In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Mike and Cody dive into the remarkable missionary story of Gladys Aylward. Gladys was a London housemaid with no formal education and no money, who was rejected by the mission agency she felt called to serve with after failing to meet its academic requirements. But her sense of calling to China never left her, and she found her own way there -- alone, with a train ticket she saved for herself and a resolve that carried her through war zones, detainment, and danger most of us can hardly imagine.
In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Mike and Cody dive into the remarkable missionary story of Gladys Aylward. Gladys was a London housemaid with no formal education and no money, who was rejected by the mission agency she felt called to serve with after failing to meet its academic requirements. But her sense of calling to China never left her, and she found her own way there -- alone, with a train ticket she saved for herself and a resolve that carried her through war zones, detainment, and danger most of us can hardly imagine.
What follows is a story of a life fully surrendered: an inn built to reach traveling muleteers with the gospel, an unlikely government job that opened doors most missionaries never got close to, and a family of orphaned children that grew far beyond what Gladys ever expected for herself. Mike and Cody trace her story all the way through the chaos of wartime China, and reflect on what her life teaches about calling, rejection, perseverance, and the kind of person God tends to use.
Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org
Resources & Links:
● Gladys Aylward: My Missionary Life in China (Moody Publishers)
00:00 -- Cold Open: "How Could She Love Me? I'm a Murderer."
00:54 -- Introducing Gladys Aylward's Story
01:21 -- A London Housemaid With No Status or Wealth
02:06 -- Called to China at an Evangelistic Meeting
02:40 -- Applying to China Inland Mission
03:17 -- Rejected: "We Can't Endorse Sending You to China"
04:10 -- Returning to Housework, Still Praying for China
04:44 -- An Unexpected Connection to Missionary Jeannie Lawson
05:29 -- Saving for a Ticket on the Trans-Siberian Railway
06:36 -- Riding the Rails Into a War Zone
07:44 -- Refusing to Get Off the Train
08:12 -- Stranded and Walking the Tracks Alone at Night
08:56 -- Wolves in the Dark and the Lord's Protection
09:44 -- Detained -- and Discovering Her Papers Were Switched
10:59 -- Escaping by Ship to Japan, Then On to China
12:09 -- Finally Reaching Jeannie Lawson in the Mountains
12:39 -- Starting the Inn of the Eight Happinesses
13:05 -- Winning Over Skeptical Muleteers
13:57 -- Sharing Bible Stories Over Nightly Meals
15:03 -- Jeannie's Final Wish and Passing the Torch
16:09 -- Becoming Fluent and Running the Ministry Alone
16:49 -- An Unlikely Job Offer From a Government Official
17:52 -- Becoming a Trusted Inspector -- and Sharing the Gospel Door to Door
20:46 -- The Little Girl Everyone Called "Nine Pence"
21:36 -- Building a Family of Hundreds of Orphans
23:08 -- A Reluctant Call Into Prison Ministry
24:57 -- Learning to Love a Man She Hated
25:57 -- A Small Act That Crossed a Cultural Line
27:17 -- One Prisoner's Question Sparks a Revival
29:02 -- A Price on Gladys's Head as War Breaks Out
30:27 -- Leading 100 Children Over the Mountains to Safety
32:50 -- "Can God Part the River for Us?"
34:41 -- The Physical Toll That Never Fully Healed
36:09 -- A New Season of Ministry in Taiwan
38:34 -- What Her Story Teaches About Being Used by God
41:04 -- Wrestling With Rejection and Discerning God's Doors
49:23 -- Perseverance, Stubbornness, and Trusting God's Timing
53:42 -- Walking Through Loneliness and Disappointment
59:37 -- Closing Thoughts and Resources
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