After many years of gaining much from the testimonies of others in our periodicals, I realize I am long overdue in acknowledging some of the blessings the study of Science has brought me and my family.
I first learned something of Christian Science when I was twelve years old. I visited a Christian Science Sunday School with a friend who attended there. (I had previously attended various Protestant Sunday Schools.) I realized later that while I truly believed in God, I did not always like or accept (even as a small child) some of the concepts of Him presented to me. I still remember vividly the wonderful light and conviction I felt that day in the Christian Science Sunday School when the teacher told us the seven synonyms for God listed in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (see p. 465). The one that impressed me most was "Mind." Here was an understanding of God I could fully accept! It was like being reminded of something I'd known, but forgotten and now recognized again. From that day I attended only the Christian Science Sunday School.
My parents were not Scientists then (my mother later studied Science and joined the church), and I had a history of ear trouble. I'd had a number of operations, and ear infections had often confined me to bed for several weeks at a time. I had missed many months of school. But now, when the threat of a similar attack came, I sat up in bed praying with statements I'd read and studied in Science and Health. I dreaded the usual medical ordeal so I was deeply persistent in knowing the truth. I dearly wanted the freedom that Christ Jesus promised comes with such knowing (see John 8:32).
