Amid war, Gladys eventually becomes a spy of sorts, telling the local Chinese general of the movements of the Japanese, for as a missionary she is allowed to go freely from town to town. But one day her very town and inn are blown apart by Japanese bombing, and she must flee to the mountains with her children. The Chinese-Japanese war erupts, and for a time Gladys cares for wounded soldiers as well.
During this time she accumulates dozens of orphan children for whom she cares. For the next several years, Gladys preaches the gospel to passing shepherds, and she also goes town to town to end the cruel Chinese custom of foot-binding. The two women transform the home into an inn for passing mule shepherds, which Gladys continues to run after the death of Lawson a year later. From then on, she is convinced by reading the Bible, especially the story of Nehemiah who traveled a long distance to tend to the suffering in Jerusalem, that God means for her to conduct missionary work in China.Īfter a harrowing train trip during which she survives the war front and an attempt to force her into slavery in a work camp, she arrives at a destitute town called Yangcheng and the dilapidated home of an elderly missionary, Mrs. Starting from humble beginnings as an English maid wanting to be a stage actress, Gladys finds God during a chance visit to a prayer meeting.
GLADYS AYLWARD: THE LITTLE WOMAN is an autobiographical account of an English-maid-turned missionary, who spends much of her life in rural China, preaching the gospel and affecting people's lives through the teachings of Jesus Christ.
0 kommentar(er)
