Page 228 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

crying, they asked her to return the child. Since she had nowhere to take
the baby, she moved out and rented a house with a small amount of
money she had saved. An Egyptian telegraph operator gave her the first
offering of thirty-five cents to help with her work.

Because of Trasher’s passion for this need, she willingly traveled by
donkey over the hot Egyptian desert to visit villages to present the need
and to prevail upon Egyptian friends, Muslims, and Christians alike, to
give enough money for rent, clothing, and food. Often the only suitable
place to stay in the villages was the local prison. After accepting
additional children, she learned that one of them carried the bubonic
plague; consequently, the orphanage was closed. Trasher was taken to
the hospital with a high fever, but she recovered. Undaunted by this
setback, she started again. Before long, she was caring for hundreds of
orphans, and in time the number grew to more than one thousand.

In 1919, while visiting in the United States of America, she joined
the General Council of the Assemblies of God and was approved as a
missionary. She affiliated with this
fellowship because of the people’s
faithful prayers and their generous
Dr. Crouch and his giving, and then she returned to
wife served at the Egypt to continue expanding the
Assiout Orphanage. In time, other
orphanage for many Assemblies of God missionaries

years as assistants arrived to assist with demands of this
great ministry. I remember listening
to “Mama” Lillian. to a Bible college instructor, Dr.
Phillip Crouch, who told stories about
Lillian Trasher and the orphanage.
Dr. Crouch and his wife had served at the orphanage for many years as
assistants to “Mama” Lillian.

In the year 1958 when she was 71 years of age, Lillian reminisced:

Those old days were wonderful—when a sack of flour was the
most wonderful gift of all. It meant, “my children will have
breakfast tomorrow.” My children never missed a meal! Many
times it was indeed simple. So was Elijah’s, but it was sent to him

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