The Great Provider

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.

So I began reading Science and Health and began attending his church, First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Nairobi, where he was a Reader. And I didn’t waste any time—I became a member right away and began serving in the local Christian Science Reading Room.

I’ve had so many healings in Christian Science. As a teenager, before I began studying Christian Science, I worried about so many things—things my uncle was showing me were all in God’s hands. I worried about school, career, my future. I wanted to achieve a lot of things in life. As a result, I suffered from stomach ulcers, and I was often in pain. But when I began studying Science and Health, I learned about the allness of God, and I stopped worrying about tomorrow. My tomorrow is in God’s hands. My today is God’s day. I was living in the now for the first time. And the ulcers just went away. I have not suffered stomach pain since.

There could have been a lot to worry about when I decided to go to school in the United States. But, again, I trusted God to unfold all the necessary steps. It’s not so easy in my country to get a visa to the US. I have friends who have returned again and again for a visa and have never been approved. It can be a very long process. Often, Kenyans leave the country and never come back home, so the government is very strict about issuing visas—especially to young people like myself. The government wants you to really prove that you’re coming back by providing them with many documents. They say if you have a big bank account it makes you look very stable at home, so you’ll want to return. But I had none of these things—I only had God.
My motive was pure—and I think motive is very important. I wanted to study and grow in Christian Science while I attended college—not to gain material things. Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health,

Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. &sub1;

So I gathered a few documents and went to apply for my visa. Why don’t you go to one of the many universities here in Kenya? the authorities asked me. I answered their question honestly, and they believed me.After only a few more questions, my visa was approved. I could hardly believe it. I was going to the United States! It was simple and uncomplicated—just the way God is.

Be still, and know that I am God. ²

This Bible verse means a lot to me. It is so powerful. God’s word is true. And I know whatever He has promised, He will fulfill.

1 Science and Health, p. 454. 2 Ps. 46:10.

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