I am grateful for those who persisted against every threat, even death itself, to record and to preserve the sacred Scriptures and to establish the worship of the one God, for the faithful Jesus, our Exemplar, for the life of Mrs. Eddy, and for all who have seen the significance of her mission and have sacrificed whatever was necessary to serve its purpose. These have left us a heritage for which I thank God.
My first contact with Christian Science came when I was a young mother. An active church experience of service in four different denominations had not prevented a decline in my physical and moral health. The word "spiritual" had no meaning. The answer to this spiritual emptiness or earnest longing for a trustworthy religious experience came about slowly. The first step out of this spiritually barren state was taken when my home completely disintegrated. Though my prayers were more desperate than scientific, there must have been an element of sincere desire for growth in grace, for a small glimpse of the glory of an unfolding purpose was seen.
A place of safety, large enough for me and my three children, appeared, together with work of such an unusual nature that I trembled before the challenge. Yet so swift and sure was God's hand that there was no indecision, and at the conclusion of the work the owner presented me with a check, commenting, "This has been the most productive and least troublesome branch office of all."
