Hudson Taylor-The Blind Man Who Walked Fifty Miles To Get Help

By Mary Vee

Year: April 1882-1883 

Hudson Taylor: age 51

From J. Hudson Taylor's Notes

Photo Courtesy

In the mountain villages, the Chinese people do not have access to medicine or doctors. The few missionary doctors who come to China experience so many blessings they fill journals with the stories. But these doctors simply couldn't do all the work. Those that are here pray-how they pray all day for medical students to come.

Some of their friends from medical school wrote back saying going to China was a crazy idea. They felt they should be missionaries in their homeland first.

Dr. Schofield and other missionaries in China continued to pray for God to send help. Here are a few wonderful reasons why:

One day a poor man heard of the miraculous work done by the doctor in the village fifty miles away. The fifty-five year old, practically blind man begged for help to find his way along the road until at last he arrived at the hospital.

Dr. Shoefield smiled. He knew how to help this man. Using chloroform to make the man sleep during surgery, Dr. Shoefield removed cataracts from both eyes. The recovery took a while, but when the bandages were removed, the man could hardly speak. His lips widened into a smile and he said, "I can see." He walked the fifty miles back home, without any help.

During the time the man had medical care, Dr. Shoefield and the nurses told him about Jesus. He also went to the streets where the people gathered and told them about Jesus. As each day went by the people grew to trust him and listened to his words about a loving God who truly cared about them.

There was also a Chinese woman who lost her job because she became blind. She didn't know what to do and was so unhappy she jumped into the river hoping to drown. When that didn't work, she jumped into a well. A friend brought the woman to Dr. Shoefield.  He was able to operate on her eyes and restore her sight. After her eyes healed, the woman told him she could see. She was so happy, not only that she could see, but also to learn about the God who loved her. She wanted to stay and work for Dr. Shoefield. He hired her to sew, do some housework, and most important, help with the female patients.

Dr. Shoefield became sick with typhoid fever. He had been a missionary for three years. He became very sick. Before he died he said, "These three years in China have been by far the happiest of my life."

Twenty years later our mission had fourteen doctors working in seven hospitals and clinics.
Thank you, Jesus, for sending help.

J. Hudson Taylor

Missionary to China--Inland China!

So Very Blessed by God

Research resources: J. Hudson Taylor, An Autobiography by J. Hudson Taylor; It is Not Death to Die, a new biography of Hudson Taylor by Jim Cromarty; Hudson Taylor Founder, China Inland Mission by Vance Christie; J. Hudson Taylor, A Man in Christ, by Roger Steer, and Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr.and Mrs. Howard Taylor