I have already spoken of the immense poverty that is seen throughout the streets of Agra, but still I needed to see something even more breathtaking and satisfying as it was while visiting the Missionaries of Charity in Agra.
It was the March 19, 1949 when a young woman approached the Mother Teresa of Calcutta to ask him to accompany him in his arduous task of helping the needy in India. When Mother Teresa told him that it would be hard, she said recently, "I know, and I'm ready".
This girl, Agnes, was the first volunteer who was part of that great congregation are Missionaries of CharityFounded by Mother Teresa (Mother, as it is called in India, all are of the religion they are). From Calcutta, its first home, your work of love and devotion to others spread throughout the world, and now thanks to her, and supporting collaborations with his tremendous work, many poor people can find shelter and above all love.
That visit marked me, I have no doubt. I still remember when I left in there I felt immense shame myself. It's a feeling that I keep years later, so close to the skin, still shudder when I remember that place. I could not but think of how it was that there were people in the world living together in living conditions so small, and how having that, elsewhere in the world could be so good, and above complaining and wasting our lives in our own ambitions.
When we were taken inside the mission showed us the rooms where there seeking sleep shelters. Rooms for 10 or 15 people, whose only possessions are a bed, a table and a bowl in which each day will serve the food.
The rest depends entirely on what people give clothing, furniture, money.
Inhabit orphaned, abandoned, old, insane, lepers, the physically handicapped and women who have been disowned by their families.
Previously we bought candies and chocolates to give to children, and had caught many pens and pencils had been found. You can not even imagine the happy faces of those children when we gave those paltry gifts. It was like a big party. Unaa snet happiness never before. And I fumbled. That was when I turned against myself to see how they valued things.
To see how they change from one continent to another, the concepts of happiness and what it means to live. The concept of being thankful and sacrifice.
It was daunting, as I said, but at the same time rewarding, not only because they felt minimally useful, but to see the selfless work of those nuns and volunteers. To see that in her world there are still people capable of giving their lives to give a little happiness to others.
Never any that live in this society, "modern" and insoladaria be able to feel that greatness of spirit that have these missionaries.
Please only thing here I can do is advise you strongly that you should go to one of these places. That although it is very, very hard, come near to the Missionaries of Charity and they bring forth what you can. For them a lot. Lot. Minimal assistance, which for us means nothing to them can be days and days of eating. |