IN THE MID-1990s, my family and I lived in Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa. During the first year and a half of our stay, I was ill with constant episodes of food poisoning. I was somewhat new to Christian Science at this time, yet I had already witnessed so many lovely demonstrations of the presence of the Christ, which had healed family members of malaria and a ruptured ear drum. I was determined that this, too, could be healed through prayer and a deeper understanding of God's ever-present love for us.
I was involved in a large weekly mom and tot play group. It was comprised mostly of expatriate women and their children. I really enjoyed my time with these other moms as we were all new young mothers living in a foreign country. The only part I really didn't enjoy was when the conversation turned to health issues. It was an accepted assumption among expatriates, who had lived and traveled most corners of the globe, that Ethiopia was an incubator for sickness. Many people didn't enjoy living in this country because their families were constantly ill. Although we had lived in three different African countries by this time, it seemed to be true for our family as well.
Every morning, I would study my Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson and other writings by Mary Baker Eddy. This would buoy my thoughts for the day, and I was inspired and fortified by what I studied. I was slowly gaining a deeper understanding of Christian Science. However, what I was learning in my studies did not jibe with what I was observing in my body and what others were experiencing. I had become very skeptical of most foods and would critically assess the environment in which they were prepared before accepting anything that was offered to me. These fears were being evidenced in my body through the episodes I was experiencing.
