Merry Christmas from Grace thru Faith, 2024!

I am filled with gratitude for you as I sit to write our yearly letter. This year, GTF turned 25, and we celebrated 19 years since the Lord brought us to Mexico! This has been an incredible year filled with battles and victories. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in praying for us. Your prayers are essential for us to get through these battles. Lives are truly changed forever because of you!

This year, our favorite grandma, Rakumama, went Home to be with Jesus. Every week, I would hear how much you all looked forward to seeing her. Her kind face and bright smile made her stand out to everyone. Her smile was not a superficial feeling that came from an easy life. Her joy was hard-won from a lifetime of enduring hardship. She was well acquainted with grief and sorrow. She had lost numerous loved ones, lived without food for long periods, and endured being treated as less-than-nothing by others in society.

When we met her, and she asked why we would help the lowest of society, we told her about Jesus. And she fell in love with this God who had become the lowest in society and endured excruciating things for love. For her! She knew an excruciating life. She knew hardship. But she also knew the joy that comes from love and relationships. She understood this love and was thrilled to know the Creator of all loved her that extravagantly. And that love is what we could see in her smile each week.

The best people I know are those who have made it through hard times without becoming bitter. None of us want to endure hard times. But those of us who have know that it’s where we grow the most. An easy life does not make us good people and definitely not good disciples.

Rakumama’s joy was contagious worldwide because she had known both true sorrow and true joy. We miss her so much. I’m heartbroken that this year’s magnet will be the last to have her sweet face.

This year, we served more kids in Mexico and India than ever before! We provided groceries, tutoring, uniforms, clothing, medical care and more for kids and families in need. Education is one of our biggest priorities because it is vital in pulling families out of generational poverty.

We built a home for Dinora, a widowed mom of two, who lost her husband, mom, and brother all in six months. We built bedrooms for a family of five. They’ll now be able to all sleep in the same house soon! We began serving a new village in India after our kids invited them to our Spring VBS, and a family of orphans will now be able to have the first generation in their family attend school next Spring! Little Vijay was saved from a kidnapping! There’s so much we are grateful for this year.

We continue to pray for Rathna, little Joel & Esther. We were able to rescue them and get them to safety after Rathna’s husband was killed for being a Christian. They were alone. Their whole tribe had been scattered. This sweet family has been through so much, and we have prayed for them for many years. We are so grateful to have the three of them safe, and we pray that we’ll be able to find the rest of the tribe and reunite them all together again. Please pray with us for Rathna, little Joel and Esther and for all of their tribe.

Thank you for praying for us, this ministry, our volunteers, and those we serve. Your prayers are so needed and so appreciated. One of the greatest blessings of this ministry is the Lord bringing all of you into my life!

This Christmas season, I pray that you’ll experience the joy and peace that come only from Jesus. I pray that the Lord will heap overflowing blessings onto your lap and that you will experience His love tangibly, knowing you are fully known and truly loved. He is truly a proud Abba looking at you with delight.

With much love and gratitude,

♥Samantha