To some, a haircut might seem like a simple thing, but to Ellie Ollenberger andthose she helps, it’s a gift of hope. The 22-year-old hair stylist at Bromley Hair Lounge in Maple Ridge, B.C., volunteers to cut hair at The Salvation Army’s Ridge Meadows Ministries. “Giving back to my community is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” she says.

Former San Jose Sharks centre Ryan Carpenter had hockey in his blood. But as a Christian, he welcomes the opportunity to share his testimony with others, and he writes “Romans 5:8” on every hockey stick he uses. “It’s a very simple way of sharing the gospel with others. I’m very thankful the love of God is always the same toward us, when we’re getting it right and even when we’re not.”

In this second article on the Beatitudes, key teaching from the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7), Jesus comforts those who mourn.