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Gladys Aylward (1902-1970)
So she saved sufficient money to buy a train ticket to China and went on her own, despite there being a war going on between China and Russia! She arrived in Yangcheng, China, in November 1932.
She went to help an elderly missionary, Jennie Lawson, who ran an inn name 'the Inn of Eight Happinesses'. The inn provided food and shelter for people travelling over the mountains. As well as helping the travellers, the missionaries read out bible stories to those staying in the inn.
Unfortunately Jennie died a few months later. Gladys continued on her own. By that stage she was looking after a number of orphans. Now the war increased that number. By 1940 it had become too dangerous for her to stay in Yangcheng. Gladys and one hundred children started on an epic journey that took them over the mountains to safety. During the whole journey Gladys had to evade capture by the Japanese.
Gladys Aylward was born in London in 1902. She came from a working-class family. She wanted to me a missionary in China but her background and lack of education prevented her from being accepted by the China Inland Mission society.
In 1957 Gladys again went to China where she opened the Gladys Aylward Orphanage in Formosa and served there until her death in 1970. She had been nicknamed 'the small woman' by the Chinese but her dedication to serving God proved otherwise.