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Mary Slessor 10
When Charles Ovens arrived he was able to help Mary with her house and he was able to help her in other ways too.
In 1896 Mary found that many of the natives were very ill with smallpox. This was a dreadful disease. A person with this disease was covered in spots and had a fever. Many people died and those who got better were left with marks that on the skin never went away. At one time Smallpox occurred in Britain and people were terrified of getting it.
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A British doctor found a way of making a vaccine which prevented people from getting smallpox.
Mary sent for a vaccine and by using it she stopped a lot of people from dying. She travelled around in a canoe, from place to place, giving the vaccine. She also spent a lot of time looking after those who were ill with smallpox.
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Other people have done what Mary did and gone to places like Africa to vaccinate people there. They have been so successful that there is now no smallpox anywhere in the world!
During the rest of her life Mary went on telling the people about Jesus and about God. Many of them became Christians. She taught them that black magic did not exist and they no longer leave twins to die. She taught them that they should settle their quarrels by talking and not by fighting. This meant that trade improved and that the people in this part of the world led better, happier lives.
There will be a new story about another great Christian coming soon.
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