My expression of gratitude to God for Christ Jesus and for Mrs. Eddy is long overdue.

I had the privilege of being raised in Christian Science and of being surrounded by Scientists until I became a young adult. Then, after marrying a non-Scientist, I found myself having to practice and prove all the wonderful truths I could speak so glibly. This is when my real growth Spiritward began, and this growth has included some very convincing evidence of God's tender, loving care.

An especially memorable healing was one of migraine that had caused a great deal of suffering. One day at work I began to be afflicted with a headache. An aspect of the problem was an inability to focus, but I was determined to make the effort to read the Lesson-Sermon for the week. It was possible to take the time for this in our business day. I finished the first section of the Bible selections and had started on the selections from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. One phrase, "nothing is real but the right," stood out so clearly to me that I was healed in that instant and have not had a headache of any kind since that time. This was twenty years ago. The sentence from Science and Health reads in full (p. 228), "Heredity is a prolific subject for mortal belief to pin theories upon; but if we learn that nothing is real but the right, we shall have no dangerous inheritances, and fleshly ills will disappear."

During years of growth I have had many testing times when I was tempted to believe the material picture was the true picture, but remembering the above experience gave me courage to go forward and prove man's unassailable perfection as a child of God.

Another experience was the healing of tick bite. One became embedded in our young daughter's head under the hairline, remaining unnoticed until the side of her head began to swell and she complained of pain. A practitioner who was called reminded us of the omnipotence of God and did some prayerful work for us. All evidence of swelling and pain was gone by late afternoon.

One other experience that was very reassuring to me was a healing of our small son. I was canning one summer and had placed a pan of boiling syrup on a small table I was using. Our little boy, who had just gotten out of a bath, came running into the kitchen to tell me something. He bumped against the table, causing it to collapse and spilling the hot syrup all over his legs. I prayed diligently, claiming his perfection as a child of God and his freedom from accidents. The degree of freedom from pain he experienced was wonderful. He slept comfortably that night, took part in all normal activities, went swimming and played hard, and in a little over a week all evidence of the burn had disappeared, leaving no scars.

There have been many other proofs of the efficacy of Christ Jesus' divine Science as explained by Mrs. Eddy. The accumulating evidence of God's goodness in our lives recalls St. John's statement when he wrote of the Master, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written (John 21: 25). I cannot adequately express my gratitude, the depth of feeling that I have for the sacrifice Mrs. Eddy made in reiterating and explaining the teachings of Jesus.

(Mrs.) Vonnie Rieke, Cottage Grove, Oregon

"Correct material belief by spiritual understanding, and Spirit will form you anew," as stated on page 425 of Science and Health, is indeed a statement of provable truth as one gains an understanding of the basic teachings of Christian Science. This testimony bears witness to this fact, and I should like to tell how this truth became evident in my experience.

I was reared in a Protestant church, and as I grew into adulthood, I drifted from one church to another, often attending a church that was the most convenient in the neighborhood. Then, through lack of interest, I found myself alienated from all church affiliations and, as a result, began to live recklessly, burning the candle at both ends.

This careless sense of existence lasted ten years. Then one afternoon I was introduced to a new friend who is a member of a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, in this city. While visiting with her one evening, I nonchalantly picked up the Sentinel and began to read. I found the information in it most interesting; and whenever I had the opportunity, I would scan the articles.

When I began to read the testimonies in the back of the Christian Science periodicals, I was skeptical and reluctant to accept them as true, even though they were authenticated accounts of healing. This led, of course, to interrogations and discussions. Finally my friend handed me the Paperback Edition of the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, and I took it home with me and studied it diligently.

When I was able to gain a slight knowledge of the basic truths in this book concerning my spiritual selfhood, the allness of Deity, the nothingness of evil, the unreality of matter, the ever-presence of the healing Christ, this sent me spiraling into what is referred to as mental chemicalization. I found it most difficult to reconcile my being to God. Frequent trips to a practitioner and conversations with my very dear friend were most helpful in leading me to a comprehension of these spiritual truths, enlightening my thoughts and enabling me to release mistaken human concepts of life.

When I had finished reading the textbook, I knew I was a new man, completely made over, for my thinking had been transformed to conform with the basic truths of Christian Science. Yes, the prophecy, "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7), was truly experienced, filling me with exaltation and humility.

Shortly thereafter I suddenly became aware of the fact that I was free from a very serious back injury that had disturbed me for years. I had been treated by chiropractors and osteopaths but with no success. This healing was most gratifying. Through further study, pains in my left shoulder that always occurred during the cold wintry days disappeared, and there was no recurrence. Chest pains as well as other ailments were eliminated.

These healings were most inspiring, particularly since they came about through no human effort. Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health (p. 422): "If the reader of this book observes a great stir throughout his whole system, and certain moral and physical symptoms seem aggravated, these indications are favorable. Continue to read, and the book will become the physician, allaying the tremor which Truth often brings to error when destroying it." I continued to read and found myself morally and physically transformed.

Little did I know when I first took this little book home that my whole life would be changed and that it would be the beginning of a new life for me, here and now!

Words can never express my sincere gratitude for the purification from error that has come to me from my study of Mrs. Eddy's writings with their revelation of Truth, reinstating the element of healing so wonderfully demonstrated by Christ Jesus.

Edward William Farhood, Washington, D. C.