Here It Was, the first of many jobs that I hoped would pay me to travel to wonderful places. And here I was, coming into the beautiful Mexican city of Guanajuato as dusk was settling in. Lights began to twinkle, the colors in the sky looked like a painting, and the weather was perfect—a total contrast to the snow and cold I'd left at home in the United States earlier that day.

But I wasn't feeling thrilled. Unaccustomed to traveling on my own and unable to communicate in my very rusty Spanish, I felt isolated, alone, and inadequate. As I settled into my hotel room and reviewed my itinerary for the coming week, I wished I were back home. It was the Christmas season. I thought of the joy of decorating my own village and home, of the comfort of friends and family, of the beauty of fresh snow. Instead, I was alone in a distant land with no sign of Christmas anywhere.

In the midst of this longing, a thought came to me like a burst of light: "God is here!" It seemed logical, then, that since He was with me, the fullness of His love and provision of good must be as present in this room in the hills of Mexico as in my home thousands of miles away.

With that thought came the comfort of knowing that I wasn't alone or missing out on anything good. I wasn't being deprived of contributing good, either. God's goodness and joy, His companionship and presence, transcended all barriers. The light and levity of this message filled my thought and changed my outlook within moments. The neat thing was that I wasn't doing the changing. I was merely listening to, accepting, and rejoicing in these ideas as they appeared in my consciousness.

These thoughts were angels to me. Not the white-clad, winged creatures depicted on Christmas cards, but God's messages, just as they're described by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health. She writes: "Angels. God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality" (p. 581).

How perfectly that explains what was taking place in my thinking right then. For example, I recognized that desolation, fear, loneliness, and unhappiness are evil because they are the opposite of good. God is good—all good. That specific angel message totally counteracted the despair I had been feeling.

These thoughts from God were like friends and family, encouraging me and bringing me comfort. With them, I felt great joy and peace—more than I had ever felt during holiday festivities. It was as if my thought had taken flight—on the wings of angels. Then this passage from the Bible came to me: "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared" (Ex. 23:20). I was, indeed, in a blessed place, surrounded by love.

The assignment turned out to be a joyous one. There was never another moment after that when I felt any language barrier, even though there were plenty of times when I communicated with those who did not speak English. Everyone I met was kind and sent me away not only with insightful ideas for my assignment, but also with treasured gifts—material as well as spiritual. And my guide later told me that everyone we met felt love and joy from me. The visit proved to be a great gift and blessing for all involved.

Reflecting on this, I thought about parts of a passage from Mrs. Eddy's book The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany: "Good thoughts are an impervious armor; ... [and] all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited.

"... The right thinker abides under the shadow of the Almighty. His thoughts can only reflect peace, good will towards men, health, and holiness" (p. 210).

From that trip to Mexico I gained a deep and tangible knowledge of the presence of God and His angels with me. I understood more fully than ever before that we're always at home because we're always embraced by God. This blessing wasn't material, yet it was totally tangible. That's because God's love is always expressed in ways that are practical and relevant to our specific situation.

Homesick in a faraway place? Never! Rather, at peace and at home with God, forever.