I was raised as a Christian and was taught that adversity should be willingly endured, since everything in life, good or bad, is sent by God. But the events I encountered during World War II exceeded my mental and physical endurance. I lost my husband, my homeland, and twice lost all my belongings within a few years. Caring for three small children and taking on hard work I was not accustomed to discouraged and depressed me, and I became severely ill. I was sent from one doctor to another, and was taking medicine constantly.

It was then I heard about Christian Science through an acquaintance. I asked her whether she had something I could read to find out about this Science. The very next day I had a copy of The Herald of Christian Science in my hands.

One article in the magazine appealed to me especially. In it the following passage from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy was quoted (p. 206): "Instead of God sending sickness and death, He destroys them, and brings to light immortality. Omnipotent and infinite Mind made all and includes all. This Mind does not make mistakes and subsequently correct them. God does not cause man to sin, to be sick, or to die."

Such a God I could accept! Filled with expectation, I visited a Christian Science practitioner that same week. Within a few days I was healed of an organic disorder.

However, a heart complaint and the horror that events of the war had instilled in me lingered. During another of my visits, the practitioner recommended I study this statement (Science and Health, p. 129): "We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things." I pondered this sentence a great deal, as well as other truths of God and man I was beginning to understand.

One day the first commandment came to mind. As I thought about the implications of the command to love and trust God, I felt such confidence that I knew I did not have to fear life, my apparent responsibilities, or sickness any longer. I could obediently love God and trust His goodness above all else! That same moment all fear left me, and with it the heart complaint.

About a year later, I suffered from a severe case of what appeared to be sciatica. I couldn't move, and my family wanted to take me to the hospital. But I didn't want that at all, and so I asked them to please contact a practitioner. Suddenly part of a verse from the Bible came to mind (Rom. 8:35): "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" I was filled with great joy, and although I still couldn't move, I knew I was healed. The very next day I was up and well. This belief has never returned.

Very early one morning my brother asked me to go to a city about forty kilometers away to contact a practitioner for help. He was in great pain, suffering from renal colic. After I spoke with the practitioner and explained everything to her, all she said was, "When you get home your brother will be well!" And so it was. The children came running to meet me and tell me that my brother was completely healed—he had already gone to work.

After the blessing of these healings and many others, my love of and devotion to Christian Science became paramount. In order to live my religious convictions, I gathered my children, and with only a handbag in possession we set out for that part of Germany where freedom of worship is allowed. For the fourth time I had to start all over again. Only with the help of Christian Science was I able to manage the arduous work required of me and to solve the many problems I faced. I found a welcoming sense of home in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist. The support this has given me in my study, along with the practical aid of practitioners and the reward of class instruction in this Science, has helped me find the peace and security of Spirit, demonstrate health and supply, and lead a fulfilled, satisfying life.

UTE SCHöTTLE
Bietigheim, Federal Republic of Germany