[3] 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.

[9] 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!

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.

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.

[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.

Their voices had the high, light, sweet taut timbre of violin strains, something like the sighing of the winds through the treetops.

[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.

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.

Taiwan was introduced in the United States as "Free China," or a place to combat Communism and the best location to preach the Christian faith in Asia.

[3] She is quoted in Angel at Her Shoulder saying "a wealthy America should rescue a poverty-stricken free China to combat their shared enemy of Communism"[17] along with efforts against burdens of disease.

In fact, she proposed friendly relationships between the United States and Japan to defeat communism as a common enemy.

[21] Furthermore, her work has led to Bible college and seminary training for pastors, lay leaders and church planting teams, and medical care in clinics and hospitals.

[22] Dickson continued to return to the U.S. for speaking tours until 1978, and consistently recruited support by discussing the tremendous needs of Taiwan through interviews on television and through other media.