Gladys Aylward 2: Glimpses for Kids worship bulletin

Foot Inspector
For many years, the feet of Chinese girls were wrapped tightly at birth to keep them from growing big. The Chinese thought small feet were prettier. A new law said that all foot-wrapping must end. The town governor asked Gladys to be his official foot inspector.

At first, Gladys refused. She did not know why anyone would listen to someone they called "foreign devil." However, she also had the governor’s okay to tell every villager about Jesus.

Gladys went to every village taking off foot bandages and telling Bible stories. The job paid enough to cover the hotel taxes and many Chinese became Christians.

Ai-weh-deh
Gladys did such a good job as foot inspector that when a riot broke out in the town prison, she was called again. This time the prison governor wanted her to calm the prisoners down. Afraid, Gladys prayed for help and then convinced the prisoners to put down their weapons. Afterwards she visited the prison every day and helped make their living conditions better. From then on, everyone called her Ai-weh-deh, which means “The Virtuous One.”

On another day as Gladys walked through the village, she saw an old woman trying to sell a dirty little girl. She could not bear to leave the girl with the woman who did not care about her. Gladys bought the girl for less than two dollars. This little girl was the first of almost 100 unwanted children who came to live with Ai-weh-deh.

Harder times
For many years, the Japanese had been at war with China. Gladys thought the village she lived in was so well hidden it would never be attacked. However, one spring morning, Japanese planes filled the sky. They dropped bombs, destroying the village and killing many people. Gladys, who was upstairs leading a prayer group, was knocked out as she fell to the first floor below. When she woke up, she went out to help others who were hurt.

The village was in shambles and dead bodies lay in the streets. Japanese foot soldiers were on their way to kill everyone who was still alive. Gladys, the orphaned children, and the villagers fled, finding safety in caves. As the Japanese continued to close in on them, she and the children walked many days without food but were able to catch the last train to freedom. Gladys became very ill. As soon as the children were taken care of, she fell into a coma. She was hospitalized for two months and almost died.

One Last Visit to England
Gladys decided to go back to England after many years in China. She had aged so much that her parents did not know her at first. The years in China had been hard on her. She often became confused. She thought she was still in China and would speak in Chinese. When she felt well enough she would speak at churches about the need for more missionaries to go to China. All the time Gladys missed China terribly. She knew she could not stay in England. Gladys was the first missionary to become a Chinese citizen. She went back to China and spent the rest of her life helping the Chinese.

Gladys Aylward became known around the world for the sacrifice she made to help the Chinese learn the way to God. You can see the story of her life in a movie called The Inn of Sixth Happiness.

How well did you read the story?
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer. Put one character in each space provided.

Gladys walked __ __ miles in the cold, snowy night.
Gladys worked as a __ __ __ __ to save money for her trip to China.
Gladys took care of unwanted __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
Gladys and the children found safety living in __ __ __ __ __.
The village was bombed by the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
Chinese girls had their __ __ __ __ bound.
Gladys became a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ citizen.

Make It Real!
Questions to make you dig a little deeper and think a little harder.

Gladys Aylward's Long Road to China