Testimony of Healing September 13, 1919 Issue

It is with much thankfulness to God and gratitude to...

Mabelle Head Hansell

It is with much thankfulness to God and gratitude to Mrs. Eddy for Christian Science, and the sincere hope that these words may bring encouragement to others, that I write this testimony. Although from the age of six years I had been a regular attendant at Sunday school and church, during the year 1913 I ceased attending church and tried to satisfy the spiritual desire by reading the Bible; but I was unable to reconcile what I read, as there seemed to be so much contradiction. All my life my health had been extremely good, yet I occasionally experienced periods of utter despondency, until in desperation I purchased a copy of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," because Christian Science was the only religion I had heard of that even claimed to be practical, and I had ceased to be at all interested in mere theory. Here again I seemed to be baffled, as I did not understand what I read.

In the early winter I was engaged in some special work which required great mental alertness, and so I was utterly dismayed one night when I awakened with an intense earache and learned from the specialist summoned that I could expect total deafness within a year unless a large growth in the ear was removed. I immediately went to the hospital to prepare for the operation, but my physician was called to another city for a few days, and this time spent in morbid reflection seemed unendurable. A friend who had known of my slight interest in Christian Science asked if she might have a practitioner treat me until the day of the operation, and I rather indifferently consented, promptly forgetting all about the promised treatment. In a preliminary examination for the operation, however, the examining physician said he could see nothing to operate on, but would let the case rest until the specialist returned. On his return the specialist expressed much surprise and interest in the case, and after a careful examination corroborated the opinion of the other physician; consequently, the following day I was released from the hospital without having had any treatment other than that of the Christian Science practitioner. I did not realize the source of my healing until some weeks later, when I refused to continue treatments from the specialist for a minor trouble in the nose after part of a small growth there had been cut away.

The despondency did not lessen, and I was very impatient about having lost so much time from my work, until a friend finally urged me to renew my interest in Christian Science. I attended a Sunday morning service and went to the Wednesday evening meeting and then commenced treatment with a practitioner. After several visits with her I caught glimpses of the, to me, unique features of this religion, namely, strict adherence and obedience to the First Commandment; but it was not until after almost three years' study, with frequent help from the practitioner, that the sense of despondency was fully destroyed.

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