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Angel at Her Shoulder
In 1927, Jim and Lillian Dickson arrived in Shanghai on their way to Formosa. In 1964 they were still dedicated to spreading the love of God to the people of what was now Taiwan.
It gives us a glimpse into the life of an incredibly caring and dedicated servant of Christ. She cared for the souls of the lost by sharing the Gospel. She cared for the sick by founding clinics, sanitariums, leper colonies, and hospitals. She cared for the lost and unwanted by founding orphanages. She cared for the prisoners by visiting them. This is Lillian's story. This is God's story for he moved mightily through her.
It gives us a glimpse into the life of an incredibly caring and dedicated servant of Christ. She cared for the souls of the lost by sharing the Gospel. She cared for the sick by founding clinics, sanitariums, leper colonies, and hospitals. She cared for the lost and unwanted by founding orphanages. She cared for the prisoners by visiting them. This is Lillian's story. This is God's story for he moved mightily through her.
- GenresBiography
256 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1964
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 11, 2017
It’s a very cheerful, uplifting, convicting, and encouraging book. It covers the highlights of a really amazing life dedicated to God’s service. The orphans were clothed, fed, housed, loved, and taught; the sick were tended, fed, and loved; the prisoners were visited; and, most important, the Gospel shared with thousands. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s provision.
This one reminded me a lot of George Muller’s books. She did ask for money, but there was no way, humanly speaking, that she should have been able to do all she did. It is clear that God supplied her need as she followed his leading.
The only thing that I could wish changed was that, while it’s clear the Gospel was a huge part of all her activities, it’s entirely missing in this book. Many people came to Christ directly through her witness and countless more through her ministry. But never once does the author include even a hint was what that ‘being saved’ means. Christ’s death burial and resurrection to free us from sins just isn’t explained.
I still highly recommend it.
This one reminded me a lot of George Muller’s books. She did ask for money, but there was no way, humanly speaking, that she should have been able to do all she did. It is clear that God supplied her need as she followed his leading.
The only thing that I could wish changed was that, while it’s clear the Gospel was a huge part of all her activities, it’s entirely missing in this book. Many people came to Christ directly through her witness and countless more through her ministry. But never once does the author include even a hint was what that ‘being saved’ means. Christ’s death burial and resurrection to free us from sins just isn’t explained.
I still highly recommend it.
March 19, 2016
Very uplifting & inspiring. This is the story of Lillian Dickson & the start of The Mustard Seed Mission in Taiwan. Quite amazing. It is actually a reread for me & I was just as impressed as the 1st time through, when I was a young teen.
January 24, 2023
Lillian Dickson’s story is remarkable, from growing up in Minnesota to spending the bulk of her adult life in Taiwan, both when the Japanese ruled the island, and after the island returned to Chinese administration. In the years after 1947, Lillian invested energy into improving the housing and lives of lepers and their children; creating resources for Taiwan’s indigenous women for safe births; creating orphanages, a Boys Home, and a rescue home for boys imprisoned—some for just having stolen food to avoid starving, or not having an identity card; and many other medical facilities around Taiwan.
The book highlighted many of these accomplishments by Lillian Dickson (January 29, 1901 to January 14, 1983), the wife of Presbyterian missionary to Taiwan, Jim Dickson, who became the. The book, published in 1964, focuses primarily on Lillian’s experiences in Taiwan (1927 to 1940/1, and 1947 to her death).
Given the book was published in 1964, the style sings high praises of Lillian Dickson. Without meaning to sound crass, Lillian was always looking for funds to do God’s work, as she saw it. Her approach was to commit to a project first, e.g., taking in orphans, before having worked out details of how she could sustain her efforts. This book could well have helped her efforts.
Her husband plays small roles in this story, one as a motivator for some of her works, or another as a sounding board, or a supporter. But his many significant contributions are not highlighted. During their tenure in Taiwan, James became the Principal of the Theological College. In addition, he had helped establish mountain churches among the indigenous population and made many other contributions to Taiwan.
The other issue not discussed in the book is how Lillian Dickson was viewed by the Taiwanese. Clearly, she helped many people. Yet, the author primarily provides us a view of a woman moved by God to help those in need.
Some sixty years later, I would be interesting to have a rounder picture of her, her work and its impact.
The book contains helpful information
• Two maps, one of the institutions under Mustard Seed’s purview; another of the medical mission work throughout Taiwan
• A list of Institutions Under Mustard Seed Care, in whole or part, with figures as of November 1, 1962.
Despite the focus on promoting Dickson’s work and effort, the book gives insights into some challenges facing Taiwanese at the time. The lack of basic health care and education for the indigenous people; the challenge for orphans, especially after 1949, when many parentless children came from the mainland; minor crimes and fear of communists would put children in prisons; and the exclusion of lepers in Taiwan (likely in many places). On the other hand, the lack of specific dates and locations is frustrating to me, trying to understand when institutions were started…. But I get a sense from the author that Lillian Dickson was not a planner, but a person who worked on impulses and believes. And a person who loved others, and knew how to get people to do God’s bidding, and hers. She learned the language, played the accordion, and got the attention of the people she interacted with.
A final question I had, but could not find an answer two, is both Lillian Dickson and Gladys Aylward (whose story was told in the movie The Inn of Sixth Happiness, where Gladys saved 100 orphans from the oncoming Japanese by marching miles, over mountains, to safety) were contemporaries, both Aylward worked until 1949 in China, and later, in 1957, moved to Hong Kong and then Taiwan to set up orphanages. Did these two women know of each other, or meet?
For her many accomplishments there are few books on Lillian Dickson’s life. I hope someone will provide a better biography of her life and times, viewed now from a perspective of 40 years after her passing.
Another source of information is the website The Life of Lillian Dickson. The Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives: Learning from the Past—Living in the Present—Looking to the Future
https://presbyterianarchives.ca/2018/... .
FB. This is the story of Lillian Dickson, who, along with her husband, lived the bulk of her life in Taiwan, before and after the Second World War. Especially after the war, she contributed to improving and saving the lives of hundreds of people, and created institutions, e.g., Mustard Seed, that still exist to help orphans and the poor. Though written to promote her work, a reader will gain a sense of the person and her commitment to her work for others. In the future, I hope someone will write a balanced biography of Dickson’s life.
The book highlighted many of these accomplishments by Lillian Dickson (January 29, 1901 to January 14, 1983), the wife of Presbyterian missionary to Taiwan, Jim Dickson, who became the. The book, published in 1964, focuses primarily on Lillian’s experiences in Taiwan (1927 to 1940/1, and 1947 to her death).
Given the book was published in 1964, the style sings high praises of Lillian Dickson. Without meaning to sound crass, Lillian was always looking for funds to do God’s work, as she saw it. Her approach was to commit to a project first, e.g., taking in orphans, before having worked out details of how she could sustain her efforts. This book could well have helped her efforts.
Her husband plays small roles in this story, one as a motivator for some of her works, or another as a sounding board, or a supporter. But his many significant contributions are not highlighted. During their tenure in Taiwan, James became the Principal of the Theological College. In addition, he had helped establish mountain churches among the indigenous population and made many other contributions to Taiwan.
The other issue not discussed in the book is how Lillian Dickson was viewed by the Taiwanese. Clearly, she helped many people. Yet, the author primarily provides us a view of a woman moved by God to help those in need.
Some sixty years later, I would be interesting to have a rounder picture of her, her work and its impact.
The book contains helpful information
• Two maps, one of the institutions under Mustard Seed’s purview; another of the medical mission work throughout Taiwan
• A list of Institutions Under Mustard Seed Care, in whole or part, with figures as of November 1, 1962.
Despite the focus on promoting Dickson’s work and effort, the book gives insights into some challenges facing Taiwanese at the time. The lack of basic health care and education for the indigenous people; the challenge for orphans, especially after 1949, when many parentless children came from the mainland; minor crimes and fear of communists would put children in prisons; and the exclusion of lepers in Taiwan (likely in many places). On the other hand, the lack of specific dates and locations is frustrating to me, trying to understand when institutions were started…. But I get a sense from the author that Lillian Dickson was not a planner, but a person who worked on impulses and believes. And a person who loved others, and knew how to get people to do God’s bidding, and hers. She learned the language, played the accordion, and got the attention of the people she interacted with.
A final question I had, but could not find an answer two, is both Lillian Dickson and Gladys Aylward (whose story was told in the movie The Inn of Sixth Happiness, where Gladys saved 100 orphans from the oncoming Japanese by marching miles, over mountains, to safety) were contemporaries, both Aylward worked until 1949 in China, and later, in 1957, moved to Hong Kong and then Taiwan to set up orphanages. Did these two women know of each other, or meet?
For her many accomplishments there are few books on Lillian Dickson’s life. I hope someone will provide a better biography of her life and times, viewed now from a perspective of 40 years after her passing.
Another source of information is the website The Life of Lillian Dickson. The Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives: Learning from the Past—Living in the Present—Looking to the Future
https://presbyterianarchives.ca/2018/... .
FB. This is the story of Lillian Dickson, who, along with her husband, lived the bulk of her life in Taiwan, before and after the Second World War. Especially after the war, she contributed to improving and saving the lives of hundreds of people, and created institutions, e.g., Mustard Seed, that still exist to help orphans and the poor. Though written to promote her work, a reader will gain a sense of the person and her commitment to her work for others. In the future, I hope someone will write a balanced biography of Dickson’s life.
April 8, 2021
This is a book about the life and work of Lil (and Jim) Dickson in what is now Taiwan. They started in the 1930s, were kicked out when the Japanese took over, then went back after the war. The book focuses mostly on the works Lil accomplished-quite a few!-and the heart behind it.
October 2, 2017
An excellent missionary story
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews