Article May 8, 2006 Issue

THE IMPACT OF CLASS INSTRUCTION

7 people tell how their lives took off.

with contributions from MELANIE WAHLBERG, EDDIE CASTAING, KERRIE GASTEEN, DANIEL ENEMARK, LANDRY ATANGANA, CURT WAHLBERG, VIVIANE SOUZA

BY MELANIE WAHLBERG
Woodland Hills, California, US

On the first day of class instruction, our teacher asked each student to give one reason he or she was there. I remember my simple answer: to learn how to pray. In some ways, I had been praying most of my life, but I didn't feel as if I knew what I was doing. When I would turn to God in prayer, I usually felt lost and ineffective.

The 12-day session taught me a lot about prayer. We delved into Science and Health, and our teacher provided guidelines for giving Christian Science treatment. This treatment became a framework on which to hang our prayers, which was the structure for spiritual growth that I craved. I learned there is so much flexibility in giving prayerful treatment—in fact, all of my subsequent prayers have been unique. I began to feel more confident when I prayed, more capable of connecting with the love and healing power I associated with God. Now, I had some ideas when I closed my eyes to pray!

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