🌿 A New Chapter of Spiritual Growth at CARE Africa
We are overjoyed to share that CARE Africa has welcomed its first-ever full-time Chaplain!
This is a brand-new position and a huge step in fulfilling our mission to nurture both the minds and hearts of the children and staff we serve.
Having a Chaplain on staff 24/7 allows us to pour into our students, teachers, and caregivers with intentional discipleship, prayer, and spiritual care — something we have dreamed of for years.
Our Chaplain’s ministry centers on evangelism and discipleship, leading programs such as:
Morning Devotions to start each day grounded in God’s presence.
Weekly Kids’ Discipleship Classes that teach biblical truths in practical ways.
Staff Fellowships and Monthly Prayer Gatherings that strengthen unity and faith.
AWANA & Bible Bowl Programs that help students memorize and live out Scripture.
Community Evangelism to share Christ’s love in Egbe and surrounding villages.
Through these programs, we pray that every child and staff member will grow in their faith and live as shining lights for Christ in their homes and communities.
🙏 How You Can Partner in Prayer
We are asking for your prayers as our Chaplain steps into this new full-time role:
Pray for wisdom, endurance, and anointing as he ministers daily to our children and staff.
Pray for fruitful outreach as he leads evangelism efforts throughout the community.
Pray for God to bring the right person to mentor and walk alongside him.
We are specifically looking for a Pastor or Chaplain in the U.S. who would be willing to meet with him once a month via video call — to pray with him, encourage him, and offer guidance as he grows in this important leadership role.
If you or someone you know would be interested in this meaningful partnership, please reply to this email or contact us through our website.
🌍 Standing Together in Faith
Your prayers and encouragement are the heartbeat of this ministry. We are deeply grateful for your ongoing support as we continue to see God’s hand at work in Egbe — transforming lives, restoring hope, and building His Kingdom.
At C.A.R.E. Africa, we know that strong leadership changes everything. That’s why we’re excited to introduce you to the heart behind our school in Egbe, Nigeria—our incredible Principal at Foundations Academy.
In this short video, you’ll see:
🌱 Her passion for empowering the next generation through education and faith.
📚 How her vision is creating lasting change in the community.
💛 The difference your support makes every single day.
Your partnership allows us to provide quality education, mentorship, and resources that open doors for children to dream bigger and achieve more.
Years ago, my family and I were blessed with the opportunity to travel to Italy. One of the most awe-inspiring experiences of that trip was standing inside St. Peter’s Basilica. As I wandered through its vast, intricate beauty, I found myself captivated not just by the architecture, but by the story behind it. The dream that brought it into being.
Who were the people who dreamed this into existence? Who envisioned something so grand, so detailed, and so enduring, centuries ago? Who were the ones who labored to bring it to life without the technology or equipment we so often take for granted?
St. Peter’s Basilica took over 120 years to build. Generations of artisans and laborers worked on something they would never live to see completed. Imagine being a stonecutter or carpenter, spending your entire life working on a project you knew you’d never fully witness. Yet still, you show up, day after day, faithful to a vision passed down from dreamers.
A basilica like this stands as a testament to the very best of us. Our creativity, devotion, craftsmanship, patience, and perseverance. But more than that, it’s a testimony to the power of a dream and the people who believe in it. For every cornerstone laid, there was a dreamer behind it.
Someone imagined the sanctuary. Someone else found the stone. Another drew the first sketches. And then a multitude of hands joined in hauling, carving, sewing, raising money, and pounding nails, carrying the dream forward.
Most of them probably didn’t see themselves as anything extraordinary. They might have simply said, “I’m just a blacksmith,” or “I’m only a seamstress.” But if you asked God, I suspect He’d call them dreamers and builders of sacred things.
It makes me wonder: How many teachers, nurses, parents, farmers, or small business owners are doing the very work of Christ without realizing it? We don’t often think of our daily work, our spreadsheets, our caregiving, our meal prep, our customer service as sacred. Yet Scripture reminds us otherwise.
In a letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul described a spiritual dwelling being built among us, a great temple. A living basilica. Not one of stone and mortar, but of people. Of us. A basilica of the dreamer.
We don’t talk much about building basilicas anymore. Maybe we should.
We live in a society that often measures work by the American dream: job titles, salaries, promotions, possessions. But the dream of the Basilica, the one God calls us to be part of, isn’t about accumulating wealth or prestige. It’s about offering our gifts, our work, our sweat, and our presence toward something bigger than ourselves.
Whether you are a plumber or a poet, a board member or a baker, your role matters. Your work matters. What’s required is not a perfect résumé or a five year plan, but a willingness to dream and to believe that your dream is a stone in the basilica being built.
That’s how I often feel about my work with C.A.R.E. Africa. The seeds being planted today in the hearts and minds of children, caregivers, and communities in Nigeria are part of a sacred, generational vision. Most days, I don’t get to see the fruit.
I don’t know which child will grow up to lead with integrity or which caregiver will break cycles of poverty or trauma. And I may never see the full harvest in my lifetime. But I believe we are placing stones in a basilica we cannot yet fully imagine.
And if you’ve ever donated to C.A.R.E. or prayed for the children and staff, know this: you are a dreamer and a builder too. You may never meet the student who learned to read because of your support. You may never hear the prayer whispered by a mother with a full belly. But your faithfulness, your prayers, and your generosity are part of something sacred. You are helping build a living basilica, one life at a time.
William Faulkner once wrote, “You can’t eat for eight hours a day nor drink for eight hours a day nor make love for eight hours a day. All you can do for eight hours a day is work.” So if we must work, let us work with joy. Let us offer our hours not to the idols of success or status, but to the dream God is unfolding among us.
Maybe the basilica you’re building is a home, a school, a community, a small business, or a safe space for someone who’s hurting. Maybe it’s a line of code, a meal delivered, or a hand held in silence. Whatever it is, do it for the dreamer.
And if you don’t live to see it completed, you’re in good company. The grandest basilica I’ve ever seen is still under construction. Not one of stone and mortar, but of God’s kingdom, rising in unseen places through ordinary people.
At St. John the Divine in New York City, there’s a quote carved into the stone at the base of the cathedral’s Poet’s Corner:
“Thy will be done in art as it is in heaven.”
To that I say, Amen. Amen in plumbing and parenting. In spreadsheets and sermons. In counseling and cleaning. In teaching, feeding, and sponsoring. In everything we do, may we place our stone in the long awaited basilica.
When Feyiski, one of our dedicated caregivers and a mother in the CARE Africa program, suddenly fell gravely ill, we rushed her to the hospital and discovered she was going into kidney failure. Thanks to quick action and God’s grace, we found a dialysis center two hours away and began treatment.
Today, she is stable, thriving, and back to caring for her child—but she must continue receiving dialysis every two weeks to survive.
We need to raise $126 each month to cover her ongoing dialysis treatments. Would you consider being part of her support team and donating any amount monthly towards this?
Every gift—big or small—makes a difference. Let’s keep Feyiski healthy and strong.
We’re excited to introduce you to someone who plays a vital role in everything we do at CARE Africa — our Operations Manager, Ayo.
In this short video, you’ll hear directly from Ayo as he shares about the ministry, the school, and the heart behind the work happening every day in Egbe, Nigeria. His leadership, compassion, and tireless commitment help keep CARE Africa moving forward and impacting lives.
I first met Ayo in 2013 when we arrived in Egbe. At the time, he was affectionately known as a “small boy,” serving as an intern assisting the hospital secretary. From our very first interaction, I was struck by his incredible work ethic, attention to detail, and the humble confidence he brought to every task. He stood out immediately, and I knew he was someone special.
Years later, as CARE Africa began to grow, our former CEO needed an assistant. Around that same time, Ayo reached out to me looking for work. I didn’t hesitate, he was the perfect fit. He served faithfully and humbly for over two years before stepping into the role he was truly made for.
Today, as our Operations Manager, Ayo leads with excellence, inspiring our team and ensuring the mission of CARE Africa is lived out every day. We are so grateful for him!
Thank you for being part of the CARE Africa family. Your support helps make stories like this possible.
Thank you to everyone that helped us fill the bags for Nigeria. Our trip was amazing and you will see a lot of new developments over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for some exciting updates at C.A.R.E. Africa!
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!’” — Hunter S. Thompson
This quote has been my rallying cry over the years, inspiring me to embrace a full and intentional life, even when it has meant sacrificing comfort or certainty. This perspective, especially in light of our time in Nigeria, has been both a compass and a challenge.
I imagine life as a baseball game. Each base you approach is a new challenge, and each one demands courage to reach. But you don’t get to walk the bases. You have to run, slide, or sometimes crash into them. The journey isn’t smooth; you don’t arrive at home plate unscathed. The obstacles on the way, the hard slides, and the unexpected stumbles shape you as you go. And in this picture, I see the challenges of building something meaningful for the Kingdom—of making sure our lives leave a mark.
This baseball metaphor, though simple, has a powerful truth. In baseball, you rely on the person at bat to determine your speed. Sometimes, in life, we find ourselves shaped by circumstances and the actions of others, and we react—adjusting our stride, slowing down, speeding up or getting taken out of the game completely depending on how they hit the ball. We don’t always know if we’ll make it to the next base, but we’re called to run with purpose, knowing that each bruised moment strengthens us.
In my work with C.A.R.E. Africa I’ve seen so many children who have had to “run” despite circumstances that would leave most of us on the sidelines. They come to Foundations Academy Egbe not only for education but to learn about the hope and love of the Lord. Their resilience is humbling and reminds me that, like them, we are all part of a much larger story, one that requires running even when we feel worn out.
I recently read that Satan only attacks those who are a threat to his plans. This reminded me of something I believed fiercely in my 20s and 30s—that if I was being challenged, I was in a place of significance. In those years, I woke up hearing “Be the kind of woman who, when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, ‘Oh no! She’s up’. But in my 40s, I feel the weariness. The thrill of sliding into bases has given way to the desire for peace. Sometimes I wonder if it’s okay to want to simply walk the bases, to not feel the bruises and scars of the race.
But as I reflect on this life and my calling, I know there is strength in those scars. I may be tired, but the mission God has placed on my heart remains unchanged. In Nigeria, as in every step of this journey, I am reminded that true fulfillment comes when we give everything to God’s purpose, even when it requires more than we feel we have to give.
So, do we slide into home base, worn out and battle-scarred, or does God offer us another path? Perhaps the answer lies not in how we arrive but in why we keep running. I hope my life, with its bruises and bumps, will reflect a journey not of exhaustion but of devotion—a life poured out, not for my glory, but for His.
My birthday is tomorrow, and I’ve got a special wish this year!
As I celebrate another year of life, I’d be thrilled if you could join me in making a meaningful contribution to our school. Your support can help kickstart Stage 1 of the secondary school (high school) building, and it’s the best birthday gift I could ever ask for!
Please consider donating, no matter how big or small, to help provide quality education to these deserving students. Your kindness will make a world of difference, not just in my life but in the lives of these bright young minds.
Let’s come together to create a brighter future for the students at CARE Africa!
Phase 2 of 3 is funded!! Thank you to all the donors who helped us! Here is an update from the field. Phase 2 is now underway and we need to complete this project with the roofing and inside plastering. Would you consider helping us get to phase 3 by clicking the link and donating towards the remaining $500 needed to complete the electric powerhouse? https://donorsee.com/project/20557
amy0b87982ac418
bluewatergigi
dbeville
Patrice Miles
Lenny
My birthday is tomorrow, and I’ve got a special wish this year! 
Miles In Missions 