Nun who was sole survivor of deadly Yemen care home attack wants to stay where she is to keep serving the poor

Sister Mary Sally says she can 'only thank God' for saving her life. (Missionaries of Charity)

Imagine being in a war-torn foreign land, where you are very much at risk, and where some of your colleagues met their death. Will you choose to stay or leave?

The lone survivor of March 4 attack that killed four sisters from the Missionaries of Charity made the unexpected decision: stay in Yemen where she almost got died.

Sister Sally from the Missionaries of Charity escaped death last March when two gunmen attacked the care home centre run by her missionary group.

Four of her colleagues - Sr. Anselm, Sr. Judith, Sr. Marguerite, and Sr. Reginette - were however not as lucky. They perished along with 16 other victims, including volunteers from Ethiopia and Yemen.

Speaking to the Catholic News Agency, Sister Sally shared that she and the other sisters were given the option to exit Yemen, but their care for the poor was too strong for them to leave.

"In the midst of this dangerous situation, our dearest Sr. Prema, MC, general superior, called us from Calcutta and spoke to us individually. She gave us a choice to remain or leave the place," the Catholic nun shared.

"All of us had one answer: 'we choose to stay, to live or die with our poor," she added.

Sister Sally's courage is rooted in her faith as she shared that she leaves her fate every day to God through prayer.

"With our hearts filled with greater love and enthusiasm, we begged God to continue using our nothingness to make the Church present in the world of today, through the mission entrusted to us by our Mother Teresa, even amid dangerous surroundings," she said.

She also constantly prays for inspiration for her charity work.

"With the help of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, cause of our joy, we continue seeking the poorest of poor and bringing them God's own tender affection, through our humble words of love, little works of peace, given at the cost of our lives," Sister Sally said.

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