Gladys Aylward

Gladys (www.jeremytiss.com)

Sometimes when life gets hard people just quit and decide not to care at all anymore. Well Gladys Aylward is not one of those people. When she failed school, she did not give up. Instead she was determined to find a way to help people.

Gladys a missionary (fec.org.uk)

Around 1930, she traveled from England to China to go help aging missionary Jeannie Lawson. Together they created an Inn where they preached to local travelers and cared for orphaned children and wounded soldiers from the war with the Japanese. Though this work, Gladys learned more about the Bible and Chinese customs and language. When Mrs. Lawson died, Gladys continued the work they had begun. In 1936 she became a Chinese citizen.

As the war got worse, she cared for up to 100 children, and she found out Colonel Linnan, a member of the Chinese resistance, wanted her dead or alive. At that point, in 1940, she decided to run away and take all the children with her. They were forced to travel for 27 days and endure many hardships. While she was running for her life a Japanese soldier shot her in the back. She felt the excruciating pain but kept on going. Gladys got very ill with pneumonia, fever, and exhaustion, but still kept going until she reached the safety of Sian.

Chinese Orphans (www.jeremytiss.com )

In Sian, she started a church and continued her missionary work until 1947. In 1948, she went back to England to live there for ten years. After those ten years she went to an orphanage in Taiwan, and worked there for the rest of their lives. She died January 3rd, 1970. Everyone will remember her by sharing her religion and saving the lives of the orphans.

Gladys Aylward is my hero because she did something no one else would do. She spread her religion even when her life was at risk. She is brave and unselfish because Gladys could have escaped by herself and would have survived. Gladys put people before herself even though that would be a larger risk for people getting hurt. She lead 100 orphans when running away and no one would take the time to do that. She is a caring person by caring for the orphans. She is my hero for being tough and still kept going when she got shot. I will never forget about the stories I heard about her!