The Practitioner Corner: Triumph Over the Mountains and through Childbirth

By Ali Ziesler, C.S.

I was raised in Christian Science, attending Sunday School regularly and using Christian Science in my daily life for healing, uplift, and instruction. Still, it was at Sky Valley Ranch, facing a rock climb, where I realized why that Sunday School stuff mattered.

That wall of rock was terrifying. I had to pray! I got to use the things I learned in Sunday School! And I did make it to the top! I still remember how hard my leg was shaking as it searched for its home in a crack that the voices of fellow counselors, campers, and God helped me find.

Finding a home 

Christian Science teaches us that home is our consciousness. I have spent most of my life trying to find comfort. I built a cabin, a cottage, redecorated my main home, changed cars, clothes, and hairstyles, and traveled to countless countries. 

Through each adventure, I had a humble lesson that I needed to make my own thought a place where I wanted to live. I couldn’t travel away from it, so I was going to have to make it kinder. 

Adventure Unlimited taught me what it felt like to be supported, loved, guided, challenged, and valued. This was a taste of the mental environment I wanted to create for myself.

Reminders from camp that all things are possible to God

When I faced a particular challenge of homebirth for my first child, I again sought the strength I felt at camp. Not only was I incredulous as to how the birth would take place, but a medical professional had also told me that I would never be able to give birth naturally because my hips were too narrow. 

Camp had presented me with many seemingly impossible physical challenges – namely, climbing 14,000-foot peaks! And I have climbed at least seven of them! I knew that my small frame may not be built for that either, but I decided to tackle my lack of confidence and the material suggestion in front of me.

Sitting in my apartment, I wrote on giant sticky paper a list of things that I had accomplished and was proud of. The top of my list was climbing those Collegiate Peaks: Mount Columbia, Mount Harvard, Mount Yale, Mount Oxford, Mount Belford, La Plata Peak, and Mount Huron. During the hours of labor, I looked at that list and recalled the feeling of glory standing atop a mountain. The birth took immense effort, but happened naturally.

Now, I have three natural home births under my belt! I thank God, camp, the A/U Ranches staff, and the Christ that is talking to me, children at camp, and everyone.

Blessing for all time

The Christ is always present, giving us right direction, and we learn about the Christ in our weekly Christian Science Bible Lessons. These are intended to bless “all ages, past, present, and future” (Explanatory Note from the Christian Science Quarterly). The spiritualization of our own thought and the effect of that spiritualization is felt by all ages, past, present, and future. 

The work that participants are doing through Adventure Unlimited programs can be put in that same framework. Each day, each challenge overcome, each instance of support harvests fruit of ages past, grows roots in ages present, and plants seeds for future ages.

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. – Eph. 5:9, 10