About twenty-five years ago I was led through serious illness to turn to Christian Science. I had always been a sick woman. Chronic abdominal trouble, coupled with weakness of the heart, often kept me in bed for weeks. A disease which frequently attacked me, and which caused me very great fear, was erysipelas. When, in addition, I was taken with phlebitis and gonarthritis and had to spend five months in bed in great pain, my dear sister-in-law told me about Christian Science. She gave me some copies of The Herald of Christian Science (German Edition) and asked me to read them. I read them for eight days and felt there was truth there, but I was not able to grasp it. When I read in an article. "God is thy Life and thy strength," I turned to God and asked Him to give me the insight to understand this teaching, and it was given me at once.

At that moment I got up, dressed myself, held steadfastly to what I had come to understand, and after an hour was completely healed. Thus with my slight understanding I overcame the dreaded erysipelas. The other ills also disappeared and never returned, and I became a well woman.

Where I used to live I had a five-hour walk to and from the church services. I found a dear friend in the place, a genuine Christian Scientist. We two felt it not only our duty to attend the services regularly, but also a necessity and a great joy. We were conscious that every service brought us a step nearer to spiritual understanding.

Our way led us through a wood and lonely paths, but the happy sense that we gained through the beautiful services shielded us from any fear, and we felt safely hidden in God's presence and under His protection.

One Wednesday evening on our homeward way, as we were about to go through the woods we heard evil voices. Before we got to the woods a policeman came up to us and warned us against going through the woods. He said there was a bad gang in there. We told him that our families would be anxious if we did not come home and we had to go along. When we had left the policeman, I said to my friend, "That may be a warning from God, not to go on." But my friend replied: "Come, we must get home. Divine Love is our protection."

So we went on, but before we went into the woods we worked together, declaring "the scientific statement of being" (Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. p. 468), until it was clear to us that man's real being is good. It was a pitch-dark night, and we could scarcely see the way before us. We sang one of our beautiful hymns. When we had come to the end of it we heard whispering voices near us, and knew that we were near the men. We began anew to sing the beautiful hymn (German Hymnal. No. 164),

We went unmolested through the woods, manifestly protected by the presence of God.

With respect to another experience which I had in the same period I am constantly grateful to God for His never-failing help, and might say, "Bless the Lord . . . and forget not all his benefits." I had a large and urgent purchase to make, which was financially a problem. But I said to myself, You have a very rich heavenly Father; go to Him with your request. This I did with complete trust. The twenty-third Psalm was my guide, and every day I steadfastly declared, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Two weeks before I had to make the purchase, I received an unexpected letter with a remittance from a firm in which my husband, who had passed on two years before, had been an employee. The letter stated that the firm wished to send me once more something in recognition of the faithful service which my husband had given, and contained the whole amount which I needed for my purpose. I can never express in words how great my gratitude was.

This experience brought me a larger comprehension that God meets all our needs; that He is almighty Love, helping us in every situation, if we trust Him.

I am very grateful that I was privileged to have class instruction. The blessings which we receive through the application of the truth always waken in me a feeling of deep gratitude to our dear Leader, Mrs. Eddy, for she has taught us what God is and what He does for man. She fathomed the teachings of Jesus and discovered the power behind his work, so that we may understand what Jesus said: "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also."—(Mrs.) Marie Fischer, Baden, Switzerland.