Testimony of Healing September 7, 1981 Issue

Since my early twenties, membership in both a branch Church...

DON S. FOGG

Since my early twenties, membership in both a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and The Mother Church has meant much to me. I have loved the opportunities for growth presented by these memberships and have enjoyed taking part in many church-related activities. During the Second World War, while I was stationed at a large Army base, one of those church-related activities caused me to become critical of an action taken by a department of The Mother Church. I prayed earnestly about this and discussed it with no one. But though I continued to love participation in church work, inwardly I was unhappy over the incident.

Shortly afterward, while I was serving in the Philippine Islands, symptoms of a skin disease appeared on my body. The evidence suggested a disease usually associated with the hot and humid tropical conditions under which we were living. As I prayed, the question came to me: "Why are you so irritated?" I remembered the disappointing incident concerning The Mother Church and felt a strong sense of forgiveness toward the Church, but the symptoms of disease persisted. So I asked another Christian Scientist in the area to pray for me. He said that ordinarily he would be glad to help, but that he was experiencing the same difficulty. We laughed, admitted we had work to do, and agreed to pray for ourselves. And for the next three days that is what I did.

On the fourth day it was my privilege to serve as First Reader for the first testimony meeting ever held in our area—the Thanksgiving Day service. Oh, how I recall the occasion with joy and gratitude! During the service I had to read certain announcements, including an almost routine explanation that the service was being conducted under the auspices of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts. As I was reading these words, there welled up within me an overwhelming awareness of the loving and prayerful support of Mother Church members all over the world. The love that I felt toward those in the armed services was so very real to me that it was difficult to keep my voice steady. I felt that love pouring over me and those in the congregation; I felt washed; a great burden of criticism was simply lifted from me.

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Since my early twenties, membership in both a branch Church...

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