S4E5: A Small Woman, A Mighty God | The Story of Gladys Aylward

In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Mike and Cody dive into the remarkable missionary story of Gladys Aylward. Gladys was a London housemaid with no formal education and no money, who was rejected by the mission agency she felt called to serve with after failing to meet its academic requirements. But her sense of calling to China never left her, and she found her own way there -- alone, with a train ticket she saved for herself and a resolve that carried her through war zones, detainment, and danger most of us can hardly imagine. What follows is a story of a life fully surrendered: an inn built to reach traveling muleteers with the gospel, an unlikely government job that opened doors most missionaries never got close to, and a family of orphaned children that grew far beyond what Gladys ever expected for herself. Mike and Cody trace her story all the way through the chaos of wartime China, and reflect on what her life teaches about calling, rejection, perseverance, and the kind of person God tends to use. Contact us at [email protected] Resources & Links:●       Gladys Aylward: My Missionary Life in China (Moody Publishers)  00:00 -- Cold Open: "How Could She Love Me? I'm a Murderer."00:54 -- Introducing Gladys Aylward's Story01:21 -- A London Housemaid With No Status or Wealth02:06 -- Called to China at an Evangelistic Meeting02:40 -- Applying to China Inland Mission03:17 -- Rejected: "We Can't Endorse Sending You to China"04:10 -- Returning to Housework, Still Praying for China04:44 -- An Unexpected Connection to Missionary Jeannie Lawson05:29 -- Saving for a Ticket on the Trans-Siberian Railway06:36 -- Riding the Rails Into a War Zone07:44 -- Refusing to Get Off the Train08:12 -- Stranded and Walking the Tracks Alone at Night08:56 -- Wolves in the Dark and the Lord's Protection09:44 -- Detained -- and Discovering Her Papers Were Switched10:59 -- Escaping by Ship to Japan, Then On to China12:09 -- Finally Reaching Jeannie Lawson in the Mountains12:39 -- Starting the Inn of the Eight Happinesses13:05 -- Winning Over Skeptical Muleteers13:57 -- Sharing Bible Stories Over Nightly Meals15:03 -- Jeannie's Final Wish and Passing the Torch16:09 -- Becoming Fluent and Running the Ministry Alone16:49 -- An Unlikely Job Offer From a Government Official17:52 -- Becoming a Trusted Inspector -- and Sharing the Gospel Door to Door20:46 -- The Little Girl Everyone Called "Nine Pence"21:36 -- Building a Family of Hundreds of Orphans23:08 -- A Reluctant Call Into Prison Ministry24:57 -- Learning to Love a Man She Hated25:57 -- A Small Act That Crossed a Cultural Line27:17 -- One Prisoner's Question Sparks a Revival29:02 -- A Price on Gladys's Head as War Breaks Out30:27 -- Leading 100 Children Over the Mountains to Safety32:50 -- "Can God Part the River for Us?"34:41 -- The Physical Toll That Never Fully Healed36:09 -- A New Season of Ministry in Taiwan38:34 -- What Her Story Teaches About Being Used by God41:04 -- Wrestling With Rejection and Discerning God's Doors49:23 -- Perseverance, Stubbornness, and Trusting God's Timing53:42 -- Walking Through Loneliness and Disappointment59:37 -- Closing Thoughts and Resources To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions.Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org