From early childhood I longed to know God. At the age of twelve I joined an orthodox church because my mother wished me to do so. However, I seemed unable to share the happiness expressed by the minister over the situation, because he had not told me what God is. I could not accept his explanation that only death could bring that understanding, for even at that time God seemed very near to me.
The longing to understand God continued to grow in thought until 1915, when Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy was put into my hands. I opened the book to page 1 and read this wonderful sentence: "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God,—a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love." I began to study the book, and it has been my daily companion ever since.
From the beginning I saw that Christian Science was something to be lived and demonstrated. The first real test came a few months after I began the study of this Science. My husband became ill with an alarming physical ailment which was not named, but his entire body was so swollen that his relatives scarcely recognized him. The fear was expressed that if I did not have a doctor for my husband, he would not live two weeks. However, we were both confident that all things are possible to God. During this testing time I realized that I had no money. Nevertheless the certainty of God's great love and goodness gave me confidence that everything would work out well.
