amy0b87982ac418
bluewatergigi
dbeville
Patrice Miles
Lenny
Meet Mosun. If you have ever visited the Spring of Life HIV/AIDS Center in Egbe, you would have gone and prayed with Mosun. She is an HIV patient that has been on ARV therapy for 5 years now. She is doing great, but unfortunately the sickness left her blind in both eyes. She has two small children, Faith and Eniope. They are currently enrolled in C.A.R.E. Africa and sponsored by Rick and Martha Bradford, two SIM missionaries in Egbe.
Pastor Alabi continues to encourage Mosun through nutritional support, picking her up on Wednesdays for the caretaker meeting at C.A.R.E. Africa, and by delivering her ARV drugs. Through some recent donations that SOL has received, Pastor Alabi and I talked about how we could empower some of his patients. Mosun was top of the list. Pastor Alabi knew she had sold charcoal before. He was able to help her buy several large bags of charcoal, which she will break down, and sell in small quantities. She is very excited and grateful for this.
When I recently visited her to see how the charcoal business was going, she expressed her need for eye drops. Vision First is an eye drop that was subscribed for her. These drops she said have really helped with one of her eyes. It has allowed her a little bit of vision in the one eye. The costs is n4,000 for a two month supply. That is $50 a year for her eye drops. I wish she would make n4,000 from the charcoal sales, but she will only make about n400 per large bag she sells.
I am praying that someone out there reading this blog would like to buy Mosun a year supply of eye drops for Christmas. Please consider donating $50 as a one-time donation to Spring Of Life. You can put in the memo “eye drops” so we know it is for Mosun. Thanks so much!
This brings up another area that Patrice and I are very thankful. We are thankful to all of you who have supported us in so many ways over the last three plus years! You have supported us by prayer, by financial support, by sending us much needed items (excluding all the candy and pop tarts!), while others have helped heavily with C.A.R.E. Africa in sponsorship.
Additional furniture for dining room, family room and office – $2,000
About four months ago we were posed with the question, “What do you think Cason should do for high school?”
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.
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.
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.
All week long we had talked and planned our 2nd camping trip to Prayer Rock. The kids were so excited and so was I. Getting off the 30-acre compound and out of the routine of life here is always a joy. Upon arriving to the campsite we immediately saw the herd of Fulani cows at the bottom of the mountain. Lenny, the kids, and our visitors went to go ahead and trekked up the hill. Lenny and I decided letting our two dogs out was not going to be wise. I returned back to the compound to take the dogs home and on my way back I saw 3 more Fulani men heading for prayer rock on a motorcycle. It was dusk so I immediately knew they were heading to camp for the night.
When I returned, minus the dogs, sure enough, all the Fulani men had posted up camp at the bottom of the rock. I knew that the situation was not the best and needed to consult locals to see what their thoughts were on us camping with the Fulani so close. One phone call was all I needed as a friend asked us to leave immediately. We packed up everything we had put together, tents, coolers, chairs etc etc. Once home I called my friend back to question his advice. He advised me we had no interpreter and Fulani don’t understand English. He said that it would only take one misunderstanding between the two camps due to the language barrier and violence could break out. He also advised that even the calm Fulani are known for their thievery and it wasn’t wise to sleep through the night with such a temptation for them only steps away.
We were all so disappointed. Just another time we try at planning something fun for our family to be together and it doesn’t work out. I tried to make the best of it for the kids and we made s’mores in the oven and I promised pancakes in the morning. The s’mores were wonderful but the morning revealed we had no flour for pancakes and of course there is no grocery store or Bisquick available, HAHA!
There is so many times like today that I just want to close up shop and stop trying. I just want to eat a bowl of sugar, go to bed, and loose myself in a book for hours. I am so spoiled rotten. Just because I didn’t get to go camping and the Internet didn’t work I am depressed and frustrated. I live in Africa and am surrounded by people with no food, no clothes, no education, poor health and a faith that is only skin deep. What am I complaining about? I am so selfish! It was then I realized that I have let Satan trick me again. Trick me into not seeing his handy work pushing at my buttons. Pushing at exhaustion, boredom and a sense that I deserve everything b/c I am serving the Lord in Africa. He so easily swindles his way in through my circumstances and tries to get me down. Does he do that to you? Does he know your buttons and push them? I read somewhere that we should be proud to know that Satan tries to push our buttons because he doesn’t care about anyone unless they are important to God…unless they are a threat to him. I don’t know how I feel about that? I do know that I am grateful today for recognizing the true culprit in the last 48hrs of my life. I am capturing my thoughts and throwing them out. Satan will not win this battle today! Don’t let him win one over on you either!
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 
So excited to announce that the True Vine Collections opened last Sunday. We were honored with the attendance of the King and several other prominent men and women of Egbe. Our microphone didn’t work so we had to yell, the generator stopped working right before the ribbon cutting but it was still a sweet success. Thank you to all those who donated items and money for the store and continue to do so. Since we have opened we have had a revolving door as the people have not stop coming to patronize us. We have had customers all the way from Cameroon and the sales we have made have been overwhelming. Continue to pray for the store so it can help with the sustainability of C.A.R.E. Africa.
I recently was flown to the U.S. for 3 days as a surprise to my mom for her retirement party. As I type this I am looking at my hands that are white and flaky from dry skin. In Nigeria the humidity is so high that my skin doesn’t ever suffer. Only 3 days in the US and my skin needs healing. If my skin reacts so quickly to the difference in locations how can I expect my brain, my heart and my emotions to not react too.
I feel so two faced. I live a life in Nigeria in skirts, hair in a ponytail giving my every thing to the people of Egbe but always on guard for evil lurking at my door. As I step into the U.S. my hair comes down, the pants come on and I get in the rental car with the radio up and wind blowing. I know where I am going and I know I will get there and what to expect. I let my Nigerian guard down but I put up the U.S. guard.
The three days that I spend with family and friends was bittersweet. So many great things going on with everyone but also so many stories of heartbreak and suffering. It doesn’t matter if you live in a 10×10 mud hut in Africa or a 3000 sqft home in the U.S. everyone is suffering from something. Suffering from a hole in their heart that they try to fill with anything that they think will make them happy. That temporary happiness patches the hole but that band aide quickly wears off. John 15:9 says we are not meant for this world so nothing in it is going to fulfill us. Only our relationship with God can fill that hole until we reach our final destination where there will be no more heartbreak and suffering. I am ready are you?
Miles In Missions 