Who Said That...

Lillian Dickson was a little lady with a great vision and big heart (as introduced by the Reader’s Digest July 1962 issue.) She was born 1901 in Minnesota. A graduate of Macalerter College, Lillian married to James Dickson, a Canadian studied at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1927. Soon they accepted the missionary duty from Canadian Presbyterian Church.

The story of Lillian Dickson and the organization that she founded while living in Taiwan as a missionary's wife, The Mustard Seed, is a long and well documented one. Her first years living in Taiwan from the late 1920s to the early 1940s were that of adjustment and bringing together their family while her husband, the Rev. James (Jim) Dickson, conducted missionary work on behalf of The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC).

Following World War II in 1948, with very little resources, she founded Mustard Seed. She began working with pastors across Taiwan to minister the suffering survivors of the brutal Japanese occupation. Many Taiwanese, especially those living in the remote mountainous areas, were starving and desperately ill. She attempted to meet the needs of the mountain peoples of Taiwan through the ministry of evangelism, adoption, childcare, education, medical work, development aid and relief. The Mustard Seed is now an international organization with several national branches under its umbrella.

Over 1,000 churches, schools and hospitals exist on the tiny island of Taiwan today as a direct result of the work of Lillian Dickson and her husband James. Literally hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese Christians became followers of Christ through the missionary ministry of the Dickson’s.

At her old age, Lillian still works hard, her energy and enthusiasm undiminished. At a "Good People and Good Deeds" citation meeting, she was honored by the government of the Republic of China. Lillian passed away on January 14th, 1983, in Taiwan at the age of 82. The Dicksons have been in Taiwan 38 years except for leaves and the few years of the war.