No one would have thought that the poorly educated British girl would someday become a missionary in a faraway land. The young girl probably never thought so either! Gladys Aylward was living the typical life of a working class girl at the turn of the twentieth century in England. She worked as a parlormaid, and she had no interest in spiritual matters. Her ambitions and dreams were in drama, and she hoped to become an actress.

Thus, Miss Aylward spent her evenings attending drama classes. One night, however, for some reason she went to church instead. That evening, the Holy Spirit moved in her heart, and Gladys Aylward dedicated her life to Christ.

Instead of continuing drama classes, she began attending evangelistic meetings with the Young Life Campaign. Through these meetings Miss Aylward learned that China was a very needy land. Thousands of Chinese did not know the name of Jesus. From that point on, thoughts of China gripped her heart. She was determined to do what she could to go there and tell the Chinese people about Jesus.

Gladys Aylward applied to the China Inland Mission. After undergoing a three-month examination, she was rejected due to her lack of ability. The mission board told her she would never learn Chinese and did not have enough education to be an effective missionary.

Thankfully, God is not limited by our ability or education. Miss Aylward continued to be burdened for China. She decided that if she could not go through the China Inland Mission, she would go by herself! She came in contact with an older woman who was a missionary in China. Her name was Mrs. Lawson, and Gladys Aylward agreed to come help her. Miss Aylwards’ parents, even though they knew that they would probably not see their daughter again, supported her decision. They helped outfit her with proper clothes and food for the journey and sent her off with prayers and blessing—a sacrifice on their part that their daughter did not fully understand until years later.

Gladys Aylward boarded the train in London and began the long journey to China. Conflicts on the Russian and Japanese borders promised to make the way dangerous and uncertain. Once she arrived in Russia, the troubles began. Water became scarce, and the train stations became more deserted.

On one occasion, she was left alone on the train because she could not understand that the Russian soldiers were pleading with her in Russian to evacuate. When she finally stepped off the train, she found the station deserted. Miss Aylward then had to walk all the way back to the previous train station. That night, stranded outside with nothing but her personal possessions, she slept under the stars, listening to a pack of wolves howling.

At the border of Russia and Japan, Gladys Aylward encountered trouble that nearly cost her future. A Russian intourist, or tour guide, took her around the city of Vladivostok several days in a row, until she was sick of the poverty and oppression of Communism. At the intervention of a young Japanese girl, Miss Aylward discovered that the intourist planned to detain her in Russia and had altered her passport to say “machinist” instead of “missionary”! Horrified, Miss Aylward followed the girl’s instructions and escaped out of Russia on a Japanese boat the next morning. She realized then how closely she had come to being a slave of Communist Russia.

Through these perils, a simple faith took root in her heart that would characterize her entire life. In every circumstance, God helped her, sometimes miraculously. Nehemiah 4:4—“Be ye not afraid of them: remember the LORD”—became very dear to her. Indeed, Nehemiah’s God was also her God!

How her heart rejoiced when she finally stepped foot in China after her arduous three-week journey! She continued on until she arrived at the eastern coastal city of Yangcheng. She found Mrs. Lawson, the older woman who had served in the country for many years. The elder missionary lived in an old, abandoned house. She had been praying for a younger missionary to come join her in the work.

Upon Gladys Aylward’s arrival, she and Mrs. Lawson converted the mission station into an inn. Miss Aylward was the doorkeeper: when travelers rode past the inn, she would run out to the caravan, grab the reins of the lead mule, and shout out in Chinese, “We have no bugs! We have no fleas! Good, good, good! Come, come, come!”

The missionaries would serve their guests a good meal and then share with them Bible stories and the Gospel message. Miss Aylward listened and practiced Chinese until she could speak it fluently. Their inn became known as a delightful place to stay. When Mrs. Lawson died not long afterward, Miss Aylward continued to run the inn.

One day, the mandarin, a public official in the Chinese Empire, approached Miss Aylward and announced that China was abolishing the practice of binding women and girls’ feet to make them smaller. This cruel practice had resulted in painfully deformed feet. Gladys Aylward was appointed the foot inspector! All throughout the mandarin’s jurisdiction, she was to make sure that no woman or girl had her feet bound. Soldiers accompanied her from house to house in order to enforce the new law.

Miss Aylward realized that she now had a wonderful opportunity to share the Good News in many homes! She was able not only to free many bound and hurting feet but also bound and hurting hearts.

As many other missionaries have done, Gladys Aylward also began to take abandoned children into her home. She was grieved that parents would buy and sell children in China, as if the children had no personal value except whatever benefit they may bring their owners. Although she saw her own probability of being a wife and mother diminishing, she developed a great love for the Chinese orphans and treated them as her own.

World War II brought many horrific changes to China. Bombs were dropped on the city of Yangcheng. Enemy soldiers occupied the city, and it often changed hands. Eventually, Miss Aylward and the children had to flee when the Japanese entered the city. She and the children barely got out in time! Gladys Aylward and her children—numbering more than 100—journeyed by foot over the mountains to a town where there was another orphanage. After twenty-eight days, they reached a safe refuge in Xi’an, hundreds of miles from Yangcheng.

The trek over the rugged mountains was one of the defining moments of Gladys Aylward’s life. When she and the children reached the Yellow River, she broke down in tears. Some of the children suggested to her that she pray that God would part the waters, just as He had done at the Jordan River. Admonished by the simple faith of the children, Miss Aylward and the children began praying and singing hymns. A Chinese officer heard the singing, inquired of their need, and summoned boats to ferry the entire group over the river!

Gladys Aylward continued her missionary work in spite of every obstacle. She survived a battle with typhus fever that took away her memory for a time. She journeyed into the remote wilderness of China and found a group of secluded, pagan priests. These priests had been waiting for her! Why? Because they had learned about Jesus and had read the verse, “Go ye into all the world.” From that command they knew that eventually the Gospel would reach their part of the world!

The Chinese people called her Ai-weh-deh, meaning “virtuous woman.” Miss Aylward kept this name all her life. In many ways, she not only learned Chinese and ministered to the Chinese people, but she also in some ways became Chinese. The girl who once appeared to be unable to learn the language now spoke it like a native and often even thought in Chinese! In fact, the people thought she was Chinese.

The labors of Gladys Aylward will not be forgotten. Although she was small in physical stature, she was great in spiritual strength and her faith was extraordinary. Truly, she was God’s chosen instrument to “go the second mile” and take the Gospel to the Chinese people.

Sources and Further Reference:

Aylward, Gladys and Christine Hunter. My Missionary Life in China. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2024.