Men & Women of Faith: Gladys Alward

August's woman of faith is Gladys Alward! Here is a visual of the letter that I sent to each child:

Here is the text of the letter I sent:

My dear Name,

Greetings in the name of Jesus. How are you and your family? We're doing well, thanks to God! The next story I would like to share with you is about Gladys Alward.

Gladys grew up in London, England, in the early 1900s. As a teenager, she read a story about the Chinese that changed her life. She knew she must go tell them about God's love. Gladys failed missionary training school. The director told her she wasn't smart enough to learn Chinese, and they would not accept her. But Gladys was determined. If the mission board would not send her to China, she would find her own way there. To save money for her trip, Gladys went back to the only job she knew, being a maid. One day Gladys heard about an elderly missionary woman who was looking for someone to take over her work in China.

When Gladys finally did arrive in China, the missionary, 73-year-old Mrs. Jeannie Lawson, was surprised to see Gladys. She quickly put her to work repairing the big, old, rundown house that she lived in. The villagers thought the house was haunted. Mrs. Lawson wanted to turn the house into a hotel for the Chinese mule drivers. She would offer two things other hotels did not, dinner time Bible stories and beds without fleas. 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 Gladys.

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 went out to help others who were hurt. 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. God watched over and protected Gladys and the children! They were then able to live in safety and freedom.

Love,
Hannah

For photos, I googled Gladys Alward's name and found a portrait to include with the letter! I also included a map to show where China is.

Feel free to copy and paste this letter to your kids also!