Gladys Aylward: Unqualified, Yet Called
Gladys Aylward was rejected as unqualified, yet God used her life in extraordinary ways. Her story is not one of natural ability, status, or formal training. It is the story of obedience, courage, and a woman willing to go where God called her.
Gladys Aylward worked as a parlor maid and once dreamed of a stage career. One night, after attending a revival meeting, her desires changed.
She was challenged to dedicate her life to God’s service.
She set her heart on China, but was rejected from mission training because she showed little aptitude for language learning.
She then tried to help rescue women from brothels, but had little success.
Gladys heard about seventy-three-year-old missionary Jeannie Lawson, who was working alone in China and needed help. Mrs. Lawson accepted Gladys as a helper, but Gladys had to find her own way to China.
On October 15, 1932, Gladys boarded a train at Liverpool with only enough money for rail fare across Europe and Siberia.
Her journey was dangerous. At the eastern edge of Russia, she was ordered off the train, had her passport taken, and faced a frightening confrontation with a Russian interpreter.
Gladys escaped with help from local people, boarded a Japanese vessel, and eventually reached China.
She made her way to Yengchang,
where Jeannie Lawson was serving.
Gladys and Mrs. Lawson opened an inn for mule drivers, later known as The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. At first, Gladys had to stop mule trains herself to bring customers in. Eventually, the mule drivers came willingly. The women used the inn as a way to share Bible stories and the gospel.
About a year after Gladys arrived, Mrs. Lawson fell and died. Gladys continued the mission with the help of Yang, a Chinese cook.
When money became scarce, the local mandarin hired Gladys as a foot inspector after the government banned the painful practice of foot binding.
This work allowed Gladys to travel, meet families, and share the gospel. Though once rejected for poor language ability, Gladys gradually mastered the local Chinese dialect.
She was later called into a prison riot when soldiers were afraid to enter. Gladys walked into the courtyard, spoke with authority, and helped bring order. She urged that the prisoners be given work so they would not remain idle and could earn money for food.
Gladys became known as “Ai-weh-deh,” meaning “Virtuous One.” Pronounced: I-Way-Day
She began caring for abandoned children, starting with a malnourished five-year-old girl she bought for ninepence. More children came into her care, and eventually she was responsible for dozens of orphans.
In 1936, Gladys became a Chinese citizen, formally binding her life to the people she had come to serve.
Her citizenship showed her deep identification with China and the Chinese people.
When war broke out with Japan, she helped the Chinese by reporting useful information. The Japanese later placed a bounty on her head.
1940: Gladys led about one hundred children on a dangerous journey to safety. After an agonizing 240-mile trek over mountains and across rivers, they reached the Yellow River with no boats in sight.
The children prayed, sang, and were heard 
by a Chinese officer, who arranged for a boat. She successfully guided them to safety in Xi’an. Gladys finally brought the children to safety, then collapsed from typhus, pneumonia, relapsing fever, malnutrition, and exhaustion. Her health was permanently damaged, but she continued serving.
I
n 1947, she returned to England for surgery.
In 1953, she tried to return to China, but because of the Communist takeover, she settled in Taiwan. There, she founded the Gladys Aylward Orphanage.
She died January 3, 1970
in New Taipei, Taiwan
Later Life: After a period back in England recovering from war injuries, she relocated to Taiwan in 1957, where she founded the Gladys Aylward Children’s Home and continued her ministry until her death.
Near the end of her life, Gladys wrote that her heart was full of praise that someone “insignificant, uneducated, and ordinary” could be used by God for His glory in China.
Many more details in book: Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4wWYna3
She was rejected for the very thing God
later helped her do — communicate
the gospel in China.
You must be logged in to post a comment.