Jan. 21–27, 2008 “Change your thought to change your world” originally appeared in the May 2007 Journal and was titled: “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”
On Saturday, February 10, a sunny winter day in New Haven, Connecticut, the Christian Science Organization at Yale University hosted an intimate and thought-provoking regional “Global Awareness” conference for members of Christian Science Organizations (CSOs) at college and university campuses from New England. The Journal asked Yale student Inge Schmidt, an organizer of the conference and the CSO contact for the university, to share how the conference began and the events of the day.
by Leslie - Adapted from the
Christian Science Sentinel, April 24, 2006
Love is universal
Last year when I was a junior in high school, I heard about a program called “Experiment in International Living.” This sounded really interesting to me. Pretty soon I was preparing for a five-week summer trip to Botswana, in southern Africa. Here are some reflections from my travel journal:
Day 3
After traveling for two days from Boston, Massachusetts, I’m finally in Botswana with the rest of our group—17 students and two leaders. We spent the first three days at a nature reserve so we could rest and get to know each other. I’ve met some pretty cool people so far. I’m excited about this whole experience but I’m also a little apprehensive. I’ll be living with a family in a village called Oodi for the next two weeks. My days will be spent taking classes in their main language, Setswana, as well as helping teach math in the local schools, and touring the community. (more…)
Rosie - The Christian Science Sentinel, Dec. 11, 2006
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to pray for the world.
With the various disruptive events on our planet, I have tried to focus on the good, and understand more of the nature of God’s government. But I keep coming back again and again to one question—how can I pray for someone, something, halfway across the world, and know whether my prayers are actually helping?
Earlier this year, I helped form an online forum for teenagers around the world who share a common interest in a certain Japanese animation series. A few weeks ago, one of the Indonesian members posted a message saying that a close friend of hers had been hit in the face with a soccer ball while wearing glasses. She asked us to please pray for her friend. (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…)
By Patricia Myers - Christian Science Sentinel, June 12, 2006
My parents joke that our home is a kind of United Nations/Holiday Inn. That’s because since I was four years old, my family has hosted exchange students. You might say it’s become a way of life for me—and it hasn’t just been about sharing my house, my parents, and two older sisters (not to mention my snakes, geckos, tarantula, two dogs, and two cats), but seeing the world as an extension of my family. We’ve been home to exchange students from countries like Spain, Italy, Thailand, Argentina, Denmark, Belarus, and Azerbaijan over the past 14 years.
One of the really cool advantages of this is that I feel as if I have brothers and sisters all over the world now. Even my really good friends at school here in Tennessee are all foreigners—one of my best friends, Sonja, is from Bosnia; and another good friend, Meng Meng, came here from China.
Last year, I finally had the opportunity to be an exchange student myself. I spent my junior year of high school in the small town of Anton, Panama. I have to be honest; my Spanish was pretty much a joke before I went on this trip. I mean, I’d taken two unserious years of Spanish in high school, but the extent of my vocabulary was limited to hola and si. That had to change—and fast!
By Newton Lubuya - The Christian Science Journal, April 2006
Change is good. And coming to the United States from Kenya was a big change for me. I’d never been outside of Kenya before. You know, you have this huge picture of America in your mind from the movies, and when I arrived in the Midwest I thought, Wow! This is different.
I’ve been here for the past seven months as a freshman at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, and I love it—every day is a new experience for me.
I’ve been studying Christian Science for the past five years. My uncle, who is a Christian Science practitioner in Nairobi, was my inspiration. I lived with him for a year and a half, and during that time I watched him get up early every day, reading and studying this book, Science and Health. I saw how he worked and how he healed. Nothing got him down.
If I was worried about money, he would say, No, Newton. God is our great provider. He will always supply your needs.
And what about career? No, Newton. God guides your career. He will show you the way.
This man knew who God is. He spoke lovingly and understandingly, and I liked his God. He taught me that spirituality is a discipline. It’s a way of thinking and living that blesses everyone.
Patrick Essobo
Reprinted from the January 16, 2006 issue of the CS Sentinel.
In Cameroon, where there are more than 200 tribes, this prayerful man is learning to live in harmony with his neighbors by applying ideas he finds in the Bible and Science and Health…
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