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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me —Isaiah 6:8
She was just a student nurse.
A young woman searching for direction in the quiet of her heart.
It was the year 1910 when Lillian Cole Short walked through the gates of the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute now known as Eastern Nazarene College.
She came to study, but deep down she was also listening for something more.
And there, in the middle of her training, she heard it.
Africa.
I first read about her story while going through the Nazarene Archives Facebook page.
This version has been gently rewritten so it can speak clearly to everyone reading but the heart of the story remains true.
At that time, the Church of the Nazarene was still young.
And so was its mission.Though there had already been others serving in parts of Africa, Lillian became the very first person the church officially sent to the continent.
It was 1916.The world was at war.
and yet she went To a land she didn’t know.
To a people she hadn’t yet met.
She landed in the Kingdom of Eswatini known then as Swaziland.
For ten years she served, from 1916 to 1926.
She walked footpaths through unknown hills, learned to speak in places her voice had never reached.
She gave her care, her heart and her hands to the people she came to love.Not for applause.
Not for position.
But because the Lord had called her.
And her yes changed everything.Miss Lillian Cole Short wasn’t loud.
She wasn’t well known.But she was faithful.
And her faithfulness reminds us that the call to serve is not limited by gender or background.
God still calls women today
To go.
To speak.
To lead.
And to serve.
Stories like this are part of why I care deeply about seeing more women step into ministry.
So today we remember her.
A pioneer.
A quiet strength.
A woman who once walked African soil in obedience and love.
May her story keep encouraging women to follow Christ wherever He leads.
Originally found in the Nazarene Archives, with thanks for preserving stories that deserve to be retold.
#WomenInMinistry #NazareneHistory #AfricaInMissions #CalledAndSent
