might have an experience like this and call it a daydream.

For Pastor Steve Brewer it was a calling that he couldnít ignore.

Steve made his first trip to Mexico about 19 years ago. The first time he was there, a mile outside of the United States he saw children fighting over garbage in a trash bin.

ìI realized these children needed more than food,î Steve said. ìThey didnít need a hand-out, they needed a hand up.î

As the Brewer family grew, so did the ìholy callingî that Steve heard.

Brewer married his wife Cathy in 1973 and the couple have three children, Mark, Amanda and Danny.

At the age of five Steve brought his son, Danny, to Mexico. The family would bring food out to the local villages and feed anyone who needed it. At the end of the day, they had to head back to the U.S.

ìMy son would...î Steve said as he stopped for an emotional moment.

ìI would stuff kids in the back of our van,î Danny said, now 25-years-old. ìI would hide them under jackets and sit on them. When my dad would find them I would ask him if we could bring them home.î

ìIt became a ritual at the border,î Steve said. ìWe had to check for kids in the back since customs wouldnít really like that. It was from those experiences that we started providing more than just a plate.î

Tapestries of Life

Steve is the founder and CEO of Tapestries of Life Ministries, (TLM) a missions group that works out of Fabens, TX but does most of its work across the border in Mexico, specifically Juarez.

TLM is an official international orphanage and adoption agency exclusively for charitable purposes; it is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public ministry and has been a member of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability since October 2001.

ìI am trying to give something to you,î Steve said. ìI come into the communities to bring my commitment, my opportunity. The Lord asks me to call the body of Christ to help.î

The group does a number of different services for the people of Mexico by providing, food, water, shelter and Jesusí love.

TLM is never doing only one thing at a time. There are several different projects continuously in the works. Whether it is a missions group coming from Forest Lake to work on the orphanage or people volunteering for Mercy Ministries, something is always going on.

Mercy Ministries

Every Wednesday morning a group of people go shopping for food, water, clothing, toiletries; basically anything they can afford to buy that day, which could be anywhere from $2300 to $2500.

They buy such items in bulk and put a sample of them together in large bags.

These bags are then distributed among 200-500 families every week.

For some it is their only food for the week.

ìWomen weep because they finally have food to feed their babies,î Danny said. ìThere was one boy who was dirty looking and the sun had chapped his face, he just broke me. I handed him a small, simple teddy bear and his eyes lit up. He held it so close, like heíd never seen one before.î

Mercy Ministries not only provides people with food, but they provide the community with a place to go.

Danny and Cathy are ìcongregational planners.î They build relationships with the people in the community and find a way for local pastors to make a difference.

ìAfter we interview the pastor we will bring people to his lot,î Danny said. ìThe lot turns into a tent and then walls are built. We donít want to be the Americans that show them a place and then leave. We will plant them there and show them how to do the same things for their own congregation.î

Casa De Los Gemas

The Mexican government once told Steve that the day his orphanage opens, it will be full.

Casa De Los Gemas, House of Gems, will be Mexicoís largest orphanage and the ìfirst evangelical ministry to earn the privilege of placing Mexicoís children for international adoption.î

ìWhen the orphanage is completed it will hold 264 children, by U.S. standards,î Steve said. ìBut in Mexico there are no standards and about 400 children could fit comfortably in the building.î

The cross-shaped orphanage, that sits on 27 acres, will house as many children as possible and about 50 staff members to take care of the grounds, laundry, food, among others.

Each wing of the orphanage will have four adults in it to care and mentor to the kids.

There are also plans for a separate building with a stage for ìcantatasî and a working cafeteria.

The Children

Even though the Brewers, and others from around the world, are servicing the people of Mexico, they are also building relationships and meeting people who have left an imprint in their lives.

ìThere was this 3-year-old girl who was beautiful and everything about her was clean,î Steve said. ì I called her ëmy angel eyes.í Her mother was killed in a car accident and she was brought to me, but I couldnít take her just yet. She was passed from home to home and eventually landed in the hands of a pedophile.

ìShe was raped by him and was alive, but I was told that she would never know the joy of being a mother,î Steve said. ìI have made it my commitment to bring these kids home.î

Steve has also made the commitment not to cut his hair until ìall the children are home.î

Although Steve and the rest of the family have met many homeless, sad and empty children, there is one in particular that has brought the family hope.

ìI met this small boy and someone had hurt him, badly,î Steve said. ìWe were able to rescue him from committing suicide and we taught him that Jesus can help you with this pain.î

The little boy the Brewers were able to rescue is now coming back to help them.

ìIn 2006 he will be graduating from the University in Juarez,î Steve said. ìHe is studying to be a child psychologist. Having been in the same situation as the children, he wants to come back and give them hope.î

Still Building

Currently the building is 75 to 80 percent done, after working on it for the last 19 years.

ìWe build as God provides,î Steve said. ìIf I only have enough money to buy one block, then Iíll lay one block.î

TLM keeps a running list of the items that have been bought for the orphanage and items that still need to be taken care of.

In Phase I of the project five major items remain. A main gate needs to be built to protect the children, the orphanage sits in the middle of a desert, a water system needs to be installed along with a water tower, the actual childrenís home and the cafeteria are left.

Phase II of the orphanage consists of staff housing of duplexes, nursery to care for infants, childrenís church, play ground, a school and garden and other items. It has a total estimated cost of approximately $2 million.

Donations

Last year alone TLM fed and cared for over 50,000 homeless people.

TLM is supported by donations and they take each donation very seriously.

ìWe call it ëguarding the integrity of the donor,íî Steve said. ìPeople give money for food or blankets and that is what the money goes for.î

Recently, in 2003, Crossroads Church has become involved with TLM. The church has had many members make special trips to help TLM with Mercy Ministries and building the orphanage.

Dan Robinson, a Forest Lake native and Crossroads Church member, has made several trips to Mexico, but never to the orphanage. On those trips he saw a huge need in the children.

ìMany of the children had either one shoe, or no shoes at all,î Robinson said. ìGod laid on my heart and I knew I had to do something.î

Robinson came back to Crossroads Church with a request for a shoe drive.

For several weeks Robinson, along with surrounding community members, collected approximately 1000 pairs of shoes.

In the middle of February Robinson brought the shoes down and joined the Mercy Ministry group to hand out the shoes.

ìIt was really cool to see all the shoes fit,î Robinson said. ìWe didnít ask for 30 pairs of size four or six, we just wanted shoes. We lifted the kids into a trailer and matched their feet to a pair.î

Several other people from TLM helped with the shoe handouts, including Steve.

ìLittle girls would pick out their shoes a head of time,î Steve said. ìGirls are girls no matter where they are, they just love shoes.î

While most children understood that they were getting a new pair of shoes, others were afraid.

ìSome would scream and cry because they thought we were taking their shoes,î Steve said, ìbut when we put a new pair on they understood.î

The Future

Although there is much work left to be done with the orphanage and community, TLM and Steve are hopeful for the future.

ìThis all started as a ripple, then a wave, then a title wave and now it is a tsunami,î Steve said.

He stated that donations have been growing around the nation, especially from Forest Lake.

ìI would say that the Forest Lake area has been one of the biggest supporters,î Steve said.

How to Help

There are several ways in which people can help TLM.

ìRight now we need electricians, plumbers and sheet rockers,î Steve said. ìPeople can also sacrifice financially to pay for those electricians, plumbers and sheet rockers.î

Crossroads Church is also planning to send a group of people down next January, 2007, to help in any area needed.

ìIt is called taking a vacation with a purpose,î Steve said.

To be a part of a workgroup or to form a work group visit the web site to learn more about TLM and what needs to be done at www.tapestriesoflife.com.

They can be reached at 915-764-2688, fax 915-764-5748, e-mail: cathybrewer@tapestriesoflife.com or by mail at Tapestries of Life, 791 Fabens Island Rd., Fabens, TX 79838.

ìAfter we are gone and people donít have a clue who built the orphanage,î Steve said. ìPeople will see the orphanage and know this is only for the Glory of God.î

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