Miles In Missions

Update Update Update

Posted: January 27, 2017 by Patrice Miles in AIDS, AWANA, C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, HIV, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, Prayer, SIM, Spring Of Life

I don’t know if you remember, but my birthday was on October 21st. I had asked for 100 AWANA shirts for my AWANA club kids. I am happy to update you that I received donations for exactly 100 AWANA shirts. Not 99 or 101 but exactly 100!!

Do you remember Mosun? She was a partially blind HIV patient with Spring of Life. We had discovered that the eye drops that she had been using were finished and she didn’t have money to buy more. They had really helped her vision and it had been months since she last used them. We had asked for a $50 donation so she would have eye drops for 1 year. God answered and she has eye drops for one year now.

15439873_10154752491713808_534485481788119494_n

Do you remember the story of Toyin? Toyin went from an abandoned child to restoration with his father and then restoration with his mother. They are all together now in the family house, Praise the Lord. Click Toyin to be taken to the blog on him. We have not found a sponsor for him yet so if you would like to sponsor a child it is $35 a month and you can email me at Patrice.Miles@sim.org

screen-shot-2017-01-22-at-12-10-01-pm

We also have an update on our one time donation campaign for our transition to Jos. We started our campaign with the #GivingTuesday which raised almost $10,000 that day for our ministry in Nigeria. Later my husband created this beautiful blue pie chart. As you can see the updated chart shows that God has really been speaking to people all around the world to support our ministry in Nigeria. Click one-time to be directed to the site for a one time donation.

miles-in-missions-1500

The last update we have for you is on our monthly support. We had sent out a blog informing everyone of our loss of three large monthly supporters totaling $1,500 a month starting January 2017. We have been praying and praying for this need to be met. We are still in need of $1,450 a month in monthly supporters. Please pray about it and consider signing up by clicking monthly to support our ministry in Nigeria monthly.

Lastly, just this week we’ve received word that the children have passed their entrance exams and have been fully accepted into Hillcrest international School. Cason will start 9th grade and Jolie 6th in August later this year. This school has a rich history with SIM missionaries and is one of the best international schools in all of West Africa. We know and fully expect that this will prepare them for college anywhere in the world or any next steps in life that the Lord has in store for them. Thanks so much to Katie Riddle who has been teaching them over the last couple of years to prepare them for this next step!

C.A.R.E. Africa Educational Center

Posted: January 24, 2017 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, People of Egbe, Prayer, SIM

I am so excited to send these awesome pictures to you of the new C.A.R.E. Africa Educational Center. Our staff have been praying and praying for months for a building for C.A.R.E. Africa. Currently we have been housed in the hospital compound in a 10×10 office at the Spring of Life clinic. The hospital and Pastor Alabi have graciously let us use this space for our office, weekly caretaker meetings, monthly child celebrations, Saturday weekly discipleship and weekly staff meetings. We have grown so much that we were starting to dominate the space and the kids coming and going was just too much.

We are excited that God answered our prayers with this building that has 6 class rooms, 4 administrative offices, one large hall and one small hall and a playground area. We will be able to host our AWANA program here and have the space we have needed for so long to break into small groups for team time. We will also be able to split the small kids and the big kids up for the council time now.

Overall our goals with this building is to have a central location for all our events. Our kids will have a safe place to come and receive special lessons after school and be able to study. We plan to also offer WAEC/JAMB/NECO coaching for the entire community of Egbe. This is the US equivalent of SAT/ACT prep. They do not offer this in Egbe and many secondary school children are scoring too low on these exams to gain admittance into University.

Last but not least we desire to open an IJMB course for secondary school graduates that scored too low on their WAEC/JAMB/NECO. This course with the passing of the IJMB exam will allow them direct admittance to 200 levels in University. This is another opportunity for secondary school graduates that are currently not available in Egbe.

We know God has big plans for this building and talks of adult programs, classes for slow learners and even business empowerment classes are in our big vision. We will see what God does!!

A New Year, A New Look

Posted: January 19, 2017 by Patrice Miles in Uncategorized

Swept Away

egbe-international-school The Egbe MK School has undergone a major transformation for year 2017! We are no longer just providing a source of education for missionary kids, but have expanded to serve a larger group. Our compound school now offers enrollment to the children of Nigerian Doctors and Professionals serving and living at ECWA Hospital Egbe. With this change we also had to change our name and our space. Therefore, the Egbe MK School is now Egbe International School, and has moved from our small, two room school house to a much bigger space with 3 classrooms, a large multipurpose room, and a kitchen!

We currently have seven students: one Kindergartener, one 3rd grader, three 5th graders, and one 8th grader. So, when the decision was made to expand the school I quickly decided I needed help in teaching the diversity of students and grade levels. Therefore, I have hired two Nigerian professional teachers Auntie Victoria Alabi…

View original post 423 more words

So what is Lenny going to do?

Posted: January 18, 2017 by Lenny in Egbe, Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Lenny Miles, Miles In Missions, Mission Trips, Missionaries, Nigeria, Patrice Miles, Prayer, SIM, Volunteers

I am excited to announce that I will be starting a new ministry when we move mid-year. Please watch this video so that you can have a better understanding of what I will be doing and how you can be involved in helping. – Lenny

Click on the image to view the video

Passing the “Mantle”

Posted: January 12, 2017 by Lenny in Egbe, Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Lenny Miles, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Prayer, SIM

15591372_750147471803158_5057877334834634317_o

Recently in one of our managers meetings, we were discussing how the transfer of leadership would happen over the next few months for the Revitalization project. Someone mentioned, “We need to pass the mantle”.

My first thought went to a house with a nice comfortable fireplace that had a huge wooden mantel above it. I thought, “how am I going to pass something that big and heavy, easily to the next leader of the project?” I imagined us struggling with the huge decorated piece of wood on a forklift and then moving it from one office desk to the other. Then I realized my thoughts of a mantel were inaccurate. The word “mantle” (spelled differently) had to have another meaning than that of a fireplace decoration.

The “passing the mantle of leadership”, first comes to us in Old Testament book of 2 Kings chapter 2. A mantle is a coat of sorts that looks like a cape and it was used to ward off the cold. When Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven, his mantle was left behind. Elisha then picked it up and put it on. It was a symbolism that he was “taking up the mantle of prophetic authority”.

As our family prepares to change roles and location within Nigeria, we’ve decided the timing couldn’t be better than now to transfer the “mantle of leadership” of the Revitalization construction project to a fellow missionary, Pete Penno. Pete is a Godly man and is truly over qualified for the job. He has more experience in construction than myself and has served as a missionary in other parts of Africa before. I can say without a doubt that the construction project will be left in better hands. I think many of you would agree that not too many times in our lives could we confidently say that things will possibly be better without us. This is one of those times.

I will still be heavily involved in the aspect of construction within the hospital up until our departure. Pete, having been in Egbe since July, will need my experiences over the past three and a half years to get a great “base” of knowledge to proceed in his tenure. I plan to be involved in planning, drawing, estimating, accounting, and management alongside of Pete.

This past Christmas, we were able to throw a Christmas party for all of the staff and employees of the Revitalization project. It was a great time as we reflected on what had been accomplished in 2016 and what is in store for 2017. During that time, I passed on the “mantle of leadership” to Pete. I didn’t think it was wise to pass on a coat or cape for Pete to wear around because it is usually hot in Egbe. So, I took my first thought of a mantel and made a miniature version out of scrap wood. This one is small enough to handle.

Here is to Pete Penno and his leadership of The Egbe Hospital Revitalization Project!

Restoration

Posted: January 10, 2017 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans

15439873_10154752491713808_534485481788119494_n I was so excited to get to attend the wedding of Toyin’s parents a few weekends ago. If you don’t remember Toyin’s story of reuniting with his Father over a year ago, click Toyin to catch up. Over the past year we have been blessed to get to see this family completely restored. His mother is home, his father is smiling, and Toyin is back in the family God created for him. Family preservation is our goal and we love it when God allows us to get to be his hands a feet to restore families in Nigeria. We are praying to see more family restoration stories like this for our C.A.R.E. Kids.

15542398_10154752494358808_5918589112069148864_n Recently Toyin’s sponsor had has to discontinue his sponsorship due to the loss of employment. We are so thankful for the 2 years that Toyin’s sponsor was able to support him. Without them we would not have had the financial means to help Toyin and his family. If you are interested in continuing the sponsorship for Toyin, it is $35 a month. Click family preservation to sign up and write in the memo “orphan care”.

15492303_10154752491643808_1437881041142228871_n

What are you going to do?

Posted: January 5, 2017 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, SIM, Spring Of Life

what-are-you-going-to-do When we announced we were moving to Nigeria in 2013, the number one question I received was “What are you going to do?” Everyone understood Lenny’s role, but they wondered how I was going to manage going from a businesswomen to a stay at home homeschooling mom. Fast-forward to 2017 and I have to laugh at all the hats I wear… Egbe Hospital Revitalization Accountant, Office Manager, Volunteer Coordinator, Guesthouse Manager, C.A.R.E. Africa Marketing Manager and Spring of Life Project Manager. I had never expected to fill any of these roles when I said yes to the missions call, but God knew. He had been preparing me for years in my U.S. business life for this time in Egbe, Nigeria.

As God turns another page in The Miles Family book, and we move to Jos, I am again hearing the same question, “What are you going to do?” I can only tell you what I am excited about doing, but God is always up to something so much bigger so I am cautious of saying what I will definitely be doing. In addition to supporting my husband in his new communication role with SIM Nigeria and being the mom of a middle and high schooler, I am excited about being able to focus 100% of my time on my two ministries, C.A.R.E. Africa and Spring of Life.

C.A.R.E. Africa Staff

Many people see all my Facebook posts and Blogs and think that I run these two projects, but I don’t. Spring of Life has been around since 2007 and Pastor Alabi leads and runs the project. C.A.R.E. Africa was inspired by Emma Salako and I have just help him bring it to life. I am the consultant and marketing manager for these two projects. My job is to consult when needed and make sure everyone around the globe knows what these ministries are about and how they can help.

For the past 3.5 years I have helped with these two projects but not at the level I have wanted to due to the several roles I fill with the Revitalization project. As much as I will miss my staff and friends in E.H.R., I am so excited to get to be able to focus 100% of my time now on C.A.R.E. and Spring of Life.

Pastor Alabi and Spring of Life Staff

In Jos, I will have access to 100’s of ministries that are doing empowerment, family preservation, orphan care, and AIDS prevention at a much higher level than are available in Egbe. My plan is to learn from these amazing ministries what is working and what is not and then implement what I learn in Egbe. I also want to increase marketing outside of my sphere of influence and find government as well as NGO’s around the globe to partner with us. With more resources these two projects can help disciple and empower more men, women and children in Egbe. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do in 2017 with our 40 orphans, 26 caretakers and over 300+ HIV patients. Please continue to pray for me, my family, and our current staff and friends as we turn this new page in Nigeria.

C.A.R.E. Africa Christmas Party Photos

Gallery — Posted: January 3, 2017 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Nigeria, Orphans

Join us in Nigeria in 2017

Posted: January 1, 2017 by Patrice Miles in Miles In Missions, Nigeria, SIM

Happy New Year!! Click 2017 Nigeria to partner with us in Nigeria for 2017.

miles-in-missions-1500

Christmas Day Outreach

Posted: December 29, 2016 by Patrice Miles in Egbe Hosptial, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Prayer

We were honored to get to tag along to a medical outreach to Oga on Christmas Day. We visited a few houses and invited people to a free medical clinic. They received testing for HIV, were seen by Dr Jen, met with a counselor to talk about their faith, given free drugs and other provisions. It was a long day but so rewarding.