David Miller

David was born and raised in Saco, Montana, with two brothers—one older and one younger. For many years, his family received and read literature from the Apostolic Faith Church. They embraced those doctrines and standards, and attended the annual camp meetings in Portland, Oregon. Other than that they had no church to attend.

After listening to his mother read a chapter from the Bible, when he was five years old, David knelt by a piano stool in the family’s log-cabin home and prayed. God saved him.

David attended one-room schools in the area until he finished the eighth grade. He realized the value of an education, so he purposed to go to high school, but that was a real challenge since they lived seventeen miles from school and had no transportation. He completed the ninth grade by correspondence under supervision of a local teacher. The next year, he boarded in town, staying in a little cabin furnished by an uncle. He probably lived on potatoes and eggs. He earned excellent grades. He corresponded again in his eleventh year, studying English, American History, Physics, and Introductory Algebra. Again, he maintained excellent grades. During his senior year, he got to school whichever way he could: on a bobsled, by bike, with the mailman, or with a neighbor. He wasn’t the most popular kid in school, because he did not participate in sports, hang out with the boys, or use profanity—but they did respect him. One of them told me that David was the only true Christian he ever knew. David graduated third highest in his class and was awarded three very good scholarships. He used one of these, to take a short course in agriculture.

In 1952, his family moved to the Yakima Valley in Washington. Shortly after they arrived, he was drafted during the Korean War. He had been turned down earlier, during World War II, because of his health, but God had healed him. He served two years—one in Okinawa, Japan, where he rode the local buses and gave out Gospel literature. He found the people there were very receptive to the Gospel.

Upon his discharge he found a job in Yakima and we married on June 22, 1955. Together, we served God for many years in the Sunday school, the street meetings, the jail services, and whatever our hands found to do. David drove a big bus down through the Valley every Sunday morning to bring children to Sunday school. Because of this, he was never able to attend a single morning meeting, but every Sunday night he brought a full load of children and young people to the evening service. Then he would take his place serving as an usher. Over the years, he also took many children to youth camp and camp meeting.

He decided to go to college in 1965, so he left his place of employment to earn his bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate. In the fall following his graduation, he got a job teaching on the Yakima Indian Reservation. He left that job in 1981 to teach Navajos in the Southwest. He worked there for a few years until he retired in 1991. Then he came back home to the Yakima Valley. He corresponded with many students and friends through the years, mailing out tracts and Gospel cassettes, etc.

In 1975 we were able to travel to the Holy Land to “walk where Jesus walked.” It was a wonderful experience. In 1980 and 1985 we visited England, the place of his mother’s birth, to contact as many of his remaining relatives as we could, and tell them of victory in Jesus.

In 2000, David was stricken with Alzheimer’s and lived the last four years of his life in a care facility, but even there he had his own ministry. He would visit with the other residents, reading the Bible to them and telling them about the love of God. Some of the staff members told me he helped them through some difficult times in their lives. Until his dying day, he always said “Thank You,” when anyone did anything for him.

At his funeral, young men whom he had befriended and mentored during their Sunday school days were the pallbearers, and the singer was “one of his boys,” a Christian young man. His funeral was attended by many of his school, and Sunday school, students. Some of them spoke, telling about his love and concern for them. Only eternity will reveal the results, but I do know of several who are serving God because David was faithful to God’s call.

This testimony was provided by David Miller's wife, Sally.