Miles In Missions

“What smells so good?” Cason asked. “Chocolate chip cookies!” I told him with a smile on my face. Cason jumped up and down and yelled” Yeah! Jolie we get to eat chocolate chip cookies tonight!” Food has always been a source of Joy for me. I smile as I cook it, eat it and serve it. In the U.S. I loved to host parties just to cook and bake for people. I also loved to use it to minister to people that are sick, need cheering up, or if I just want to show them I care for them. . Everyone says I get it from my Mimi.

My food addiction has also been a thorn in my side. I can use it to take away my loneliness, pain or sadness. God has been working with me on this for years and it is a daily battle that he walks and talks with me about. I am excited today because I think he might finally be showing me how to use it for his kingdom.

In Africa, hospitals do not feed their patients daily. It is the responsibility of the family to bring daily food and water. If the family lives too far away or they don’t have the money then the patient starves. The nurses in Egbe are amazing and do everything they can to keep this from happening. They give their own money and food to these patients. The nurses are limited to what they can do and this need for daily food and water has been on my heart since I arrived in Egbe.

A colleague of mine and I have discussed so many different ways to feed the patients. Every time we discuss it we are left with concerns of when helping hurts. We don’t want to create something that will hurt the community more than help it. If people think they can get a free meal in the hospital, why ever pay your bill and go home?

After some prayer I decided to try a few food drives just to see the costs, time and what the outcome was. We handed out Garri, ground nut and water for our first drive. We prayed over the patients after asking them if they knew who Jesus was and if they where a Christian. The smiles on the faces of these patients was amazing. They were so happy to see us, especially the children. I cannot explain the Joy we all found in serving these suffering people a simple bag of Garri. It was so rewarding and the prayer time was very encouraging.

For N5000 we fed 50 people which is about $31. Thank you to everyone that has and is supporting us. You can know that your support just helped feed 50 people in Egbe. These people may have not have gotten to eat that day if God had not stirred your heart to support Miles In Missions. Next week we will be trying it again so please pray for us. I don’t know what road God is leading us down but we are taking baby steps to find out.

This beautiful baby girls name is Taye. Taye means, the first to taste the world. Taye is a twin and she lives in the ECWA Egbe Hospital nurses station in Ward A. She was born there over 8 months ago along with her brother Kehinde.

I remember when I arrived in Egbe almost 6 months ago and met Taye and her brother Kehinde. I noticed every time I visited that Kehinde was getting fatter but Taye seemed so small. I later discovered that the mother had disowned Taye and was no longer feeding her. The nurses in the ward immediately stepped in and cared for Taye. Together they put in their own resources to make sure she had food, clothes and love.

Now over 8 months later I love to make regular visits to play with Taye. I throw her on my hip and make rounds to visit women in the ward. They all know Taye and scream her name when we come. They grab her and know exactly how to make her smile and laugh. They give her biscuits and smile. She is a joy to them all and her smile brightens everyones day. As you travel around this 33 acre compound you will see Taye in the arms of a nurse heading to church or heading to the hostel. They all cart her around everywhere they go making sure she is never left alone. It is a beautiful site to see this African community taking care of one of its own.                                         We are currently looking for someone to adopt the mother and the two twins. The mother needs guidance on how to care for these two babies and we pray eventually she will be able to live on her own with both of them.

A revitalization of a hospital consists of upgrading facilities, infrastructure, and new equipment. However, it wouldn’t be complete without transforming the hearts and minds of the doctors, nurses, and staff of the hospital. This also applies to the maintenance staff. We have started the “Employee of the Month” program  to help motivate the maintenance men to go above and beyond  a normal days work. 

The first recipient of this prestigious award was Samuel (pronounced “Samwell” here) for the month of November.

He received this award for going above and beyond his normal duties during a time when there was no electric on the compound for two months. Samuel would do just about anything in his power to get the power company to repair our services. He spent countless hours going to their office waiting and troubleshooting their equipment problems. When they would finally show up to do something, he would spend many hours after work to ensure they were doing their job properly.

In this culture, awards and public recognition of a job well done goes a long way, but in reality its not enough. It appears that there is a real need for heart change within the management and staff. A complacent attitude of “lets show up and get our paycheck” is prevalent on the compound. In addition to the “Employee of the Month” program, God has led me to start finding scriptures that are work related for the maintenance staff.  Ones that would be applicable to all of us as a reflection towards our daily walk with God as we work. Two scriptures came to mind in recent months…

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”

Colossians 3:23&24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Ultimately, the things being implemented are not nearly enough for the ultimate change in hearts and minds that the “Revitalization Team” is looking for. We can come with bible knowledge, strategies to tug at the heartstrings of people, and all the good willed intentions, but really it is a change they have to want to make.

For me, it simply boils down to how well we can love. Whether in the USA, Canada, India, or Nigeria, people need to know they are loved and appreciated.  Through simple interactions, they can begin to get a glimpse of how much God really cares for each and everyone of them.

Would you please pray for me to show God’s love and appreciation in every situation. Please join me in praying for the hearts and minds of management and staff alike to be changed? A true heart change.

“Everybody can have one popsicle but you have to eat them outside. Cason make sure the kids know not to through away the plastic sticks!” This is a regular conversation at our house as Cason and Jolie seem to always have new  friends coming and going. The first 2 months we were here, one boy in particular seemed to come more than the others. His name was Samson. One day Cason told me he saw Samson hanging around the hospital in the morning. I thought that was odd because all the kids are in school during the day. The next time he came to play I asked him where he went to school and he said he didn’t. I asked him were he lived and he told me “At the hospital.” I asked him where and he said “In the Ward, my mother is sick.”

Hospital policy at Egbe is you stay until your bill is paid. Family and friends are suppose to provide food and water but you cannot leave until your bill is paid. After some investigation I found out that Samson’s mother  had been at the hospital for almost 3 months. Samson spent the mornings begging for money and food as there family was a days drive away. My heart was broken as I realized this poor child had been at my house everyday and never asked for a thing. Our family immediately stepped in with daily food, water, clothing and your gifts allowed us to pay her hospital bill twice as she recently returned with more complications.

Another story is Mubo Gabriel who’s husband died and she was left with 6 children to feed. All of her money was spent on the burial of her husband and she was left with nothing. Your gifts helped us to help her get a business started selling Gari and grinding food with her grinder. Let’s not forget about Comfort who has a small store selling a few items but was having a hard time making ends meet. Again, your gifts allowed us to help her grow her business to sell oranges, plantains, bananas and more. You should see the line at her store now.

The last story  is one of my favorites. Most of you know about our gift from God, Shola. She helps us everyday to survive in Nigeria and I don’t know what we would do without her. Your gifts sent all 4 of Shola’s kids to school! There is so many more stories I would love to tell you about but this BLOG would never end.

Thank you for being obedient to Gods call and saying YES to supporting Miles In Missions in Egbe, Nigeria. I know every month you may question if you have the money to continue supporting our mission in Egbe. I hope these stories and pictures give you a small glimpse of the JOY your gift is making half way around the globe. SIM, our agency recently posted an article to explain the giving process and how we cannot do this without you. Click SIM to read and we thank you from Egbe!

If you are not a current supporter and would like to make a Christmas gift to help us help the people in Egbe in 2014, click Miles In Missions. No gift is too small as a child can go to school next year for $100 US, a store can be started for $200 US and a hospital bill can be paid for $150.

Please remember we can always use more prayer partners in 2014 also. Click Prayer to sign up. To see more pictures of our mission in Egbe click Egbe Pics. Friend Lenny and I on Facebook to keep up with our daily updates. Click Patrice and or Lenny to friend us.