amy0b87982ac418
bluewatergigi
dbeville
Patrice Miles
Lenny“It’s time to go home.”
Those were the words my husband said to me one morning after returning from a Men’s retreat. I thought he was joking and when I realized he wasn’t, I became angry and hurt. For 48hrs I didn’t shower, barely ate and I wrestled with God. I questioned everything I believed in, my faith, my marriage, my motherhood and my life. At some point I reluctantly handed over my ego and my superwoman cape. I sat at God’s feet and just started to breathe Him in. I realized that I had been drowning under my own skin. Throughout my life God has always picked me up before I self-destructed and I realized that He was saving me from myself once again.
He opened my eyes to the fact that my amazing son has just two years left to prepare for college and doesn’t know how to go to the grocery store, manage a checking account, drive a car, clean his own clothes, cook a meal or simply clean a toilet. My beautiful daughter has art and musical gifts that she craves to learn more about and our environment had limited resources to help her. My loyal husband, who has supported my work with C.A.R.E. Africa for 6 years, has a body ravaged with sickness that needed to heal physically as well as emotionally. Then there was me… I was so stressed from trying to raise money for C.A.R.E. Africa without ever having face-to-face time with our loyal donors or the opportunity to build new relationships that I felt the stress in the base of my neck daily.
God first, family second and work/ministry last. Once again I realized my priorities were skewed. Everyone around me was struggling including myself. It hurt to realize that all my superhuman powers had failed to save everyone. When I slowed down and breathed God in, He reminded me that He gave me wings to fly – not a superwoman cape. It was time to let go.
So what does this mean for our family and our ministries in Nigeria? It means God is in control and we are not. We are excited about this next chapter and how God is going to show off. I am eager to see my family flourish and C.A.R.E. Africa bloom into the beautiful flower God wants it to become. Stay tuned to our next blog as we give more details on our time in the U.S.A.
Every child should have the best chance for a successful future. But too many children in Nigeria aren’t getting the opportunity to reach their full potential. These children eventually succumb to begging, lying and stealing to make ends meet because of so many economic barriers in their environment. You can help change that by sponsoring a child through C.A.R.E. Africa. Your sponsorship will give these children the gift of hope and a brighter future.
When you sponsor a child, you achieve a special kind of giving that creates a relationship between you and the community where our C.A.R.E. Africa staff are helping to change the future. Sponsorship provides essential aid and education to the impoverished and improves the well-being of single and double orphans. It gives you the opportunity to see lives transformed. 
In the missionary world we are excited to talk about the great things we are involved in and how God is working in our ministry. We list the programs we offer, how many churches we have planted, how many widows, orphans and vulnerable people we have helped.
The cashier, bank teller, missionary, doctor, construction worker and waitress are people with actual lives. They all have passions, goals, struggles, interests, hobbies, families, and qualities that define them and make them who they are. Everyone is more than their job, whether it’s the most admirable career worldwide, or a temporary position. We are all “something” but we are also “someone.” There’s a difference!
“In spiritual winters, our fullness is thinned so that, undistracted by our giftings, we can focus on our character. In the absence of anything to measure, we are left with nothing to stare at except for our foundation. We begin to examine the motivations that support our deeds, the attitudes that support our words, the dead wood otherwise hidden beneath our busyness. Abundance may make us feel more productive, but emptiness has greater power to strengthen our souls.” Anonymous: Jesus Hidden Years…..my new favorite book!
“My daughter, you are weak and that is why I chose you. Strength is not given, it is grown. Through Me you will help grow My kingdom and change lives. I chose the right girl!”
At C.A.R.E. Africa we conduct one on one interview sessions with anyone who completes an application and meets our criteria. We use these one on one sessions to evaluate the applicant’s personal character and to see if what they filled out on the application several months ago is the same story they are telling us today. This process helps us separate those who would deceive us from those who are truly vulnerable women and children needing our help. After the interview we visit the home of the applicant. Their living situation will truly tell us if they are in need or not.
In July of this year C.A.R.E. Africa was conducting one of it’s interview sessions with a woman named Mrs Adeyemi. She had completed an application over a year ago. We had tried to call her but her number wasn’t working. Recently, her son tracked us down and gave us a note that read “Please help me, I want to go to school.” During the interview Mrs Adeyemi and her son were very quiet. Her body looked malnutritioned and her son, Michael, did not look well either. We visited their home and were saddened to see their living conditions. Inside was a 10×10 room that she and her two children slept in. The two mattresses were soaking wet and mold was growing up the walls. The smell was so bad I couldn’t even walk inside. I immediately wanted to take them into our program but at C.A.R.E. Africa we have a policy that we will do more research and pray for 30 days before taking anyone in.
My staff began their research. Mrs. Adeyemi’s neighbors reported that she would walk up and down the street yelling at them and used abusive language. Another neighbor explained how she was the second wife to a man in Lagos, Nigeria. He occasionally came to visit but didn’t take care of her or the children. We even heard that her husband was bringing marijuana for her to sell in Egbe. Overall the reports were not good and our staff were reconsidering taking her and Michael in.
We are happy to say that God has been using C.A.R.E. Africa and three sponsors to show Christ’s love to the Adeyemi family. We were able to fix up the 10 x 10 room they live in, buy new mattresses and bed posts, fix the roof so water will not enter into the room and also fix Mrs. Adeyemi’s grinding machine so she can be empowered. Michael is in school now and doing well and we will mentor and disciple his mother. Please pray for Mrs. Adeyemi that thru this ministry she will hear the gospel message and know that Jesus Christ loved her and died for her so that she might truly live! This is a story of the real Christmas message. Thank-you for us make this happen.
PVD or Parent Visitation Day is a day in Nigerian schools where the parents are invited to come and see what their child has been doing. Foundations Academy Egbe just had our first PVD day! As I walked around and observed the individual meetings with each child, caregiver and teacher I started to lose it. I had to go to the back of the center and cry outside so no one would see me. They were happy tears, thankful tears and tears of exhaustion. I experienced an overwhelming sense of joy and saw Christ’s love right in front of my face that day. These children were each told what they were doing well and how great they were. They were also told what they needed to work on. It was all done in a loving environment and the caregiver and the child were united. No shame, no fear and no judgement.
This school is the missing piece to the puzzle for our family based care program. We can disciple these kids, love these kids, preach to these kids, but when they spend 8 hours a day in a school system that fosters, shame, fear, cheating, bullying and promotion regardless of your ability to comprehend the subjects….we are fighting a losing battle. The C.A.R.E. Africa partnership with Foundations Academy completes our holistic approach to the care of the vulnerable children God has placed in our care. With C.A.R.E. Africa and Foundations Academy, we can now confidently say we are raising up a generation that will make a difference.
Miles In Missions 