Lillian Dickson

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.[3] She lived through the Japanese colonial period and the Chinese nationalist era in Taiwan.[11] During the Dicksons' first thirteen years in Formosa, now known as Taiwan, Dickson lived and worked as a missionary's wife. Her husband, James,[12] 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.[13]

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.[7] 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.[14] 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[8] in 1954 and founded The Mustard Seed Mission[15] 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 blackfoot disease clinic.[8]

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.[7]

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. In 1955, the leprosarium Lillian Dickson served had over 800 patients alone.

Dickson served as nurse, medical educator and religious missionary. When she traveled to the mountain clinics, she would bring medicine and provide medical care for the indigenous Taiwanese Tayal people who came from all parts of the mountain.[16] She would treat medical sores, infections, cases of pneumonia and bronchitis, scabies, along with other ailments. Dickson would also teach the nurses at the clinics how to provide the specific treatments needed. Beyond that, as Dickson treated patients, she would recount biblical stories and sing loving gospels to the patients, which she claimed the indigenous people of the mountain would, "answer with warm, impetuous friendship." [4]

Beyond her medical care, Lillian Dickson's The Mustard Seed Mission in Taiwan included other branches that served the citizens of Taiwan. During her time, Dickson developed a Boy's Home for young boys were caught for committing petty crimes. Dickson also helped parents who had children out of wedlock which were marked on their certificates of identification. Due to the social stigma against these kinds of families, children were considered illegitimate and denied access to school and the parents had difficulty finding work. Dickson helped the parents find work and the children gain access to schools.[7]