Lillian Dickson

Originally, she and her husband, James Dickson (1900-1967), were sent by the Presbyterian Church of Canada, to Taiwan in 1927.

Lillian Dickson (29 January 1901 – 14 January 1983) was an independent missionary, author, and public speaker.

She used her maternal identity to develop her vocation in the middle of the twentieth century.

Dickson was born Lillian Ruth LeVesconte on January 29, 1901, in Prior Lake, Minnesota, to John, "a flour-and-feed-mill operator", and Lillie Belle LeVesconte.

She met her husband, James Ira Dickson, during her time at Macalester College.

On May 16, 1927, Dickson and James married.

As both were members of the Canadian Presbyterian Church (CPC) and were interested in doing missionary work, the newly-wed Dicksons answered CPC's urgent call to provide pastoral and medical care to a CPC base in northern Taiwan.

At 23, Dickson received her Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

A year after, Dickson attended a Biblical Seminary in New York City, New York for two years to prepare for pending missionary work.

For her trip to Taiwan, Dickson planned to take medical courses in preparation to become the family doctor in the village they intended to live in Taiwan, as there was a lack of good medical care for lepers.

However, Dickson reflected in her letters to her husband later during her missionary work in Taiwan, "Nothing I studied in college is of any use here,...All the things I should know I learn by painful mistakes! Who would have ever guessed our life would be like this?"

(1997-5006-2-1; circular letter dated May 15, 1959).

Dickson arrived in Taiwan in 1927 as a missionary under the Canadian Presbyterian Church.

Lillian Dickson arrived as a participant in the Legacy of the American missionary movement.

She lived through the Japanese colonial period and the Chinese nationalist era in Taiwan.

During the Dicksons' first thirteen years in Formosa, now known as Taiwan, Dickson lived and worked as a missionary's wife.

Her husband, James, served as deputy principal of Tamsui Middle School and then as president of Taipei Theological School.

Dickson would host guests in their house and maintained the hospitable character of a missionary's wife.

Due to rising tensions in World War II between Japan and the United States, the Dicksons left Taiwan and were reassigned to what is now British Guiana in South America.

At the end of World War II, the Dicksons returned to Formosa.

Lillian's husband continued his role as head administrator of the Taiwan Theological College.

As Lillian's children were older, Lillian no longer held much obligations as missionary's wife.

Dickson became a spokesperson for both Taiwan and the U.S., promoting peace and positive Japanese relations.

Beyond that, Dickson advocated for the welfare of the needy Taiwanese people through an exchange of information and images in her letters she would write to her family, friends, and Churches in the US.

By highlighting the needs of the Taiwanese people, she encouraged American organizations to donate to the people of Formosa.

Christian organizations most helpful to Dickson at the time included the Christian Herald, a New York-based news organization, and World Vision, a charitable foundation created to rescue orphans after the Korean War.

Lillian lived and worked in Taiwan until she died, except for the period between 1940 and 1947 when she and her husband were transferred to British Guiana because of growing tensions and war between Japan and the United States.

After her return to Taiwan, Lillian eventually developed a long lasting career as an independent missionary.

In particular, she founded Mustard Seed International.

and The Mustard Seed Mission (based in Taiwan).

After repeated encouragement from her friends, Lillian Dickson established the non-profit Mustard Seed, Inc. organization in order for her donors to apply for tax deductions in 1954 and founded The Mustard Seed Mission to continue her work in Taiwan in 1962.

Upon Dickson's return to Taiwan, her intent was to evangelize the Taiwanese children.

However, it was her medical missions that attracted her American donors.

While she was not herself a licensed medical professional, Dickson's organization provided medical care and promoted hygiene through several missions executed over her lifetime.

Some examples of missions included: developing mountain clinics, building a church in a leper colony, and establishing a 烏腳病 clinic.

Lillian Dickson's medical missionary work started with her focus on the leper patients and their children in the leper hospitals.

When the children remained with their parents who were affected by leprosy, it was evident the children were at high risk of contracting the disease.

Dickson found that when the children were separated at birth from their parents and were permitted to grow healthy.

Hence, Dickson established a An-Lok Babies' Home to house the newborn babies with parents who had leprosy.

From then on, Lillian Dickson went to create expansive leper colonies, and other clinics that focused on other diseases affected by the aboriginal people of Formosa.