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bluewatergigi
dbeville
Patrice Miles
Lenny
Presidential elections will be held in Nigeria this Saturday the 16th of February 2019. This will be the sixth time that an election has been held every four years, since the end of military rule in 1999. Our family has started stockpiling supplies in case of lock down and curfews implemented due to violence. Cason and Jolie’s school has already given them off Friday and Monday.
Elections in Nigeria have always been a volatile subject. 2007 elections were described as “the worst they had ever seen anywhere in the world”, with “rampant vote rigging, violence, theft of ballot boxes and intimidation.
2011 elections were postponed and there was tension over whether a Muslim or a Christian should be President.
Our family was in Nigeria during 2015 elections and it was mostly very peaceful. All the nationals forecasted Buhari’s win and that it would be a peaceful handover and they were right.
This year, 2019, the forecast is not so positive. Concerns with terrorist attacks on elections institutions, violence toward voters, observers, or electoral officials, the use of armed gangs for voter intimidation, and widespread vote buying.
The U.S. has warned against violence during the February 2019 general elections in Nigeria, and U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington says,
“I can tell you from my impressions during my travels and my previous service in Nigeria that I fear there will be some violence around these elections, as has been the case with previous elections. I do not anticipate large-scale nationwide conflict, but rather localized violence. We look at states that are currently tense, especially if state-level politics are contentious like those in Benue, Plateau, as well as those in high-stakes locations with large populations such as Kano”.
We know our God is a big God and his word says in Romans 13:1
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Please pray for Nigeria this weekend. The entire nation waits to see who the next President is and if the losing candidates will be humble and show the world that Nigeria is a country moving forward.
“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 