Lillian Trasher: Founder of Egypt’s First Orphanage

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

Lillian was an American missionary who founded Egypt's first orphanage in the early 1900s. What began with one abandoned orphaned girl grew by the time of Lillian’s death to over 1200 children as well as many widows. She would often go to bed at night not knowing how she was going to feed her brood the next morning, but the Lord always supplied. 

 

One especially trying time for her came during WWII. There were shortages across the country, and despite all her efforts, she had been unable to secure supplies. The cupboards were bare and there was no human solution in sight. So, Lillian called for 24 hours of prayer and fasting. She, the widows, and the children prayed late into the night. 

 

At 2:30 AM, she received a telegram from U.S. Ambassador Alexander Kirk, asking her to meet him for lunch. Upon meeting Mr. Kirk, Lillian learned that Greece had fallen to the Nazis and the Red Cross ship heading there with relief supplies had been forced to turn around. The captain of the ship intended to dump the cargo into the Mediterranean Sea to avoid attack by enemy vessels. But a sailor on board who supported Lillian's orphanage had begged his captain to unload the food and clothes in Alexandria, Egypt instead. The captain finally relented, and the cargo ship full of food and clothes, Mr. Kirk explained, was waiting in a waterfront warehouse. 

 

Lillian arrived at the warehouse, where the crates of supplies stretched farther than her eyes can see. The Red Cross representative began reading to her what they contained:

 

-      2600 dresses

-      1900 handmade sweaters

-      1900 pairs of boys pants

-      3800 blankets

-      1100 towels

-      700 kegs of powdered milk

-      1200 sacs of rice

 

It was more than Lillian could take in. As he continued reading the list to her, she bursts into tears of awe and gratitude. On top of it all, the embassy even agreed to pay the delivery costs.

This is just one of countless stories in which the Lord supplied for this dear mother to the motherless. If you would like to learn more about God’s grace through the life of this inspiring woman, I recommend her biography, “Lillian Trasher: The Greatest Wonder in Egypt.”