God's Grace in Our Lives 2003 — Winner

Binita Rai, aged 19 at the time of her submission, was a student in Pokhara. Her essay — titled "What We Did Not Deserve" — drew on her family's experience of near-collapse and unexpected support during a period of serious illness, weaving Scripture and personal narrative into a reflection on grace that arrives without being earned and without announcement. The judging panel praised the essay for its honesty, its grounding in the Biblical text, and its "clear, unhurried prose that never mistakes sentiment for faith." Binita's essay was read aloud in full at the church's Sunday service on June 3, 2003 — the first time the church had ever done this for a competition winner.