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Many testimonies have touched my life, but none quite so deeply as the testimony of Lillian Nichols. She’s not popular enough to be googled, nor is she the subject of any books. She doesn’t respond to Twitter, and I doubt she would be found on Facebook.She is absolutely unknown by the world but well known in heaven.
In 1946 Lillian attended college and Wycliffe School of Linguistics with the desire to translate the Bible in one of the 6,000 languages on earth. As part of her training she traveled to Southern Mexico to attend “Jungle Camp” designed to teach survive skills.Her instructor was a handsome young man by the name of Wayne. Lillian and Wayne grew close but never allowed their romantic ties to take precedent over the call to the mission field.
After her training Lillian was assigned to the jungles of New Guinea where 20,000 inhabitants lived isolated from the modern world, and further, had a language that had never been understood, written or even heard. Lillian spent the first ten years doing nothing more than learning this unknown language and creating an alphabet. The next ten years were spent teaching the inhabitants how to read and write their own language.
After spending more than 18 years in the jungles, she made her first convert. He was a young man who became her assistant, a teacher and eventually a pastor. Lillian spent the next 30 additional years writing children’s books, conducting a school and translating the Bible. In 1997, after more than 50 years, Lillian completed the translation and returned to the States leaving schools, churches and a hospital. She had never been married.In the meantime, Wayne continued with Wycliffe, married a woman named Arlene, had two boys and resided in Orange. In 1986, Wayne and Arlene became members of Zion Christian Center, and helped organize mission trips for youth groups. Over the next few years, Arlene developed brain cancer and passed away.
In the same year Lillian returned to the States, she and Wayne were reunited and eventually married. Together they spent several years recruiting Wycliffe missionaries until Wayne began to show signs of severe dementia. By 2008, Wayne had totally lost his memory, and passed away in September that same year. At the funeral I hugged one of God’s heroes who literally gave her life away. Lillian Nichols was far too humble to think of herself as anything but a servant. But in a self-centered, narcissistic world that feels entitled to everything, her story keeps me focused.
Lillian died this past Wednesday at the age of 70. She became ill in the same village she first stepped into as a teenager. The day before her death, four Bene’ translators trained by Lillian celebrated the completion of a recent project. They looked upon their work, and then upon the face of the woman who gave up everything to introduce them to Jesus.
At this moment Lillian looks upon the face of her Savior. I salute her.
Pastor Tom Long –
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