Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

The biography, Mother Teresa, by Amy Ruth is the life story of one woman’s determination to serve God. She did this by teaching, caring for the poor and nursing the sick. Mother Teresa was a heroine because she dedicated her life to serving the less fortunate.

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha(GOHN-jeh) Bojaxhiu (bo-ya-jee) on August 26, 1910 in Skopje(SKOP-yay), Macedonia. She had a loving family. Her mother, Dranafile, was a very religious woman who told Agnes that, “serving the poor was a way to serve God.”Her father Nikola, owned a construction company and imported luxury foods. He too was a religious and generous man who gave money to the poor. Agnes also had a sister, Age(AH-geh) and a brother, Lazar. The Bojaxhiu family was well off by local standards.

As a young girl Agnes believed she had a calling from God. She understood that her role was to minister to the poor. She faced difficult choices on her way to becoming a nun and a servant to God. The first of these was leaving her family and the comforts of her home. She also had to give up any thoughts of marrying and having children. Agnes finally accepted the choice of becoming a nun. After years of work and study, Agnes took her vows and adopted a new name, Sister Teresa, after the patron saint of missions, Theresa of Lisieux. During her work as a nun she had another “calling” from God. She believed she was ordered to leave her convent and help the poor and live among them. Sister Teresa faced the obstacle of fear among the people she helped. Many believed she wanted them to become Christians. Some even threw stones at her. Through this challenge Sister Teresa remained determined to continue with her efforts. Later in her life she was able to raise money for her increasing works by persuading, begging and using the press to her advantage.

When Sister Teresa was 40 years old the pope approved a new order called the Missionaries of Charity with Sister Teresa as mother superior. She then became Mother Teresa as she is commonly known today. Her persistence in forming the mission helped to better serve the poor and to persuade others to recognize and help the poor as well. Mother Teresa’s compassion led her to bathe the poor, nurse the lepers and house the orphans. Her selfless ways of caring for others more than for her self changed the lives of many people in India and eventually around the world.

Mother Teresa made many lasting contributions. There are thousands of Missionaries of Charity nuns and more than 550 centers in 126 countries because of her. She set up schools, orphanages, and medical clinics. Mother Teresa brought worldwide attention to the lives of the poor.

Mother Teresa died on September 6, 1997. She dedicated her whole life to serving the poor even through challenges and obstacles. She improved the lives of many. Mother Teresa was a small but powerful woman. She proved that the power of love can change millions of peoples lives and inspire the world. That is why Mother Teresa is a hero.