My husband and I have been in Scientology since 1975. Of course he wasn't my husband at the time - I wasn't even sure if we were going to make it together as a couple! I wanted to get married and have a family and he didn't. We had both been involved with drugs since high school. In fact at one time we both thought we could actually reach some higher awareness through drugs. Things were really going down hill for us and to make matters worse I got pregnant and decided to have an abortion. I wasn't getting any of the things that I wanted out of life and it was pretty grim.

      One day I got a flyer to attend a free lecture at a mission in Berkeley - so what the heck I went. Here was this guy and he's talking about the mind, the body and the spirit. Well it blew me away. I guess I always knew down deep inside that there was some answers in life, I just didn't know where to look for them. When I was younger I belonged to a terrific Church group. But as I got older I didn't feel like my questions were getting answered, too much was based on belief. So anyway I signed up for a class at the Church of Scientology. The first thing they told me was no drugs. No problem there, I was more than happy to leave that behind. I got Barry to take a class with me. Then the changes started to happen, I can't say it was always easy because it wasn't. One of the first things I had to learn was how to be a student and how to study. My education was not the best, in fact it was terrible - I only did enough to get by. Reading and spelling were always hard for me. I wasn't taught phonics in school, only the "Look-See" method. My lack of education was actually ruining my life. The study class that I took at the Church taught me that I could learn any subject I put my mind to and believe me this was not a small matter. Another class I took taught me how to communicate and confront the things that life brought my way.

      I was ready to take on my next biggest obstacle - my relationship with Barry. Scientology helped me to reach a point in my life where I knew what I wanted and I wasn't afraid to ask for it. I decided that if Barry didn't want to get married and have a family - well then I needed to look for someone else. I wasn't sad about it or angry or upset in anyway. I was comfortable with my decision. Barry must have had an inkling that the tides were turning, because when I told him what I had in mind - he just said yes, we should get married. Well Barry and I are still together, we've been married for 21 years and have 2 teenagers. We love each other and respect each other. I have a better understanding of all religions and support them whole-heartily. I was once listening to this lady who belonged to a Christian Church back East. She had just gotten involved with Dianetics and it was really helping her life. What she said was "how can you have Christ in your heart when the Devil is in your head?" I have never heard it put better.

     Christina Younkers