Excerpts from Letters Concerning Christian Science Camp Welfare Work

[From a chaplain]

The first numbers of The Christian Science Monitor reached me here in Northern Ireland a few days ago. I am reading every issue very eagerly and carefully and passing it on others. It would be hard to tell how many officers and men will read these most interesting articles and editorials before they are finally too worn to be used. But I assure you that every number will be worn out "through fair wear and tear in the government service."

[From a soldier]

I know that my right place is here, and that I shall have opportunities to do good. It has occurred to me in the last few days that even though others around me turn to material ways for help, every healing in Christian Science helps all mankind because it is a forward step in the complete destruction of error.

I am busy here, but my real goal is to be a good student of Christian Science. The experiences I have had in the Army have taught me that the only life worth while is one of service to mankind. I pray that I shall hold to this truth, and that no matter where I am or what I am doing my first thought will always be, How can I do this job the Christian Science way? If it were not for the Christian Science Wartime Ministers, then men like myself would not have quite the same opportunity to turn what appears to be only a mess of error into a blessing. And this is an opportunity which I, for one, would not trade for the world.

[From an Officiating Minister in the Middle East]

A sub-lieutenant in the Navy reported that while he was at sea on his ship protecting a convoy, one of the ships was struck by a torpedo and had to go into port. The following morning he woke up with a premonition that all was not well and had vigorously to clear his thinking. In the afternoon enemy aircraft started to attack the convoy and one of the ships was hit. When this occurred the sub-lieutenant's ship stood by to rescue the survivors, and he himself held firmly to verses from the Psalms. As this was happening the main steampipe of this officer's ship burst when in full view of the enemy bombers. He then had a quick look at a pamphlet which contained the one hundred and twenty-first Psalm and, to use his own words, "I found that I was nearer to God than I had ever been before." Six bombs dropped around his ship, shaking it severely. However, nine aircraft were driven off, firing ceased, and suddenly the ship started to move and was able to catch up with the others.

[From an aviator]

I was co-pilot on one of a formation of heavy bombers on a night cross-country hop over several of the Gulf states. We had been warned of local thundershowers beyond our destination, but were told it would be clear until we arrived. After about two hours we began to encounter heavy storm clouds, and the rough air which accompanies them. Soon the formation was forced to break up, each ship going on its own to find a safe landing field.

In the meantime, another member of the crew—a Christian Scientist whom I had met through the Wartime Minister—and I had been doing our work as we are taught in Christian Science. I recalled how Jesus stilled the wind and waves, and a little later I recalled a testimony that I had heard in The Mother Church in which a sailor had told of doing his work so sincerely that the waves had become calm. During this time I entertained no thoughts of fear.

Where we were flying there was no visual contact with the ground and the lightning made our radio aids to navigation practically useless. We finally decided to follow a compass course, and by daybreak we were out of the storm and able to pick out an army landing field.

The other planes all landed safely at air fields scattered several hundred miles apart, and each member of their crews had a story to tell of being tossed about as if the huge bombers were nothing but maple leaves. The accounts of finding a landing field all ran peculiarly the same: "We didn't have any idea where we were, but decided to fly around and conserve our gas until we flew out of it. It just happened that we came upon an opening in the clouds, and there was an airport." Well, maybe they think it "just happened," but when I reminded them that we should be grateful to God, they all admitted that they had done some praying that night too. We afterward discovered that we had all narrowly missed the major part of a terrific storm.

Today, "somewhere in England," I am continuing to prove the protection that comes through an understanding of Truth.

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