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SAFE TRAVEL To Africa and back
WHEN I WAS YOUNG, MY FAMILY LIVED in Nepal for two and a half years—and I attribute my love of learning about other cultures to that experience. I've always been fascinated by gazing at maps, running my finger over a spinning globe, and dreaming of ways to visit and live in other countries. One of the continents that fascinated me the most was Africa. As a little girl, I wasn't even aware that Africa was made up of different countries, but as I grew older, I dreamed of visiting at least one African country at some point. I really wanted to get to know the variety and differences between them. When I was in college, my first roommate was from Ghana—and I embarrassed myself on our first day together by spending a very long time looking for Ghana on the globe. This experience strengthened my desire to get to know Africa better, to see it as a continent made up distinct and diverse countries instead of as a homogenous whole.
But whenever I dreamed about visiting or living in Africa, there was a lingering fear in the back of my mind: What would I do about malaria, and other tropical diseases? In reading about other people's experiences in Africa, I was aware that taking regular malaria pills was considered necessary in order to remain healthy, and that many shots were recommended before making a trip there. As a lifelong Christian Scientist, I had always relied on prayer-based healing instead of medicine to maintain my health. In fact, in my experience, prayer had more often played a preventative role than a curative one. Throughout my childhood, I very rarely had to miss school because of sickness. And even while living in Nepal as a young child, I didn't have to deal with the expected diseases. Of course, my mother encouraged me to follow practical steps such as drinking only purified water, but when as a rebellious five-year-old I sometimes broke these rules, she wasn't alarmed because of her understanding that my health was based on something higher: my perfect identity as God's child.
About the author
Bethany Boyer-Rechlin lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

October 18, 2010 issue
View Issue-
LETTERS
with contributions from DILYS BELL, DINNY MCFADDEN, GLENN G. WATTLEY
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SPIRITUAL ROADS TO SUCCESS
KIM SHIPPEY, SENIOR WRITER
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ITEMS OF INTEREST
with contributions from G. Jeffrey MacDonald
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GOOD DEFENSE AGAINST TERRORISM
PAMELA FAATZ
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WALKING THE PATH OF ETERNAL LIFE
ANN EDWARDS
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ANGELS SAVED ME
BY DONNA DEMARTINIS
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Prayer in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
BY WALTER RODGERS
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SAFE TRAVEL To Africa and back
BY BETHANY BOYER-RECHLIN
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FOR TRUE SUCCESS, BUILD ON THE ROCK
BY DAVID C. KENNEDY
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WHY I DON'T WORRY ABOUT EXAMS ANYMORE
Name removed by request
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FEAR OF FAILURE? NO WAY!
BY JODIE SWALES
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TODAY'S YOUTH ENTITLED TO GOOD
BY CHERYL RANSON
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DEAR ANNIE, #2
BY TOM BLACK
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DIGESTIVE DISORDER HEALED
ERIC DZIERSON with contributions from GRETCHEN DZIERSON
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HEALING OF INSOMNIA
SILVIA MACHADO
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A WAKE-UP CALL
JOHN ERHARDT