I was raised in the Christian faith and enjoyed...

ALMA ENGELSTÄDTER with contributions from GERHARD ENGELSTÄDTER

I was raised in the Christian faith and enjoyed attending the services of a Protestant church. Then, during the decades of the nineteen-thirties and -forties, I was in great distress. I prayed fervently to God that He would deliver me and again give me a peaceful, satisfied heart. Indeed God helped me, but in a different way than I had imagined.

Just at that time, my ten-year-old boy's thumb became inflamed, and he was in great pain. So we went to a doctor. Various medications were tried, none of which helped. The thumb was operated on, but even after that there was no improvement. Upon my inquiry as to why the wound didn't heal, the doctor spoke of a dangerous virus. He also said that he would probably have to amputate the thumb, or maybe even the entire hand. After hearing this I was in utter despair. Again I prayed to God for help.

That day, an acquaintance who had learned about the difficulty came to see me. He wanted to help, and he drew my attention to a religion in which one could heal sickness through prayer. He gave me the address of a woman to whom I could go to ask for help. Initially I resisted the thought of doing something in this direction. But then it was just as if I were being pushed that way, because the boy again began to cry with pain. In my fear I ran as fast as I could to the indicated address. There I met a refined, kind woman who patiently listened to my woes. After she had comforted and encouraged me, she read to me from the Bible and from another book. I wasn't aware at that time that this friendly woman was a Christian Science practitioner and that the book was the textbook of Christian Science—Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. In parting, she told me not to be worried any longer; everything would surely be well. I quickly ran home, and a pleasant surprise was awaiting me.

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