Last March, a month after meeting with Christian Scientists in Italy and Greece, John Sparkman and Leide Lessa left the United States, once again on behalf of The Christian Science Publishing Society, this time for Northern Europe. At their initial stop in Denmark, they held the first of a series of meetings in their five-countries-in-nine-days visit, during which they explained the reasons and motives for the new publishing models for the Herald fields that the Publishing Society has established. John, its business development director, and Leide, managing editor of The Herald of Christian Science, also informed attendees at the meetings that the nine quarterly Herald publications, which include the Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, and Dutch language editions, would be published exclusively online beginning in July of this year. And that beginning next year, the content of the Herald publications will be provided solely by volunteer translators. These changes occurred as the Publishing Society redoubles its efforts to follow Mary Baker Eddy's Deed of Trust (go to spirituality.com to read the Deed of Trust).
Irmela Wigger, a Christian Science practitioner and teacher who grew up in Denmark, and now lives in Hamburg, Germany, accompanied John and Leide at each of the meetings to offer her metaphysical support and share her spiritual insights about prayer for the progress of the Heralds.
Leide's account of their trip follows.
