To be on God's playing field

BY WINNIE ANYANGO

Winnie lives in Nairobi, Kenya. She loves playing soccer and is a member of the Dandora Youth Soccer Club.

I like playing soccer, and let's say it's my talent. Going to Christian Science Sunday School has helped me be a good player by learning more about God as Love.

From Sunday School I have understood that the word joy means being on good terms with my teammates—appreciating them. In soccer we have to be joyous with other people and love them as we would want them to love us. I always remember the quotation from Science and Health that says, "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need" (p. 494). And I find that that's true for me when I'm loving to my classmates.

When I started playing soccer, I was too arrogant with my teammates. I couldn't let anyone take the ball from me—and if anyone did, I would immediately start a fight. Then I started going to Sunday School. Our teacher told a story that I realized was similar to mine. He said that one time he realized he was being arrogant with his own teammates. So he started to humble himself and asked for their forgiveness. Then all went well.

I dreaded trying to do the same, but I did, and it really helped me. Then some of my teammates, who'd also been like me, changed, too. In soccer—like in everything else—you must have love for your teammates and coaches, give all your heart, and not give up.

I also learned in Sunday School that success comes from being honest and faithful. We are taught in Christian Science that everyone is the image and likeness of God. God is never defeated. And even death did not defeat Jesus because he had faith, and reminded us that all that God can do, we can also do.

That's why I love going to Sunday School. css

To get a reality check

BY ANNA FARKAS

Anna enjoys being homeschooled in Wisconsin. She has a pet snake and two cats named Michaelangelo and Pickles.

Sunday School has become one of my favorite places to be during the week. I always come away from my class with answers to problems or just a higher perspective that makes me feel more energized and joyful.

I love singing hymns with my classmates because it makes me feel connected to everything and everyone. I also really like finding deeper meaning in the stories from the Bible. Our class talks together about the words and what they mean to us. I always find ideas that relate to what is going on in my life. All my past and present teachers have been helpful whenever I'm having trouble with friends, ill ness, or when one of my pets is hurt. The teachers make Sunday School a kind of reality check for me.

For example, about a year ago, I had been having problems with a boy in my acting group. He would call me names and chase me during breaks. One time, he dumped a cup of water on my head. I was upset and wasn't handling it too well. When the production we'd been rehearsing was over, I figured my problem would be gone. But then I signed up for another show, and found out that he was going to be in it too. I was sure I would have a horrible time.

That Sunday, I told my Sunday School teacher about my worries. She didn't talk about what was wrong with him (or me), or offer strategies for fixing things. Instead, she suggested I think about this beatitude: "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9).

I thought about how being in the play gave me the opportunity to express myself as a peaceful child of God. So I prayed to keep my focus on my relationship with God. I made a conscious effort to trust more in His care and be loving toward everyone. In a short while, my interactions with the boy became more positive. We've actually become good friends now.

Even though there are many distractions that could keep someone from going to Sunday School (like doing things with friends, or wanting to stay in bed), I've found that it's a great place to find inspiration for the week. css

To hold tight to God's light

BY ISABELLA ROUMIANTSEY

Isabella loves to read, draw, and write and direct screenplays. This is her last year in the "Gymnasium" (German college prep high school), and she's looking forward to studying film production in college.

I started to go to Sunday School when I was about eight years old. That's when my mother found out about Christian Science. So my spiritual development took off early. As a teen, especially in the past three years or so, I've become very interested in spiritual healing, and I'm constantly looking for answers to my questions about different situations in life. So, of course, I pepper with questions people who have had more experience with Christian Science, such as my Sunday School teachers.

Attending Sunday School for me is like a clear thread that weaves through my everyday life and helps me apply Christian Science to practical situations. One of the most important things for me is to take care that I don't lose or let go of the light, or spiritual understanding, that naturally comes to us from God and that gives us happiness and peace and the ability to heal.

What I learn in Sunday School helps me keep my thought clear and alert by focusing me on the actual truth about my being. I have learned that even a little understanding of truth can bring incredible results. Here's an example: For several years I suffered from depressions that came on about every four weeks and turned my feelings into a state of chaos. On those particular days, life would become hell for me. I couldn't feel any hope, peace, joy, or freedom.

After a while, I learned to see myself as God's child, created to have dominion over sadness and its possible causes. And through prayer I strongly rejected gloomy thoughts as no part of my true self. I got to the point that I was able to stand up firmly for my right to have a happy and balanced nature, because that's what God gave me. And each time, I found that the feelings of emptiness and despondency started to vanish faster, sometimes within seconds, until they never reappeared. Now I cannot even remember those mental struggles. They are gone for good.

Sunday School puts my life on a spiritual foundation and helps me deal with any challenges through deepening my understanding of God. That way, more and more I feel God's light shining around me. css

To keep my life in balance

BY MICHAEL SMITH

Michael lives in Australia and loves the beach and Australian football.

As a teenager, I'm facing challenges that I never really had to deal with as a young child. Things like handling a job as well as school, juggling class assignments in a way that will please my teachers, and maintaining and strengthening relationships with my friends. Learning to drive and (soon) being eligible to vote are also important to me right now. Ultimately, I have lots of new responsibilities.

On numerous occasions, I've put into practice what I've learned in my Christian Science Sunday School class. One Friday afternoon at school, in the midst of lunch-time, I had to pick up an assignment draft for English class from a classmate. But I had a of lot trouble finding him. In fact, I spent the whole lunch-time looking for him, with no success. I was starting to get stressed out and worried since this was my only opportunity to get the assignment before the weekend and the final submission was due Monday. Time was running out, and the bell was about to ring.

Then I remembered something my Sunday School teacher had told me: "There is always time to pray." So that's exactly what I did. I calmly sat down and was able to completely still my thoughts and pray. For years, I'd been taught in Sunday School that there is only one Mind, God, in operation, and that this Mind is omniscient and omnipresent. I applied this truth to my situation, and, right then, I had the idea that I should try looking for my classmate in the gym. So I got up, and as I was walking there, he was walking toward me. I was so grateful that I found him, and he was only too happy to give me the assignment I'd been looking for.

As you can see, Sunday School really helps bring solutions and perspective to my life. css