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A Day in the Life of Patrice & Kids in Egbe, Nigeria

Posted: August 28, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe
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“Eu karo, Sunday!”

Mount Baldy Egbe Nigeria6am every morning we are awakened with 2 sounds. One is Sunday raking our yard (sand), and the second is the moto bike of the guard coming for shift change. I grab my flashlight and scan the floors for visitors before I put my feet on the tile. You never know what might be waiting to say good morning to you. Potty break is first and the saying is, if it is yellow let it mellow and if its brown flush it down. Water from 6am-10am and then again 6pm-9pm. So normally Lenny hasn’t left any surprises for me in the mornings. HAHA.

Next is coffee! The question is, is their electric or not? Seems lately, not. I warm water in the kettle on the gas stove and then pour it over the coffee grinds in our coffee maker. Cason and Jolie Laundry in Egbe NigeriaThen for some quite time I view out the back at Mount Baldy. The sun starts to rise and I get to listen to some of the most interesting animal sounds as I read my Bible.

Next is turning on the generator if the electric is out. I have limited time for water and the  laundry has to be done daily b/c everyone is so dirty and stinky. Once a load is going I go and tickle some kids awake. Next is a warm shower if the electric has been on at night. If no hot water then no shower for me as I have not been brave enough yet to take a cold one. I try to fit cleaning dishes in also as the water will be off soon. Once everyone is ready we head to 8am devotionals.

Cason and Daddy head to the workshop with the guys and Jolie and I head to the volunteer house with the gals. This is one of my favorite times of the day. The girls sing some of the most beautiful songs and they love to shake their bum bum. Check out the video below. 

At about 8:30am Cason walks back to the house and eats breakfast with Jolie and then we start school. School seems to be ending right at or before 12pm. Then we get to eat lunch with Daddy!

Egbe Nigeria FriendsAfter lunch I currently am playing house maid. The floors have to be swept daily as the dust is amazing. Mopping at least every other day. Laundry that is hanging outside has to be brought in a folded. After house duties I get to sit for a little bit and check out what is going on in your lives on Facebook, check emails and make my to do lists. Normally by 2 or 3pm we are free to do whatever we want but can pretty much guarantee a small visitor will be looking for Cason or Jolie to play with.

This is wear I am in prayer for what God wants my children and I to do to serve him. We love to visit the hospital and say hello to the patients. We have also visited the orphanage and are praying about how God could use us there too. There is so many opportunities to serve here. Please pray for God to show us which opportunity is best for our family.

Jumping the Fence to Run

Jumping the Fence to Run

Next is 5pm work out time. MWF is Egbe running club with anyone that wants to run in the bush together. This is so awesome and miserable at the same time. Beautiful surroundings but oh so hot and exhausting.

6pm is dinner which we are in love with the food here. Normally something spicy with rice. Right now we have been blessed with getting to eat with the volunteers. That ends this weekend and we will be on our own. I am hoping to have house help start working next week. Please pray for the lovely lady that ends up joining our family.

Washing Feet in EgbeAfter dinner we get to relax and play on our computers or veg out. Bedtime is normally at 9pm and the kids must wash their feet and brush their teeth before bed.

I hope you have enjoyed hearing about our daily routine. We are challenged daily with being in an environment that we know nothing about. We just keep on taking steps not fearful of looking stupid or making a mistake. We ask a lot of questions and are leaving the big stuff like snakes, malaria and financials to God. We are still in need of $200 in monthly support to be 100% funded. If God has put it on your heart to support a ministry over seas click here, MILES IN MISSIONS.

Miles In Missions Goodbye

Posted: August 15, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Miles In Missions
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As you are watching this we are probably in route to Egbe. This is a quick video we put together to say Goodbye.

God takes dust and make beautiful things. Our family is a perfect example of that and so are you. When you are praying for our family in Africa remember this and ask him how he can use you too? He can make beautiful things everywhere, even in your own backyard!

We love you all and tried to get everyone on the video, sorry of we missed you. Thank you for all the love and support that you have shown our family.

Cap’n Crunch Time!

Posted: August 7, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Uncategorized
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By: Lenny Miles

Cap’n Crunch Time!captn I chose that title because it is true for us in a several ways right now. For one, we are eating everything in sight to get our last fills of American foods. Cap’n Crunch, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, etc. etc. and that’s just the breakfast cereals!

In the past couple of weeks we have had many “Good-bye” events, parties, and dinners with friends and family. Packing on the pounds has never been easier with all of the great homemade food and deserts. Did I mention the deserts?

FamilyAll of the Goodbye events have been wonderful and we are so blessed to have everyone in our lives, even if they will be some 5,000 miles away from us for the next two years. We are also very glad that technology can bring us back together on a regular basis with Skype, cheap internet phone calls, this blog, and of course Facebook!

Right now, we are just eight days away from leaving and it’s definitely “crunch time” for our family. We’ve sold everything including both cars and Cason has a few items left he has on craigslist. Click Cason 1 and Cason 2  for links to his items. He wants to purchase a remote control four wheeler to take to Egbe.  Next, is the need to pack everything in luggage and boxes that have to be airline approved size and of course, they have to be under 50 lbs. each. This will be a challenge to say the least.

jolieLastly, it’s “crunch-time” for our support goals! Our support is just $200/month shy of where we need to be and we still need 104 prayer partners. If you feel led to participate with us in this ministry to the Nigerian people and the hospital that is so important to them, please prayerfully consider a monthly commitment of $10, $25, $50, or more per month to Miles In Missions. Prayer support is just as important as financial support, so if you want to be a prayer warrior, please email Patrice to let her know.

I need to tell you that I am continually amazed how people have come behind us and this ministry to support it in big ways. We want to give you all a very big THANK YOU as we would not be able to GO if people like you did not SEND.

URGENT NEED for Doctor & Medical Staff at Egbe Hospital

Posted: August 2, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Uncategorized
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URGENT NEED for Doctor & Medical Staff at Egbe Hospital

Please take a moment and click above to see an urgent email from SIM USA’s president Bruce Johnson. 

15 Days and Counting!

Posted: July 31, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Uncategorized
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IMG_346815 days from today,  if you are driving the Watterson Expressway around 9am you will see an entourage of SUV’s heading to the Louisville airport. They will be carrying 20 pieces of luggage, The Miles Family, and some very physically and emotionally exhausted family members and friends. I feel sorry for the Louisville Airport employees that will be working that morning! I am sure it will be a mess of boxes, luggage, crying people and kleenexes.

The goodbyes have started and we are trying to capture as much pictures and video that we can. If you have any, will you please email them to me by clicking EMAIL? Our send off and good bye parties have been amazing. As we eagerly await our departure it is bittersweet….you cannot say hello without saying goodbye.

With only 15 days left we are at crunch time and still need help in so many areas.

11588812_s1. We need prayer for VISA’s to get approved.

2. We need prayer for a new tenant for our rental property. Click 5306 Saratoga Estates Cir for more info.

3. We need to sell both of our cars. The Toyota Sequoia is a 2007 and has 92,000 miles on it and we are asking $17k. The Ford Explorer is a 2004 and has 105,000 miles and we are asking $3,900. We should have these online this weekend with pictures.

4. We need prayer for more financial partners. We need $350 in monthly support to get to 100%. Click DONATE to become a monthly or one time financial partner.

5. We need more prayer partners. We currently have 291 and we would love to have 400. Click PRAYER to become a prayer partner.

6. Last but not least we need prayer for our sanity over the next 15 days of packing. We will be checking the list and checking it twice.

Do You Have One?

Posted: July 23, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Prayer
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Miles In MissionsWe have been told from our cross cultural trainers that the Honeymoon stage will end around month 3 or 4 of our two year stay in Egbe. At that time most missionaries start to experience depression, frustration, anxiety and or just a reality check that they are not going to see friends, family or enjoy American comforts for a long time. My immediate reaction when we were in training was, “Not me! I am stronger than that!” Well now that we are home and the Goodbyes are starting, we are experiencing all types of emotions. It is bittersweet because we know that we cannot say hello without saying goodbye.

We are prepared now for the roller coaster ride we are going to experience emotionally and physically. We need your prayers while in Africa. Do you have one of the prayer bracelets above? We created these so that every time you wear the bracelet, see it in your jewelry box or nightstand, you will lift our family up in prayer. Prayer for strength, prayer for peace and joy, prayer for the people of Egbe and the hospital, prayer for God to use our family to help build and restore lives in Christ, prayer for our kids, prayer for our marriage and prayer for our safety.

If you don’t have a bracelet already we will have plenty at any of our farewell events that you might be attending. This Thursday is our send off party at St Mathews Community Center. Click Miles In Missions for the link to the event. I will also have some at my office front desk if you would like to stop by and pick them up. If you are out of town we would love to mail you one.

We currently have 277 prayer partners that have committed to pray over the next two years. If you are not one already please consider joining our prayer team by clicking PRAYER. We are at 87% of our monthly support goal for our ministry. We still are in need of several $100, $50 and $25 financial partners. If God has laid it on your heart to support our ministry please click Miles In Missions to donate.

Egbe Hospital Needs You!

Posted: July 7, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe Hosptial, Mission Trips
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The motto of ECWA Hospital Egbe is ‘CHRIST HEALS’. We want to glorify God through provision of holistic health care services with the intent and purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God through excellent patient care and the demonstration of the Christ-like lives of its staff.

Egbe Hospital Mission Trips

Click to watch video.

As our family heads to Egbe in August we are excited and praying for who God will bring along with us. Currently there are 3 Samaritans Purse workers on site helping with the revitalization. This part of the project will be complete in March of 2014. Lenny and I will be assisting the Egbe team with the management of the compound, overseeing ongoing projects, hospital maintenance, coordinating short term teams and helping new missionaries transition into Egbe living.

2We are very excited about the opportunity to help the Egbe missionary community grow. Key positions are a Family Physician, General Surgeon, Administrator (general manager type), Medical Director and Head Nurse.  Right now the priority is getting a family medical physician that can provide leadership to the Nigerian Resident doctors and improve patient care. Egbe hospital is also in need of a Ophthalmologist, Pharmacist and additional Physcians/Medical Practitioners.

World Medical Missions Egbe HospitalWe are proud that Egbe Hospital is a part of the World Medical Mission. Short term medical trips and 2 year post-residency programs are available. If medical is not your field but construction is, there are still several opportunities for short term construction trips through Samaritans Purse. If you feel God has been leading you to missions and any of these opportunities seem interesting, please let us know so we can get you more information. If God has been calling you to missions and you don’t see anything above that fits your skills, let us know as the Egbe community has more needs then what is listed above.

We are praying for you, whoever you are! We are waiting for you to say “Here am I, Send me.” Isaiah 6:8.

“What are you doing here?”

Posted: June 25, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria, Nigeria
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Free image“Come on kids, its time to go visit the M@sque.” I yelled. “Mommy, tell me again why I can’t tell them about Jesus when we visit?” Cason asked. I never thought I would be explaining to my 10 year old son why you cannot walk into a M@sque and start telling everyone about Jesus. It was precious conversation that I will never forget and a huge educational opportunity.

We have finished 2 weeks of our cross cultural training at CIT (Center for Intercultural Training) in Union Mills, North Carolina. We have two more weeks to go and it has been an eye opening experience already. They have helped us identify cultural, spiritual, and emotional issues that might arise while in the field. They are also giving us the tools to equip us once we encounter these hard issues. They want us to get uncomfortable in our American ways so we can truly understand how hard it is going to be in Africa. One of the uncomfortable assignments was to visit the primary Religious worship service for our country we are heading to. According to a 2011 report, about 50.8% of Nigeria’s population are Christians, 47.8% are M*slims and 1.4% adhere to other religions. So we decided to head to a M@sque along with 4 other families.

Nigeria Muslim Women

Nigerian M*slim Women

Upon arriving at the M@sque we were greeted by the parking director. “What are you doing here?” he asked. Telling him we just wanted to visit, he sent us in to find a congregation of men standing at the entrance. To say we were the center of attention would be an understatement. The looks and stares we received were just a little uncomfortable. Upon realizing there was a separate entrance for women, our group separated. We found the women’s entrance and immediately realized that our long skirts and long sleeve shirts were not the only requirements. Every women had on a head covering. The stares again were overwhelming and I was very uncomfortable. One of the missionaries I was with made her way to a table were one women was sitting and sat down. I followed her and we began to strike up a conversation with the Mu$lim women. She was from Nigeria….too funny!

I am excited about what God has in store for us in Egbe Nigeria and we would love for you to partner with us. We still need financial partners, 3/$100 partners, 7/$50 partners 9/$25 partners and 3/$10 partners. We also have 189 prayer partners and are wanting 400 prior to departure August 15th. To sign up to be a monthly financial partner click here. To become one of our prayer partners click here.

They Don’t Have a Walgreens in Africa?

Posted: June 7, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Nigeria
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RXYes this was the question I received when talking to the physician assistant at my allergists office. I really didn’t know what to say except….”Are you joking?” I had called to request them to change Cason’s prescription for his inhalers. We needed to stock up on them as they do not sell inhalers in Nigeria. She wasn’t very helpful or understanding of our upcoming trip and ended our conversation with “They don’t have a Walgreens in Africa?”

I had never really thought about all the things we relied on until I had to pack it all up and move it across the globe. Medications are the hardest thing to come by in Africa. We will be taking a two year supply of all meds and 2 nebulizer machines just in case one bites the dust.

Once we started talking to friends on the field we found out a few of our favorite foods Marketdidn’t exist in Egbe either. Peanut butter, coffee and chocolate……oh no! There is a grocery store, but as you can see it is very limited. We were told we can order American food items from the lady that owns the grocery store. They take a few weeks to get to her and it is very limited. They mentioned Pringles being a commodity. There is no rhyme or reason to what flavor you get, but they can be ordered.

I know once we arrive and are immersed in the community helping the locals, orphans and SP workers, these things will not hold the same value to us. However, now standing on the other side of the globe and having taken for granted all of these wonderful things….I am in preparation mode.

We shipped over 30 lbs of coffee beans, 20 jars of peanut butter and 12 packages of chocolate chips among other things. The chocolate chips will be melted but we have been told to throw them in the freezer, then just chunk off with a knife what you need. HAHA, never thought I would be saying that. So, when you drink your coffee in the morning, make a PB&J sandwich or eat some chocolate….enjoy it and realize that you are very blessed to even have the opportunity to consume those items.

Thanks to our current 39 financial partners, visas and plane tickets for August 15th are in the works. We still need a few more people to partner with our ministry in order to be 100% funded. We are currently in need of 4/$100 partners, 9/$50 partners 9/$25 partners and 4/$10 partners.

We are excited that we now have 180 prayer partners! We still need more people to partner with us in this area too. We are wanting 400 prayer partners before we leave in August.

Do not let this blog leave the impression we are not ecstatic about this journey God is taking us on. We are so excited words cannot even begin to express it. I just felt that if the PA didn’t know there wasn’t a Walgreens in Africa…maybe you didn’t either.

Here are a few ways you can join this ministry. Click one option below:
1. Support this ministry monthly
2. Pray for the ministry
Still have questions about becoming a partner. Click here Miles In Missions

Why Egbe Hospital?

Posted: May 23, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria
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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 Grace & Joseph5 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”.

Egbe HospitalAs 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 Egbe Surgeryhospital 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.” 

Egbe Hospital Re BuildThere 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.

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