"I was a slave!" he said, and everyone in our circle laughed. They had been taking turns sharing how their lives had been impacted by their recently received micro-loans. Kenyan pastor Elijah Muyekho continued to tell his story with vigor: "I worked for a man who owned a rock quarry. I used a hammer and chisel all day long. My job was to break huge rocks and chisel them into rectangular blocks that are used to construct walls and buildings. On an average day, I made about a dollar."

In last month's magazine, CJ McDaniel told the encouraging story of Ildephonse Bigrimana, a handicapped beggar in Burundi, East Africa, who was led to Christ by a Heaven's Family-sponsored native missionary. Through gifts to the Handicapped Christians Fund, we set Ildephonse up in a small grocery business, by which he was able to support his wife, Odetta, and their son, Samuel.