Gladys Aylward

"On the third day on my new job, I was sitting on my bed reading my Bible. I had now reached Nehemiah. I felt very sorry for him and understood why he wept and mourned when he heard about Jerusalem in its great need and could do nothing about it. He was a sort of butler and had to obey his employer just like I did, I thought. Then I turned to the second chapter. 'But he did go,' I exclaimed aloud, and got up, a strange elation within me. 'He went in spite of everything!'

As if someone was in the room, a voice said clearly, 'Gladys Aylward, is Nehemiah's God your God?'

'Yes, of course!' I replied.

'Then do what Nehemiah did, and go.'

'But I am not Nehemiah.'

'No, but assuredly I am his God.'

That settled everything for me. I believed these were my marching orders.

I put my Bible on the bed, beside it my copy of Daily Light and, at the side of that, all the money I had--2 1/2 pence (or two and a half cents). What a ridiculous little collection it seemed, but I said simply, 'O God, here's the Bible about which I long to tell others, here's my Daily Light that every day will give me a new promise and here is 2 1/2 pence. If You want me, I am going to China with these.'"

-from Gladys Aylward's autobiography, The Little Woman (emphasis added)

Gladys Aylward was a missionary to China in the 1930s and 40s. She had this amazing eagerness and a deep desire to reach the people in China for Christ. She was told a lot of her life leading up to this point that Chinese was too difficult of a language for her and that she would never make it over there. She battled with discouragement until that fateful night when she surrendered all she had: a Bible, a devotional book and 2 1/2 pence, the English equivalent of 2 1/2 pennies.

Right after Gladys prayed that prayer, there was a knock at the door and it was her mistress, asking her how much she paid to travel to London, where she was working as a maid. Her goal with this job was to save up enough money to get a train to China. Her mistress asked her how much it cost her to get to London and she replied that it cost her two shillings and nine pence. Then the mistress reimbursed her three shillings. Her 2 1/2 pence just increased significantly!

Long story short, Gladys worked her tail off and was able to get enough money to board a train to China, where she would ultimately do some amazing work in people's lives over there, especially in the lives of Chinese children.

What got Gladys over to China initially? Was it the money she collected? Was it the train she took? Was it the network of people she collaborated with?

NO! It was her faith. It was that moment when she said to God, "Here is everything, and I am Yours. Please God, get me to China, the place You have called me to be."

I completely understand Gladys because that is how I feel with this opportunity God has given me this coming year to work with college students at Eastern Connecticut State University and Manchester Community College.

Like Gladys, I don't have much right now. The only thing I feel like I do have is this desire inside of me to go over there.

I believe God is challenging me to be like Gladys, because Nehemiah's God is Gladys' God, and Gladys' God is my God!

God bless,

Steve