Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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Mother Teresa of Calcutta

• Skopje, Macedonia
• 1910- 1997
• By Maeli G.

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How did it all start?

• Young Teresa was born to Albanian parents in
  Skopje, which was under the Ottoman empire.
• 5 children were born to Nicola and Dronda
  Bojaxhiu, but only 3 survived. Teresa was the
  youngest of these children.
• Her birth name was Agnes, but she changed it to
  Teresa, the patron saint of foreign missionaries.
• Her father was a major contractor and her mother
  was a stay-at-home mom.
• Her familys generosity towards the poor and less
  fortunate had a great impact on Teresa, and by
  age 12 she knew that her calling in life was
  aiding the poor.
• At the age of 18, she entered the order of the
  Sisters of our lady, located in Ireland.

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Hardships and Struggles

• Teresa had to help people no matter what, even if
  they were not grateful for her aid.
• Some of the people that she helped had contagious
  diseases and/or grotesque physical wounds, but
  she did not worry about herself.
• She had numerous health problems in her later
  days including a weak left ventricle and multiple
  heart failures.

Cartoon drawing of Teresa
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Contributions To The world!

• Mother Teresa started a home for the dying where
  people who were deathly ill could be cared for.
  On the first day, she found a woman literally
  half eaten by rats and bugs who had a high fever
  and was still alive! Since there was nothing
  else that could be done for the woman, Teresa
  took her in and bathed her and cared for her
  before she died.
• She started a home for babies who were abused or
  abandoned.
• She traveled all over the world helping people
  overcome poverty, hunger, and sickness and to
  provide encouragement.
• She put other people first. Sometimes, she
  herself was at risk from contagious disease or a
  dangerous place, but she didnt care.
• She was always ready to help someone forgive and
  love. One time, she was traveling and found a
  woman lying in a dumpster. She had a high fever
  and was near death. She said to Teresa, my son
  did this to me. It turns out that her son had
  not loved her and had broken her heart. Teresa
  told her to forgive her son and that he had done
  something at a time when he wasnt thinking.
  Finally, just before she died, the woman said
  that she forgave her son. She meant it. When she
  died, she was at peace.
• She won a Nobel Peace Prize for all her good work
  and help for people in need.

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Characteristics of Teresa!

• Leadership
• Compassion
• Integrity
• Service

• She began many organizations to help those in
  need like the baby shelter and the shelter for
  the dying.
• She gave love and care to everyone. She was
  always ready to give an unhappy child a hug.
• While many important people wanted to meet with
  her, she did not just spend time making friends
  with the powerful. She often worked 1 on 1 with
  normal people or those in need and she did what
  was right and fair.
• She did work like providing food, taking care of
  the sick, and tending the wounded. She did many
  dirty jobs that werent necessarily fun, but they
  helped others.

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Lessons weve learned!

• The people who are rich and famous arent
  always the best people. We must also recognize
  the poor and the needy. You shouldnt chose your
  friends by who is the richest or the coolest or
  who their parents are. Also, sometimes something
  very small can make a very BIG difference. When
  you give somebody a hug and friendship, that does
  just as much as a hundred dollars. It doesnt
  really matter what you give, but how you give it.