Sam and Wanda Miller are retired missionaries, who spent 48 years in service to the Lord. They worked for Wycliffe Bible Translators from 1964 to 2012, in the country of Brazil. They now live in Corvallis, Oregon.

Sam was born and grew up on the family farm on Peoria Road.  As a member of the pioneer Miller family, Sam’s father was John Miller.  Sam graduated from Halsey High School and attended Oregon State for 2 years. Wanda grew up in Aumsville. Sam and Wanda both attended Multnomah Bible College in Portland where they met, became engaged and later married.   Sam and Wanda attended bible study in preparation for Christian service as they both felt led to the mission field.

Sam and Wanda were trained further in Seattle and then joined Wycliffe Bible Translators.  Their call was to Brazil, where they settled in Cuiabá, which is in the west central portion of the country.  When arriving in Brazil they did a 3-month study to learn Portuguese.

Sam and Wanda were essential in the development of the mission station base at Cuiabá. Sam worked in construction and maintenance and later served as the base manager.  He also supervised Brazilian employees.  Early on, Wanda served as a teacher for the base workers’ children, until trained teachers arrived. She also worked in the accounting department as a cashier and did administration, accounting, and bookkeeping.

Sam and Wanda served wherever there was a need on the base.  Sam assisted with typing and translations as well as visiting the surrounding Indian tribes to share the gospel. Wanda was used extensively to help the local Indian tribes with any medical issues that came up.  Sam and Wanda opened their home to share the gospel to local youth on Sunday afternoons. They held bible classes on their porch and served them dinner. 

Their first home was a simple adobe brick structure with no electricity, no running water, and no bathrooms. Early on, the 80-acre plot of the base was outside the town.  By the end of their stay, Cuiabá had become a bustling city, and the base was surrounded by businesses, traffic, and homes. The compound was sold by Wycliffe to a developer just before they left.

While the Millers worked in Brazil, they estimated that Wycliffe translated the New Testament into 26 Brazilian languages, many for tribal Indians, and three full Bible translations.  Sam and Wanda experienced that in one generation several of the Indian tribes went from no written language to using computers, cell phones, and even Facebook.

While in Brazil the Millers also spent 16 years in Brasilia, the capitol city, running the Mission Field Headquarters, but returned to Cuiabá to complete their service.  They worked with people from all over the world including Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and many more.

Sam and Wanda raised two children.  Their son Brad lives and works in Wylie, Texas, and their daughter Cynthia lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she and her husband raised 2 sons.