Posts Tagged ‘Africa’

This Relationship is Too Much Work

Posted: May 28, 2020 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Patrice Miles, Prayer
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Screen Shot 2020-05-28 at 10.06.07 AMLately, my relationship with the Lord has been a lot of work. Coming back to the United States and leading C.A.R.E. Africa from afar has not been as easy as I thought.

Lack of purpose – not being able to be hands on with the ministry in Nigeria.
Lack of identity – “Missionary” is a weird word to use when you don’t live in a far-off country.
Lack of joy -God made me an extrovert and now I work alone from home every day.

Since being stateside, I have continually asked God what His purpose was in bringing me back to the United States. What am I supposed to be doing? What is this new chapter in my life? I feel sick, heartbroken and I want to be healed but all I hear is silence.

76710897_10157714046358808_16463361264844800_nThis last year, I have spent time rekindling my relationships with friends and family. We get together for a meal, coffee or a walk in the park. The more time we spend together the more the relationship grows. If I have a problem I can call or text and talk it out with them. It feels easy and there is definitely not any silence.

I feel like my relationship with the Lord should be easier than my relationship with humans, after all, He is God. I meet with Him every day to study His word and ask Him for guidance and wisdom. I invest daily in this relationship and lately I have not felt a return on this investment.

Is God’s investment in my life His son’s death and I am now indebted to Him forever?

girlYes, eternal life is worth it! I don’t deserve to ask for anything more as He has given me everything needed. But sometimes it feels like obedience is all there is in this relationship. Be patient on His timing, love that person, sell everything we own, forgive that family member, move to Nigeria, give that money away, tithe, live humbly, move back from Nigeria, give grace to that one, lead like Jesus, don’t judge, just wait, treat your body like it is a temple, rest, don’t do that, do that. 

It’s just that I would do anything for my friends and family. I would not be silent. If you ask Cason or Jolie what their mom would do if anyone did something to hurt them- they would tell you – “She would take no prisoners..!” If they had a problem I would drop everything and be there to help. If they needed to be healed and I could heal them, I would.

I feel like with God I always need to be on my knees or be at His feet, always praying (oftentimes pleading) to Him in the hope He will speak clearly to me. Why can’t God heal me like the cripple at the pool in John 5:1-9. The cripple didn’t even initiate the conversation. Jesus did. The cripple just answered His question and was immediately healed.

Really? Why do I feel like I have to do something or give up something for God to do something for me?

I feel suffocated, required, demanded, controlled, enslaved and indebted. 

God’s love, as clearly described in the Bible, is unconditional. This just makes the silence  harder to understand. The Bible says in Matthew 11:30 that His yoke is easy but I am not feeling the easy right now.

As a mom, I don’t want my children to feel suffocated, required, demanded, controlled, enslaved or indebted. Yes, I carried them for 9 months, they ruined my body and continue to drain my bank account, but I don’t want a relationship built on obligation. I don’t currently hang out with the Lord out of obligation but I’m feeling like it is heading that direction if this silence continues.

Have you experienced silence from God before?
Has there been a time you questioned if He really cared?
What got you through this?
What helped you maintain your faith, hope and joy amongst the silence?

Give Away Unwanted Items, Time or Money on #GivingTuesdayNow

Posted: May 5, 2020 by Patrice Miles in #GivingTuesday, African School, C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, COVID-19, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, People of Egbe, Prayer, SIM, Sponsorship
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On #GivingTuesdayNow there are so many ways you can give to C.A.R.E. Africa during this pandemic. 

Give away your stuff, give away your time or give away your finances……….

messyGive away those unwanted and or unused items lying around your home! Furniture, books, clothes, toys and appliances. We will come and get them and sell them on the marketplace and donate all the proceeds on your behalf to C.A.R.E. Africa. It’s called a Gift in Kind!

 

 

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Give away your time! Email me to volunteer at the next C.A.R.E. Africa booth, help us plan and run our next fundraiser event, join our next mission trip and or use your marketing and or administrative gifts to help with website updates and  data entry for prayer cards and calendars.

 

 

 

cashGive away your finances!  Donate to our ministry to help our children and caregivers during this Corona Pandemic by visiting https://give.icareafrica.org/careafrica/COVID19 for US donations and https://www.sim.ca/care-africa/for Canada donations.

 

 

Whatever you have to give we an use it at C.A.R.E. Africa on this #GivingTuesdayNow!

precious

 

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesdayNow

Posted: May 4, 2020 by Patrice Miles in #GivingTuesday, African School, AWANA, C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, COVID-19, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, People of Egbe, Prayer, Sponsorship
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Facebook_ A Global Day of Unity (1)

You can give to help our children and caregivers at C.A.R.E. Africa on this global day of giving at https://give.icareafrica.org/careafrica/COVID19. For Canadian donations you can visit https://www.sim.ca/care-africa/.

#GivingTuesdayNow

Posted: April 30, 2020 by Patrice Miles in #GivingTuesday, C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, COVID-19, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans, People of Egbe, Prayer, SIM
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#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving that will take place on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.  It is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, business and communities in all 50 states and in countries around the world. Millions of people have come together to support and champion the causes they believe in communities around the world.

#GivingTuesdayNow is the day we hope to raise money for our children and caregivers. We know that as we recover from COVID-19, the need for food and other provisions will increase significantly. Food is not always available as the markets are not open for many days. Finding food is already becoming a difficulty for some. Many people who are fortunate enough to have a job were not paid in April and possibly won’t be paid in May. There isn’t any such thing as stimulus money in Nigeria. We need you to be the stimulus that helps us get these families through this pandemic. If you want to help a family or two or three then please give any amount on #GivingTuesdayNow.

$50 will feed a family of 5-6 people for one week.
$100 bag of rice will feed 30 families a meal.
$200 bag of beans will feed 30 families a meal.

Visit https://www.donorrise.com/careafrica/COVID19 to donate from the United States

Canadian Residents can donate at https://www.sim.ca/care-africa/

#GivingTuesdayNow

Please mark your calendar to support us on this national giving day! 

“Don’t call me Naomi!”

Posted: November 11, 2015 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Prayer, SIM, Volunteers
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Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 2.56.24 PM“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.  I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.” Ruth 1:20-21.

Sitting at MTI (Missions Training International) in Colorado for debriefing and being forced to reflect on the past 26 months in Nigeria, I realize how bitter I am. The excitement of moving to Africa has worn off and the adventure has turned into life. Living in a different culture is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Leaving everything that was comfortable and adjusting to new foods, language, climate and sicknesses while trying to be in relationship with people who don’t think like you, act like you, feel like you or even understand you. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.

11588812_sMany of us on the Egbe compound are overwhelmed due to the many roles we play. No one has just one hat, we all wear many hats due to the lack of missionaries on the ground. This leaves us exhausted and empty, feeling like we have nothing else to give. I was encouraged today to read Mark 14:33,34 in a different way. He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Jesus was overwhelmed, distressed, and troubled as he was growing his Father’s kingdom in a culture not his own. If Jesus, the perfect man, experienced these emotions then why in the world would I think my frail humanness wouldn’t? Praise the Lord…I am normal! No comments please!

No one ever told me doing God’s kingdom work would be easy. Why would I think Satan would stand by and watch an entire community be revitalized through a beacon of hope, Egbe Hospital? Why would he just casually watch as missionaries come one by one and pour into peoples lives in Egbe? Oh no….he is going to do everything he can to make it hard so we become overwhelmed, bitter, and give up hope of the miracle that Egbe was and is. Over 20 buildings revitalized, help from over 300 volunteers, unheard of partnerships with Samaritans Purse, Banyan Air, World Medical Missions, SIM, ECWA, 16 containers successfully shipped, no robberies on the road, no serious illnesses, no missionary or volunteer harmed, over 300 staff employed, our own personal cell tower on the compound, 1000’s of lives healed physically and spiritually all in a bush town called Egbe. These Miracles are evidence that God is doing a mighty work in Egbe, but this also means we are a flashing red siren for spiritual warfare. The Miles Family is on the winning team and we pray you will join us!

I am encouraged today to reflect back on the miracles that I have experienced in Egbe and am honored to return in January to continue to watch God work. It doesn’t mean I won’t get overwhelmed, distressed, troubled and even bitter sometimes, but I know who’s team I play ball for and I am up to bat! Will you join me?

We need short term and long term medical and non medical missionaries. Click “YES” to see all the opportunities to serve in Egbe.

We need monthly financial supporters to allow us to continue to serve in Egbe. Click “SUPPORT MILES FAMILY” to sign up.

We need you to pray for the spiritual warfare we face daily. Click “PRAY” to be added to our prayer partners.

oubres and jospehWe desperately need a General Surgeon ASAP, short term or long term!! Our hsopital is surgeon-less as of December 19th. Please tell everyone you know to spread the word!

Here We Are, Send Us Back!

Posted: October 15, 2015 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Hosptial, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Lenny Miles, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, People of Egbe, Prayer, SIM
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IgoSAIAH 6:8 THEN I HEARD A VOICE OF THE LORD SAYING, “WHOM SHALL I SEND? AND WHO WILL GO FOR US?” AND I SAID, “HERE AM I SEND ME!”

HERE WE ARE! SEND US BACK! It has been over two years since we said “Yes” to God and sold everything we owned and moved to Egbe, Nigeria. Many of you have journeyed with us in prayer and or financial support over the past two years and we cannot thank you enough. We are excited to be on home assignment for the next 3 months. During this time we will be traveling the U.S. to share our story, do debriefings with our agency, work at the Global Missions Health Conference and so much more.

Lenny is in phase two of revitalizing the hospital. Construction work has slowed and he is now working towards discipleship of the construction staff in both construction and spiritual growth. The hospital administration is also in phase two as most of the buildings are built and equipment is in place. We now need short term and long-term medical missionaries to say “YES” DSC_9862and join us in Egbe.     

C.A.R.E. Africa has grown and we now care for 25 orphans. We still have many applicants that want to join our program but we are waiting on God to show us next steps in this ministry. C.A.R.E. Africa is also exploring synergies with Spring of Life, which is an HIV clinic that evangelizes to the community through HIV testing and counseling. God continues to use us in Egbe as the needs are big.

Screen Shot 2015-08-21 at 4.45.51 PMPlease come out to our open house in Louisville, KY @ Southeast Christian Church on Thursday Nov 5th from 6pm-7pm so we can share the past two years with you through videos and stories of our time in Egbe. There will be catered food, African handmade products, unbelievable videos and pictures even from Cason and Jolie. Our time is short in Louisville and this may be the only way for us to see several of you.

We are excited about continuing with SIM as long-term missionaries in 2016. We were blessed with many financial supporters over the past two years but due to other obligations several have been unable to continue to journey with us financially. We will need to raise an additional $2,500 a month in monthly supporters to make up for the ones that are unable to continue with us. We also have a goal to raise $20,000 for ministry projects, as well as one time fees needed for things like airfare back to the field. We know God will provide and have already booked our tickets back to Egbe for Jan 3rd, 2016. Will you come and journey with us?

Click this link to sign up now and support Miles In Missions.

To become a prayer partner please click PRAYER.

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Please take my children!

Posted: September 22, 2015 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Orphans
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Brothel Ladies, Blessing is on the far right.

Brothel Ladies, Blessing is on the far right.

Meet Blessing. While I was in the US earlier this year a few of our missionaries on the ground stumbled onto a brothel in the town. They met several times with the prostitutes there and built some relationships. A local Pastor, Pastor Wale, came alongside them and was able to get a few ladies to leave the brothel. The church  found them places to live for free and even gave them money to help start small businesses. Blessing was one of the ladies that choose to leave the brothel.

When I arrived back to Nigeria in May, Pastor Wale asked if he could enroll Blessings’ two children in CARE Africa. Currently the children lived in another town with grandma and he wanted to reunite them with their mother.  Without a guarantee of an education the pastor was concerned for the boys. We immediately said yes and the next week Blessing was reunited with her two boys

Blessing right after being reunited with her two boys.

Blessing right after being reunited with her two boys.

The following Saturday she came to CARE Africa. When she walked in the door she started crying and begging us to take the kids from her. “Please take my children! This is too much for me!” She said the money she was making selling beans and rice was just not enough to support her and the two boys. She said that everything was much harder than she had imagined it would be. We explained to her we were not an orphanage and prayed with her. We prayed for God to give her the strength to handle her new life and not revert back to the old one.

A few weeks ago I went to check on Blessing and the boys. We sat and talked about the upcoming school year. Once all contracts were signed and everything was understood by all parties I asked how her business was doing. She said it was still the same but she was managing. I asked her if now, a month later, she still wanted to give Friday and Samuel to me and she laughed and said “No”. I told her how proud we were of her for managing and not going back to what she knew and what was easy.

Last week at back to school meeting at CARE Africa.

Last week at back to school meeting at CARE Africa.

I then asked her what she needed to help her business do better. She said she needed to be able to buy in bulk.  If she could buy more than just a days supplies she would have more profit and thus could invest more into her business. Emma  and I started calculating what a whole bag of rice would cost and all the supplies she would need and it came up to N17,000 ($80). I opened my planner and showed Emma what I had written on my to do’s for that day. “Deposit N18,500 from craft sales from volunteer team.” The day before I had sold N18,500 in crafts from CARE Africa to a recent team that visited Egbe. I love it when God shows off! I asked Emma if he felt like we needed to talk about it more or if he felt led to go ahead and help her. He just smiled and said “It looks like we are just suppose to go ahead and do this.” God’s timing is so amazing.

Emma explained all this to Blessing in Yoruba to make sure she knew all the events that led up to her getting this money. I wanted her to understand how none of this could have been a coincidence. Emma explained how God planned for us to visit her that day and to have this money in our pocket from sales yesterday. I looked her in the eyes and said “God loves you Blessing! He thinks you are special! He has chosen you!” I loved getting to see the shy smile on her face as I spoke these truths to her. You could just see in her face that no one had ever told her this.

Samuel on the Left and Friday on the right.

Samuel on the Left and Friday on the right.

I am so blessed to get to watch God change lives in Egbe. Thank you for continuing to support Miles in Missions and CARE Africa so we can continue to show God’s love to people that have never been shown love. God loves you! He thinks your special! He has chosen you!

Friday and Samuel are Blessings’ children’s names. Friday is currently sponsored but Samuel is not. If God is leading you to help Samuel, click CARE Africa and sign up to send Samuel to school for only $35 a month.

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Samuel pounding yam!

Survivors of Airplane Crash in Fort Lauderdale

Posted: September 1, 2015 by Patrice Miles in Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Volunteers
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MMEveryday I walk to a beautiful new guesthouse with the name over the door McKenzie Manor. In the kitchen of that guesthouse I have devotions with my girls in the mornings. The discussions we have about what God is doing in our lives and the beautiful songs we sing bring such joy to my life. I have heard of the McKenzies but I have never met them. I know that God put Egbe on their hearts when they visited a few years ago with their girls and they donated in a big way. The sacrifice they made now brings joy to my life, my girls in the kitchen and also the volunteers. Lives are changed in this guesthouse. I don’t know if when they said “Yes” to God, they even new what that “Yes” would do.

mm2Today I got to know the McKenzie family a little better. Their story was in the South Florida news. Broward Sheriff’s Office confirms that Kenneth McKenzie, 52, and Sonia McKenzie, 50, left Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport Sunday. Shortly after take off the engine died. They crashed in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Kenneth McKenzie was airlifted to Broward Health North Medical Center with severe burns. Sonia McKenzie was transported to Broward Health North by ground and since has been released.

God says our life on this earth is like a mist. We wake up everyday thinking we will have our health, money, family and job just like we did yesterday. We think of everything we have to do, how much money we need to make, what bills we need to pay, what education our children need to have, what our next vacation will be, what our neighbors have that we don’t, what person got on our nerves yesterday and what birthday present we need to buy this week. Until we get that phone call, experience that weird pain in our chest or see that car heading in our direction, we don’t think about how short our time on earth is.

Hug your kids, call your friend, forgive your parents, love your husband, be satisfied with the life God has given you, stop sweating the small stuff and give your time and resources away to those in need. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Mathew 6:21

Please pray for the McKenzie family! For full article click Egbe Hospital.

A Life Changed

Posted: August 29, 2015 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Patrice Miles, SIM
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david spalshThis is a recent letter we received from a family member of one of our orphans, David Olamide.

“A life filled with testimonies is the life of David Olamide since he came in contact with C.A.R.E. Africa. Prior to the time C.A.R.E. Africa became committed to being a helping aid, he couldn’t converse in English Language. His studies were nothing to write home about and so also his behavior and relationship.

davidSuddenly his behavior at home became a type that is envied so much that his grandmother had to attest to the new development. She (grandmother) confessed that the impact of “ C.A.R.E. Africa” on David Olamide is so enormous that language is in poverty of what could be used to express her gratitude. David Olamide expressed how mixing with the white children has really given him a sense of belonging. Many may say he is (David) wild, but we his family are happy for the acclamation.

He may not be where many think he should be now, but he’s no longer where he used to be. We are grateful for how “C.A.R.E. Africa” came at such a time in his life and gave his life a meaning when many had given up on him. It is an understatement to say “C.A.R.E. Africa” has helped him to find his place in all ramification. More grace to the vision and visioniers. Long live Egbe, Love live Nigeria. Long live C.A.R.E. Africa.” Pst Andrew J.T. Edwards

DSC_0086David is currently sponsored but we have many other children that are still in need of a sponsor. As you have read, you can make a difference in a child’s life. For $35 a month you can sponsor a child. Currently the following children are still in need of a sponsor. Email me if you would like to join the C.A.R.E. Africa team at patrice.miles@sim.org or click C.A.R.E. Africa to make a donation.

 

 

Adama

Adama

Thankgod

Thankgod

Hosanna

Hosanna