Burien outreach with healing church service
By Bella Sison
Izzy and I traveled to Burien on Wednesday, June 7, via the light rail. However, this wasn't a normal day of outreach - we had a guide! Merry Ann Peterson, a Christian Science practitioner who is currently Second Reader at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Burien, volunteered to drive us around all day so we could reach the spread-out businesses of Burien that we would not have been able to walk to during a single day. We started out with lunch at the local restaurant Wally's. Izzy was especially excited to spend time with Merry Ann after working with her last year.
After lunch, Merry Ann drove us around to several outdoor malls and rows of businesses so we could visit them. We had some lovely interactions with people, and we distributed copies of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly to businesses like restaurants, nail salons, a Starbucks, a yarn shop, and several laundromats.
Towards the end of the day, I gave the worker at a restaurant some free copies, and he jokingly asked if we'd be offering more the next day. In response, I told him about our gift subscription program to receive a free copy each week, and he was happy to accept! This was extra exciting for us since the team was not able to place any subscriptions in Burien last year.
After we finished distributing our Monitors, Merry Ann took us to a lovely beach area where we were able to look out over Puget Sound. We spent some time on the beach, then went for a walk through a wooded area near the water. I loved getting to see the natural paths and the beautiful oceanfront houses we passed.
We stopped for dinner and then headed over to First Church of Christ, Scientist, Burien, to get ready for the Wednesday evening service. At this point, I began struggling with a sudden physical issue, and I was not sure if I would be well enough to attend the service.
I prayed about it and felt that it would be uplifting for me to attend, so I did. During the service, I was still struggling, but I prayed to know that my health is spiritual and consistent, and Izzy was also praying for me. I was initially disappointed because I had wanted to share during the testimony section but felt physically unable to; however, I prayed about this and received the comforting thought that I was able to contribute meaningfully to the meeting through my uplifted thought, even if I was not sharing out loud. Izzy and several others also shared helpful testimonies, which I appreciated greatly. By the end of the meeting, I was feeling much better! I was able to walk around and meet several of the church members, which was a wonderful experience. It was truly lovely to be able to attend, and this experience reemphasized my knowledge of how Christian Science church services are truly healing services!
