“One can never tell to what untold glories any little humble path may lead,
if you only follow far enough.”
Open Hearts
The Lilias Trotter Legacy Board met at The Wade Center (Wheaton College, Illinois), May 20-21, for our annual board meeting. Our purpose this year was one of waiting on God with open hearts and minds to address the question “What is next?” in terms of Lilias Trotter and her legacy. And towards that end – to consider what God has been doing in the past. . . to listen to what God wants from us in the future. . . We share with you now some of what has been happening – past, present – and what we anticipate in the near future.
Looking Back:
Much has happened in the twelve years since this board was first formed. We have. . .
- moved from a loosely organized group of women to an official organization with a legal not-for-profit standing.
- developed a modest social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
- created a website with a wealth of Trotter-related information and resources.
- provided an email newsletter to over 3,000 recipients.
- published fifteen books by/or about Lilias, including the reprinting of several of her out-of-print and unpublished works.
- produced (alongside Oxvision Films and filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson) the film, Many Beautiful Things.
Ongoing:
Our communication with people interested in Lilias Trotter has been a highlight over the years. We’ve witnessed countless individuals and organizations “discover” Lilias and discovered many people who have previously made her acquaintance and have educated us! People have reached out wanting to learn more, others have shared how they “met” Lilias, and some have wanted to partner with us to make her known in their circles of influence. All of these interactions have been a great joy to us. Here are two recent interesting discoveries:
- We heard from a woman who works at the “Mother Eva House Museum” in Miechowice, Poland (click here for more about Mother Eva and Lilias Trotter). She shared with us that their museum has several letters from Algeria that Lilias wrote to Mother Eva, two books that Lilias gave her, and a painting by Lilias of the “Good Shepherd” which stands in a frame in Eva’s bedroom. While we were aware of the friendship between Lilias and Eva, we were unaware of these letters – any letter from Lilias being a rare offering. We are eager to receive facsimiles of these letters which we hope will give us more insight into Lilias. Equally rewarding were the words of this woman who contacted us: “the memory of Lilias is still present here in the small town of Miechowice in Poland.”
- We just received a message from someone who has a connection with a missionary doctor in Algeria who told them “every believer with whom they speak in every town, can be traced back to Lilias Trotter and her work among them so many years ago.” As Lilias wrote, “Their works do follow them . . . for the blessing of souls unknown to us.” Praise God!
In addition to these discoveries, here are a few recent communications:
- A Christian radio ministry who has asked us to partner with them to offer the DVD, Many Beautiful Things, as a gift to their supporters.
- Several teachers who plan to include Lilias Trotter in their curriculum.
- A church who displayed Lilias Trotter artwork (from Fine Art America) in their foyer to introduce their congregation to her life and work.
Looking Forward:
A few decisions made at our recent board meeting include:
- Extending an invitation to Katherine Graber, Head Archivist at the Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections, to join our board. We are pleased that she accepted and look forward to having her on our team. (Click here to see our board members)
- Moving forward in publishing a limited run of a deluxe hardcover gift edition of A Blossom in the Desert. This has been a much-requested item by people who remember the original Discovery House hardcover edition from 2007. Stay tuned for details on this!
- Publishing a booklet of Lilias Trotter’s “Story Parables” for the Arab people (in English). Board member Bonnie Palmquist adapted these stories for us and we can’t wait to make them available to others.
In Conclusion
Much of our time was spent dreaming and sharing new ideas with leads for various board members to investigate and pursue. We continue to keep our hearts open to God’s leading . . . and are open to your thoughts and ideas as well! We welcome your feedback (you can send us a message by clicking here).
“One can never tell to what untold glories any little humble path may lead,
if you only follow far enough.”
To read Miriam Huffman Rockness’s reflection on our 2024 Board Meeting, “What is a Calling?” click the button below: