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I relied on prayer to get to Lisbon in time for the workshop there, working around flights that were canceled due to the volcanoes in Iceland. These workshops in twelve countries have not been stopped by volcanoes or earthquakes.

In these events Alessandra and I always talk about how taking Christian Science class instruction is an excellent way to prepare to be a Christian Science practitioner or nurse. What is class instruction? It’s a one-time intensive two-week course that prepares people to practice Christian Science to help others (and of course, themselves) through prayer. (more…)

I was raised in a very religious and loving Hindu family in India. Prayer has always been a part of my life, but I thought prayer mostly involved doing things such as fasting, chanting, worshipping idols, and making pilgrimages to certain religious sites. As for God, I used to think that He was not fair to everyone and that He blessed some people while punishing others. (more…)

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When I studied in Argentina on a university scholarship in 1983, I visited much of that country. From the Andean Altiplano cities of Salta and Jujuy to the subtropical jungle of Misiones where the panoramic Iguazu Falls straddles Argentina and Brazil (upon seeing Iguazu, Eleanor Roosevelt is said to have remarked “Poor Niagara”) to the alpine setting of San Carlos de Bariloche, approaching the southern tip of the continent, to the jaw-dropping, block-wide boulevard of 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires, a cultural giant of a city that sizzles with pizzaz like a steak on an Argentine parrilla. (more…)

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Arequipa, Perú is a tourist’s dream—Colca Canyon (more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon), Lake Titicaca (a lake on the top of the world), Machu Picchu—all easily accessible, as well as active volcanoes and renowned cuisine. But is it a good place to practice Christian Science nursing? One of the women who talked to me after the workshop on Christian Science nursing and the public practice seemed to think that it might be. (more…)

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Bogotá, Colombia has many theaters, art galleries, libraries and book stores. It also leads in urban transportation with the surface hop-on hop-off train, the Transmilenio, running right down the middle of major streets and with some 300 kilometers (about 200 miles) of bike paths. Colombians recognize that education and the arts are key to having an informed, thinking population that categorically rejects the aberrations of drug-trafficking and violence. (more…)

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How much does it cost to fill your car’s gas tank in Venezuela? a) $20 to $30 U.S.; b) $10 to $20 U.S. ; c) $5 to $10 U.S.; or d) $1 to $2 U.S.? See the end of this blog for the answer.

Of course, Venezuela has more to offer than a lot of oil. It also has the four-stringed musical instrument called the cuatro, at least one type of harp used mostly for folk music (of which I heard a virtuoso player several years ago in Boston), and arepas—a kind of unleavened, pancake-like bread made with cornmeal, filled with cheese or other ingredients. In Caracas, you even see restaurants called areparías that specialize in arepas. (more…)

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For anyone interested in history, Quito, Ecuador is fascinating. Colonial Spanish buildings covering 320 hectares (about 791 acres) make it the largest historic center in Latin America. It’s also the best preserved.

In Quito we had a workshop with two sisters who are pursuing the public practice. They wanted to understand better what it means to list their names in The Herald of Christian Science magazine. It proved to be stimulating and inspiring. We also had another session especially for those thinking for the first time of the public practice and of Christian Science nursing as possible professions. One of the participants, a man who recently found Christian Science, asked this question: “As I understand it, Spirit, God, is constantly lifting us up, while animal magnetism would seem to be constantly pulling us down. What’s the origin of animal magnetism?” (more…)

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This blog is coming to you from an Airbus A320 somewhere between Costa Rica and Quito, Ecuador. And I have to tell you that in our 45-minute stopover in the San José airport in Costa Rica, flying from Mexico City to today’s destination of Quito, I saw neither a resplendent quetzal nor a three-toed sloth, must-sees in Costa Rica. But what I did see in the workshops on the public practice of Christian Science and Christian Science nursing that my friend, Alessandra and I conducted in Guadalajara and Mexico City was even better—a spiritual hunger to understand how to help others through prayer. (more…)

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My friend, (Alessandra Colombini of São Paulo, Brazil) and I are just starting one…a two-and-a-half-month tour of ten Latin American countries, Portugal and Angola. We’re giving workshops on the public practice of Christian Science and on Christian Science nursing.

So, from the waiting area of the Havanna airport, having just finished a delightful week in Cuba, let me first make sure everybody understands what we’re talking about. The public practice of Christian Science is shorthand for praying for others by applying Christian Science. In particular it means having such an active practice of such prayer that your name is accepted for publication in The Christian Science Journal (and listed at http://www.spirituality.com/journal/directory.jhtml). (more…)

Last summer, I got the opportunity to work in the vast landscape of Alaska.

My uncle had offered two of my cousins and me a job constructing a cabin on a speck of land about two hours north of Anchorage. During my stay, there were many instances where I felt completely protected by God’s unrelenting care. We were able to complete several projects efficiently. Also, the support I felt from my entire extended family reflected the joy and love that radiate from God. (more…)