Brazil is a mature, vibrant field relative to Christian Science. And the questions asked in the workshops held in four cities there reflected this. One of the questions in São Paulo was, how can you help a person through prayer if they’re receiving physiotherapy or another form of treatment? (more…)
The Concepción, Chile airport, from which I’m writing this, seems to have been barely damaged in the 8.8-on-the-Richter-scale earthquake of February 27. In Concepción we saw buildings not affected by the quake, structures destroyed, and buildings whose outside walls remained but whose inside walls had collapsed. We saw heaps of rubble outside of many of these latter buildings, a sign of reconstruction. Last night the government adjusted the curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 1 a.m., another step towards normalcy. (more…)
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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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…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
On a hot spring Saturday morning, more than 160 people gathered together for an all-day workshop, “The Christian Science Sunday School: Building on a Solid Foundation. “ It was held on a small army base less than a mile from the famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. Church members, Sunday School students, and their guests were joining together for a second time, following the Sunday School workshop that had taken place in Sao Paolo the year before. Like last year, attendees came from several different cities throughout Brazil. Some had driven up to six hours by bus from Sao Paolo while others had flown in from the southern city of Rio Grande do Sul. (more…)
Para un país relativamente pequeño, Uruguay tiene un movimiento fuerte de Ciencia Cristiana, que ha estado ya por muchas décadas. Tiene seis iglesias y una sociedad en la capital, Montevideo, y dos más en el interior. Dada las similitudes entre Uruguay y Argentina, así como el hecho que talleres de Escuela Dominical y reuniones para la juventud se llevaron a cabo en ambos países, cubriremos ambos países aquí. (more…)
For a relatively small country, Uruguay has a strong Christian Science movement, which has been active for many decades. It has six churches and a society in the capital of Montevideo, plus two more in nearby states. Because of the similarities between Uruguay and Argentina, as well as the fact that Sunday School workshops and youth meetings were held in both countries, we’re covering both here. (more…)
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