Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman Paperback – June 1, 1970

I saw the movie, "The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness", when I was young. Even though I had no spiritual background, it touched me deeply. I am now 76 and found the movie on Prime. I watched it again, and it again touched me deeply as I am now a Christian since age 20. Then, I found this autobiography by Gladys Aylward. It is quite different than the movie but so good. It continues until after the war was over, and she did so much more than the movie showed.

A courageous young woman goes to China on her own to be a missionary. One of the most amazing books I've ever read.

I heard about this book from someone who had read it and loved it. It's small so I was expecting a book written to a younger age person. But I found that our whole family has been captivated by the story of this little woman who undertook a treacherous journey alone that was fraught with danger, to try and fulfill a God given mission to China. I was impressed as we read this out loud as a family, how touched the men in the family were with some of the stories we read. There was even some tearing up by said men when we read the chapter about how she helped to stop the binding of little girls' feet in China and rescued women/children who had been sold/trafficked.I won't give any more away, but this has been an excellent read-aloud for our family and hopefully for yours.

The movie made from this woman's life, The Inn of the 5th Happiness, was great. This book is even better. There are more miracles told of, and of course it is free of any Hollywood add-ons. This is the story of a parlor maid who feels a call, of all things, to go to China. She meets only discouragement and is told by a local missionary board that she is not qualified. But Gladys audibly hears from YHWH that she is to go. She saves her pennies and takes a train, alone, from England to China! On the trip Gladys just barely escapes being abducted by greedy and lascivious (to put it mildly) Communists who think she could be useful as they think a missionary is a machinist. When she gets to China - where she speaks not one word of the language - all she has to greet her is a 73 year old missionary living in virtual poverty who had prayed for a young woman to come and replace her. Good thing. The elderly lady died in about a year. Gladys became an inn keeper for mulemen, and a government foot inspector (the Chinese law was saying women could no longer bind their feet.) Wherever she went she preached the Gospel fearlessly and won many converts, including the local Mandarin who became a great friend of hers. Along the way she gave up her dream of one day marrying and having her own children. But she had plenty of children - I think about 20 officially, some abandoned, orphaned, or bought from those who were going to sell them for evil purposes. She also managed to get 100 children - 3 to 16 years old - over "impassable" mountains, mostly alone and mostly with only the meager food they could beg in their war ravaged area. They needed to reach a Christian missionary orphanage and did so - though at the cost of Glady's health in many ways. As always, people who give up all to follow Abba's call are very humbling, and when they triumph against all odds, we are inspired. What was also encouraging to me was that Gladys was not a bulwark of faith every minute. She sometimes questioned our Heavenly Father, and called out to Him in desperation like all the rest of us. And just as with us, He often answered her prayers at the very last minute!Though this little missionary had many hardships and trials, I'm sure she would not trade with those of us who sit reading her story in luxury in our climate controlled homes, with full bellies. I guess only those who live so fully dedicated to Yahusha ever really know what true adventure is, or what the truest fulfillment really is. "When the saints go marching in" I would guess this humble little lady will be among those placed at the head of the line.

This is a wonderful testimony of a woman who obeyed the voice of God and went to China to be a vessel to tell the good news of the gospel there. Her testimony includes testimonies of others like her who received Christ and chose Him even when faced with death. It was an honor to read of her incredible humble heart and her service to her Lord.

May God awaken the sleeping churches of the west. May the simplicity of faith revealed in this story rebuke our love of comfort and the praise of man. And, may the same Jesus, who revealed Himself to Gladys Aylward, be known again in His churches in the west. Amen and amen.

She answered God's Call in spite of the mission board refusing to send and support her. It is more important to get God's support and provision than to get man's approval.

In the early 1900s God told her to go to the missionary field in China. But no church would sponsor her. So she went on her own then because God told her to do so. Just getting there was monumental. But once there, God worked through her monumentally for 20 years or better without furlough. Then WW2 came and the Japanese came there looking for her, wanting her. What she finally did, led by God, to save herself and 100 orphans beggars description, outside of actually reading the account itself! Her love for Jesus and the lost, coupled with her undying faith and her relentless pursuit for souls will astonish you. One small woman operating in God's Will.

A great addition to your Christian life.

I was deeply touched by this book. It encourages me to believe in the Living God who can use anyone. The miracles and leading of the Lord were so real. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

This life story of Gadys really touched me deeply and inspired me to give myself unconditionly to Jesus who has given bis life for me .The story is easy to read and good to tell in like in sunday school vor a sermon.

I gotta know about Gladys Aylward from my bible college teacher. The little that I heard about her made me to want to know more. I just could not stop reading this book .. the minute I turned the first page, a little flame ignited in me .. and it grew into a fire as I reached the end , only to spread the message of salvation to the unsaved

This book is phenomenal, the story moving, the words very personal.If it only moves the emotions, I suppose one can say it has been a good read (which it is) …… but … I’m sure the author did not set out to only move emotions momentarily, rather (by example) in every way to move her readers to see and serve those things which are eternal. Things which actually matter. Things about which Jesus said “For whatever you did to the least of these you did unto Me.”It is in this second sense that this book is not just a good read but an outstanding one.