Danielle was living in a new city with no local bank of her own. She desperately needed to find a bank to cash her paycheck. For more than two weeks, she made_________ one after another but in vain. How could she continue to_________ herself and her two children as a single mother?

Taking a break from her_________, Danielle decided to attend a meeting at the local women’s resource center. The women there had been a strong source of encouragement since she fled her home_________ for her safety. Sitting next to Danielle, Amy began to share the details of her desperate situation. She was just days away from_________ her home and her car. Her phone and electric services were both scheduled to be_________. Her husband had gambled away their money. She had nothing left. Nothing!

As Amy described the degree of the situation, Danielle_________ God’s soft whisper in her heart: “After the meeting, give Amy twenty dollars. ” Danielle immediately thought, “But I can’t. I only have forty dollars. ”She heard the voice again. Danielle knew she needed to follow. When the meeting concluded, she reached into her purse and_________ handed twenty dollars to Amy. Knowing Danielle’s situation, Amy was_________ to accept it at first. But as a crowd of women_________ to give Amy hugs of support, Danielle told her that God wanted her to have it. Then Danielle left.

Now with just twenty dollars left in her purse, Danielle decided to try cashing her paycheck at just one more bank before heading home. ________ she expected the rejection she had received at so many other banks, she was_________ filled with renewed confidence and optimism. Hopefully, she walked into the bank next to the women’s center. Moments later, the bank_________ her paycheck with no questions asked. Wearing a big smile, Danielle returned home.

As for Danielle, it has been three years since that day. Realizing true hope has no_________, she continues to be_________ for the lifetime supply that she received for just twenty dollars.

Grandpa’s Investment Pays Off

When I was a student, my family went through a few rough financial years. We got by, but only with much effort and many _______.

I had a pick-up truck that was _______ breaking down and the thought of the 600 km drive to school in it was a(n) _______ one. As I drove away from home one day, my uncle walked up. I stopped and he _______ something onto my dashboard (仪表板).

He leaned against the window, speaking _______. “Years ago,” he said, “when I was a _______ student myself your grandfather once did this to me. I _______ one day I would return the _______. And now I have.”

Then he _______ without looking back, and I ________ he did so in order to hide his emotions.

A few miles later I opened the ________. It contained a few bank notes. It was a gift ________ more than twenty years later to a second generation; it is almost like a full circle, ________ I’m the only one who bears my grandfathers name. The amount (金额) was not large. Twenty years ago it had been ________ to buy a full trolley of groceries, or a few tanks of fuel. At this moment it was just a(n) ________, something to express his good intentions. But my uncle was jobless at the time and I almost had no money. Therefore, for both of us, it was a ________ amount.

I paid it forward some years later to another poor boy with an old car, ________ the amount for inflation (通货膨胀). As far as I can remember that boy has been the only one I’ve told this ________ to — until now.

I can only ________ that one day he will pay it forward too.       

I couldn’t help but feel that Grandpa made a good ________ all those years ago.

A little boy almost thought of himself as the most _______ child in the world because poliomyelitis (小儿麻痹症) made his leg lame. He seldom played with his _______; and when the teacher asked him questions, he always _______ his head without a word.

One spring, the boy’s father told his children to plant a sapling (树苗) and said, “Whose sapling grows _______, I will buy him or her a favourite gift.” The boy wanted to get the gift. But anyhow, seeing his brothers and sisters _______ water to water the trees merrily, he _______ an idea: he hoped his tree would die soon. So after watering it once or twice, he never _______ to it.

A few days later, he was surprised to find his tree grew some _______ leaves, and _______ with the other trees, his appeared greener. His father ________ his promise, and bought the little boy his favourite gift.

One night, the boy went to see his tree. He found his father was splashing ________ under his tree. He understood: his father had been ________ fertilizing his small tree!

Decades later, the boy, Franklin Roosevelt, was elected President of the United States.

Love is the best nourishment of life; ________ it is just a drop of clear water, it can make the tree of life thrive (茁壮成长). Maybe that tree is thin or withered, but as long as there is nourishment of ________, it can flourish and even ________ towering trees.