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Silhouette of Determination
by Melissa Roe
"I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China... I don't know who it was... It must have been a man... a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing... and God looked down... and saw Gladys Aylward... And God said - "Well, she's willing."
- Gladys Aylward
Poverty, lack of formal education, and rejection from mission agencies would not be the chosen components for a successful ministry, nor the foundation on which an eager young heart begins its journey. Yet the missionary career of Miss Gladys Aylward was not only occasioned by challenges, it was riddled with them.
Born in London in 1904 to a working class family, Gladys struggled through school until age fourteen. She worked as a parlourmaid for many years. At age twenty-six, she became a Christian after attending a revival service. Soon after, she responded to the Lord’s beckoning toward foreign service and surrendered her life as a missionary to China. At a time when the number of single women dedicated to mission service was on the rise and agencies were well aware of the myriad of opportunities for ministry among women and children, Gladys was certain that she would be sponsored. However, she was sorely disappointed to be rejected by many mission agencies including the popular China Inland Mission even after a probationary period. The reasons cited were poor grades and the assumption that she was too old to learn the Chinese language. Gladys herself possessed doubts as to her own ability to ever master the language, but her certainty toward her obligation to China did not waver. Undaunted by lack of sponsorship, she determined to earn and save her own money and to find her own way to China.
Gladys went into the employ of a famous explorer where she was once again a parlour- maid. Upon unpacking her bag in the humble servant’s quarter, she placed her Bible on the bed along with her purse, which contained a mere two pennies and a halfpenny. There she committed all of her substance to the Lord and asked Him to use her in China. In His providential design and preparation, God had arranged that the master of the house was not only an explorer but also an explorer of China. One can imagine that her desire for the Orient was only fostered by maps and books of Asia as she went about her household duties.
Finally enough money was saved to buy a one-way train ticket across Russia and Siberia into China. With much reluctance, the travel clerk had sold her the passage explaining that a war between Russia and China was sure to have interrupted travel through that region. Several days later as Gladys trudged through black frozen darkness on foot, she learned that the clerk had been right. After weeks of enduring adverse travel conditions that included frigid elements, language barriers, fearful encounters among soldiers, and an unexpected detour to Japan, she finally arrived in China. It is quite understandable that during such an arduous journey, she might have wondered if she would even live to reach China much less that her path would be lit by such promise and lead to a people prepared for the Gospel brought to them by a spirited English parlourmaid.
Gladys’s first work in China was anything but glamorous or charming and sometimes not even very missionary. Working with a widowed Scottish missionary, she tended mules and muleteers at an inn where they had contrived the idea of spreading the Gospel by means of the muletrains which were the only source of news to the mountain villages. As the elderly lady shared Bible stories with the inn guests, Gladys struggled to make sense of the odd tonal language. In time, Gladys became adept in Chinese. Her uninhibited and often impulsive nature had given her a linguistic edge unassociated with academic ability.
The ministry opportunities of Miss Aylward were further broadened by appointment from the local Mandarin to inspect the prohibited foot-binding practices of the surrounding areas. Replete with escorts and guides, the petite missionary lady and her message became renowned in the Shansi province of northern China. Other highlights of her ministry include the settling of a prison riot, the initiation of ministry to leper colonies, and the rescuing of hundreds of orphans, many of whom she legally adopted which carry on her ministry to this day. When the Japanese invaded China in 1937, Gladys literally became a target since she had become a Chinese citizen. Her ability to navigate the mountainous terrain put her in a significant position to help her beloved Chinese. She was subsequently hunted down and shot at least once by the invading army.
Many events in Miss Gladys Aylward’s accomplished missionary career could be referenced as the defining moment. Perhaps the absolute most extraordinary event was her complete reliance on prayer and blind faith to transport 100 orphans by foot through enemy territory to safety to the city of Sian. Exposed to the elements and enemy gunfire, Gladys and her precious hungry charges made the precarious trek across rugged mountains only to be stranded on the banks of The Yellow River (dubbed by the Chinese, River of Sorrow). Learning that all river traffic had ceased for fear of the Japanese, Gladys and the orphans promptly knelt, prayed and then sang praises. To their astonishment, a Chinese officer heard their singing and hired a boat.
Adored by the Chinese, Gladys Aylward was honored by them when given the name Ai-weh-deh, “Virtuous One.” Her virtue was never more exemplified than in the profound influence that she had on the mandarin of Yangcheng. After many years of observing her consummate faith, enduring commitment and the obvious hand of God on her life, he became a Christian. No one would have predicted that the little parlormaid’s gift would have “brought her before great men.”
Gladys Aylward died at the age of sixty-six in Taiwan.
Recommended reading:
Never Say Die, The Story of Gladys Aylward by Cryil Davey
The Small Woman by Alan Burgess
Melissa Roe
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