pictures from Taiwan

Just wanted to show you some recent pictures from Taiwan also... it's been awhile since you've seen anything new! :)

our entire SBS class (staff and students) 2010


Our SBS classroom where I spend at least 3 mornings a week in class, and many more hours studying! (Taken Friday, July 16th after class)

view off our 7th floor rooftop


worship team practice at my church in Taiwan!


enjoying some traditional Vietnamese food cooked by my Vietnamese roommate!

Chris - a Taiwanese friend that I'm discipling (also goes to my church in Taipei). See last post with prayer requests for information about Chris and his sister (Alice), both of whom I'm discipling. :)

updated prayer requests

Hey all,
It's been awhile since I've updated this blog because I'm using my website more often now, and life is intensely busy with SBS.... not that that's a good excuse, but it's the truth. Just wanted to share some recent prayer requests with you. :) I originally sent this to my church family in the US, so if you don't know who "Pastor Jeff" is; it's the senior pastor at my home church. And "matt Hulst" is another YWAMer, who's now living on the same base as I am, and is from that same small-town church in Iowa (crazy! Yea - we live in a small world). Thanks for your prayers and support as I dig into God's word and love on His people!

As I prepare for a test over the entire New Testament this morning, I wanted to let you into my world here in Taiwan. Yes, I study the Bible everyday, but God is moving outside of that as well. I appreciate you as a church home, and some of my most faithful prayer warriors.....THANK YOU!! Here are some specific ways in which you can be covering me in prayer.

Michael (21) and Chris (22)– Two Taiwanese guys that I’ve built relationships with; both are believers. Pray as I continue to pour into them, and disciple them that they will understand Christ and grow to love him more as they watch my life. Michael just got back to Taiwan after going to university in Pennsylvania, USA and would like to get plugged into an English speaking church this summer while he’s home!

Alice (21 – one week younger than me!) and Michelle (22) - Two Taiwanese ladies that I’m discipling. Michelle has been a believer for a couple years now, but has recently begun teaching English to some Mormon missionaries (who are all over Taiwan). Please pray she will be wise as she teaches them, and take everything they tell her back to God’s word, and not dwell on the false teaching they try to implant in her mind. Ultimately; pray she stops teaching them. Though she wants to win them for the Lord, she’s still learning and it would be easy to fall into their false teaching if she’s not careful. And Alice, who is not a Christian, I’ve just begun meeting with. Her English is not as good as I thought, but she is Chris’ (guy from above) sister, and so he will come along most of the time to help translate while we talk. This helps me, because things she doesn’t understand, he can explain in a way that makes sense since he knows his sister far better than I do! She is very eager to learn and get to know me – praise God!

Church relationships – I’ve begun to get more involved in my church; Agape International, in the last couple of months. I’ve recently joined the worship team, and relationships are forming and growing. I also prayed the closing prayer last Sunday (off the cuff – our pastor reminds me of Pastor Jeff sometimes) ;)

If you'd ever like updated information, pictures, or see what I'm studying in our Bible School, please stop by my ministry website at: mirandataiwan.shutterfly.com

PS - Matt Hulst and I both say "hi" this time; it's been a joy getting to spend time with Matt and see how God is using him mightily in Taiwan since his arrival a couple months ago!

New Site

Hi all,
Just wanted to let you know about a new website I've created. It's more interactive, and informational about what I'm doing. There are pictures, videos, maps, polls, etc. about my work and life in Taiwan. Check it out, and please let me know what you think, what you would like to see more of, or any other comments. :) Thanks!!

NEW SITE: mirandataiwan.shutterfly.com

I will be keeping this blog as well, but for more in-depth/theological posts. The other website will include shorter updates about my life and work in Taiwan!!

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.