FOR TEENS, GROWING UP in Fairbanks, Alaska, presents many of the same challenges as living in any small American city. But with the nearest city to Fairbanks over 300 miles away, there is the added challenge of feeling isolated; you see the same people everywhere you go, including at church.
I'm a Sunday School teacher at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Fairbanks. When two young Christian Scientists from Wasilla—Juli and Wylie—visited our Sunday School in Fairbanks, I saw how beneficial it was for my class to speak with other Christian Scientists their age and get fresh answers to their spiritual inquiries. This led to the idea to connect my student in Fairbanks with Juli and Wylie through conference calls during their Sunday School class back in Wasilla. It's important to invite new ideas and perspectives into our lives, and in Alaska, where distances between people can be vast, it's not easy for young Christian Scientists. They're few and far between.
I remember feeling somewhat different from the crowd growing up because of what I had learned in Christian Science about the spiritual nature of being. Friendships with other good thinkers can really help young people keep a close relationship to God and act with good judgment and confidence. Wylie, Leah, and Juli have all been willing to ask questions and think about their lives from a spiritual perspective. And I've enjoyed listening to them.
