OCR Document

JUNE 2008 LACKLAND MINISTRY REPORT

During the month of June, we have had airman basics coming to us from Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and allover the states. Most are so surprised that we have a Christian Science Sunday School and Church service on the base, and most of them are more surprised to find that it has nothing to do with Scientology! As they find out that it is most probably the farthest system from Scientology, or any other isms, they come back the next Sunday and stay with us right on through, as the following proves:

Ryder Stevens, Christian Science lecturer, sent a young man from his home town to us and had E-Mailed me the week before that I could expect him in a few days. This past Sunday, Father's Day, Cody showed up with some friends and was surprised to have so many trainees his age in Sunday School and church at 8:00 in the morning! I plan to make him my assistant while he is here along with another young man from Arizona who is a great support to our mission. Interesting how a peer can tell his friends what his religion has done for him, and they almost stand in awe as they learn from their own.

Remember, I am sending several great new members to your branch churches, so prepare your thoughts for them! Don't even think about closing a branch church, think about enlarging it!

During our early part of the study, we are learning the history and structure of the King James Version of the Holy Bible and its being tediously constructed during the early years of King James, 1603 to 1611 when it was first published to be the one and only Bible to be used in the desk of the English churches at that time.

The students love finding the Scriptural passages found in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. They have found a new way to love the Lord's Prayer with its spiritual interpretation found in Matthew, chapter six, KJV of the Bible, and the textbook. Most have been using the prayer from a revised version and there is a wonderful quietness comes over the group when we do this each Sunday.

One Airman who has just graduated paid us a visit to tell us that he is so inspired to be working as a chaplain's assistant at the Base Chapel, and is already getting a feeling of

what he will be doing once he goes to Chaplain's School to become an Air Force chaplain. The other young men and women are so proud of him and it is giving them a new perspective on life when the world keeps telling them what a bad state they are in. Not on my watch! Not in my service, and certainly not any of my students!

Another graduate came to me to see if I could perform the wedding service for his fiancé and himself. He had brought her to visit our services, gave her a textbook, and both are so in love with Christian Science that they also thought it would be great to have me do their service. It gave me an opportunity to show him what our faithful Manual covers about State ceremonies; he understood perfectly, and then we worked out other plans for them that meets both their desires. This is coming from a mild, meek young man who came to

me several weeks ago asking me what the difference was between Christian Science and other denomination practices. He loves what Science is teaching and had several healings while in Sunday School. His mother had E-Mailed me the most beautiful E-Mail you ever read about how she was crying for joy that he had found what he seemed to always be seeking. See why we are there? See why I need your support and love for this country and the healing it has to take out into the entire world. We are doing it at Lackland!

Sunday was most special being Father's Day and we kicked it up a notch and did it from a spiritual understanding of the Father-Mother God. One young basic took a notepad and pen and penned the following, heartfelt poem as he felt God's special power taking care of his young family back home and he gave me permission to share this with you;

WARRIOR, AIRMAN, FATHER

By an Airman Basic, Lackland Air Force Base,

During Sunday School and church, Sunday, June 15, 2008

I could get sent into battle or go into war,

It will take everything I have just to step out that door.

Inside that door I leave my daughter and wife,

For them I would do anything even endanger my life.

I put on my uniform and lace up my boots,

Lock and load my weapon and prepare to shoot.

Bombs are exploding and bullets go whizzing by;

But all I can think about is that look in my daughter's eyes.

When daddy comes back home standing tall and true,

Thinking to himself" If only they knew"

"Everything I did was to make their life whole,

And how I love them with all my heart and Soul"

Then I look down for one second and I know it's all true;

Because my daughter says to me; "Happy Father's Day, daddy. I love you."

Okay! It is perfectly normal to shed a few tears as we feel the love of this young man and also see his love of country, of the Christ, and what he is learning at Lackland Air Force Base. We will: "Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good". S&H 393

Christian Science minister, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

SEPTEMBER LACKLAND MINISTRY REPORT 2008

We have a problem at Lackland Air Force Base in finding enough time to do the entire Lesson. Maybe you can help us with this. We have so many trainees raising their hands and asking if they can tell about a healing they have had in the past few days, that we have to rush to finish the Lesson. Isn't that a strange problem to have with today's news!

Parents attending last Sunday were most amazed at testimonies coming from the eighteen year olds about healings through Science and prayer that they had just witnessed. One father came to me after the service asking me to "Please, keep doing what you are doing here. This is what our young people need, and it is wonderful." He and his wife took a textbook and a copy of the August Fulltext to read on the way home.

Proof positive! On August 10, 2008, one trainee told our Sunday School class that he had a knee that was sprained and the pain was terrible when he tried to march. His TI sent him back to the squadron to rest and that he would probably send him to the medics the next day. The trainee started thinking of the healings he hears about every week in our service, took the textbook along with his notes from class, and in two hours was healed.

His TI did not believe it, because the swelling had completely gone. After waiting until the next day, he made the decision that the trainee was well and did not need to go to the medic. The trainee was thrilled.

On August 17, 2008, an airman who had just graduated the Friday before, had had a strained knee also and was scheduled to be put back about two weeks and would not graduate with his flight.

He, also, remembered our teachings and how he had progressed from a R.C. background through several other religious beliefs and then-here at Lackland AFB- found this healing practice of Christianity. While studying the textbook and reading his beloved King James Version of the Bible, he was healed in two days, checked out by the medics, and graduated with his flight. He helped me read the Lesson with big tears in his eyes as he prepared to leave us for his next assignment.

One mother told me that all her son tells them about is what he is learning in church at Lackland and that he had learned to love being in the Air Force, had a completely new view of America, and feeling bright about the future. She said that she could not even get him up by 8:00 am let alone him being up and in church by 7:30 am at LackIand.

2008 Austin-area Institutional Committee Report

Third Church, Austin, TX

This is from a new chaplain worker at Gardner-Betts Juvenile Facility in Austin:

My first time on my own I had 3 entirely different experiences.

There was a girl that wanted church and we talked. It was her birthday and I gave her a Bible and said this was the best birthday present that she could ever receive and that God had not forgotten. She was uplifted. I got the Bible and Science and Health from that book shelf outside their rooms.

Then I went to the other girl's room and there were two girls there and they were silly and fun. We laughed and the guard didn't mind as I think he knows it is too hard a place. So in the spirit of the Christ's love and joy we chuckled and prayed. Then I went to the boys area and there were 8 of them all wanting to be in church. And I was taken aback as I do like small one on one's better. But God is trying to teach me how to do this. The men were good and kind and respectful and learning. The dear man we saw two weeks ago that shared how many years he's to be sentenced was there and he was looking calmer. I didn't go into it with him as there were so many others. And we only had 10 minutes.

The next time I went one of the girls was deaf and I was able to show her the healing of deafness in the Fruitage section of the Science and Health.

I love it and am so grateful for God that I was accepted to do this and for my subbing background with children.

From a chaplain going there for about 1 year:

I have found that the young people I have prayed with and taught at the facility become more relaxed and peaceful as we talk over ideas that come to us. They seem to feel the Christ presence and it seems like they yield to this truth of their innocence, obedience, lovable nature and purity that they have always known. I often find that something I found to be important in my prayers earlier that day comes to thought as I am working with the young people. Other times, something they say brings a healing idea to my thought Whatever the impact on these young people, and I do think it is a profound healing influence that we don't see in action while we are with them, I feel very blessed and humbled to be able to witness the healing message of Christian Science and to learn alongside these children.

This is from a 16 year volunteer:

How to see and value your students at the Institutional Services

Recently one of the guards approached me and asked why my inmates were so polite and respectful during my classes. He said they were not at all that way with him or his fellow guards. I just took this as a compliment and then spent some time considering what I do and think before each session for the last 16 years serving as a chaplain. One of the first things I realize is that the kids (not inmates) have a choice of whether or not to attend a church service. They can play games, watch T.V., read, or just nap. This means that they all were moved by on angel message and awakened to what I call a deliverance faith. The next rule I stick to is to never ask or discuss "with anyone why the particular kids are there. I hear other groups sitting around discussing in turn what each inmate did and how long he is in for. This is copied after say AA meetings where the person's first step is to acknowledge publicly that he is an alcoholic. While this may be appropriate in some circumstances (I am not really convinced there either), it surely is counter productive.

The passage that is my true guideline is from Science and Health pages 476, "Jesus beheld in science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Savior saw God's own likeness and this correct view of man healed the sick." This is absolutely crystal clear on how we should see the kids. The other idea that helps is that we are not taking Christian Science into a jail that legally has to put up with just one more church group. The institution is a safe haven for the kids. They are clothed, fed, have school classes, entertained, protected from abusive gang members or parents, and have an outstanding staff that mentors them, in other words, Love's Arena. So love is taking me into Love's Arena. This gets me or any of my religious opinions or prejudices out of the way for a positive flow of solely harmonious ideas to establish the Christ like perfect idea of God's children.

From the committee chair:

Several years ago, one of the committee members cleared to visit Travis County Correctional Complex for adults, was given a request to visit a male there. The mother has reported to her friend that her son is doing very well now, has turned his life around and has a responsible job and is very happy. She attributes his turn around to his visit. We now can only visit with inmates who registered as Christian Scientists when they entered the facility so no visits have been mode in several years. Current literature is placed in the bookcase which is available for all who enter the chapel. Occasionally literature is missing so we know it is being used.

At Gardner-Betts, our church has sponsored yearly lectures for the children. These take place on a Friday night which is for Christian Science and many children attend. We get permission from the chaplain, have posters made for each unit and they are encouraged to attend by the chaplain and guards. To attend, they have to be on very good behavior and earn the privilege for that evening. The Friday after the lecture is always gratifying because the children who attended give their thanks by sharing what they learned, with the others and the volunteers. As they share these ideas with the rest of the group, we can odd to their sharing with examples of our own. The interaction is exciting and fun - then we get to share this with our church.

Another chaplain there said that she sews the Sentinels together for the children which encouraged me to do the same thing. The girls and boys are so impressed that we "sewed these for them" - they feel so loved. On the bottom of the covers, we place labels which have the church information and "Testimonies of Healing" on the Sentinel Radio and Spanish Herald Radio. The guards allow them to take a Bible and 1 pamphlet into their rooms at night so they're most grateful for them. This is information they can use once they leave the facility.

Many of these children have never heard that "God is Love" and that He/She loves each of them unconditionally. Often I see tears when sharing this. Two boys asked me if they were going to "hell" because they had tattoos and had been told this by other groups. They started crying when I told them that God is of purer eyes than to behold evil and sees them as His perfect children, made in His image and likeness. Several weeks later I mentioned this to the facility chaplain - he said he wished I had the names of the boys since anyone telling them they were going to hell was not welcomed there. When I leave the children, I feel so spiritually uplifted - what a blessing!

April 14, 2008

I came to prison in 1988 with a 75 year crime of passion murder charge. My life was at the end or as low as one can hit bottom in this world. In 1989 I gave my life to Jesus Christ when I felt a spirit move me like no other feeling in my life.

Also, in 1989 I found from the Unit Chaplain that there was a Christian Science Bible study. The Bible study had a man from Fairfield drive down to Huntsville to teach the Weekly Bible lesson. His name was Ted Spalding and 2 other inmates attending the lesson. I felt at home as my grandfather used to take me to Sunday school in St. Louis, Missouri. My grandfather was from Germany and worked at Principia High School. I believe his influence made the difference on my choice of joining the Mother Church in Boston Massachusetts in 1996.

I have been in the Huntsville (WALLS) unit for 20 years and seen our Weekly Bible study group grow to as many as 16 inmates. I am very grateful for the help of the Christian Science Institutional Committee work in Texas and the Reading Room too! They have helped support our Bible study group with Bibles, and Science and Health books. Additionally, The Mother Church provided The Journal, Sentinel and Monitor.

My Aunt and Uncle in Springfield, Missouri are members of Christian Science and have been a good influence in helping me in my walk in understanding of Gods word and the key to Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

I have had many testimonies during my life in prison during my 20 years of incarceration. I have felt better spiritually, mentally and physically in my walk with Christ Jesus. I still have a lot to learn in my Christian walk but I try to share Gods love and healing with others in prison.

I have finally found peace of mind, repentance and forgiveness for my sin. Plus I am ready whenever the day comes to receive Gods eternal life in Heaven. So I look forward to Gods many blessings while on earth and eternal life. As in Jeremiah 29:11-14 said that God has a plan for me.

For a few months, I had felt a pain on my right side that would bother me from time to time. I never had the time to pay much attention, so I did nothing about it.

I live at a facility that requires periodic checkups, so when I had a physical exam done, I was informed I had a tumor on my right ovary. I still did not think much of it, but was required to have an exam that would tell the doctor exactly what she was looking at. They performed three different sonograms about one month apart, all confirming what the doctor had said and that the tumor was growing rapidly.

Although, I had only begun studying Christian Science one year prior to this diagnosis, I had already had several healings. I started praying, and also asked a Christian Science Practitioner to help me pray. She was very reassuring and told me the tumor could not be a part of me because God created me perfect and in His own image. She asked me to work with hymn No. 138 from the Christian Science Hymnal, which begins "I walk with Love along the way." I felt so comforted and buoyed by her words and the hymn, that whatever fear or doubt I had left immediately.

In the meantime, the doctor ordered that I see a surgeon that would explain what the tests indicated. I already knew I would not have the surgery and that I would turn to prayer for any healing required. When the time came tor me to see the surgeon, I was very calm and at peace. I went for my appointment, but since I was going to have to wait in the waiting room for the surgeon for a while, I carried my Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, with me.

The surgeon began the visit by telling me that in all likelihood, I had ovarian cancer. His reasoning was that at my age, a tumor on an ovary almost always indicates ovarian cancer; especially at the rate this one was growing. He kept talking for quite a while. I listened without asking questions and feeling totally at peace, and mentally reciting hymn No. 138. When he finished talking, he examined me but could find no trace of a tumor. He said he wanted further testing and that he would order it immediately, still insisting on the urgency of the situation. He did tell me he could not understand what could have happened because he had three sonograms all confirming the existence of the tumor.

Before I walked out, he looked at my hands and at the Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures, which I still carried. He smiled, and said "I see." I then told him I didn't think he would find a tumor anymore, and he said he now understood why I was so calm. He continued to smile and said we should do the test just to make sure.

I continued praying and found that the pain I had been experiencing on my right side was no longer a problem. A couple of weeks later, I was given a test that would scan my body and tell them where, if any, there was any cancer. During the exam, I continued mentally singing hymn No. 138, and truly felt God's presence. A week later, I was told there was no cancer anywhere in my body, and that the tumor was still MIA. I was scheduled to see the surgeon one more time, but because they could not find anything wrong, they cancelled the next appointment.

This is only one of many healings I have had in the last six months. I am so grateful that I have found Christian Science. I know God is right here with me, right now, no matter where I am. I love knowing I am spiritual and that I am God's perfect creation.