In 1936 my paternal grandfather, who was living in Holland, was healed through Christian Science of tuberculosis. Soon after this healing, he, his wife, and their children began attending services at a branch Church of Christ, Scientist. After the invasion and subsequent occupation of their country (during World War II), my father's family repeatedly proved God's love to be the only real power. Once, as a result of their prayerful work in Science, they were able to get supplies of food and fuel when both were extremely scarce. Also they were able to obtain the release from detainment and threatened death by execution of a sister's husband.
My father later drifted from Science. Upon marrying my mother, a devoted member of a different denomination, and emigrating with her to the United States, my father agreed to have the religious upbringing of their children done in her church. And this my mother carried out.
Some years later (in 1969), my mother became seriously ill and bedridden with a back ailment. The condition persisted for about three months. My mother became quite concerned for her own welfare as well as for the welfare of her four young children and the running of her household. Various physicians were consulted, and all concluded that there was nothing they could do. They advised my mother to learn to live with the situation. At this point my mother remembered hearing about what Christian Science had done for her father-in-law. She asked my father what she needed to do in order to have a healing through prayer. A Christian Science practitioner was immediately called.
