In 1906 I was confirmed and became a member of the Remonstrantsche church at The Hague, Holland. On confirmation day this question was asked: "Do you wish to follow in Jesus' footsteps?" I answered with sincerity, "Yes," because ever since I was nine years old I had loved Jesus as the friend of children and of grown-up people. I considered him the noblest of all men. Until I was fourteen years old I had gone many timers to the orthodox Protestant church because our nurse belonged to that church. As I grew older, I did not agree with what the churches preached. I went not only to services conducted by my own clergyman, but to those conducted by other modern clergymen also. Shortly before my confirmation I was given the opportunity to look into the teachings of Christian Science, but I only laughed at it!
Soon afterward I went to London, where I remained in a boarding school for six months. Then I was nurse in an institution for convalescent children for a month or so, and for four months in various families in different places. And wherever I was I went to churches of many different denominations. My thoughts, however, did not let go of God, Jesus, and the apostles, but I lacked understanding.
In 1910 I married, and during the years following I studied theosophy; but because I could not accept its teachings I put its literature aside. When I was at the point of despair, not understanding life with all its sorrows, not knowing what to do or believe next, a dear acquaintance gave me "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy. I started reading the book as soon as I got home, and shortly afterward ordered a copy for myself. My study of Christian Science began. What are the results? Health and spiritual uplifting! Thanks to the study of Christian Science, my daughter of sixteen has been healed of atheism. Until last June she would not have anything to do with Christian Science; even the word "God" irritated her. But thanks to healings brought about through Christian Science with the help of practitioners,— both spiritual and physical healings, —she has become a student. She had been studying the Lesson-Sermon for perhaps four weeks when, one day, before going out to play tennis, she asked, "Mother, where is the Lesson?" I answered, "In its usual place." She said, "I want to read it first before I go because, otherwise, I shall be cross and impossible to them." I was surprised and grateful that she had already found so much benefit through studying the Lesson-Sermons from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook.
