Part two of five parts; click here to read part one.

23.Barbara Szewczyk of Zegocina, Poland, faced economic hardship after her husband died in a car accident. Left to care for three children, her paralyzed mother, and her grandfather, Szewczyk received a much-needed boost in income from the gift of a Polish Red cow by Heifer Project International, an ecumenical organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before receiving livestock, hpi beneficiaries worldwide are trained in animal husbandry and agree to share with others in need the offspring of the animals, which include cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, llamas, water buffalo, bees, and rabbits.

24. Following a two-year dental residency, William Gibson plans to become the first oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Perry County, Kentucky—an unlikely dream for someone from a family dependent on public assistance and Social Security disability payments. But Gibson entered Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, a Christian school where students work up to 20 hours weekly as a graduation requirement. In exchange, the college charges only $240 per term to students from 100 counties in five Appalachian states. The college awards additional subsidies for graduate studies to a few students like Gibson.

25. Ernie's drug problem got so bad that his wife asked him to leave. Realizing he had a problem, Ernie turned to Fresh Start Ministry at the Christian Service Center for Central Florida. After undergoing vocational and spiritual counseling, Ernie reconciled with his wife. Robert Stuart, the Orlando-based center's executive director, says the "restorative ministry" provides room and board for 39 employable men for $60 a week for up to six months. Residents are required to work, ...