ALL PARENTS WANT TO BE CAREFUL and vigilant when it comes to the safety of their children. But as children grow, they can't always be protected by human hands. Tracy and Stuart Jenkins faced just such a situation in March 2002 when their son, J.J., then nine years old, skied face-first into a tree. In a Sentinel interview, they related how, as a family, they relied on God wholeheartedly for their son's healing.

Tracy, tell us the story of the day you and J.J. were skiing in Colorado.

J.J. and I were skiing with another family. We were just on our way down my son's favorite slope. J.J. decided to follow his friend on the paths through the trees on the side of the ski run.

I was following behind, but not in the trees. I watched as J.J. took a few turns, then began to pick up speed. Then, as if I were watching a slow-motion movie, I watched helplessly as he went crashing into a tree—face first. The sound alone was frightening, and I tried to erase it from my memory as I raced down to his side. When I reached him, I found that he was unconscious and bleeding profusely. I picked him up and cradled him in my arms. He came to and began to cry out in pain.

The couple and their son who were with me know I am a Christian Scientist, and they asked if they should get the ski patrol. I told them, "Yes." As the husband left to find help, I held J.J. and began to talk to him.

What were you telling him at this point—and how were you dealing with your own fear about the situation?

The first thought that came into my head was a quote from Science and Health: "Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,—neither in nor of matter—and the body will then utter no complaints" (p. 14). This thought became crucial for me to hold on to because J.J. seemed to be slipping into and out of unconsciousness. As we lay there in the snow, I just talked to J.J. about his unbroken relationship with God.

The injuries looked devastating—it seemed that much of his face was crushed. We were not able to locate his two upper front teeth, and he was having difficulty breathing through his nose. I was grateful that he had been wearing a helmet to protect his head.

The ski patrol arrived and began to ask questions to determine how J.J. should be moved, and to determine whether he had suffered a concussion. J.J. quickly and correctly answered their questions, so they put him in a sled and skied with him to the first-aid room at the bottom of the slope. I skied behind them and pulled out my cell phone to call my husband, Stuart. I also called a Christian Science practitioner to ask her to pray with us. She was not in, but I left a message.

What were your thoughts when you got this call, Stuart?

My daughter, Jordan, and I had gone to central Nebraska to spend the weekend with my father and brother and his daughter on the family cattle ranch.

When I got the phone call from Tracy, it was a significant challenge to be calm. I wanted to be instantly with J.J. and Tracy, but I knew it was five hours away and that the only real help I could offer was to stay calm.

After we talked, I immediately threw our clothing in the car and headed for Denver. I remember talking aloud to my daughter about J.J. on the car ride home, reminding her—and myself—that the material picture was not a true indication of God's child. As I drove west, I was praying one long prayer reaffirming God's love for man. A favorite quote from the Bible was of comfort: "In him [God] we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

I spoke with Tracy on the cell phone a few more times, and we held to the idea that we would not let the external picture of J.J.'s face impress or scare us.

Tracy, what was the situation once you arrived at the first-aid station?

We were met by several kind, concerned medical staff. They first wanted to cleanse J.J.'s face to determine what should be done next. During all this time, he would either be screaming in pain or saying that he just wanted to fall asleep. The practitioner phoned back while the medics were working on J.J., and she immediately began to pray for us.

I went over to where J.J. was lying. My friend who had been skiing with us was standing over him during the cleansing. I leaned over J.J. and whispered to him that he was right now in the care of God. I assured him that because of this, he had a right to be at peace at that moment. He stopped screaming, and never again during any part of this experience did he express that he was in any kind of pain.

J.J., what do you recall about this time? Did you stop feeling pain, or were you just trying not to cry out?

I stopped feeling pain at that moment, and it never returned. At that moment I understood that God was right with me and supreme.

Tracy, what were the reactions of your friends? Did they realize you were praying for J.J. during this time?

After I had leaned over to talk with J.J., my friend asked me what I had said to him. When I explained that I had told him that he could be peaceful and that he could hear God, she was very impressed. Later, she actually told other mutual friends of this clear example of God's love that she had witnessed in the first-aid room.

The staff recommended that J.J. be transported to the emergency room. They felt that X-rays were needed to determine how extensive the damage was. During this time, J.J. continued to say that he wanted to go to sleep.

I called the practitioner back to let her know specifically what was being predicted by the medical personnel. They thought that J.J. most likely had a broken nose and that his cheekbone and jaw structure were probably broken. She reminded me of the words of one of my favorite hymns:

These words were very reassuring to me, and as I prayed, I began to see J.J. as having the beauty, power, and grace described in the hymn.

We were taken in a first-aid vehicle to the emergency room of the medical center in Breckenridge. As we waited for the doctor to look at J.J., I was able to retrieve my copy of Science and Health from my car and read aloud to him. I also told him that he had an opportunity to feel not only peace himself but also to see that all the others in the emergency room could feel God's peace and presence, too. I assured him that while we were waiting for the doctor, we didn't have to "wait" for God, because God was present right there.

I knew right away that these ideas were something J.J. liked, because when a nurse came by to check on him, J.J. said, "Do you think this [facial damage] will hold till Halloween?" The nurse laughed, and we felt the hypnotic intensity we'd been feeling about J.J.'s condition evaporating.

A passage in Science and Health really stood out to me during this time: "When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, 'I am hurt!' Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real.

"Now reverse the process. Declare that you are not hurt and understand the reason why..." (p. 397).

In the past, I had never been able to "understand the reason why" I or someone else wasn't hurt. It seemed impossible for me to just rewind the videotape in my head and erase the image of J.J. plowing into the tree—I had seen it! How could it not be real? But that night in the E.R., I finally understood that this statement means that in prayer we need to reverse the process of exclaiming, "I am hurt." What I realized was that my thoughts were more powerful than my words. I determined not to spend one more instant thinking about what I'd seen. I was going to start at that moment to make sure my consciousness was so filled with the love and completeness of God and His idea, man, that there could not or would not be any "effect" other than seeing God's perfect reflection. This truth was now so clear to me.

During this time, I kept talking with J.J. about anything that would hold his interest, such as who would win the basketball tournament that night—anything so he wouldn't fall asleep. We also spoke about how important it would be for him not to make any decisions based on fear. These would be decisions such as whether or not he would let the nurse touch his face—and later on whether or not he should blow his nose (that hurt!) or whether or not he should eat something because it might sting his mouth. Every time a decision like that came up, I'd ask him, "Are you choosing not to do that because you're afraid it will hurt?" He didn't want to make decisions based on fear, so he really focused on why he was choosing to do or not do something.

Once he felt confident that he didn't have to be afraid that something might hurt, he became very relaxed. He no longer seemed gripped by fear or pain, even though he had chosen not to take any pain medicine. That was a decision I had left entirely up to him. J.J. knew that he was free to make this decision, because he knew that we would honor and support whatever choice he made. He had been warned by the medical staff that he would suffer terrible headaches without prescribed painkillers, but he just didn't feel he needed them. He seemed very comfortable with the Christian Science treatment he was receiving.

When the doctor eventually arrived, he examined J.J. and found that his two front teeth had emerged from his gum. They were loose, but they were there. In addition, there was not a single broken bone anywhere on J.J.'s face, nor was there any area of his face that needed stitches or X-rays. The doctor and the emergency room staff were truly amazed.

The doctor told us that the swelling would last for two to three weeks, and that the lacerations would heal, scab, and then disappear after about two weeks. He very kindly warned us about the bacteria building up in the mouth and face, and he suggested that we fill a prescription to make sure that no infections would arise. Then the hospital released us.

J.J. was thrilled finally to be heading back to our ski condo. But he looked like something out of a Frankenstein movie. I was still somewhat anxious about his condition and decided to fill the prescription. However, he told me he wasn't going to take it. He wanted to rely only on our prayer.

J.J., what were your thoughts at this time? Why didn't you want to take the medicine?

Because the pain had stopped. I was already seeing the results of God's power to heal me. That's why I didn't see any need to take medicine. I don't have any doubt that it was God who healed me! The doctor told me I would miss three or four weeks of school (which would have been nice), but I was completely healed in a couple of days. Nothing else but God could have healed me that fast!

Tracy, how did you handle the situation from here on out?

I told J.J. that I didn't want him to look in the mirror for the time being, because the mirror wouldn't show what we were endeavoring to see in our prayer—his true nature as God's reflection. And he never did look. He wasn't even curious. We decided to stay up in the mountains for the night and drive back to Denver in the morning. J.J. spent the evening watching the NCAA basketball tournament on TV.

I spent the entire night in prayer for my son, listening for God's tender thoughts coming to me while I kept watch over J.J. Sometimes I would get up and look at him sleeping, and soon I began to see his true loving nature that had never been harmed.

The next morning we drove back to our home in Denver, and my husband saw J.J. for the first time. He lovingly and calmly gave him a huge hug—and then sent him off to rest. Although it was shocking for Stuart to see J.J. that day, I had already gotten over his appearance and knew it wasn't showing the real J.J.

Stuart, tell us how you reacted to seeing J.J.

Early the next morning, Tracy and J.J. arrived home, and I must admit the picture was horrific. I would not have recognized J.J. if I had seen him on the street. Would he ever look like himself again? Would he be disfigured permanently? Did he have brain damage?

These were the fears that had to be confronted and dismissed in order for me to get peace. I read and prayed with the definition of man in Science and Health (see p. 302), and finally felt at peace. J.J.'s bright and positive attitude strengthened my resolve to continue supporting him in affirmative prayer. He clearly was telling his mother and father that he was healed and that we needn't be concerned or fearful.

I had a business commitment on the West Coast, and since I know that prayer is effective no matter where a person is physically located, I kept my commitment to go on the trip. But the main reason I left for this trip was that I could already see that God's care was effective. I did not need to stand around and watch J.J. get better.

I remember thinking consistently about J.J. on this trip, trying to "let the perfect model be present in [my] thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite" (Science and Health, p. 407). Each fear that rose up, I would answer with what I knew to be true from God's perspective: Would J.J. ever look like himself again? Answer: His perfection in the eyes of God had never and would never change. Would he be disfigured? Answer: God's care was complete and perfect. Did he have brain damage? Answer: There is only one Mind, and J.J. reflects that Mind—intelligence does not reside in a brain! When we spoke on the phone each evening, it was clear that he was moving forward and expressing gratitude for a healing he felt was complete. Dad was simply catching up.

Tracy, how did the next few days go for you and J.J.?

J.J. stayed home from school on Monday and Tuesday, and we just got to know each other and God really well. Dropping the mental picture of his face proved very challenging.

By Wednesday, J.J. decided he wanted to be back in school. He still had a face full of scabs, but by then there was almost no swelling at all.

By the next day—only four days after the accident—even the scabs were gone. You couldn't tell that he had ever had an impact to his face. It was such a visible and beautiful healing for J.J. and for our whole family. His teacher even commented that she knew the only way he could be so well so quickly was through prayer.

Stuart, what were your thoughts when you arrived home on that Thursday to find J.J. completely healed?

On arriving home late Thursday night and after unpacking, I walked down the hall to give the sleeping children a kiss. As I rounded the corner into his room, his face was lit with a hall light and he was back! Only a small scab was still visible under his nose.

This was the most remarkable physical healing I have ever witnessed. Tears of joy and gratitude streamed down my cheeks. Even as I look back two years later, remembering the transformation and return to normality in such a short time brings tears to my eyes.

Tracy, do you want to add anything?

This healing demonstrated the absolute power of God to heal—and that the healing could be seen in physical improvement. We were extremely grateful, and it has helped us when other difficult things have come up in our lives.