About four months ago we were posed with the question, “What do you think Cason should do for high school?”
We were shocked and then almost saddened to realize that our children are in fact growing up way too fast. We asked Cason, “Do you want to go to a real high school or continue in Egbe with homeschool curriculum?” He said, “I really want to go to a real school for high school.” Then we asked, “Do you want to go to college?” Once again he said, “Yes, and I want to study business!”
Living in this very rural setting, an education that will prepare our children for an American university is hard. We thank the children’s teacher, Katie, for all the amazing work and education she has provided for our children over the last three years. She felt undoubtedly that she could provide a high school education for Cason, but her resources in a one-bedroom house turned schoolhouse would be limited.
Since then, we have been in prayer and seeking guidance through SIM leadership for what should our next steps look like to accommodate a high schooler. We visited Jos, Nigeria recently and went to look at Hillcrest School. The school has a deep history for many missionaries in this region that we have grown to call family. We are glad to announce that our children will be attending school there starting August of 2017. Cason will enter as freshman for 9th grade and Jolie will enter middle school as a 6th grader. They are both very excited about this, but are of course sad about saying goodbye to their Egbe friends.
So what does this mean for the whole family? It means that we have a large transition ahead of us. We will be moving from Egbe to Jos where we will resettle at another SIM station. SIM Nigeria has recently appointed a new director and with him comes a grander vision to reach 75+ million least reached people in northern Nigeria. Our family feels God is calling us to move closer to the north and live in Jos to assist with this new vision.
One of Lenny’s Masterpieces
Patrice will continue to manage the C.A.R.E. Africa and Spring of Life HIV/AIDS Project in Egbe. She will travel back and forth between Egbe and Jos many times a years utilizing the resources of a number of other ministries in Jos to grow these two ministries in Egbe. She is very excited to now be able to dedicate her full time to these two ministries, helping to grow them and make them more sustainable in the future.
We are planning our move for the middle of the year 2017. At that time we will have served for almost four years in Egbe. We feel like God has used us mightily and his kingdom has grown through the revitalization of the hospital, C.A.R.E. Africa, Spring of Life HIV/AIDS clinic and through our relationships with the many Nigerians we now call family.
This move will be costly, but we trust God will provide for all our needs. We were blessed to be able to borrow furniture, cars, generators and appliances loaned to us in Egbe from the hospital project itself. However, in Jos we will be required to buy all of these items. Plus we will now be responsible for full school tuitions for Cason and Jolie.
Please be in prayer on how you might be able to help our family continue to serve in Nigeria to grow HIS kingdom.
With love,
The Miles family
See below for pictures of our new home and Cason and Jolie’s new school.
“As Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17
This member and his wife are dear to our family. (I will not name them, because sometimes they visit “closed” countries and I do not want to endanger them or the people they meet in the fields there). We met them a little over four years ago, when Patrice and I took the Prospectives class at SECC. They were the “course facilitators” and this class was instrumental in helping us to become missionaries. With their heart already set for missions, this couple was determined to go to the field to see graduates of their class, SECC members, and friends (us). 
Also at SECC is another great program which many know as simply DC which means Developing Co-leaders. It is a 21 month class based on bible study and meeting in a small group to discuss many topics throughout the two years. It can also be thought of as discipleship training. Both Patrice and I have completed this course in the past, which is dear to our walk with the Lord and so had our fellow SECC member who was coming to join us on the field. It was brought up one day that he could come here and teach a few of these classes and build into our sphere of influence here on the ground in Egbe. We picked two topics, Managing Conflict and Intro to Leadership.
We used the scriptures for many discussion questions on judging others, tolerance, where each of us sees conflict in our lives, how to handle that conflict, and many more topics. We even covered the book of Philemon (only 25 verses). Where Philemon was asked to take back his old slave who had stolen from him and ran away. Talk about conflict!
However, our motto for the three weeks wasn’t about managing conflict, it was about iron sharpening iron and one man sharpening another. Our thought and prayers through this teaching is that a few of the 75 in attendance will step up and say they want to be able to sharpen other men (and women). We offered the entire course of DC lessons to them when they are available to start up their own small groups. We ask you to pray that the seeds that were planted bring good fruit, that at least two or three of these groups gets started and we begin to have a multiplication process of leaders developing co-leaders, in turn developing more co-leaders, and so on.
The Miles Hotel opened June 1st 2016 when Southeast Christian members and friends Joe and Wyatt Brown, Payton Sheeran, and Nadia Miles arrived. Joe and Wyatt served in construction and HIV outreach for almost two weeks. Payton served with C.A.R.E. Africa for one month. Nadia was our jack of all trades for two months serving as meter maid, reading teacher, inventory clerk, babysitter, pen cleaner, AWANA helper, and brochure stamper. Having a full house for the past two months has had its ups and downs. We’ve laughed a lot and also wanted to hurt each other a few times. We had no clue that God might be preparing our hearts and minds for something so much bigger.
Nick and Katie Riddle, two fellow missionaries have been fostering three C.A.R.E. Africa kids. (See their story by clicking on 
The Miles Hotel is once again full. We have three new beautiful faces that are teaching us so much about Nigerian culture while my kids are teaching them about Nutella, sorry Nick and Katie. I have tasted Golden Malt, rice and palm oil, and laughed till my belly hurts when Testimony says the funniest things. I know we are still in the honeymoon stage but these kids are the sweetest. Katie and Nick have done an amazing job at parenting. My kids and the Riddles kids have always been friends, after this experience I believe the bond will be more like brothers and sisters. It will be a relationship that lasts a lifetime no matter where in the world they all are.
Thank you Lord for unexpected bumps in the road. We grow closer to you as we jump over them. Please pray for Nick and Katie as they seek God’s wisdom in next steps for their family. If you would like to support them in their next Egbe term either one time or monthly, they could use your help as their family has grown. Click 
“…give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.” Proverbs 30:8-9
Coming back to the states I experienced somewhat of a small culture shock. While I knew I would miss the people of Egbe, Nigeria, I did not expect to miss living in their culture. I missed living simply and being in Africa. My thoughts coming back were not “I am so thankful for all the things I have here,” but “why do we need all this excess stuff?” While I am thankful for the things I have, my eyes were opened to all we have in America that we do not need. While the people in Nigeria live simply with enough, or less than enough, we in America live in excess with way more than enough. Do we really need a fast food place on every corner? Do we really need 100+ options for cereal?! And shampoo? And soap? And everything else with our many options? We have so much in America. Everything seems to be accessible, right at our fingertips. But instead of making me grateful, this makes me sad.
A big part of Nigeria is greetings. You greet everyone you pass, whether you know them or not. Whether it is saying “good morning,” “good afternoon,” “good evening,” “you are welcome,” or “well done,” everyone is greeted and everyone will greet you. In America you are lucky to get a smile from someone who passes by you. Though it is not always that people are trying to be rude or insincere, we are just too wrapped up in our own worlds to even notice the people around us.
Now am I saying that the culture of America is all bad and Nigeria is all good? No, of course not. There are good parts of each culture and things that could improve within each culture. I also am not saying that the solution to America’s excess is to just give a bunch of stuff and money to Africa so that they can have more than enough too. In fact, I do not believe that “more than enough” should even be the goal. I think a better goal is for all places to have enough. Not more than; not less than; just enough. But how do we obtain this? This problem is one that has existed for centuries and I know that it is bigger than me. It most likely will not be solved in my lifetime. But there are changes we can make. Instead of enabling, by just giving stuff and money, we can empower. Empower by sending and supporting missionaries. Empower by teaching the Nigerians in a way that they will not have to depend on us—in a way that they will learn and then be able to teach others. And then let them teach us. Let us be empowered by their culture. Let us learn how to be more welcoming—to slow down and notice the people around us. To live more simply. To strive for “enough” instead of “more than enough.” The goal is not to force the Western culture on Nigeria—or anywhere. From what I’ve seen—in the selfishness and shallowness—the Western culture should never be the goal. We can learn from the Nigerians—through the way the live in their culture, and they can learn from us. Though this is all more easily said than done, if we each start in our own worlds and our own mission fields—some in our very backyards–it is one small step that can begin to make a difference.
Miles In Missions 