New Route

Hello from Danshui!
Sorry it's been so long since I've written. Here's the bullet point list of what's happened since I last wrote.
- My dad came to visit Taiwan for 2 weeks
- the other 3 DTS staff returned to Danshui, and we had a great two weeks of staff training
- I've changed "jobs" - I'm no longer staffing DTS
- I'm now studying in the School of Biblical Studies (SBS)

Things changed quite quickly. But, we only have 6 students in the DTS that's currently running. And the leadership knew that though our 4 women staff have worked before, and enjoy working together, and are doing well and love staffing DTS; there was the possibility of one of us doing something different. So, after talking to our base director, the leader of DTS suggested that I do the Biblical studies school this year, instead of next year like I was planning. So, after praying about it, and talking to some wise counsel (including family), I decided to go for it. It is a very intense program. Lasting 9 months It's very much a full-time job. I am working 10 hours a day 5-6 days a week. But it's well worth it. Many of the people I know who have completed SBS say it was the best year of their life! (there's a picture of some homework from the first week of class on the left-hand side of this blog page)

I'm enjoying SBS, and though there are many long days, short nights, and lots of hand-cramps because I'm writing all of my homework out by hand (my computer died 2 days before SBS... God works in mysterious ways :) ), I am being stretched in molded in new, deep ways. I've also had many opportunities to share what I'm learning. Just last weekend a Taiwanese friend asked me if I would begin teaching them the Bible!! An answer to a prayer I began before SBS even officially started, and a new adventure I'm anxious to begin. :)

Thank you for your prayers, and continued support. I'm sorry it took so terribly long to update you. More to come.... from Asia.
~Miranda Kay

why I do what I do

I've been back in Taiwan now for nearly a week, and my priority this weekend is blogging and sending a newsletter about the past 2 months that I spent in China and India. So please remember that patience is a virtue - updates are coming!

However, I wanted to pass along something I was given today. It's a note from one of our students from this past DTS. He grew up in LA, California and at the age of 14 became a drug dealer. In the coming years, he went on to lose over $25,000 USD in gambling, work for multiple gangs in LA, stay in juvenile hall for awhile, and even get shot at point-blank range. God's hand of protection has been on this young man his whole life. He's not beginning to realize it.... this is why I do what I do.

I came into D T S seeking change,but in the back of my head i had doubts i could change
. I grew up in my unhealthy lifestyle for 20 years
what was 5 months going to do for me?
But what happened was exactly that. The change i needed came.

God continued to seek me throughout the school never giving up and i doubt he ever will.
With God's love, he has changed what i once thought was unchangeable.
God conveniently placed me in a team with such strong staff and classmates.

Many times i was challenged by even my younger classmates ones say, 5-6 years younger. Amazing.

What i had failed to realize before was all of us come from very different back rounds and pasts, we can still learn so much from each other.
we all here together in this school trying to be closer to God, get into better habits and overall trying to change, our mindset and our lives.


God's love is so strong it can change thing sometimes without you even realizing yourself.
Also with the support of a strong gracious leader and very patient staff you realize that God's timing is perfect, while ours is probably usually not as good as his.

Maybe this next school is God's timing for you to change your life for better!?=)


Thank you JESUS!

Daily Life

Here are some pictures of my daily life here in Taiwan. :) Enjoy!

first, here's the link to a video one of our staff on base made of his walk to work. I walk the same roads, and I thought it might be fun for you to see my walk to work in the morning.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=177507237726 friends celebrating a birthday (top L to bottom R)
Martin-SBS student, Miranda-DTS staff, Stephen (missionary not w/ YWAM), Jeanine-DTS student, Becky-SBS student (b-day girl), Lydia-here on her shool of evangelism outreach, Ruth-language team


teaching English to Kindergartners at the elem. school in the mountains nearby

I made dinner for some SBS students - we got creative with our dessert - roasting marshmellows over a candle, with chopsticks. :)

some of the paperwork I have to do for my visas

our neighbor burning money, hoping his prayers rise to the ancestors and gods along with the smoke

Lecture in our classroom

prayer with the week #7 speakers on the last day


helping a student mail a letter back home (notice the iowa shirt)

The last few weeks

Hello Blog-readers, supporters, and prayers out there! I know it's been awhile since I've written about life in Taiwan, and I wanted to update you on what's been going on.

It's been a busy few weeks that have flown by all too quickly. Our students are doing well. Learning and growing, and some of the team dynamics are getting better. Students are working through personal problems, and things God is changing in their hearts, and they're working through conflicts with each other. God is moving!

We are in full swing these last 3 weeks of Lecture Phase, getting ready for Outreach! Our school is splitting into two teams for outreach. I am co-leading with a wonderful lady from Singapore; Rachel. We are taking half the students for two months on outreach where they will be full-time missionaries. They will be living out everything they've learned these last 3 months.

We will be taking our team first to China. For security purposes I can't tell you where, or who we will be working with, and the like. But we will be (mostly) in a city setting, teaching English, and building relationships with individuals we meet. Then in January we will take our team to India. We'll fly into Mumbai, and then move to a smaller city nearby. We'll be based out of that city (Punah), but each week we will travel to a few different villages. In India we'll be doing lots of preaching, teaching, and evangelizing. This month will be a good challenge to all of us, as we aren't used to getting up each night and preaching a full half hour-45 minute sermon, as well as doing music and sign dances, skits, etc.

God has worked a wonder in the finances of this school. India is MUCH more expensive than the countries we typically travel to for outreach. But God has been faithful, and the students and staff who still needed funds for outreach have been proved for. But continue to pray, as we must keep our budget very tight so that we have enough for our month in India. God has also been faithful in my finances, though things are more expensive than I originally thought they would be. In reality, each school is costing me around $3,000 (not including meals), and I thought it would only be around $2,000-$2,500. Pray that God would continue to lead people to share what God has given them, with me for the end of this school and the next. I know God has called me here to disciple our students, and show Christ to the world. And knowing that, I trust that He will provide for all my needs while I'm here. Thank you for being a part of that!

here are some quick prayer requests:
- that God will prepare the hearts of the students for what they will experience on outreach
- that God will prepare the hearts of the people we will encounter on outreach
- that God will prepare the staff (3 out of 4 of whom are 2st time staff), to lead these outreach teams.
- that God will provide for the school financially, and give us leaders wisdom as to how to best use our resources on outreach
- that God will use these last 3 weeks of lecture to challenge and grow the students, and even call them into the life He has for them
- that God would work out visa issues for some of us still having trouble (Praise God!! My visa issues are nearly resolved. We found a way around something in the process, so I can get my China and India visas in time for outreach)
- that God will give me clear direction for what's next after DTS. I know He's calling me to do an SBS-School of Biblical Studies (a very intense 9-month biblical studies school), but I still am not clear if He wants me in Cambodia or Taiwan.

more visa hassle

I wanted to update you guys on my visa situation. As of now, I'm here with a 60-day, single-entry, visitor visa. That visa is valid no longer than Nov. 10th. I've gone to the hospital to get the health check-up done; that was a story on its own; a crazy afternoon of getting blood drawn, giving a stool sample, getting a chest X-ray taken, getting a skin test, and other various things done to my body. However, the results from the hospital won't be in until Nov. 4th. And, I've recently come to find out that after I get those results it still takes 2-3weeks for them to mail me my physical ARC (Alien residence card) card. I simply don't have that much time left. I thought this was another case of needing to leave the country again, however, by the grace of God we've found a way to work around the system.

So, TODAY I'm headed into Taipei City. I'm going to the ARC office to get my current visa extended. This will give me time to get the test results, and still have the 2-3 weeks leeway that the Immigration office needs, to mail me the real ARC. Yes, yet again, this means more money. But thank the Lord, I'm doing well with my finances. I'm not covered through both this school and the next; but I do have my finances in line for this school. And, God continues to remind me of His faithfulness as He provides when unexpected things like more Visa red-tape come up. This is only by the grace of God that everything worked out so that I was in the same place as another staff member, at the same time. And that when I went to Hong Kong the 1st time I was given THIS type of wrong visa.... any other type this wouldn't be possible for!

Please pray for God's favor as I go to the office today. It's somewhere I've never been before, and I'm going alone. Pray that God will send me to the right teller/worker; someone who will show me grace and favor. And; all in all, just pray that God will allow me to stay in Taiwan without having to leave the country again. Thanks in advance for lifting me to "the throne of our gracious God!!" (Hebrews 4:16)

pictures from Taiwan

I realize that I owe you all a good, in-depth blog post soon. Actually; it's overdue, but since it's already 11:48 pm... tonight I'll just post some recent pictures. Enjoy!


Miranda with Elizabeth (student), Phoebe (staff), and Zoie (student) eating squid mouth at the River Road night market.

YWAM friends at our house for Becky's birthday dinner (L Top to R bottom: Martin-SBS, Miranda-DTS staff, Stephen-MK from Brazil, teaching english in Taipei, Jeanine-DTS, Becky-SBS, Lydia-here on "school of evangelism" outreach;she's here for 2 months, Ruth-Language Learning Team, John - Becky's dad from Canada)



water we DTS women hiked up to 2 weeks ago (following picture is from same day)

We start our grills with hair-dryers here in Taiwan. (DTS school leader's wife, April, starting our fire for Taiwanese-style BBQ)

Students Matt and Jeanine attentively listening to our week #4 speaker talk about the nature and character of God (2 weeks ago)



traditional Taiwanese BBQ - the main way Taiwanese celebrate Mid-Autumn/Moon festival. The plate on the right-hand side contains Tofu skin, fish paste, fish balls, mushrooms, etc.), and yes, that's a squid on a stick in the front there. (2 weeks ago)

Many of you have asked about the flooding in Southern Taiwan. Here's a picture that a missionary from our base gave to me. Taken about 2 months ago when some of our missionaries went down to help with relief efforts.

He takes my breath away

So.... if you have yet to fall in love with Him... our God is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! He just stinking IS!! I was grading one of my students' journals today at a coffee shop, and reading through part of Mark, and praying, and just spending time with the Lord. I was talking to God about something that's been on my heart and mind all week, and I finally wrote my prayer out to God (helps me process what I'm saying to Him, and helps me go back later and see how He's answered specific prayers). Towards the end, as I've written this nice, semi-formal letter/prayer to God; I got fed up with myself. And said, alright God, you know what's on my heart and mind, so who am I kidding? It's not like you'll only hear the words I say out loud, and not hear the words I'm screaming in my mind. So, I wrote what was really on my heart, and pleaded with God. Being completely real with Him, sharing my insecurity in not trusting him completely w/ this certain area of my life, and asked for a sign. I real, tangible, specific, big sign. I said, "God, you know me, and so you know it needs to be really clear."

I ended, and was about to head back home. But just as I was leaving, another YWAMer, and new friend of mine came in for coffee. We chatted momentarily, and then she discovered something. We both gazed out of the window, in awe at this incredibly beautiful rainbow God had just painted across the sky. She went back to her reading and praying, and I slowly walked outside. The world around me was a blur, and God was speaking LOUD and CLEAR. This was by far the most vivid, full, colorful, and totally complete rainbow I've ever seen. And the sun was already set! God was Saying, Miranda, you remember Noah? You remember how I protected Him, and then gave him a vivid promise through something really tangible? Well, here ya go Noah Rockhill. My breath was literally taken out of me, like someone punched me in the stomach. The Taiwanese couple walking next to me heard me gasp, and actually looked back to make sure I was physically alright. God amazes me; and never ceases to surprise me at how quickly, how incredibly He answers prayer. It was the confirmation I needed exactly when I needed it (if not sooner). Remember His promises..... remember who He is.

WOW!