[Name withheld by request]

Each year for thirteen years, since I had taken class instruction in Christian Science, I had joyously attended my association meeting, the annual gathering of students for spiritual inspiration and instruction. In 1982 I was not able to attend.

The week before my association meeting, I wrote to say that I would not be able to be there. However, I resolved to be prayerfully supporting our association day. This I faithfully did. I claimed that the inspiration, spiritual awakening, and growth that were taking place at the association were mine and everyone's. The yearly meetings of Christian Science Students Associations all over the world are the leaven in the world's thought, "bread upon the waters." ^{Eccl. 11:1.}

By the end of that day I had made a commitment to live as never before the truths of the Bible and Christian Science that I'd learned in class. The impetus to be a full-time practitioner listed in The Christian Science Journal had been developing for years. By December 1, 1982, I decided that the coming Christmas must be different from all those before. The chaos and gross materialism must give way to the true meaning of Christmas. Since we had a four-year-old and a seven-year-old, Christmas was still lots of fun and sharing. But that year I resolved that it would be minus the discord and inharmony that we had been caught up in before. I wanted nothing to deprive my family and me of the true sense of what the birth of Christ Jesus meant and still means to humanity.

I worked with the thought that "Christian healing" is "the babe we are to cherish." This comes from a statement of Mrs. Eddy's that reads: "In different ages the divine idea assumes different forms, according to humanity's needs. In this age it assumes, more intelligently than ever before, the form of Christian healing. This is the babe we are to cherish. This is the babe that twines its loving arms about the neck of omnipotence, and calls forth infinite care from His loving heart." ^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 370.}

I prayed diligently to cherish Christ-healing in my thought. About the middle of December it dawned on me that I needed to begin preparing for my association meeting, or another nine months would roll by and I might miss it again. So I began to pray daily for the yearly meeting.

Christmas that year was wonderful, peaceful—the very best ever—full of gratitude and happiness. On January 3, 1983, I was sitting at my desk praying for the association, and I asked myself the question "How am I going to come up with the money to get there?" The answer came: "You will work as a practitioner for people."

I laughed and said to myself, "OK, God, I'll do the prayerful work, but You'll have to send the patients!" Well, that day "patients" came, all from my own household. This was not the normal daily prayer that I do for each member of the family. I treated these cases as if they were calls for help from others, requiring specific, scientific prayerful work. Among results was our daughter's quick and complete healing of a very bad cough. Another healing was of our dog, which had been incontinent for two years. Because we were now living in a very cold climate, she had to be indoors, and this problem had become most distressing to the entire family. The incontinency was completely and permanently healed in a very few days of treatment. There were also other specific healings that encouraged me.

I had noticed for some months that I had been having trouble focusing my eyes, especially at night. I had given myself prayerful treatment, but not on a regular basis. At the time of taking these "patients," I realized I must have a healing of my eyes. This took longer, but I did continue to give prayerful treatment daily. I had avoided renewing my driver's license because it included an eye test. Now I prayed daily until the end of January, and then, trusting God, I went to take the test. My vision had cleared enough so I could pass the eye test. I was awed and realized that this was telling me the problem could and would be fully healed through Christian Science treatment. By the first of May my vision was restored— completely.

For one week I worked for "patients" daily—either members of my household or the "patients" The Christian Science Monitor presented in the form of national and world situations needing specific prayer.

At the end of that week I was visiting with a dear Christian Scientist friend. She poured out a tale of woe and said that she had wanted to call a Christian Science practitioner, but she did not know one, and besides she could not afford it. She asked me to help her. With tears of gratitude in my eyes I realized God had just sent my first patient. Her whole experience turned around, and from that time on I had never less than one and sometimes as many as five individuals outside the family asking for Christian Science treatment, and of course the practice continues to grow.

The first of February, I made plane reservations, and, by April 1, I had paid for my plane ticket, which I received at a special discount.

One interesting point in this early healing work is that the calls came when I was spiritually prepared and inspired, and they were always problems I felt confident in handling—many times they were things I had already handled in my own experience.

By the end of July I had my letters of testimony in hand and was in the process of becoming Journal-listed. At the end of September I attended my association meeting and realized that this one special day a year is my Christmas, my special day. As each association day has been, it was "the best ever"! One week later I received confirmation of my Journal listing.

I am so grateful for "the babe we are to cherish"—Christian healing—and the class teaching and yearly association meetings provided by Mrs. Eddy, which prepare us for the high calling of being genuine Christian healers.

And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

I Chronicles 28:20