Merry Christmas!! !! Feliz Natal!! 聖誕快樂!! Noeller!! Hyvää joulua!! メリークリスマス！ Geseënde Kersfees! Selamat Natal!! Рождеством Христовым!.....to all my friends all over the world!!

Possibly the best Christmas I have ever had, and all a surprise. The base I stay at in Taiwan was having difficulties with their visas and the government has essentially demanded the rest of the base and I to get out before the 20th, or pay a hefty fee. It looked like a lonely trip to Thailand and back was how I was going to be spending my Christmas. That is until my parents surprised me with a plane ticket home! While I was only home for a short 10 days, the trip was well worth it. December 4th was the mark of a full year away from home, and taking the opportunity to spend time with family before I began my next school was more than needed. A flight from Taiwan to Tokyo, and then a Tokyo to Portland, Oregon later and I quickly found myself in the arms of my family.
Last Christmas I spent in Indonesia, on the top of a volcano as the sun rose. That was a spectacular Christmas, but nothing in comparison to being able to build a gingerbread house with my sister on Christmas Eve, or staying up all night wrapping presents with my dad, or sharing a cup of coffee with my mom discussing the bigger things in life. I just wanted to take the time to thank my parents for the opportunity to share Christmas at home. I can honestly say I could have asked for a better Christmas. Thank you, Mom and dad, for being the greatest parents I could ever want.

Alive in Christ,
Brandon Miller

Join Me!

Greetings from Taiwan,

9 months of Bible school.
1000 USD of school fees left.

1 deadline quickly approaching; DECEMBER 17th!

As December quickly approaches it will be the mark of 1 full year overseas, and what a year it has been. From Montana, to Indonesia, to touring Southeast Asia, and 9 months of Bible study in Taiwan, I can firmly say that this has been a radical and foundational year. With only 4 more weeks before I graduate from my School of Biblical Studies (SBS) in Taiwan, this letter should definitely bring you up to speed.

It wasn’t long into my Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Montana that I found a burning passion to study deeper into the Bible. And yet, through another rather unique series of events, I have come to see that God is calling me to continue my schooling under YWAM and participate in a School of Biblical Studies, specifically in Taipei, Taiwan. In this course, I have had the opportunity to study all 66 books of the bible to discover the big picture, while also digging into the details paragraph by paragraph. Using the Inductive Method to Bible study, I have had the opportunity to explore the cultural and historic backgrounds of the author and reader of each book, interpreting the scripture as the original reader of the text would. My favorite part of this course is the application process; discovering the timeless truths that the text provides and applying it to my life, challenging myself to live the best way I can for Christ.

To say the last 8 months of my life have been life changing would be an understatement. My understanding of who my God is and the timeless command to make him known stands as a precedent in my life. With what I am learning here, I am being equipped with biblical understanding to shape and walk through the rest of my life with, but also the tools to teach the Bible myself. In fact, I have the opportunity to take a school in the beginning of March called Titus Project, where I will have the opportunity to both teach a book of the Bible myself, using the method I have learned here. I am very excited for this next step in my life.

The intent behind this letter is to seek supporters in my ministry here at YWAM and in the future. One of the things that still amazes me is the amount of people who want to be involved in my work overseas. With only a month of school remaining, you prayers on finishing well in this precious time of life would be greatly appreciated. However, the area I need support in the most is in my school and living fees. I currently am in need of a little over 1,000 USD to pay for the last quarter of my School of Biblical Studies course. This means that if 20 people give 50 USD, then my school will be paid for! With only four weeks before I graduate and school fees are due, I have confidence that God will prove once again to be a faithful provider in my life. With the deadline of December 17th being when school fees are due, I am trusting that God will prove once again to be a faithful provider once again. If this is something you are interested in, I would like to invite you to partner with me in this exciting and radical season of my life.

If you would like to help out, contact me to find the most convenient way for you to Contribute.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and I hope that you will prayerfully consider partnering with me in the ministry of Christ.

Alive in Christ,

Brandon Miller

A Visit From Pops

From September 17th to the 28th, I had a break from my School of Biblical Studies here in Taiwan. When my family first heard of this break, without a missing a beat my dad suggested that he come visit me while I was out of school! Having him here was great! We were able to see some of Taiwan’s greatest sights like the tallest building in the world (Taipei 101), several historic museums, and of course a chance for him to see what I do on a daily basis. I was able to show him the classroom where I worked at, and the restaurants I eat at on a regular basis.

The food was definitely a highlight of my dad's trip. In fact to this day it is still something we talk about. Ice Moshi is similar to a Hawaiian shave ice, except for it is shaved from a frozen block of milk. With homemade jams and syrups on top then completed with little drizzle of condensed milk, this dish quickly became my dad's favorite. It became a priority almost every night to make it to the Ice Moshi stand. In our opinion, this treat was the perfect way to both begin and end the day.

For it being my dad’s first time out of the States, we also had our fair share of cultural experiences and clashes as well. For example, my dad and I were able to spend 3 nights in a beautiful hotel right off of the shore of Taiwan’s largest lake, Sun Moon Lake. A couple from my school, Justin and Li Chan Chiang, acted as our tour guides and showed us around the area. One day of our stay, we went for a 4 hour bike ride around the lake, taking in the stunning sights as we went. After a long, hot day, the four of us ended the day and attempted to regain our energy from a hearty gourmet Taiwanese meal by the lake. The menus were in Chinese, so we had the Justin and Li Chan order for us and my dad requested the main entrée of beef. Unfortunately a quick glance at the menu mistook the Chinese character for pork intestine—which is similar to the character for beef—and ordered that instead. The look on my dad’s face when we received his meal and took in its pungent aroma was anything but a satisfying one. To say the least, I had to help my dad finish his plate for the evening. ;) Thank you again, Justin and Li Chan Chiang, for your hospitality and sharing a laugh or two.

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Interestingly enough, it has been one full year since I first left to for Montana. Having my dad out here in Taiwan was a strong reminder of the growth I have gone through during that time. While my dad and I were able to see several sights while he was here in Taiwan, I think my favorite part of his visit was simply being able share life with him again. The highlight of having my dad around was by far our time up to the tea gardens on Mao Kong Mountain, about a 3 hour transit ride from my house. We had woken up early to make the most of the day. Our plan was to simply spend only a few hours sipping on Taiwan’s famous Oolong tea and then make our way to a night market. Long story short, we never made it to the night market. The tea was good but the conversation was even better, and over several hours my dad and I were able to bring each other up to date on what had been going on in our lives. We talked about our views on God, the high points and the low points of the last year, and simply shared life together. As we watched the sun set over the rolling, green mountains of Taiwan, I knew that this was a day I would not soon forget.

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Having my dad out here was a great experience. I am so glad that he was able to not only see what life looks like for me in Asia on a day to day basis, but that we were able to spend real quality time together as father and son. However, all it makes me think of is when I will be able to come home and see the rest of my family. Hopefully in the future the rest of my family will be able to come visit.