Multnomah mourns student's death

PORTLAND -- Members of the Multnomah Bible College community are winding down the school year on a sad but faith-filled note with the recent unexpected death of one of their own overseas.

Holly Miller, a junior intercultural studies major, died on April 2 while studying abroad in Sumba, Indonesia. She died four hours after being bit by a poisonous snake. Miller was with EduVenture, a study-abroad program to Indonesia.

The day Miller died she had gone to a festival in the evening with some of her EduVenture friends and a Sumbanese girlfriend. It was dark when they walked back to the home in which they were staying.

An Asian Pit Viper bit Miller. Normally not an aggressive snake, it bit her friend too. Miller had an immediate reaction to the venom. The moment they arrived at the porch, Miller fainted. The other students ran for the nurse and staff leaders. They put her in a truck and drove for an hour to the nearest hospital, using venom extractor on the way. During the drive they prayed and sang the song “Because He Lives,” over and over.

On the small island of Sumba there are only two hospitals. Because the anti-venom has a short shelf life, none was available. Due to the severity of the bite, the doctors believe that even with the anti-venom, Miller might not have survived. Miller’s friend, Sarah Robinson, was with her at the hospital when she died. While holding Miller’s hand, Robinson prayed that Jesus would embrace her.

“I love praying and talking to God,” Miller had said earlier. “I enjoy learning more about Him and finding insights while reading His Word.” She wrote the following words, “I am learning to trust Him in all things and to be patient and rest in contentment in His arms.”

Born in 1979 in Colorado, Miller aspired to become a missionary. She enrolled at Multnomah three years ago for the Intercultural Studies program. She was awarded a full scholarship from a church in Denver. The church had desired to cover tuition costs for a student who was seriously interested in missions, and found such a person in Miller.

“They were planning on paying everything to get Holly on the mission field,” a friend, Melody Olsen said.

When the idea of studying abroad with EduVenture arose in one of Miller’s missions classes, she jumped at the opportunity. The organization offered education, community development and the opportunity to share God’s Word. Sandi Wisley, student processor and communications coordinator, said, “We are grieving with the parents.”

While considering at-tending the four-month long adventure, Miller looked at all the costs: the finances, the rigorous regimen -- and possibly losing her life. “She wasn’t afraid to try something new... which is a great missionary quality,” said one Multnomah faculty member.

Miller was excited about going to Sumba and sought to prepare her friends for her departure. Laurel Borslien, another classmate and friend said, “Before she left she told me, ‘You need to be prepared that I might die ... I’m prepared to die!’ Stop talking like that, I told her. I didn’t want to hear that, but now I see that conversation as a fingerprint of God’s faithfulness. He was preparing me for her death.”

Tears flowed when friends, faculty and staff learned of Miller’s death.

“If you had met Holly on campus you would’ve seen a quiet, meek and reserved young woman. She blended into the campus,” Olsen said. But to those who knew her best, Miller was a ball of fire, feisty, and life simply radiated from her. “Holly’s life was about befriending others, you couldn’t tell her that God couldn’t do something,” Olsen said.

“I want to do ministry and be stretched by the Lord,” Miller had told Olsen. While a student at MBC, Miller ministered at Focus, a ministry to international students. She also ministered with Potter’s Clay, a ministry that reaches out to people in the inner city of Portland. Miller loved people and pushing her own comfort zone.