When a volcano in the eastern mountains of Bali, Indonesia, erupted about two years ago, I was staying with my daughter in a remote house about two thousand feet up the mountain. We could see the rocks thrown out of the crater, and soon rivers of treacly black mud and torrents of very hot water rushed down, followed by lava which destroyed everything in its path. I was the only student of Christian Science in the house. I turned away from the material evidence of destruction to the truth of Christian Science that man is spiritual and indestructible.
Wounded, terrified natives and cattle fled from the higher villages. They were fleeing from the wrath (as they thought) of their gods. I held to the comfort of the ninety-first Psalm, verses 2 and 3 of which read: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence." Every verse of the Psalm seemed to have been written for comfort in just these circumstances.
For weeks we lived in an atmosphere of strange-smelling gases. Showers of soot, grit, and sulphur flakes rained down. There was a continuous shaking of the mountain and the incessant noise of bubbling lava, but no ill befell us, though it appeared to be all around us.
Whenever possible I read Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. I could not get in touch with a practitioner from this primitive spot to ask for help, but as it says in Science and Health (p. 559), "The 'still, small voice' of scientific thought reaches over continent and ocean to the globe's remotest bound." Indeed, it reached, and the saving power of Truth protected us wonderfully.
When the time came for us to leave the house, we walked barefooted much of the way from the mountain to some sort of a road, because our shoes were ruined as we walked through the slush of the destroyed paddy fields, mixed with the material from the volcano, but our feet were not hurt.
On my return journey to England I spent a week in Bangkok, and there lost my air ticket. Realizing that not even a falling sparrow is outside the reach of God's infinite love, I knew that His love would be demonstrated in this small affair in my experience.
On returning to the hotel that night, I found there was still no news of my ticket; but I knew that in Science nothing is lost, that the divine Mind governs every detail of man's being, and that all I had to do was to stand firm in the truth. The following evening I had word that my ticket had been found and returned to the airport.
An outstanding healing was that of acute cystitis which had troubled me for years. About seven years ago during an attack I had with great difficulty prepared a cake and put it in the oven to bake. Then my one thought was to obtain relief by reading Science and Health. But because of the intense pain, I could not see the words; so I tried to think of sentences I could remember from previous study.
I started with "the scientific statement of being," which is found on page 468 of Science and Health and which contains the truth that "Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness." I tried to know that a spiritual idea cannot experience discord, but mortal mind insisted I was in great pain.
A sudden thought about the cake sent me hurrying as quickly as I could go to rescue it. That done I started to crawl back to where I had been resting, nursing my pain, a pain that to my astonishment I found was no longer there. The healing was instantaneous and has been permanent.
For God's constant care on my many journeys, for physical healings, and, even more, for a better understanding of God, I am very grateful. I am also grateful for Christ Jesus and for Mrs. Eddy, who gave us Science and Health, that key to the Scriptures which has revealed and thrown into sharp relief so much that previously I saw darkly and understood dimly.
Penzance, Cornwall, England
