Because she lived and dressed as her neighbors, they more
readily accepted her, and listened to her message. She occasionally
visited the Mandarin's home and while he did not accept her faith, he
enjoyed their conversations. She was so totally dedicated to her
adopted country that she became a Chinese citizen in 1936.
When war with the Japanese came in 1938 Yangchen was bombed by
Japanese planes then occupied temporarily by Japanese soldiers. The
Mandarin led the survivors into a mountain retreat, and at the same
time announced that because of Gladys' life witness he had decided to
adopt her faith. As the war progressed Gladys continued to serve her
adopted country by passing on information she discovered when she
found herself behind Japanese.Then Gladys received word that the Japanese were returning to invade
the area,
they successfully reached the
orphanage. However, within a few days after their arrival, Gladys
became seriously ill with typhus fever.
She gradually recovered, then established a church there at Sian,
continuing her service for God with lepers near the borders of Tibet.
However, the injuries she had received during the war left her
impaired, and that along with the arrival and growing presence of the
Communists proved too much of a challenge. In 1947 she returned to
England where she continued to evangelize until she settled in Taiwan
and set up an orphanage where she died in 1970.
Quite possibly Gladys and her adventures could have remained
obscure, known only to God and those involved, but it was not to be.
In 1957 Alan Burgess published Gladys' story as "The Small Woman"
and it soon came to the movie screen as "The Inn of the Sixth
Happiness" starring Ingrid Bergman as a much taller Gladys.
The life and ministry of Gladys Aylward was amazing not just because
of all she did but because she accomplished so much of it on her own,
depending entirely on the Lord. And provide he did - to enable the
small woman to accomplish big things for him.
and that there had been discovered a Japanese circular
offering a reward for her capture or death. With this imminent threat,
Gladys decided it was time to flee with 100 children she had taken in.
Her destination was a government orphanage in Sian and for 12 days
they traveled, sometimes lodging with sympathetic hosts and
sometimes staying outdoors. When they arrived at the Yellow River
and needed to cross they discovered that this would be almost
impossible since local boat owners were hiding their craft to prevent
Japanese seizure. At the children's urging Gladys joined them in prayer
and song, which attracted a Chinese patrol and when their leader heard
their story he offered to find them a boat. He succeeded and after
Gladys and the children crossed