ticket!!!

Just thought I'd give a quick update. Tonight I'm excited because I purchased my plane ticket for Taiwan. :) I leave Aug. 19th, getting into Taiwan the morning of Aug. 21st (their time). Last night I got to talk to one of my best friends from my DTS, which was wonderful. Always a good thing to get up to date with a good friend.

Things are coming along really well for the Taste of Taiwan. Less than two weeks to go! God is continuing to blow me away with his faithfulness; especially in the area of financial support. It's like each time I go to raise support; I forget how faithful He's been in this area of my life (and my missions work) over the years. I trust that it will come in....but He always seems to do something to just remind me of His wonderful presence through the blessing of speedy support-raising. One third of my support is already in; and I'm just now sending out actual, physical letters. That's incredible!

The butterflies are slowly but surely becoming apparent; especially this week, as things are getting set in stone. Good and bad, nervous and extremely excited all flooding my heart at once. Anyway, thanks for caring and for praising the Lord with me tonight for his faithfulness and blessings.

Taste of Taiwan

(picture of friends from the english class Zulfe and I taught alongside 2 college profs. at Tam Kang University near our house in Taiwan)


Well, I finally have a day off work and I'm using it to the max, getting things prepared for Taste of Taiwan; an informational night of food, family, fun, music and more at church on August 2nd. I've been practicing recipes, putting together playlists, and creating layouts of the fellowship hall in my head. And now, Abby and I are on our way to Sioux City to an Oriental food store that I'm excited to explore. I miss Asia so much, and anything even close to what I experienced there helps bring back the joys of living there! The church secretary grew up in Taiwan as an MK, and when she and I had Chinese for dinner the other night together we had a wonderful time reminiscing about Taiwan and Asian culture. It was such a blessing to be able to talk to someone, and connect with someone who has experienced some of the same things I have. There's a bond that we can share that I don't have with anyone else.
God has continued to answer my prayers as things move ahead and seem to fall into place fairly well. He keep reminding me that He's got things under control, and he knows what He's doing, and for that I'm grateful. I'm now praying more intensely for the staff as we all prepare to lead our students into a deeper understand and love of Christ. Please pray that God will bind us together, in deep ways in the few shorts weeks we have together before the students arrive. And, a huge praise, and reminder of God's faithfulness; I've already raised enough support for my plane ticket over there!!! I didn't think that money would come this soon, and so now I just have the other $4,500 to raise. Thanks for the prayers that you've sent up on my behalf already; I appreciate them more than you know. Blessings!

update for mid-June

Wow, I should really start to get creative with these titles... but it's 11:20 pm, do you blame my lack of creativity? Anyway, just wanted y'all to know that things are coming along. This week I...

- got a background check done (don't worry, I've committed no murders in the last year) :)
- got letters of recommendation from work, church, and an organization that I worked with in Chicago, called Emmaus. ((ps - you should check out the work they're doing on the streets of Chicago, it's powerful stuff. God's moving. :) www.streets.org))
- found out I'm doing the Missions Moment at church a week from Sunday, so that everyone at Dover will know about my work next year, and find out about this blog =) (yes, I'm feeling smiley tonight.. hope that's ok)
- I'm pretty well done w/ all the paperwork that the base needs, in order for them to turn in my visa application. that will take longer than I thought to get processed, so... I'm praying God works in that situation, so that I don't have to pay for a flight out of the country a month after I get there. :/
- and, nailed down (pretty much) things for the Taste of Taiwan. (more on that coming soon)


Yes, this was a short entry, but it's been wonderful to be in contact with Taiwan this week. I got an E-mail from Tammie, the "lady in the office" (she does everything, so it's difficult to pin-point her job description) at our base in Danshui,and the school leader of the DTS I'll be staffing. God's working, and it's exciting. He rocks my world.

this picture is a fairly recent one (from a missionary friend) of the kids at the AIDS hospital that I worked at everyday in Cambodia. :)

Thanks for praying me through, and sharing this journey with me.
~miranda kay~ Acts 20:24

Update for beginning of June

Well, not much has changed since I last wrote; a bit more correspondence. I will be calling them either today or tomorrow about visa "stuff". The Lord is continuing to move my heart for this next season, and I'm continually more excited about what next year holds! And... to add to my excitement, and just a wonderful reminder of God's faithfulness I got some spectacular news last week... A girl that I became quite close with when we were in China E-mailed me asking for me "skype" name, because she remembered I had Skype, and she just got it on her computer, and wanted to talk to me. Now,at this point we hadn't talked since some two months after I left China... so we hadn't communicated in a year. Her second E-mail told me that she's accepted Christ, and believes the sacrifice He made for her and wants to follow Him with her life!!! Praise God!! She told me how glad she was that we were now actual sisters, because of our bond through Christ Jesus. And she told me how excited she was that we were now connected in a new, deeper way through our Lord!! The fruits of our labor are not in vein, and Layla's E-mail was such a wonderful reminder of that. All the people who've poured into her over the years and loved her.... it paid off, and we have another sister with whom we will spend eternity praising our father... TOGETHER! :)

Just thought I'd let you know about some things that are in the works; if anyone has any other ideas or would like to find our more about one of these ideas, or would just like to comment.... I'd LOVE input. :)

Ideas for this summer.......

-- a fund-raiser called "Taste of Taiwan" - I would show pictures from last year, and explain what I'll be doing in more detail. To be held a Dover Church, and I'd cook some Chinese/Taiwanese food so that people could get a literal taste of Taiwan along with a mental/pictoral taste as well.

-- Proceeds from family garage sale will go towards Taiwan also

-- but.... I'm making crafts (jewelry, candle-holders... that stuff) and was hoping to do a fund-raiser type thing at De Koffie Hoek to raise awareness and support for Asia as well. Do you think this would work, or should I just stick with the Taste of Taiwan? Let me know, I'd really appreciate it. :)

Thanks for loving me, and praying for me. Continue to seek HIS face! ~miranda kay~

He provides!

Well, I've left the "big city" and am now back at my parent's house in Orange City. I hesitate to call it home; because home is such an ominous word these days, and really, has been for the last few years. But it's familiar, and there are people here who love me.... what more could home be? I suppose a sense of belonging and purpose would help, but for the time being I'm quite alright with the first two. Life will never be all we want it to, and I'm becoming more and more ok with that as the years pass by.

Beginning now, this blog will consist of the truths I am confronted with, the questions I ask, and the memories I make regarding life in Asia next year... and I'm sure it will also contain some ramblings from time to time simply about life. As most of you know (since you're reading this), I'm leaving to go back to Taiwan again in early/mid-August, 2009. I will be working with the same organization, staffing the Discipleship Training School that they have their. And yes, to my Dover family, I'm following in Josh Menning's footsteps. (But I'm ok with that) :)

But that's not what this specific entry is about, at least not entirely....! It's about how incredibly GOD PROVIDES!!!!! He continues to amaze me in the ways by which He reminds me of his provincial presence in my life. Yet again, God has taken me on a whirlwind adventure these past few days. I got back from school Thursday night and jumped right into the Tulip Festival activities all weekend. Yesterday (monday) I began the daunting task of job hunting. I'm only home for a little less than 3 months, and I really wasn't sure that anyone would be hiring for that short amount of time. Even the places hiring summer help were probably staffed by now, and wouldn't want me since I'm leaving before other college students get back into town to take back their position. Early in the day I was given a good looking lead, that turned out to not be possible. So, I went to a few area businesses, none of whom were in need of help, and looked online, finding only jobs for which I was not qualified.... joy. But, I had applied at my "back-up" job (which I still wasn't sure would be hiring in this economy) that morning via their website.

And as I was on my way to Sioux Center to hit up a few places in my desperation, and my mother called me saying my "back-up" place had called, wanting to interview me. Well, since I was already headed for Sioux Center, and had interview-type clothes on; I called, and they wanted to meet asap. After about 45 minutes or so, I had become the newest baker at Wal-Mart. Now, yes, it's Wal-Mart, and you can say what you'd like; but it's a company that I won't feel guilty leaving in 3 months, and I enjoyed working there last year. No, it might not be the best paying job I've ever had, but the time it saved me in looking for another job, and the hours I know they'll be willing to give me will make up for that difference. So, yet again, God continues to remind me that HE will provide, if I give the situation to Him and let Him guide me.


I guess that was the long way of saying ....... God provided me with a job for the summer!!! :) As things move along in regards to Asia, I will post more details, and more information on here, so that you're aware of what's happening.

Blessings,
Miranda Kay

My man

There are days when I wish trusting God and following His voice was easy.... thankfully I know He knows, He sees, and He cares.... what a beautiful truth to rest in. Thanks Abba!

the frustration of the moment

addiction... a word with terrible connotations, but an interesting word at that. It comes in all shapes and sizes. And though we typically think of drugs, alcohol, or pornography; addiction can be anything from music, to people, to video games, to food. How does one deal with.... no, how does one love someone who's addicted? How do we show them there's a better way? It seems easy enough with those who are addicted to the "hard stuff" to logically say, "there is more to life". You just live a life that's drastically different, in a positive sense, than theirs is.

But what about those less in-your-face addictions? Friends, love, video games, food, and love... all these things are good, and needed even. Moderation is the key; my dad's words come back to me... but how do you tell someone they're addicted, when they are completely oblivious? How do you help show someone how much it hurts you; it hurts the people around them...? I want this person I love so dearly to know... I want them to see. They say they understand, and that they've changed... but it didn't last. I don't know how to show them the implications of it all. There are days when I wonder if they'll ever change.. I doubt. But then Lord reminds me that it's not my job, it's not their job to change themselves, or to "fix" themselves. That's His job. And he's in the business of radically transforming people's lives!! Praise God!!