![]() ![]() She would later say, “And when God asks us to do something, He doesn’t ask for one hand or one foot or one day. He asks for the complete you.” She chose to become a naturalized citizen, taking the name the Chinese had chosen for her: Ai-weh-deh, meaning, “the virtuous woman.” Gladys had made China her home. She even dressed in Chinese clothes. By the time it ended, Gladys had won the respect of both the prison officials and the prisoners. She served as liaison between both parties, leading to improved conditions at the prison. She visited often, telling the inmates about Jesus, who died for their sins. Then came the incident at the local men’s prison. He gave Gladys the glorified title of “Inspector of Feet.” She did her job well, expressing a kindness that drew others to her message. He was helping abolish the custom of women binding their feet to keep them small. Gladys had to find other work to support herself. The local mandarin hired her. ![]() ![]() Gladys became that area’s only missionary, operating the inn and explaining the Bible to all who would listen. Then, a year after Gladys had arrived, Miss Lawson suffered a fall that resulted in her death. Gladys learned not only the Chinese language, but various dialects. The two women fed them, then told them Bible stories. It welcomed the men who trans-ported their wares from village to village on packs of mules. They named it the The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. She helped Jeannie turn a large, old building into an inn. She arrived in the northern China province of (current-day) Shanxi ready to serve. At one point, Russian soldiers took over the train and ordered Gladys off. As she traveled east, the presence of Russian soldiers on the train increased. Russia and China were at war. The people who brushed against her on the crowded station platform and who sat near her on the train spoke languages she couldn’t understand. At five feet tall, she was a short person in a big, unfriendly world. Gladys boarded the Trans-Siberian Rail-way. Jeannie invited Gladys to work alongside her if Gladys could reach the northeastern city of Tienstin. Gladys contacted Jeannie Lawson, a woman in China who wanted a young assistant. She eventually heard of a missions organiza-tion that needed someone. So Gladys prepared to pay her own way by work-ing and saving as much money as she could. The door she thought would lead to China had closed to her.īut her sense of God’s calling remained. One day, the school told her they doubted she’d be able to comprehend the Chinese language. She attended the China Inland Mission training school. But the 26-year-old Gladys struggled with her studies. After becoming a Christian, she felt strongly that God wanted her to serve Him as a missionary. Nothing in her younger years suggested she’d accomplish anything special. That began Gladys Aylward’s unplanned prison ministry in China. She spoke gently to the man with the ax, persuading him to hand her the weapon. ![]() The officials had sent Gladys to face him because she’d testified that God protected her. The man had already murdered two fellow prisoners. A prisoner with an ax came running toward her. The guard opened the gate and Gladys entered. ![]()
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