![]() ![]() Second, Gladys Aylward is an example of faith to the hesitant. ![]() Where are her successors today? The church desperately needs people with her passion and zeal for people and the gospel. She had a lifelong and unquenchable hunger to see men and women on the other side of the world come to Jesus. Three things strike me.įirst, Gladys Aylward is a challenge to the complacent. The life of Gladys Aylward is full of virtues: courage, compassion and an extraordinary determination. Ironically, however, it raised the profile of both Gladys and, more to her liking, the gospel she preached. The film annoyed Gladys because it took enormous liberties with her story, not least in having her portrayed by the tall, blonde, Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman. It was a bestseller and was turned into a film, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, which was released in 1958. Gladys’ remarkable story became the subject of a book, The Small Woman, by Alan Burgess. There she founded the Gladys Aylward Orphanage with which she worked until her death in 1970. Gladys remained based in England, preaching widely, before eventually going to British administered Hong Kong and finally settling in Taiwan. Although she wanted to go back to China the new communist government was opposed to Christianity, making the return impossible. When, after 27 days, Gladys finally delivered the children to an orphanage beyond the war zone, she collapsed with typhus and malnutrition.Īlthough Gladys made a recovery and continued her work and witness in other parts of China, her health was affected by what she had undergone and in 1949 she returned to England. Realising that her orphans needed to be taken away from the fighting, she led more than a hundred children in an epic trek over the mountains to safety. The war worsened and Gladys was injured in a bombing raid. After a Japanese advance she found herself behind enemy lines she reported information to the Chinese authorities, an action that eventually led her to be on a Japanese ‘Wanted’ poster. Wanting to identify with those she served, Gladys abandoned her British nationality and became a Chinese citizen. Her efforts at helping people earned her the name ‘Ai-weh-deh’ which means ‘Virtuous One’.īy 1937 China had become involved in a complicated and bloody three-way conflict between the government, communist insurgents under Mao Tse Tung and an invading Japanese army. Gladys soon found herself caring for a growing number of orphans. She was even called to intervene in a murderous prison uprising and not only quelled the riot but was able to get conditions for the prisoners improved. She demanded – and received – the right to tell the women and girls about Jesus in the course of her work. The local authorities approved of Gladys and when the government outlawed the traditional practice of binding the feet of young girls, she was appointed an official inspector to check the law was being obeyed. The inn provided an outstanding opportunity for sharing the gospel, and over the next few years Gladys led many people to Christ. An old inn was rented and named The Inn of the Eight Happinesses after the eight noble values: love, virtue, gentleness, tolerance, loyalty, truth, beauty and devotion. Confounding the verdict previously delivered on her, Gladys became fluent in Chinese. Staying with this elderly missionary, Gladys immersed herself in the language and culture and adopted local dress. Finally, after five and a half weeks and surviving all sorts of hazards, she reached her destination of Yangcheng in central China. It was a hazardous journey and at its eastern end she found herself caught up in fighting between Russia and China. She went across Europe and joined the Trans-Siberian Express which took her towards Vladivostok. So in 1932, Gladys simply decided to go to China by train. But how was she to get there? She had no organisation to support her and didn’t have the money for the boat fare. Eventually, she heard of an elderly lady missionary in China who needed a companion. Disappointed, Gladys returned to domestic service but her vision for China continued to prompt her. She was rejected on the grounds that she would be unlikely to learn the difficult Chinese language and unable to manage and cope with life in the Far East. She applied to the China Inland Mission and was accepted on a three-month course to assess her suitability. She worked as a housemaid and, after becoming a Christian, was seized by a desire to share the gospel in China. She was a small woman, only four foot ten inches in height, with a Cockney accent. Gladys was born in north London in 1902 to a working-class family and had only limited education. ![]()
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