James Shepherd - Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel, Feb. 5, 2007
This winter, blizzards have stranded travelers in airports, trapped motorists, and triggered at least one avalanche that buried cars on a Colorado roadway. The season has also proved fatal for several mountain climbers.
Technological advancements such as cellphones and global positioning satellites contribute to safe travel, adding to the successes of dedicated road crews and search and rescue teams. And reports of stranded motorists in my home state of Oregon prompted local TV and radio stations to broadcast safety tips. But not even all these tips, technologies, and heartfelt efforts guarantee our safety.
Avery (Poindexter) Sander - Adapted from The Christian Science Journal, July 2007.
About three years ago, I had the opportunity to backpack across a beautiful mountain range in New Mexico with six other young women at Philmont Scout Ranch. We had been grouped together for an expedition offered by Philmont through a unique Venture Scouting BSA (Boy Scouts of America) program. The motto: “Expect the unexpected.” We covered about 200 miles in 21 days, and our group got along fabulously. (more…)
Garrett Fielding - Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel, Oct. 9, 2007.
The bullying started with name-calling and basketball stealing on the courts at lunchtime. Then my group of fellow eighth-grade friends began picking on almost anyone from the lower grades who crossed their path.
I was disappointed my friends were making the basketball courts such a miserable place to be. And although I wasn’t participating in their bullying, I felt embarrassed to hang out with these guys. It seemed like they were copying a group of eighth graders from the year before who had also wanted to prove their “power” simply because of their age. Even though I didn’t want to lose my friends, separating myself from them for a while seemed like the right thing to do.
Melissa Lande - Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel,
March 12, 2007.
My favorite sport is snowboarding. I love to push the limits, learn new tricks, and overcome challenges.
A few years ago, I was a member of a competitive snowboarding team. My coach was helping a lot of my teammates do a new trick on what is called a “C Box”—it’s a narrow, raised platform that curves like the letter C. It has sharp edges, and to master the trick requires impeccable balance.
When I saw how difficult it would be, I felt very afraid. I pictured myself falling and getting hurt. Filled with fear, I sat and watched the others try it.
AFTER COLLEGE, my love of other cultures and my desire to make a difference in the world led me to join the Peace Corps. I was a bit of an idealist with an appetite for adventure. So I accepted a two-year assignment in Togo, West Africa, working for a girls’ education and empowerment program.
The day I and my Peace Corps friends arrived in Guérin-Kouka, Togo, with our girls for a program event, we could tell something was different. We immediately noticed the tension and nervous activity in the streets as we headed down to the hostel where we would stay.
Unbeknownst to us, a local man had been killed by a soldier the night before, and people wanted to retaliate. We passed by the soldier station where hundreds of people had gathered, demanding justice. The town was on the brink of erupting into chaos and violence. (more…)
Paul C. Benjamin Overri - The Christian Science Journal Dec. 2006
IMO State, Nigeria
In 1999, I began my first year at the University of Calabar in Nigeria. At that time cult practices were common in Nigerian universities, and the school I attended had the highest number of students who were involved in a variety of these cults. When the students in cults couldn’t resolve issues through dialogue with other students, they frequently resorted to killing. Because of the brutal killings that had occurred at my school, I was totally engulfed in fear. I felt like I wore fear as my daily uniform. I had been in school only two weeks when I witnessed the killing of a fellow student. Gradually I lost self-confidence, and everything around me felt chaotic.
Though my philosophy that nobody would think evil toward me because I don’t think evil of others gave me courage, I didn’t welcome the idea of looking my fellow students in the face, because I saw 80 percent of the male students as heartless mobsters. Out of fear, I stuck to a rigid daily routine of going from my hostel to the lecture room to the library and then back to the hostel. I felt like a man in bondage. (more…)
Chet Manchester - The Christian Science Journal Dec. 2006
As a college student, I traveled to Kenya for a study-abroad program that took me and about 20 other students to some of the most beautiful game parks in the world. Afterward, a friend and I set out on our own to meet the extraordinary African people themselves. We eventually found ourselves in a nearly deserted village by the shoreline of Lake Victoria. It was a gorgeous setting, and I was puzzled why so few people lived there. We soon learned that this region had been plagued by malaria, and many people had been forced to move away.
We’d been traveling through the general area for a few days, and I hadn’t given a second thought to the mosquitoes, but suddenly I felt in real danger. Many people who live or travel to Africa take malaria pills to protect themselves from the disease. These drugs are not totally effective, and because I’ve always relied on Christian Science for my health, I hadn’t considered using them. Prayer, as I’ve come to understand its depth and practicality through my study of the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy’s writings, has proved to be not just a wishing game, but a power that is immediately at hand and 100 percent effective. So, when I began to experience the symptoms of malaria during the next few days, it was natural for me to pray. (more…)
Christine Love - The Christian Science Sentinel, Oct. 23, 2006
During my junior year of college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Austria and Germany for ten weeks, taking classes and learning in a different environment. Right before that term began, I met a friend during spring break, and we set out to travel around Europe.
We started out in Italy, and then had to get up to Paris so that my friend could catch her plane to go home. We were supposed to take an overnight train from Florence to Paris, but we found out that the train was full and that our only other choice was to take a train that arrived in Paris at 11:30 at night. But because my friend needed to get to the airport, that’s what we had to do. (more…)
The Christian Science Sentinel May 15, 2006
Like many teenagers, Mark Evans has nonstop days. He’s an Eagle Scout, captain of his school’s academic team, a trombone player in the marching band, an athlete, and a straight-A student preparing for college next year. For fun? Video games, running on the beach, and hanging with his friends.
But despite his busy schedule, Mark makes time for prayer and studying Christian Science—a discipline he’s found to be key in his life. Mark took the time to chat with the Sentinel’s Ingrid Peschke about this on a recent Sunday afternoon. (more…)
Max Polatin - The Christian Science Journal, Aug. 2006
“No fear.” I once heard a skateboarder say that about me to another skater. I wanted to say to him, “Hey-I am afraid sometimes, but trusting God helps me overcome the fear.”
What I know about God is really essential in my skateboarding. I often do tricks that involve big jumps. This can be kinda scary. So while I set up for a trick I think, I know I can’t fall out of the arms of God. The Bible talks about God’s “outstretched arm” and “outstretched hand,” and I think of being in His hands at the spot where I’ll land. Then I just go for it. I really believe God is taking care of me. Sometimes everyone in the skate park stops to watch. I’ve been skateboarding since I was five, and I’ve become pretty good at it. (more…)
