Travel for church work made possible

In 2015, I received a letter from The Mother Church inviting me to Boston that June for training sessions for Communications Coordinators around the world. The first thing I did was renew my passport. I also included this travel plan in my prayers, acknowledging this invitation as a manifestation of God’s love and a support for the Christian Science movement in my country, Cameroon.

I then began working with the United States consulate to obtain a visa. The procedure is very simple: The applicant fills out an online form, then is invited for an interview, at the end of which the visa is either granted or refused.

But when I went to the consulate website, the earliest date offered to me was in September—three months after the training session. I admit that at this stage of the process my morale was at its lowest. For encouragement after this bad news, I relied on these truths from Hymn 10 in the Christian Science Hymnal: “All power is given unto our Lord, / On Him we place reliance” (Frederic W. Root). I also found encouragement in Hymn 166, which includes these two verses:

On my notepad, I wrote in capital letters, “God’s own hand shall take me to Boston.” At this stage in the process, pondering these spiritual resources really pumped me up.

Pondering these spiritual resources really pumped me up.

I also prayed with the first verse of the twenty-third Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and leaned on several truths contained in the Christian Science textbook, specifically, “Mind is the source of all movement, and there is no inertia to retard or check its perpetual and harmonious action” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 283).

The next day, I went to the consulate with the firm determination to argue my case. But I spent the whole day there without being received. When I got home, I was bombarded by thoughts of self-reproach and condemnation. I firmly rejected these suggestions and resolved to rely more firmly on what I knew to be true from my study of Christian Science.

In a moment of calm, two ideas came to mind. The first was that there is only one Mind, God, the only creator of the one universe, which is His and in which there are no borders, no barriers, no foreign lands. Therefore, knowing myself as His image, and living in this universe, I could move freely, unhindered. I acknowledged that no circumstance could deprive me of this divine right.

There is only one Mind, God, the only creator of the one universe, which is His and in which there are no borders, no barriers, no foreign lands.

The second idea related to synonyms and qualities of God. I looked for a spiritual meaning of the word visa, working with each of its four letters. So the letter v would stand for Life (Vie in French), i would stand for intelligence, s for wisdom (sagesse), a for Love (Amour). From that I understood that instead of being merely a stamp on a passport, a “visa” could also be understood as pointing to the divine Life, intelligence, wisdom, and Love that are expressed by each of God’s children.

A few hours later, feeling calm and full of the inspiration I’d been receiving, I returned to the consulate website, in another attempt to schedule a meeting. I could not believe my eyes. To my  great surprise, the exact date I needed was there: June 1. I clicked on it right away to schedule the interview. My joy was indescribable.

The interview at the consulate went smoothly. The day after I had my visa. Two days later, I was able to leave for Boston to take part in the training session as planned, and I continue to serve as my country’s Communication Coordinator for The Mother Church.

I remain infinitely grateful for the teachings of Christian Science and to Mary Baker Eddy, its Discoverer.