Miles In Missions

Archive for the ‘Miles In Missions’ Category

I am NEPAman!

Posted: November 1, 2013 by Lenny in Egbe, Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria, Lenny Miles, Miles In Missions

I am NEPAman! Sounds sort of like something from the 1980’s sci-fi movie Robocop where he says in a muffled human/computer voice, “I am Robocop”. Well, nothing so glorious for me in the last couple of days, just trying to get the electrical grid up and running on the hospital. NEPA is the national power company for all of Nigeria. I’m not sure of what the acronym stands for exactly, but I’ve thought of a good one for now…. Never Electrical Power Anywhere.

The problem started more than seven weeks ago where a part of the transformer that supplies power to the hospital “blew up”. It was determined that the repair would be around 80,000 Naira ($500 US). After 7 weeks of inaction, the Hospital and surrounding community decided to come up with the money so NEPA would fix the transformer.

Thankfully the hospital is blessed to have a large generator to power the full compound. However, due to the high cost of fuel, the generator is only ran from 11am-1pm Monday-Friday. All non-emergency surgeries have to be scheduled during these times, back up batteries charged, phones charged, computers charged, etc. etc. Anything of importance has to be crammed into two hours. Anything beyond that, like an emergency surgery has to be ran off of a small generator similar to one that you might have at your own home.

This is an expensive problem to have and the constant need for fuel is a challenge in itself. Two times a week I have my maintenance foreman Moses load up a van and he has to go purchase 210 liters (roughly 100 gallons) of fuel just to keep the small generators throughout the hospital going. Our family is affected by this as well, we use around 10,000 Naira ($70 US) of fuel a week. All of this said, I have not explained the most costly part of this, the high cost of life. With no power, a person dependent on an oxygen concentrator or a baby in an incubator face a huge challenge to stay alive.

When NEPA had finally shown up to fix the problem, I got a moment of relief. But that soon faded as they showed up with no tools, no ladders, no ability to really fix anything. With the blessings of the Revitalization project at this hospital, we were able to “help” them get their job done. Most recently we’ve used wrenches, pipe fittings, epoxy, ladders, trucks, and our John Deere tractor to aide them in the swapping out of a transformer. The last two days have been spent with them to get this done and I am glad to say that the hard work has paid off. The power is on!

When our red and green lights are on in our house, we are really excited. Not because we are celebrating an early Christmas, but because we are celebrating the fact that the power is on!

New OPD at Egbe Hospital

Posted: October 26, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Mission Trips

I had a conversation recently with a local Nigerian and this is what he told me. “Once the new OPD is finished God will bring people from towns all over to come and be healed. Watch and you will see! Everyone will talk about this hospital and how it is up to international standards so they can come and be healed.” I have only been here for a little over two months and watching the progress is amazing.

A little over a year ago the demolition of the current OPD started so construction could begin on the new one. There is more than the OPD that is under construction by Samaritans Purse. Compound housing upgrades, water, electricity and so much more. Every two weeks we are greeted with new smiling faces of volunteers that take time away from family and friends to come and help paint, install cabinets, run new electricity grids and more. Click Samaritans Purse to see how you can come and volunteer.

Once the OPD is complete and the patients start coming we are going to need a lot of staff to help. If you are in the medical field in any capacity we need you. Come for 2 weeks, 1 month, 1 year but just come. I have been told that anytime a Western Doctor comes to Egbe people come from all over to be seen. I cannot wait to see this as we have an OBGYN doctor and her nurse coming soon. The increase in patients helps the hospital so much which in turn helps this community. Ophthalmologist, AIDS/HIV specialist, Teaching Doctors, Ear Nose and Throat, OBGYN, Family Medicine, Physicians Assistant etc etc…. come and let the skills God gave you heal the people of Egbe. Click World Medical Missions to volunteer.

Last but not least we are hoping to release short term team schedules for 2014 for churches, bible study groups and individuals. Just because you are not skilled in construction or medical doesn’t mean you cannot come and help the people of Egbe. The ministry opportunities here are endless from Orphaned children, teaching opportunities for pastors, doctors and school teachers, administrative, cooking & baking, Fulani outreach, agriculture and farming and more. Watch our BLOG for the exciting announcement of Team Trips!

Shola and Mommy Day

Posted: October 19, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Uncategorized

“Lord God, you know who will be helping us in Egbe when we arrive. You know her name, you know her face and you know her family. We pray for her right now that you would take care of her and her family and prepare her heart for our family. ” This was my prayer back in June, two months away from our departure to Nigeria. I get teary eyed now knowing I was praying for Shola the whole time.

Shola is amazing in so many ways. Her beauty is inside and out and we are so blessed to get to be a part of her life. She comes Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5pm, Saturdays 12-5pm and stays late many nights. When I first arrived I thought I could handle all this cooking and cleaning ko si whalla (no problem). Yeah right!! Without Shola I don’t know where we would be. She cleans, cooks, goes to market, loves on my children, brightens my day, feeds our Aja (dog), and helps me with cultural questions. She allows me the time to focus on educating my children, keeping up with our ministry and finding new ways to be a light for Gods kingdom in Egbe.

Shola and Mommy Day has recently started on Fridays since Courtney, the Oyinbos (missionaries) from HELP started teaching Cason and Jolie. This gives Shola and I time to talk and pray. I asked her what she wanted to learn and she said typing. So on Fridays we are learning typing and next she wants to move onto the printer/scanner.

When I moved to Egbe I never thought part of my ministry would be in my own home. I love this place, I love the Yoruba people and I love watching God work in our lives and the people around us. Please pray for the next person to join our family. We are seeking God about the need to hire a guard/driver/gardner/handyman/mechanic. We know God has the perfect man with all of these skills picked out. We are trusting him to lead us to this Godly man just like he led us to Shola.

African Time

Posted: September 27, 2013 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, H.E.L.P., Miles In Missions
Tags: Egbe, Egbe Hospital, HELP, Lenny Miles, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Patrice Miles

Hillary and Courtney at our house on Pizza and cookie night!

As I was excitedly collecting different odds and end snacks from my cupboard, Shola was pulling hot cinnamon rolls out of the oven. I put several of them in a ziplock bag. Two young missionary girls, Courtney and Hillary, arrived last week at HELP care center. They are staying for six months and were craving some US food. I know how quickly you start to miss your comfort foods and American things so I wanted to deliver some Joy to them.

I rushed out the door with all my goodies thinking is would only take me 10 minutes at the most to get to HELP. We had a dinner to be at at 6pm so I had to hurry in order to get everything done. I dropped Shola at her house because it was on my route to HELP and then I stopped at the supermarket and paid my bill. Once at HELP I was on a mission to deliver the goods. I found the girls and walked right passed John the coordinator and Uncle Charles who watches over the boys. Uncle Eman who also helps with the boys was sitting with the Courtney and Hillary and I didn’t even say anything to him. He greeted me after I had been talking to the girls for a few minutes and seemed a little hurt. We started to head to the car to get the box of goodies and Hillary stopped and greeted John the coordinator as we passed. He looked at me and said “You didn’t greet me?” His tone sounded hurt and it then hit me of every mistake I had just made in the past 15 minutes while on my mission to bring Joy.

When I dropped Shola off I greeted her children but there was a younger man there and I didn’t greet him or even find out who he was or his name. At the supermarket, I said hello but that was it. I didn’t ask the owner how she was or how her children were. At HELP I pulled in and barreled my way past everyone on my mission. Some of you in US may be saying, “What’s the big deal?” In Yorubaland greetings are a very big deal. I had just left a trail of disrespect and unkindness on my mission to deliver Joy. I started to wonder how many times in the US I did this same thing. How many opportunities did God put in front of me to build relationships and my task was more important?

I used to get frustrated at African time, but now I am starting to understand it. If I am late 15-30 minutes my host will understand. That 15-30 minutes will have been used to be a light to people and relationships will be deepened.

I know I am forgiven but it still pains my heart to know the impressions of the “busy American” I had left on the hearts of these people. God is helping me to remember that everything I do all day even the mundane things like paying a supermarket bill have His name written all over it. I am to be a light everywhere I go not just when my calendar says it is ministry time. I used to get so mad at people that were late. Now I am thinking African time isn’t so bad if God gets to touch people along the way. God please help me to slow down and see the opportunities you put in front of me everyday to be a light for your kingdom.