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“What should I do with my life?” Lisa often wondered during her early twenties. She wasn’t sure where she was headed, but she was praying to be of service to humanity.

Growing up in a Christian family, I had lots of questions. I thought deeply about God and existence.

As a child, I loved learning Bible stories, especially the stories about Jesus. I loved the way God answered the requests of the prophets and those of Christ Jesus.

The work of Jesus and the reports of healing in the Bible have been an inspiration to me for as long as I can remember. I was first introduced to Christian Science as a teenager and I witnessed wonderful healings through Christian Science.

In my early teens I devoted myself to God and a Christian way of life. My dad’s deep desire to understand God encouraged me to search for answers regardless of denomination, and this led me to Christian Science in my late twenties.

My parents found Christian Science before I was ten, and our family had healings of an ulcer, smoking, and a serious foot wound in the first year.  More followed, and so did my interest in Science—through Sunday School, then college.  It was a yearning to understand the “how” as well as the “what” that then led to class instruction in London, and a desire for the public practice.  After a stint in graduate school for theatre, I knew it wasn’t in me to pursue acting.  Instead, prayer opened the way for tour-guiding at The Mother Church and selling advertising for The Christian Science Monitor , followed by a decade of editorial work on The Christian Science Journal, Sentinel , and Heralds . I began receiving requests for help through prayer as I became active in a branch church, and started writing for the periodicals. The Boston area became my home, and I later worked in the Committee on Publication, on Mother Church Annual Meetings, Mother Church Local Activities, The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, and Reading Room Communications, as well as traveling for the Church. A part-time summer job had morphed into 25 years of spiritual adventure! I began Journal -advertising in 2005 and by 2009, felt God-assigned to Buffalo, New York, near where I was born. Several months later came Normal class. Class instruction and Association are held in this storied city where Christian Science has had a presence for more than 120 years. And the best is on the horizon!

When I took Christian Science Primary class instruction in my twenties, I found that the teachings were relevant to me as a tertiary student, young wife, mother of four children­, traveller and thinker. They also enhanced and steadied my life and work in Australia, England and Malaysia. Today, living in an environment of cultural, political, health and climate challenges, I find reassurance in this counsel from Mary Baker Eddy: ‘We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things’ ( Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures ).

Christian Science has been the bedrock of my life since childhood. My mother was introduced to Christian Science before I was born and through her dedication to its teachings our family witnessed many healings. My spiritual education began with attendance at Sunday School and has continued through membership in branch churches. This membership has been an invaluable guide on my spiritual journey, as it has provided me with opportunities to learn and grow as a Christian Scientist.

I am a South African and come from a long line of family committed to the rights of man – based on a spiritual foundation. Throughout my life I have experienced evidence of God’s protecting and healing power in that I never missed a day of my schooling or business career due to illness. I was able to assist my fellow pupils and corporate colleagues to experience the presence of the Christ in many different situations.

Deborah grew up in a Christian Science family where spiritual healing was considered just the normal way of handling life’s problems, including illness. Over the years she witnessed her parents quickly heal many childhood diseases and even the effects of accidents and illness in their pets.