Women of Faith Use Religion to Help Others
Women of faith have brought much hope to those who have been poor, ill and unwanted. They have opened schools, feed those who had no food to eat, reassured those who lay dying, nursing back the ones that they could save and comforting the ones that had no hope. These many women have gained strength from their religious beliefs and used that to help them to withstand conditions that many others would find impossible to live in. They have used their beliefs to sustain them while they have fought battles to get others to believe that what they were trying to do was not for personal gain but to do their best to help those who could not help themselves.
One of the most well known of these women of faith was Mother Teresa. This woman became a nun at age eighteen in 1928. But it was in 1952 when she was forty-two that she realized that her true calling was to help those who were lying in the streets with no ability to get medical care; lying there dying. She got permission from the Pope to start a new order of nuns who were to be devoted to helping these people. This group became known as the Missionaries of Charity. A building was donated to this group in Calcutta and their work started. Since this order began they have taken in forty thousand street people. Half of them have passed away in warmth and comfort they would not have had. The others have been saved and been able to start again with jobs, a place to live and the hope of a new life. An orphanage was also begun by this order. Mother Teresa believed that this was her calling. She believed that this is what her faith told her she must dedicate her life to.
A story is told of the first recorded conversion of a woman to Christianity by missionaries. This was said to have occurred in the year fifty-three. Women of faith are known to have done many things to show their beliefs. This woman opened her home to others of the Christian faith. Lydia’s home became a meeting place for church members for many years to come.
Another woman whose faith led her to do the work she did was Henrietta Mears. This very religious woman began teaching Sunday school at the age of twelve. As the years went by she was offered the position of Director of Christian Education at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. Under her direction they grew from a good-sized group of four hundred students to over four thousand students in a mere two years. She believed it was important for her students to learn in a way that not only taught the Christian religion but educated, students about life based on their beliefs. This is why she eventually began her own publishing company to ensure that all students had this opportunity to learn with their religion. Like Henrietta, many women of faith have tried their best to follow their religious beliefs while helping others.
