Nearly thirty-four years ago I was a semi-invalid, suffering from so-called hereditary tuberculosis. The physician said I would live three months or perhaps a year. My children were very small, one an infant only a few weeks old. I read the Bible every minute I was able, trying in vain to reconcile my interpretation of it with the teachings of the orthodox church of which I was a member. I had just one thought, and that was to know God's will. While I was reading the Bible, many passages would be so illuminated that I would get some glimpse of the spiritual meaning; and this encouraged me to read on. After several months of this study and prayer the thought came, Where is your disease? After that time there was no symptom or fear of the disease, and no desire to use material remedies; neither could I give the latter to my children.
During the ten years that followed I had many testing times, my children having the diseases common to children, such as whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, and I would often be sick myself. During these attacks of sickness I would sometimes sit up all night reading the Bible and praying, and when healing would come I would think that there was a way if I only knew it whereby I could keep well. I had looked into the teachings of every religion I had heard of, but none of them seemed to satisfy me.
All I had read of Christian Science was some adverse criticism, and I thought from this that I did not want it; however, about this time a Christian Science practitioner came to the town where I was then living and with a few interested persons organized a Christian Science church. I asked one of these members, a lifelong friend, to come to see me, and she did so, bringing with her the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. She read a few passages from this book to me, and they seemed so logical and practical that I could agree with them heartily, and my friend laughingly said, "You are a Christian Scientist and do not know it." Immediately I procured a copy of this book, and after reading the chapter on Prayer knew it contained the teachings which would satisfy my desire to know God.
