We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NLT)

Dear Friends,

Our emotions have bounced all over the place in the past few weeks — from grieving one of “our” girls to rejoicing over another. The first came with a late night phone call. Ana, the daughter of one of the pastor in Mexico, had been found dead at her home. Details of what happened are unclear, and the family can only hope the police will do an honest job of investigating. Meanwhile, they are seeking legal ways to have sole custody of their one-year-old grandson. Joan and I went back in our files and found where Ana was only 12 when we asked for the very first Christmas gifts for the pastors and their families back in 2001. CBM’s Christmas Shoebox Drive has grown to 2000 gifts given last year – that’s a LOT of little boys and girls in Mexico! We grieve with this family over one of our first little girls. Please keep this family in your prayers—both for their loss and for the justice they seek.

Our other girl is Samantha (“Sami”), the 15-year-old we’ve known since she was about six. She graduated from Secundaria (middle school) this June, and for poor kids in Mexico, that’s a MAJOR achievement. (Most children are fortunate if they make it through 6^th grade, and she made it through 9^th with a 7.7 out of 10 average! Her grandma hurt her back and has other health issues, and Sami thought maybe she could get a job and take care of her grandma. We prayed and prayed for her, and every time we spoke to her on the phone, we encouraged her to continue her schooling. Preparatoria (high school) is very expensive in Mexico, but we told her she was too smart to quit. Well, praise the Lord! Her grandma weighed in as well, and the end result is that Sami went and registered for high school! Hallelujah! Although this means she’ll have to ride a bus every day to a town especially plagued by cartel violence, and start all over in a school full of kids she’s never met, we pray daily that the Lord will order her steps and keep her safe. Please pray with us for her, and that her grandma will remain well. 

With all the instability on the border, fewer children will be able to attend school this year, but they ARE still going to school, and the Lord was faithful to supply some 1600 supply kits through CBM for them! Our deepest thanks go to you who sent supply kits, and the prayers that we know are behind each kit! People are always shocked when we tell them, but in Mexico if a child doesn’t provide their school supplies within the first week of class, they are dismissed (kicked out) to make room for someone else who can. (The too few classrooms and teachers are that sparse here on the border in Mexico!) We also thank all of you in advance—especially Beverly Folan—for the behind-the-scenes work going on right now for the Christmas Shoebox Drive. We also thank the Daltons and the Kimballs for promoting the Bean Ministry at the church. (The gifts are wonderful, but the beans keep people fed and alive!) As we’ve mentioned before, we’ve increased the amount of beans and rice that go out to each pastor because even as one group of poor flee, another even poorer group seems to take their place. There’s really no place for them to run. IF we all keep PRAYING, we know the Lord WILL keep MULTIPLYING the food supplies. What you give to the bean fund really is a matter of life and death for people you may never meet, this side of Heaven.  Thanks to you ALL for keeping us covered in prayer—and for being such dear friends!      

Serving HIM Together,
Elfi and Joan - Crossing Borders Ministries

  Crossing Borders Ministries · PO Box 35 · Fabens, TX 79838
e-mail CrossingBorder@aol.com · telephone (915) 491-7528
Website: www.crossingbordersministries.com