Archive for the ‘Nigeria’ Category

“It’s Time To Go Home”

Posted: July 16, 2019 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Lenny Miles, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Patrice Miles, Prayer, SIM
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“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.

simkidsHe 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.

 

superpatriceGod 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.

Teach to Transform Nigeria

Posted: April 17, 2019 by Patrice Miles in Jos Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Prayer, SIM
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Judy, Pastor Dogara & Wife

 

“Would you like to come to church with me?”  Last year, Judy, from Southeast Christian Church happened upon a Nigerian pastor named Dogara Gwana who was in Louisville for some seminary classes. Judy invited him to church and her bible study. It was at the bible study where Pastor Gwana met Dr. Tom McKechnie, founder of Teach to Transform. Teach to Transform (TTT) equips indigenous pastors and believers with basic medical training, farming and vocational skills. The hope is by using their new skills it will open doors for the gospel to be shared with others.

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Dr Tom Mckechnie & wife Karen with board member Ken Wilson and a TTT participant TY Wiggins

But the exciting part of this story is how God had a plan. Judy and Pastor Dogara were one of two divine appointments. My mother had heard of TTT and asked for a meeting between TTT and the Foundation she works for. As she  listened to TTT share what they do with the Foundation’s President she thought of Nigeria. My mom told Dr. Mckechnie about her daughter in Nigeria and asked if they had ever considered going there. Having two divine appointments where Nigeria was mentioned, Dr. McKechnie felt he had to explore what God had in mind. He traveled to Jos, Nigeria, and met with SIM, Pastor Dogara and myself. After seeing the need, Dr. McKechnie committed to coming back with a team.

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The Team

This past week I have had the pleasure of hosting this amazing team of 14 facilitators from Kenya, Texas, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky (my home town). We had 59 participants who attended the training in basic medical skills. About 75% of the class passed as trainers. Each was given a medical backpack with all the necessary medical supplies and sent forth to spread the gospel through basic medical care. Our class of 59 had a higher pass rate then any class TTT has ever trained. The high pass rate testifies that Nigeria has the people it needs to truly transform this nation if given the education and tools to do so. This story is about the awesomeness of God! You never know when you invite someone to church or set up a meeting that you might be a part of a divine appointment orchestrated by God Himself.

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Yankari National Park, Bauchi State

Posted: March 27, 2019 by Patrice Miles in Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria
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Last week was Cason and Jolie’s Spring Break. We decided to take an adventure to Bauchi state with several other missionary families and go to Yankari National Park. Since we moved to Nigeria we have heard so many great stories from missionaries about their great memories at Yankari National Park. Well…. I can say that we will definitely have memories that no one in our family will ever forget. The trip was a lot of fun because we went with great people and swimming in the natural springs that we basically lived in for two days was amazing. Although, accomodations, food, and service were questionable…HAHA! We made it, survived, and got the T-shirt!

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Safari

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Our Safari Guide

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Roan Antelope

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Warthogs

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Kilishi, Nigerian Beef Jerky

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Flat Tire

“Surely you are not calling me to do this Lord?”

Posted: March 20, 2019 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans, Prayer, Sports Outreach
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“Surely you are not calling me to do this Lord?”

This thought along with many other thoughts whirled through Emma’s mind when God called him to serve in Egbe in 2011 (click Emma’s Story to read Emma’s personal testimony).

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Pastor James, Emma and Don Fawcett

Emma’s initial calling was to start a Sports Ministry for HELP orphanage both locally in Egbe and as outreach to remote villages in the bush. On one of these outreaches Emma visited a TIV village. The TIV are an ancient tribal group in Nigeria with a very unique culture. This village, over an hour from Egbe, had no church building, no pastor, no resources for sports and little to no education. The need was great.

“Surely you are not calling me to do this Lord?”

Every Saturday Emma would motorcycle out to the village to host a football (soccer) game and to share the gospel using materials like Heart of the Champion. On Sundays he would make the one-hour trek again and attend church with them. Since they had no pastor Emma would often preach.

“My greatest challenge in visiting the TIV camp was taking meals with them. I saw the water they used to cook with and I knew I wouldn’t even clean my clothes with that water. I just prayed and asked God to let my stomach be OK. In all the years I visited the village I never once got sick.”

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Medical Checkup Clinic @ TIV Village

Three years later a team with the Texas Baptist Mission Network visited the TIV village with Emma. Don Fawcett, one of the team members, was deeply touched by the challenges these people faced and returned again with a medical team. They treated many diseases caused by drinking contaminated or dirty water. The team confirmed that two previous village deaths were due to waterborne disease (the chief’s 1st wife and a 10-year-old boy). Don and his team decided to raise the money needed for a well to provide a sustainable source of clean water to protect the lives of this entire community.

Don asked Emma to run the well project. Emma had no experience with managing people, drilling a well or forming a village committee to oversee the well.

“Surely you are not calling me to do this Lord?”

 

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The Digger

Emma says “The challenges began immediately. The machinery got stuck in the sand on our way to the village. Once we finally made it to the village we had people from the nearby town come to extort money from us for basically not giving them a well. Then one of the diggers received a very bad injury above the eye and had to be rushed to the local clinic. The largest challenge was when the drill machine simply would not start. I walked away to pray and then asked the engineer to just try and start it one more time. To both our surprise the machine turned on and started drilling. Once we hit water it became so exciting. The head engineer told me in all his time drilling boreholes he had never drilled a place with water like this one.  He told me this place was very blessed.”

Emma’s ministry to the TIV people has become an outreach department at C.A.R.E. Africa in addition to the monthly Sports Outreach Program Emma conducts in surrounding communities. Emma faces many challenges with this dual ministry such as transport, logistics, equipment and monthly expenses of roughly $250 a month.

Each time God calls us to do the impossible He tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:8 “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Could this be your “Surely you are not calling me to do this Lord” moment? We hope this story will reach those who will prayerfully consider encouraging Emma by donating to the Sports Outreach Campaign https://give.icareafrica.org/careafrica/sportsoutreach

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Launch of the new well.

Life is Beautiful

Posted: March 6, 2019 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, People of Egbe, Titi
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Here is another beautiful blog post by Titi!

 

When someone says ‘beautiful!’, our brains are wired to think of something perfect and flawless. My definition of beautiful these days is really different from the popular definition. Imperfections, weaknesses, vulnerability, struggles, mistakes and resilience now mean ‘beautiful’ to me. Life is beautiful! Although sometimes I wonder, if life is really beautiful why do I need […]

via Life is Beautiful (An Update) — Plantains Please

Make a Difference

Posted: February 28, 2019 by Patrice Miles in African School, C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, People of Egbe, Prayer
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IMG_4266Every 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.

Nigeria ranks the highest in out-of-school children globally. Even though primary education is officially free and compulsory, about 13.8 million of the country’s children aged 5-14 years are not in school. 

All children, no matter where they live or what their circumstances, have the right to a quality education.  C.A.R.E. Africa supports children through “family based care” which allows them to remain in a family unit.  We provide them with an education and teach them about the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

DSC_0433When 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. 

We have several children waiting for you. Through child sponsorship, you can be the hero in the life of a child today. You can make sure they grow up healthy, educated, safe and in a family.

Learn more about these beautiful children awaiting sponsorship by clicking on any of their pictures below or visiting our giving webpage at http://give.icareafrica.org

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What do you do?

Posted: February 21, 2019 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, Prayer
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Why is it that the first question after being introduced is always “so what do you do”?

45328000_10156746330298808_3825232954834026496_nIn 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.

But we are so much more than what we do…..or are we?

The deceptive attitude that our worth is proportional to our job title or our achievements is predominantly found in Western culture. For the Western worker it means that hard work and more productivity leads to a promotion or a raise. For the missionary it means our accomplishments will lead to increased donations. Somehow our work has become our search for meaning in our life. In the process – many of us have forgotten who we really are and what brings joy to our lives.

Group-of-workersThe 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!

 

13416885_10154174756783808_3829576414355949085_oI would like to introduce myself to you.

My American name is Beth Patrice Miles. Beth in Hebrew means house, a strong structure. My Yoruba name is Modupe which means Gratefulness.

I am a child of God, daughter, mother, wife, friend, blogger, deep thinker, prayer warrior, Jesus believer, avid reader, clothing designer, honest to a fault, no filter, baker, coffee lover, innovator, sugar addict, visionary, question asking, exercise loving and don’t reinvent the wheel if someone has already done it -kind of girl.

I am a 3 on the Enneagram (The Achiever) an INFJ (The Advocate) on the Myers Briggs a DIC on the DISC test.

I had a complex childhood and my teenage and college years were not without their problems. I now live in Nigeria with two amazing kids, two dogs and a husband who loves me more than I deserve. My heart is big but there is a wall which only a few have climbed over. I am never satisfied unless I am helping someone or something grow or improve.

Missionary is what I do but I am so much more than that!

Who are you?

John 12:12 ~ child of God.
Ephesians 1:7 ~ forgiven.
John 15:16 ~ chosen.
Romans 6:6~ no longer a slave.
Genesis 1:27 ~ created in the image of God.
Jeremiah 1:5 ~ set apart and appointed.
1 Peter 2:9 ~ royal priesthood, God’s special possession.
John 15:15~ friend of God.
Ephesians 2:10~ God’s handiwork.
Philippians 3:20~ citizen of heaven.
Romans 8:37~ conqueror.
Psalm 139:14 ~ fearfully and wonderfully made.
2 Corinthians 5:17~ a new creation.
Ephesians 1:13 ~ marked with his seal.

Next time you meet someone and they ask you what you do, tell them who you are!

 

Nigeria Presidential Election on Saturday

Posted: February 14, 2019 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Jos Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Prayer
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electionsPresidential 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.

electiongifThe 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.

Dresses for Orphans

Posted: February 6, 2019 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Nigeria, Orphans, People of Egbe, SIM
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Almost two years ago on home assignment I had the honor of attending my first CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans) conference in Tennessee. It was a wonderful event and one of the vendor’s was Dresses for Orphans https://dressesfororphans.org/.

Dresses For Orphans is an all-volunteer, nonprofit ministry that sews dresses and shirts for orphans worldwide. They want to give an orphan a dress or shirt that has been specially made for them, is new and is something they can keep. They want to make that child feel cared for, special and love and to increase the child’s sense of self-worth – that he or she is a worthy individual valued by God.

Thank you dresses for orphans!!

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Apprenticeships

Posted: January 29, 2019 by Patrice Miles in African School, C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans
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Last year we were blessed to have three children graduate from secondary school (high school). In Nigeria, only about 30% of applicants get acceptance to higher institutions due to overcrowding. We did not want our kids sitting idle while waiting on acceptance to a University, so we found apprenticeships in the town.

Michael was able to learn hair barbing and earned his own barbering shears.
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Toyin was able to learn photography and earned his own laptop for editing, camera hopefully to follow.
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Miriam was able to learn hairdressing. 
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We are so proud of them!

Vocational skills like these, will help them at University and afterwards. They are also blessed that their sponsors have helped to support these apprenticeships prayerfully and financially. Here are just a few pictures of them.

Please pray for our graduates.

If you have ever considered supporting a child’s future through sponsorship please visit our giving page to see the children currently in need. give.icareafrica.org.

 

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