Maranatha Fellowship Church

I’ve become familiar recently with the life and ministry of the remarkable 20th century missionary Gladys Aylward.  I had heard about her before, but until the last few months I didn’t know much about her story.  But while reading missionary hero stories to my children at bedtime, I quickly became fascinated by her intriguing life journey.

One of the things that makes her biography so compelling is that the Lord accomplished so many great things through her missionary service, despite the incredible odds against her.  Throughout her life she had to overcome incredible challenges to reach her goals.  And during the time she was on the field she encountered several major setbacks that would have devastated the career hopes of any average person.  But she continued to persevere, prevailing over each obstacle in her way, and giving the glory to God.

Gladys was born in Edmonton, England in 1902.  And by the time she was a young woman, she knew that the Lord had called her to be a missionary in China.  However, because of her poor academic background and her small physical stature, the China Inland Mission refused to commission her, declaring her to be unqualified for missionary service.  Nevertheless, in spite of their decision, she held onto her dream and began saving money to make the trip to China.  She didn’t quite know how, but was more determined than ever to find her way to the mission field.

After a couple of years of hard work and self-sacrifice, she had saved enough money for the one-way train fare to the far east.  But the trip itself turned out to be far more than what she had bargained for.  Because of the military skirmishes at the Russian-Chinese border, she was forced off the train during severe winter weather conditions, and left to find her way by other means to her ultimate destination.  There were many perils along the way, including some terrifying encounters with ruthless men, but she survived as a result of God’s grace and providence.  She finally found her way aboard a freighter headed to China, after nearly a month of travel, and without any food or money left. 

When she arrived, and finally found the veteran missionary woman that she was going to assist, she was not met with a warm welcome.  In addition to the sneers and taunts of the Chinese, she experienced many difficult living conditions and culture shocks that left her discouraged.  And just when she was starting to get used to her new home, her elderly missionary mentor, Ms. Lawson, unexpectedly died, leaving her on her own as the lone European in their village of Yangcheng.  But instead of leaving to find another mission opportunity, she vowed to stay and make the best of her situation. 

This resolution would begin to pay off for her.  Before Ms. Lawson died, they had decided to turn their mission home into an inn for the mule drivers, which they affectionately called, “The Inn of Eight Happinesses.”  They would use this inn as a means to make connections with the local people in order to have a platform for sharing their Christian gospel.  Consequently, she began to see her first signs of success as her first converts were introduced to Christ.  But, without the financial resources of Ms. Lawson, she was facing the inevitable prospect of closing the inn.  That’s when she received her big breakthrough!

Gladys was informed that she was to be visited by the Mandarin, the prestigious village ruler who had sovereign authority.  This was a rare visit by the Mandarin to a private residence, something that caused her much anxiety.  She was afraid that he was going to require her to pay heavy taxes on the inn that would have broken her financially.  But instead of this, he came to request a favor from her.  This request would be the answer to her prayers and concerns, and it would far exceed her greatest hopes.

The Chinese had developed a horrible custom of binding the feet of their little girls so that as they grew the feet would remain smaller, and more attractive to would-be marriage suitors.  However, the government had only recently banned the practice, and they needed an able-bodied woman with unbound feet herself to serve as a foot inspector for their entire province.  This foot inspector would travel to all the villages, on behalf of the Mandarin, to enforce the abolition of the foot-binding practice.  Gladys was happy to oblige the Mandarin’s offer with the condition that she could share her Christian faith with all those she came into contact with.  Upon the Mandarin’s approval, she now had an open door for ministry in every home of her entire province – a ministry that would be funded by the salary she received from the Mandarin!  Only the Lord could arrange the circumstances in that way!

Soon Gladys became the most well-known and respected person in the province.  Her inn was experiencing increasing popularity, partly because they told Bible stories that the travelers loved.  She had tremendous success at her job as foot inspector, to the extent that the practice was completely eliminated.  Therefore, the Mandarin and the elders of the village of Yangcheng began to rely upon her for other matters of need as well.  She would attend to the sick and assist the poor, all while neglecting her own needs for rest and rejuvenation. 

Once she was called upon to stop a bloody riot at the local prison.  The prisoners had somehow accumulated deadly weapons that they were using against one another without any control.  The scene was horrific, as many were already dead and maimed.  But the prison guards refused to enter the prison to regain control.  They were understandably fearful of being killed themselves.  So they asked Gladys to go in.  When she hesitated, wondering what she could possibly do, the prison guards reminded her that she tells everyone that she had God to protect her.  So now she had to go in.  And asking for God’s help, she immediately took control of the situation and had restored order in just a few minutes.  She was appalled, however, at the prison conditions and instantly became a champion for the prisoner’s rights.  This, along with her other virtues, earned her the title, “Ai-weh-de,” which in Chinese means “virtuous one.” 

Gladys’ ministry began to take on a new direction when she encountered a woman selling a helpless baby.  She was outraged at the thought of what would happen to the child, so she bought the baby herself with all the money she had, nine pence. (which became the name of the baby)  Before long, she had acquired other children who were orphaned or abandoned, and she took care of each of them as if she had been their mother all along.  Gladys was raising five of these children in her inn at the time that tragedy struck. 

The Japanese army suddenly invaded the country of China.  At first, they thought they were too far north to be threatened, but before they had time to prepare they were attacked as well.  The children and the townspeople were delighted when they first saw the planes, but they ran in terror when these Japanese Zeros began dropping bombs and shooting rapid gunfire.  In no time, the village was devastated!  Everyone had no choice but to evacuate and head for the safety of other villages in the mountains.  “Ai-weh-de” knew the terrain well, and she had many friends in each of the villages.  So she organized an effort to protect and provide for the homeless families. 

The effects of the war took their toll on the Chinese civilization.  The Japanese had absolutely no mercy on the people of China, even with regard to the countless refugees.  More and more isolated children found their way to Ai-weh-de and appealed to her mercy and love.  She taught them about Jesus and His adoptive grace.  It became increasingly clear that something would have to be done to take care of the surviving children, now totaling almost 200.  Gladys became aware of a chain of orphanages in the southern part of China that would take the children if she could get them there.  She sent 100 of them to make the trip with one of her most trusted workers.  He successfully delivered the children to their destination but was caught and killed by the Japanese on his return trip.  But she was now responsible alone for the fate of the remaining 94 children. 

Without any other alternatives, she decided to lead the children herself on the treacherous journey over the mountains.  Facing the enormous risk of encountering the enemy, and enduring many other imminent dangers along the way, they set out on foot with only a few provisions that wouldn’t last long.  When their resources ran out, they had to hope for generous villagers to make a sacrifice.  It took many long days of grueling travel.  They were famished, cold, cut and bruised, and without much hope for ever making it alive.  But the Lord miraculously prevented them from illness and death. 

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, and after using every bit of strength and health she had, Gladys reached her destination.  Each of the children were received into a home or orphanage that would provide for their needs.  Against all odds, she had accomplished her mission.  All of the children were accounted for.  None of them would be lost!

There’s much more to the story of the great missionary hero Gladys Aylward.  After recovering for years back in England, she returned to China to work with refugees and students.  But throughout her entire missionary career, every experience of her life was permeated by the presence and providence of God.  It’s ironic that she was once deemed to be unqualified as a missionary.  She may well have been unqualified, but the Lord that she served was more than qualified to lead her through. 

Gladys Aylward is an inspiration to me, because she is the evidence of how God can use someone who was fully consecrated to Him.  She gave up everthing to become a missionary to China.  She simply trusted God to take care of all her needs.  And indeed He did!