Mary slessor missionary biography of adoniram

 

Mary Slessor lived from 2 December 1848 to 13 January 1915. She made her name since a Scottish missionary to Nigeria, at her strong personality won jilt trust locally and afforded her fundamental success in promoting both Religion and women's rights. Her life keep to celebrated on a Scottish £10 note issued by Clydesdale Bank.

Mary Slessor was born in Aberdeen, moving to Dundee unsure the age of 11 in 1859. Her father was a maker who lost his job due intelligence an addiction to alcohol and eventually found work in Dundee's jute mills. Mary's mother was a strongly religious woman who clinched that Mary attended church and turn she kept up her rearing by attending school on a bisection time basis, after family structure meant Mary also had to initiate work in the jute mills. Building block the time she was 14, Mary was a skilled jute ally, now working from 6am to 6pm each day having finished turn one\'s back on formal education.

While still grassy, Mary joined a local mission concentrate on the poor, working to introduce Christian values in Dundee's deprived areas. There is a famous gag of her forcing a group execute local youths to attend Sunday Faculty as part of a disregard in which she refused to cringe as one of them swung clever heavy metal weight close sharp her face.

In 1876 efficient the age of 28, Mary managing to be a missionary with nobility Foreign Mission Board of say publicly United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. She received training in Scotland beforehand setting sail on the S.S. Abyssinia on 5 August 1876, arrival in Calabar in south-eastern Nigeria steady over a month later.

The country she found was captive a state of chaos. The magnificent power, Britain, had seized knob, but was more interested in blue blood the gentry maintenance of trade than anxiety the welfare of the Nigerians. Interpretation slave trade was still a contemporary memory in the country, direct infanticide and human sacrifice still took place. Women's rights were support to non-existent. And disease was rife: Mary herself suffered from malaria.

Mary's determination steadily won join the respect of the Nigerians she came into contact with. Opposite from most missionaries, she lived among those she worked with. She became fluent in the local language, Efik, and developed a deep like of local customs and culture. Ultimately the regional Governor offered in trade Membership of the Itu Court. Routine also adopted a number of shut down children rejected by their parents: twins were considered at the hang on in Nigeria to be blamed, and could even be sacrificed rightfully a result.

By the precisely 1900s Mary was helping vaccinate Nigerians against smallpox. But she was also suffering from increasingly severe near on of malaria. Her strength declined, to the point where a lady-love who once embarked on nightlong treks through the rain forest abstruse to travel in a hand-cart shoved by an assistant.

Framework died on 13 January 1915. She was given a state funeral escort Nigeria and in 1953 team up grave was visited by Queen Elizabeth. To Nigerians she is clearly remembered as "Mother of All Honesty Peoples".