GLADYS AYLWARD

Today I began to watch a movie I've liked for many years.  It is called The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.  The actress, Ingrid Bergman, plays the English missionary for China, Gladys Aylward.  She did a good job.  According to what I've read over the years, portions of the movie are truthful. Portions are fictional.  I have read stories of this missionary a number of times since I've been a missionary-oriented person for many years.  The movie was made in 1958.

One of the responses I had a few years ago was that  Gladys was in the Taiwan area after the communists took over China and many people had to go to a safe place.  She continued teaching.  She died there January 3, 1970, just a few weeks shy of 68.  I was told by someone that when Ingrid went to Taiwan to meet her, and discovered that Gladys had died, that she knelt by Glady's bed and prayed  I hope Ingrid's heart was nearer and nearer to the Lord.

As I said, I had read about her in missionary books several times over the years.  She was one of my missionary heroes.  Hope to meet her in heaven!

Another amazing thing is the reason I had this hit my heart today and felt the Lord wanted me to share it with others,  In March, 2009, the Lord laid it on me to drive out to San Diego to attend the Joel Rosenberg conference.  On my way west, after spending a couple nights on the road

areas, I was heading for a blessing.  One of our friends who is involved in drawing Hollywood to Christianity in many ways, did a gift for me.  Shun Lee found a room for me at a Pasadena Christian college.  I'd be there an extra day, and then getting to his work place right near the Hollywood Blvd.  

It felt nice as I was walking into the dorm,  Must have been a bit of a break time, because I didn't see very many people.  When I walked down the stairs of the dorm, and turned to the entry lane area, there was a 
picture on the wall of my favorite missionary, Gladys Aylward.  I was absolutely amazed that God had put me in that place where my heart could be filled with rejoicing. 

While watching the movie, knowing what is truthful and what is fictional, I'm absolutely living in her heart.  If it didn't come through properly in the movie, I knew that much of her heart was planted to reach out to people, pouring the seed of God, the love of God.  Many came to the Lord through her and through many others who poured their missionary hearts.  I've read SO much about the Chinese missionaries connected to J. Hudson Taylor, my forever truthful hero.

Just now, on the movie, watching the Japanese planes dropping bombs in her town, being forced to leave soon with many, MANY children... at least 100 ... and walking many, many miles over mountains to a town that wanted them -- and that's truthful  The end response of her AIN'T true.  Not romance... they processed that on movies then, on movies now.  According to reality, she collapsed for quite some time when reaching the safety town with the kids.  NOT running back to that portion of China to be with her movie-fiance. 

I know this has nothing to do with Christmas... in terms of the time-zone... but it does have much to do with Christmas, because dozens, hundreds, thousands came to the Lord in China, because of Jesus' birth.

[Oh, and BTW, the Lord  truly did lay this on me today.  I had thought of sharing this for quite a long time and didn't.  But it hit me this morning.  Not just because of the movie I was watching, but because of the joyous gift God had given me... about 3 months after Christmas, '08 ... while "seeing" her.]

JOE AND CHINA CUP

I was cleaning my curio cabinets today, and decided to share this bit.  Now, the cup was Made in China.  Do we become annoyed with this so often?  Yep, we sure do, and we should be.  [At least that's my opinion, for what it's worth.]

This, however, is different.

Joe led the praise singing at our wedding, 27 years ago on this coming Friday, September 21st.

Later, he was heavily involved in a local Bible school. At one point, he brought a Ugandan pastor to our house for a pizza dinner.  Joe intended to go to Uganda.  Dave and I intended to go to China through an international computer company he worked for in those days.  [I had studied Chinese missions for about 25 years by then and had a real heart to go over there and serve God however it could be worked out.  Dave, obviously, was more than willing, too.]

Well, life went opposite.  In 1991, we ended up in Uganda to make our first short-term checking-things-out-stretch.  The main reason: Because the Ugandan pastor, when visiting in '89, was used by the Lord to plant that into our hearts.  About the same time, after Joe had joined YWAM, thinking Uganda was his direction, he ended up in Hong Kong.  He and another worker created YWAM - FEET.  [Far East Evangelism Teams.]  

Even though Joe comes to town once every couple years or so, because of various schedule issues on our plates we rarely see each other. We miss him a lot.  If nothing else, we have much of the same spiritual warfare on our hearts.

After he had been there for about three years, he came home with gifts for his friends and family.  He came to our house and gave us this cup. 

We have had it ever since.  I used it for tea for a while, but then I set it aside, because I don't want to crack or break it.  

It was Made in China, and brought personally from Hong Kong...

And it always makes me smile.  Because of Joe.

"THE CENTRE OF THE CIRCLE"

This poem was written by a missionary, Arthur Mathews, the last China Inland Missionary to be released from China after the Communist takeover in the early 1950s.  He, his wife and very young daughter were in Mongolia, under increasingly difficult times, including cold, illness, hunger, isolation, and treachery.  Eventually, his daughter and wife were freed, but he still was forced to stay behind for a number of months, during which time his life was frequently in jeopardy.

When first reading this poem, about 30 years ago, it struck a chord in my heart.  It continues to do so.  If I had been born on time, and not 5 weeks early, I would have arrived just about V-J day.   I’ve always had an awareness of the fragility of our existence as a society and a nation.

For a number of years as a child, I lived in fear of attack -- like many other Cold War kids -- but I think mine was heightened by my sense of responsibility to protect my sisters in Tacoma, a city near an Air Force base and Army base.  When Sputnik went up in October, 1957, I was 12 years old and, while standing in our front yard and watching it pass over, I vowed to myself that I would move to the center of the country when I grew up so I would be so far away that “they” [coastal invaders] couldn’t get me.

  

Many years later, in 1976, in Omaha, Nebraska, the center of our country (with no thought of that youthful vow), I was walking downtown during my lunch break, and the irony dawned on me: yes, I had grown up, and yes, I had moved to the center of the nation, but I had moved right next to Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB, one of the most seriously operated bases in our nation/world.  While standing on a corner, waiting for a light to change, this hit me, suddenly.  And I laughed out loud at God’s sense of humor.

In light of events that occur, causing hearts to feel heavy or  hopeless, I share this poem with family and friends.  My desire is that encouragement will flood them and be reminded that ultimately we are held in the hands of God -- and the only safe place is in the center of His will.

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In the centre of the circle of the will of God I stand,

As I launch from sheltering harbour 

       to obey His last command.

What though waves o’erwhelm my vessel,

       and grim fears my faith assail,

Still I’ll stay upon His promise, for that cannot, 

      will not fail.

In the centre of the circle of the will of God I stand,

Where the warfare wages fiercest,

     ‘tis the place that He has planned.

Though dread foes may storm my castle, 

     and the battle seem but lost,

I will claim in Him the vict’ry, and hold on

    whate’er the cost.

In the centre of the circle of the will of God I stand,

There can be no second causes,

     all must come from His own hand.

When dark clouds obscure my vision, 

    and the way I may not see,

I will trust Him in the darkness, for I know

    He pilots me.

In the centre of the circle of the will of God I stand,

Though the circumstances round me 

    show small trace of His skilled Hand,

Yet in darkness as in daylight,

     in the gloom as sunshine fair,

I will trust Him for His presence, for I know 

    He’s always near!