It is now two years since I first had the joy of hearing...

Ida Ferid

It is now two years since I first had the joy of hearing of Christian Science, in Geneva, Switzerland. I had previously been kept in bed for two and a half months, suffering from appendicitis, which had not been healed. Night and day there was no relief—only a very sharp and continual pain. My maid, touched by my suffering, suggested warm applications, thinking they would relieve me. "You may be right," said I; "bring me a jug of very hot water." She did this, but the consequence was that I burnt myself severely.

A dear friend found me in this pitiful state and spoke to me of Christian Science, advising me to write immediately to a practitioner whom she knew and whose address she gave me. After leaving me, my friend went to see this lady and told her of my sad case. This happened on a Saturday evening; and that same night I wrote to the practitioner, asking her to come to see me on the following Monday evening. The pain in the appendix was getting worse, but toward ten o'clock in the evening I was somewhat relieved from pain; and I woke the next morning with the feeling of having had a good rest. I still felt the pain, but it seemed less sharp. I spent Sunday in this condition. On Monday night the practitioner came to see me and spoke sublime words about God, about the Bible,—a book almost unknown to me,—and about the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. How I accepted all she said! She told me of the Wednesday evening meetings, at which thousands of persons give their testimonies of healing with such great faith! "What a pity," I said, "that I cannot be present at the next meeting," which was to be held in two days! She replied that with God all is possible. When I still doubted my being able to go out, she told me to have faith, and added other words of encouragement. These words, uttered with such assurance, penetrated to my heart like a salutary balm. On leaving me she reassured me entirely, saying that she and a friend of hers would come for me in their car. The fear that I had of not being able to go to the meeting disappeared; and I spent the next two days reading some lectures on Christian Science, but did not understand them. Nevertheless, while I was reading them, I was forgetting the pain.

That happy Wednesday came. I dressed hastily. My good friends came for me, but the jolting of the automobile made me suffer. The practitioner was encouraging me with kind words; and after we arrived at the meeting, she sat beside me, smiling lovingly. On looking around and seeing hundreds of people of all classes taking their seats, I noticed the great joy and serenity on their faces. I felt very strongly as if the members of a huge family were greeting each other: they all seemed to be like brothers and sisters. The meeting began, and I listened with earnestness to the sacred words of the Bible and of the textbook; but their meaning remained obscure and confused. Then the Reader announced "silent prayer," and I felt, during the wonderful silence that followed, a great joy, a sublime peace, a deliverance,—yes, a complete deliverance from my physical pains. I was deeply moved; and this first meeting is the most beautiful remembrance of my life. After the meeting the practitioner suggested that we should accompany my friend to her home. We did so, walking for over two hours and speaking about Christian Science all the way. I felt no fatigue: I was completely healed. I had even forgotten about the burns; and when I saw them accidentally the next morning, I noticed that the large blisters had all opened and that the wounds were covered by a fine brown skin. This skin peeled off two or three days later, and a fresh skin appeared, without any scar; a little red, but that also disappeared a few days later.

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