(1902-1970)
served 17 rigorous years in China without a furlough.
The silver planes that zoomed overhead sent the children scattering in all directions, falling face down and hiding behind rocks, under trees, and in tall grass. Gladys Alyward waited to see if the Japanese would return, and when she was certain the planes were gone, she called the children together again. On they journeyed, footsore, hungry, and fatigued, hoping they would soon reach their destination.
How did this petite British woman come to be mother of a hundred Chinese
children, trekking across the mountains of northern China?
Gladys Alyward applied to the China Inland Mission in 1929, but was refused on the basis of being too old and not learned enough. Disappointed, but not defeated, she worked as a maid in London to pay her own train fare. On October 15th, 1930, Gladys departed London. She crossed Russia, entered China, rode a mule for two days, and arrived tired and hungry in Yangcheng.
Gladys and Jeannie Lawson, a missionary of fifty-three years, opened an inn. Jeannie presented the Gospel to the guests every night, and Gladys worked intensely on the language. When after only a few months, Jeannie fell from a balcony and died, Gladys began traveling among the many villages of the surrounding mountains, taking the Gospel to the warmhearted mountain people.
Her ministry was interrupted in the spring of 1938 by planes screaming overhead. War began, and the Japanese bombed Yangcheng, killing many and devastating survivors. From then on, Gladys’ ministry took on new depth. She worked tirelessly, tending the wounded, burying the dead, and caring for her ever-growing brood of orphans. These were her people, and she loved them.
The fighting grew worse, and Gladys realized she had to get her children, now numbering 100, to a place where they could be safe, fed, and educated. Thus began the grueling two-week trek across the mountains to the city of Sian. With God’s strength, they reached safety without losing one child.
The strength that sustained Gladys Alyward is still available for us today. We may not know what the future will bring, but we do know that God will supply strength for our journey—and that is enough.