Mother Teresa was a Catholic girl born in Albania who asked to be sent to India  to serve the poorest of the poor after her 18th birthday in 1928. She became a nun there and established the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta years later. As of her death in 1997, there were 610 missions in 123 countries (more in 133 countries now) that provide home for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, plus hospices services. They also help families with food, schooling, and counseling (See full Mother Teresa story at Wikipedia).

A woman under five-feet tall, Mother Teresa was a giant in making a positive difference in the world. She even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Her secret to success was having a mission in life that no one, not even a Pope, could deter. I read a story once of how she pushed the Catholic Church over years into allowing her new order in Calcutta.

Why is Mother Teresa one of my favorite people? She showed that one person can make a tremendous difference in this world by having a great vision for people to rally around and a lifelong commitment to making it happen. She displayed unconditional love to people in the worst conditions of the world. She did not judge. She just pushed on and expected God to provide – and He did! Her selflessness moved the world’s morale needle in a positive direction over the periods of the Great Depression, World War II, and all the dramatic world events from the 1950s to the 1990s.

I could only hope to be one millionth of the goodness that she was. She was beatified as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta in 2003 on her way to sainthood.

Learn more about Mother Teresa at the Mother Teresa Center.