Miles In Missions

By Lenny Miles

Last November, on my two week mission trip to Nigeria, that was the hardest question I had to answer. After all, there are many hospitals in America that can be built to help people as well, so why Egbe Hospital? Patrice and I set out to find out why…

When we met with a couple now living in Indiana, but originally from Eruku, Nigeria, just 5 1/2 miles away from the Egbe Hospital, we knew it to be yet another confirmation that God had led us on the right path. Joseph and Grace described what a blessing this hospital was to them and their families while living in Nigeria.  Joseph brought back memories of his mother taking him to the hospital on a bike because he was a “very sickly child”. He went on to say that the Hospital and the doctors there literally saved his life. Grace summed up the conversation about the hospital by saying, “The Hospital is like God sending the Messiah, you know, to save people” and finally, “without the Egbe Hospital, I don’t know where most of us would be”.

As we look forward to our August date of departure to Egbe, we take Grace’s last statement to heart. This hospital is used every day to save lives in the physical sense and  is a beacon for Christ’s love and a spiritual healing. The impact of this hospital is a lasting one that touches families for generations, allowing people in this region of Nigeria to be physically healed and to also put their trust in their ultimate healer and redeemer, Jesus.

This impact is not only felt by the 1500-1600 patients seen every month, but also with the hospital staff including nurses, doctors, and maintenance men. A recent email from the Construction Manager, Mark Anderson with Samaritan’s Purse on site, spoke of two maintenance staff members that recently prayed for Christ to come into their hearts. He ended his email saying, “Keep praying for the work here. A hospital is being built, but more exciting than that is seeing these men come to Christ. The real reason for being here.” 

There are plenty of people in America that need our help. However, Americans have access to 1 Doctor for every 400 people. Nigerians have access to 1 Doctor for every 3500 people and their life expectancy is 51 years of age. As you can see they need this hospital and they need missionaries to come alongside them to help re-build, re-store and maintain. This is where our family comes in.

Please prayerfully consider supporting us and this mission in Egbe, Nigeria. Our departure date is still projected to be August. Our monthly support is currently up to 76%, our one time support is at 80% and our 400 prayer partner list is up to 146. Click on the the following link to become a part of our financial team, GIVE.  Email Patrice if you would like to become a part of our prayer partner team at Patrice@MilesInMissions.com.