Hudson Taylor: Founder, China Inland Mission

From early childhood, Hudson Taylor (1832--1905) dreamed of becoming a missionary in China. Though he would struggle with his faith throughout his youth, by age seventeen he had settled his spiritual issues and acknowledged God's call to the mission field. In China, Taylor took the unusual step of adopting native garb, which helped him earn the respect of many Chinese. Depending entirely on God for his financial support and for protection from hostile elements of Chinese society, Taylor lead a work that eventually became the China Inland Mission, which laid the groundwork for much of that nation's modern-day Christianity.