Gladys Aylward was born near London in 1902 to a working class
family and as a young girl entered domestic service. After becoming a
Christian at a revival meeting and responding to the speaker's urge to
dedicate herself to God, Gladys felt she was called to go to China as a
missionary. Yet while she became a probationer with London's China
Inland Mission Center when she could not pass their examinations she
decided she would attempt to go on her own. As she continued to work and save her money, Gladys learned of an older woman missionary
named Jeannie Lawson who needed a younger woman to assist her in
her work in China. Mrs. Lawson accepted her application but could
not help with her traveling expenses, so Gladys came up with new
idea. She couldn't afford ship passage, but she did have enough for
train fare - across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railroad and into
China. .
.In October, 1930 Gladys left London with her few possessions, and arrived at Vladivostok where she then traveled by ship to Japan, then on to China, where she rode a mule to the community of Yangchen, south of Beijing to join Mrs. Lawson. However, she discovered that the local people mistrusted foreigners like Mrs. Lawson - and now Gladys. Yahgchen was situated on a major commercial route used by the mule
trains that transported such goods as coal, cotton and iron goods, and
to serve and witness to these mule teamsters Gladys and Mrs. Lawson
opened an inn. However, when they first opened, Gladys decided to
take the imitative to attract customers.
“If God has called you to China or any other place and you are sure in your own heart, let nothing deter you ... remember it is God who has called you and it is the same as when He called Moses or Samuel.”