James Gilmour

James Gilmour was born on June 12, 1843, in Cathkin, near Glasgow, Scotland. His father was a farmer who had a strong faith, and his mother was a warm and loving woman. He was a quiet, sturdy boy, a good student with a love of the outdoors. He studied at the University of Glasgow and then at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated in 1867. At Edinburgh, he came into contact with those who were interested in missions, and he was moved by the need in China. He studied theology at Cheshunt College in England and was accepted by the London Missionary Society.

He was sent to China in 1870. He went to Peking, now Beijing, and began to learn the language. His aim was to bring the gospel to the Mongols, the nomadic people of the steppe to the north. At that time, hardly any missionary had made contact with them. He decided that the best way was to live as they did. He made a number of journeys into Mongolia on foot and on camel. He traveled with a Mongol guide and slept in the tents of the nomads. He ate their food, wore their clothes and learned their language. He sometimes lived on little more than tea and mutton.

He worked for years among them with little visible result. He kept a record of his experiences, and he wrote a book called Among the Mongols, which was published in 1883. It was a vivid and humorous account of his travels, and it won a wide readership. He told of the hardships and of the people and of his own failures. He said that the Mongols were warm and generous and that they were often indifferent to the gospel. The book helped to stir interest in the Mongol mission. He published a second work, More About the Mongols, in 1893.

He attempted to win the Mongols through medicine and also by the sale of books. He carried a stock of Scriptures and tracts and a bag of medicines. He offered treatment and was welcomed by many. He found that the lamas, or Buddhist monks, were a barrier to the work. They controlled much of the life of the people and were opposed to the missionaries. He struggled with discouragement and wrote in his diary that he had made hardly a single convert after years of effort. He was often depressed.

He was a man of exceptional dedication and simplicity. He lived in the plainest style, often on very little. He did not regard his lack of results as a failure, and he said that he was the one who was being tested. He believed that the foundations were being laid for later workers. In 1882 he married a Scottish woman, Emily Prankard, who joined him in the work. They had two sons.

He had weaknesses. He was a lonely and sometimes gloomy man. He tended to be hard on himself and on others. He also faced the problem of the opium trade, which was ruining the people, and he spoke out about it. He suffered from illness in the harsh climate. In 1891, he came down with typhoid fever, and he died on May 21, 1891, in Tientsin, at the age of forty-seven.

He had little to show for his labors in the eyes of the world. Yet his example and his writing inspired many missionaries to follow. His life shows that faithfulness is not measured by results and that those who sow in tears may be remembered for a long time.