For many years our family struggled hopelessly with various physical problems. The inconsistencies we encountered in medical theories had shaken our faith in medicine, but we had nothing to take its place; so it continued to govern much of our lives. We had a child with an incurable allergy for whom medical expenses were a constant drain on our finances. Finally, we made the decision to move to the Midwest, where jobs were said to be plentiful and a change of atmosphere would, we hoped, help the child.
A year later, when the physical problem was unimproved and our funds exhausted, a friend presented Christian Science to us. This was the first real ray of hope we had had for some time. She encouraged us to call a Christian Science practitioner just to talk about God and how prayer could help us. We hesitated, thinking we couldn't talk about God to anyone over the phone. However, we called a practitioner and later visited him. Through the prayer, love, and assurances of this individual, our hope began to reach a degree of faith that heaven on earth is a present possibility.
Our friend took us to services in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, where the members warmly welcomed us and showed their concern in practical ways. The children were enrolled in the Sunday School, and we began daily study of the Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly, using the Bible and Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. Through this consistent study and effort to practice what we were learning, our faith was growing to some understanding of our spiritual relationship to God.
