Day by Day, Step by Step: A Thanksgiving Reflection from BJM
As we pause this week for Thanksgiving, our hearts are full. At Because Justice Matters, we’ve seen God’s goodness woven through every corner of our ministry this year. Looking back, we can’t help but give thanks for the countless ways He’s been moving among women, girls, youth, and families in our community.
This year has been a year of growth, celebration, and new beginnings:
Our Annual Dance Production lit up the stage with creativity, joy, and powerful storytelling. We watched young girls and college students alike step into their gifts, embodying hope and freedom through movement.
Azul Leadership Cohorts have been a bright spot of transformation. We celebrated our second cohort graduating, and with grateful hearts, welcomed our third cohort beginning their journey. These young women are rising into leadership with courage and vision.
Student Apprenticeships gave us a front-row seat to the next generation of leaders being developed. We are so proud of our high school and college students who chose to invest their summers and school years learning, serving, and growing with us.
Family Bible Studies continue to root our work in God’s Word, drawing parents, children, and teens closer to one another and to Jesus. We’ve seen families worship together and take bold steps in faith.
Church Planting became more than a dream. This year, we took the next step forward as our little community began its journey toward becoming a church, with La Iglesita taking shape right in the heart of the Tenderloin.
Dance Camp was filled with joy, worship, and creativity. Girls not only learned new choreography, but also encountered God’s presence in worship and discovered their voices through movement. What began as steps on a dance floor became steps of faith, confidence, and community.
Summer Camp brought laughter, late nights, deep conversations, and God’s grace covering it all. These moments reminded us of the joy and importance of investing in the next generation.
New Team Members joined us, expanding the heart and hands of our ministry. Their gifts have strengthened our staff, and their presence has added to the richness of our community.
SHINE Mentorship Expanded, creating even more pathways for young women to find encouragement, guidance, and purpose.
And throughout it all, we’ve been collecting testimonies, which we can’t wait to share more with you in our new video (next week! 😉) Each story is a glimpse of God’s faithfulness at work.
But perhaps what we’re most grateful for is the day-in, day-out discipleship process. These are the unseen, not-newsletter-worthy moments of faithfully showing up, walking alongside, and believing in God’s transforming work in the ordinary moments. Ministry is filled with highs and lows: moments of breakthrough and moments of waiting, days of celebration and days of quiet persistence. Yet in all of it, we see God at work.
It’s in the one-on-one mentoring conversation.
It’s in a family gathering around Scripture together.
It’s in the consistency of prayer before dance class, or the late-night talks at camp, or the courage it takes for a young woman to share her story for the first time.
This is where the Kingdom is built. It is step by step, life by life, pathway by pathway. And we are profoundly grateful to walk with women and girls as we build pathways to brighter futures together.
When we think of Thanksgiving, we think not only of gratitude but of generosity. And that’s what we’ve experienced all year long. Whether it is our students who give their best in dance class, to our apprentices who give their time and energy, to our staff who pour out daily, and to you - our partners, donors, and friends - who give so that this ministry can thrive.
This Thanksgiving, we simply want to say: thank you. Thank you for believing in brighter futures. Thank you for praying, giving, and showing up. Thank you for walking with us as God continues to write His story of restoration in San Francisco.
Because of you, and because of God’s faithfulness, the future is still bright.
With gratitude,
Gabby & the BJM Team
