I am infinitely grateful for all the blessings that have come into my life as a result of the study and practice of Christian Science. This Science is not just a teaching. It is a way of life that involved learning what God really is and how to trust Him completely.

I had the wonderful opportunity of attending a Christian Science Sunday School. There I was reminded every week of God's love for me and of the fact that I am His perfect, spiritual child.

During my freshman year in high school, I was in a car accident and went face first through the windshield. I remember how calm my mother was as she cleansed my face before putting me to bed, singing a hymn with words by Mary Baker Eddy that begins, "O gentle presence, peace and joy and power." My mother prayed for me, and I was soon quietly asleep.

The next morning I went to Sunday School. The teacher told our class wonderful things of man's pure and perfect, spiritual selfhood. I felt very happy for the rest of the day.

The following day I returned to school. When I got there, however, a number of people asked what had happened to me. They expressed considerable concern and were worried about the possible scars that could result. I went home feeling quite upset.

My mother was very sympathetic and encouraged me to pray and study to learn more of what real beauty is. I stayed home the next few days and studied the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mrs. Eddy. All of the wonderful healings Christ Jesus performed made me cherish this passage (Matt. 19:26): "With God all things are possible."

I realized that true beauty has little to do with one's outward appearance; it is the expression of qualities derived from God, including those of patience, tenderness, joy, strength, happiness. There are many references to beauty in Mrs. Eddy's writings, such as this one on page 247 of Science and Health: "Immortal men and women are models of spiritual sense, drawn by perfect Mind and reflecting those higher conceptions of loveliness which transcend all material sense."

In a few days I was back at school with a deeper love and appreciation of the beauty of God. I was no longer afraid because I was coming to see that true beauty is spiritual and therefore cannot be lost. I was seeing the beautiful qualities of God reflected in myself and in everyone around me. My complete healing soon followed. Within a year I got my first job—as a model in New York City.

This healing was only the beginning of many that were the result of a deeper understanding of my relation to God. Partial baldness, broken bones, and loss of vision were all healed through prayer.

Raising two children as a single parent for many years caused me to rely wholeheartedly on God for guidance, strength, wisdom, courage, and love. I have been wonderfully blessed. I now have a very dear husband, a lovely home, and a family that is closer than ever because we all have proved and seen God's love for us all.

Pamela J. Sampson Bissell
San Clemente, California

I am happy to verify my daughter Pamela's testimony. Our family learned of Christian Science back in the twenties. One morning my father was unable to get up and go to his business, so my mother called a doctor. After examining him the doctor said there was nothing that could be done for him; he would not last long. My father was only fifty, and we seven children were all in grammar school.

My mother had to find a job. The only one available was selling aluminum pots from door to door. One day my mother stopped at a neighbor's house. When the neighbor expressed surprise at seeing her out selling, my mother told her about my father. The neighbor responded by telling her of Christian Science. My mother got in touch with a Christian Science practitioner, who came to the house daily for several weeks to pray for my father. He was fully healed, and he returned to his business.

I am so very grateful for Mrs. Eddy for giving us this wonderful teaching that we can share daily.

Gerda Andrews Moller
Laguna Hills, California