I am grateful for The Mother Church radio program, "The Truth that Heals." When I have heard women tell in it about their reactions when faced by a man with a gun, I've wondered what my reactions would be under similar situations. Now I have had the opportunity of knowing. The Bible tells us in I John (4:18): "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear."

Two members of our branch church live in the same apartment building as I do. They ride to church with me.

One Wednesday evening, at about seven fifteen, one friend came to my home. We were sitting waiting for the other friend, when there was a knock on my door. I opened it, and a young man six feet tall or taller stepped in, shut the door behind him, leveled a gun at us and said roughly, "Give me your money and don't try anything funny." I saw the gun was real, not a toy.

As I turned to pick up my purse, all I could think was "God," and then our radio program flashed in my thought. With my billfold in my hand, I stepped close to him and looked straight into his eyes, not feeling a bit of fear, and completely unaware of the gun, I said, "God loves you, He takes care of you, you don't have to do this." He looked surprised. I felt only love and compassion for him. I opened my billfold, took out two dollars, and showed him it was all I had. As I looked up at him, he had a pleasant expression on his face, and I said again, "God loves you; you don't have to do this."

I wanted him to know about Christian Science, so as I offered him the two dollars, I said, "I am a Christian Scientist. I know God loves you. Please, for your own good, don't do this." In a gentle voice he said, "I'm not going to hurt you." He did not take our money but turned and left. I followed him through the door. As he looked at me over his shoulder, I repeated, "God loves you. Please, for your own sake, don't do this." I understood and believed what I was saying, and as I came in, I said to my friend, "I'm so grateful for this experience. He will hear those words for the rest of his life."

In this experience I learned the presence of the immediate help of God, the power of God, the power of Love. So many thoughts of man's Godlike nature and of the divine control have unfolded to me since then.

The next day as I was speaking of this to a friend, she said, "You are turning this around and talking about his protection instead of your own protection." I said, "If he had not been protected from error, he might have hurt us. He had a change of thought, which is Christian Science healing, protection. Our blessing was also his as he was restrained from a criminal act in this instance."

In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy tells us (p. 567), "To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness, nor death."

(Mrs.) Henrietta A. Capesius
Pensacola, Florida

I am the friend referred to in the above testimony.

Instead of feeling fear, I had only compassion for the man with the gun. I told him he was God's child and did not want anything which did not belong to him. We were very calm, and able to talk to him about God. He must have felt the power of God also, for he did not harm us or take our money.

Mrs. Eddy writes: "There is no power apart from God. Omnipotence has all-power, and to acknowledge any other power is to dishonor God" (ibid., p. 228).

(Mrs.) Helen M. Roach