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……….
Give 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!
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.
#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.
“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almightyhas 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.
Many 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.
We 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!
“Do you have any coffee?” Cason asked Shannon in the missions department at Southeast Christian yesterday at 4pm. I had to explain to him that he would never go to bed if he drank coffee a that hour. He just looked at me confused. Its hard to believe we have been in the U.S. for almost 2 weeks now. We have adjusted to the time zone well, but are still tired and need many cups of coffee a day. The food has started to grow on us. Only a few of us have thrown up, so we think we are doing pretty good. HAHA:)
We haven’t stopped running since we touched the ground. Visiting with family, working on videos for our presentations, planning for Global Missions Health Conference next week, mailing out over 450 support letters and still managing our Nigerian staff and projects back in Nigeria. We see rest in the near future at MTI in Colorado and then some time as a family in a chalet in the mountains for missionaries.
We are excited about the many opportunities we have over the next few weeks to present what God has been using our family for in Nigeria. Please join us on Thursday the 5th at 6pm for our open house at Southeast Christian Church ED 216/217. We will have several videos, speakers and food to share with you.
We will be taking a small Uhaul on our road trip of support raising over the next few weeks. We will be picking up supplies for Egbe along the way. If you would like to donate anything please let us know. Below is a list of items we are hoping to collect to put on a container in December in Fort Lauderdale. If there is anything on this list that you have extra of or would like to send to us, please click EGBE to email me. You can also bring donations directly to the Open House on Thursday the 5th. Please feed the Uhaul!!
Thank you to everyone that is continuing to support us financially and in prayer. See you on Thursday the 5th at 6pm!!
Hospital Donations
10 adjustable exam room stools
100 fitted twin sheets (35in wide x 77in long) 50 standard size pillows Plastic coated pillow covers and cloth covers 2 pairs each of size 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 closed-toed crocs 10-15 shoe box size and slightly larger plastic bins with covers for storage 50 visitors chair, 1 per bed
Portable carts with TV/Monitors and DVD equipment for evangelism in 4 places
Yoruba and Hausa tracs Jesus Film in Yoruba and Hausa Yoruba Bibles
CARE Africa Donations
Backpacks
Pens, black or blue only
School sandals, see picture (sizes 6-9, boys and girls)
Durable flip flops (sizes 6-9, boys and girls)
White socks, over the ankle (all sizes)
Boys boxer briefs (all sizes)
Girls under ware and bras (all sizes)
Soap, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste
Gently used boys sport shorts and shirts (all ages)
Gently used girls cute tops, skirts to the knee and dresses (all ages)
SOCCOR BALLS
Soccor jerseys for training
Beads for bead making
New or slightly used labtop with Microsoft programs and wireless internet capabilities
New or slightly used digital camera with SD card
New or slightly used printer
Children’s books all ages
Any AWANA program items
Plastic spoons, napkins and med size tupperware with lid
Egbe Hospital Construction Donations Wood and or Metal Lathe with tools
Dewalt cordless hammer drill and impact drill 20V lithium battery w/charger
Honda 5500 and/or 6500 watt generators
12 volt sirens for housing security systems
Mechanic coveralls (sizes med, large and x large)
Black Ink HP 85A Laserjet
Pictures or decor for new duplex and other housing
Nightstands for new duplex Heavy duty rain coats for the security staff/revite workers
ISAIAH 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”and 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.
Please come out to our open house in Louisville, KY @ Southeast Christian Church on Thursday Nov 5th from 6pm-7pmso 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 alreadybooked our tickets back to Egbe for Jan 3rd, 2016. Will you come and journey with us?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ziploc bags in Nigeria are like gold. We re-use them over and over again. My paned windows in my house are lined with them everyday as this is the best way to dry them. I will never forget my first visit back to the states and the mind battle I had every time I threw away a Ziploc bag.
Our guesthouse recently ran out of the bags. Kemi, our guesthouse manager, went to Abuja for her monthly Shoprite visit. “No ziploc bags!” she reported back. I had a US Embassy appointment in Abuja and was told I could get Ziploc bags at the Wuse Nigerian market. The last thing I wanted to do with the few free hours I had in Abuja, was visit the chaotic Wuse market, but we needed Ziploc bags. On our way to market, we were stopped by Nigerian police. After being threatened, making it half way to the police station and then being let go, they had delayed us an hour! The Ziploc bags were going to have to wait as our US Embassy appointment was nearing. All I want to do is buy some ziploc bags! Why is that so hard? HAHA, becuase you live in Nigeria!
I had to blog this as this is one of the many small things I took for granted in America. I think it is funny at the lengths I have to go to now to find small things that in America you just drive down the road to buy. If you are an expat, I would love to know a few items you took for granted in your home country. Comment below and share with everyone what gold looks like where you live now. For all you Americans reading this blog……the next time you throw away a ziploc bag….think of me 🙂
We need your help!! City of Middletown welcomes your family to join them for Middletown’s Family Fun Festival and Craft Show 2015. There are activities for the entire family! Games, booths, a parade, crafts, rides, kidz fun zone and entertainment. This was one of my families favorite festivals when we lived in Louisville.
Our application for the Middletown Family Fun Festival was accepted. God blessed us with a donor for the fees for the booth and now we just need workers. Please pray about helping our C.A.R.E. Africa partner, Diana Beville, run the booth.
If you can help, there are several shifts to choose from:
Friday Sept. 11th 5:00pm-8:00pm
Friday Sept. 11th 8:00pm-11:00pm
Saturday Sept. 12th 9am-12noon
Saturday Sept. 12th 12noon-3:00pm
Saturday Sept. 12th 3:00pm-6:00pm
Saturday Sept. 12th 6:00pm-9:00pm
Ideally, there will be at least 2 people on each shift at the Middletown Family Fun Festival. The more the merrier. If you are not able to volunteer, please consider stopping by our booth or spreading the word for us. Thank you!
Everyday 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.
Today 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.
Wow! Have we really been living in Africa for two years? It seems that time fly’s when you are in your sweet spot. I do not even know where to begin on how to tell you what this journey has been like for our family. The only words I can say is that God has provided everything we’ve needed along the way. He has provided a house that our whole family feels is our home. He has provided safety from snakes, severe illnesses, Ebola, kidnappings, and robberies. He has provided a stronger marriage for Lenny and I. He has provided friends that I will cherish for the rest of my life. He has provided a different perspective on life and his word. He has provided financially through supporters, as we never fell below 100% in our support. He has provided success in our ministries and he has provided Peace in a country full of unrest. Jehovah-Jireh, God will provide!
God has also provided a desire to remain in Nigeria until he calls us home. We do not know how many more years that will be. Since arriving we have helped revitalize and construct many areas of the hospital. Operating rooms, the men’s ward, women’s ward, maternity, pharmacy, a new guesthouse & duplex, wall around the compound, missionary housing, fencing around our water supply reservoir, and so much more. In addition, C.A.R.E. Africa was created. Through this ministry, orphans and widows in Egbe are being empowered through the Bible and education.
As the revitalization is slowing down it is time to focus on mentorship and discipleship. The hospital was days away from closing prior to revitalization. We do not want this to happen again. Training of the Nigerian staff and finding more missionaries to say “YES” to Egbe, is the second phase of this revitalization project.
In order for us to be able to participate in this 2nd phase of the revitalization project we will need to raise additional support and go through some long-term missionary training. We will arrive in the U.S. for home assignment in mid-October. We know God will again provide for us, so we have already booked our return flight back home to Egbe for January 2nd 2016. Our home church, Southeast Christian Church, will be hosting an open house for us on Thursday November 5th at 6pm so we can share video, photos and information about our time in Nigeria. We will be traveling to over 7 different states during our home assignment to meet with supporters, go through long term training, debriefing and more so our time in Louisville, KY. will be short. Please mark your calendars now for this event so we can see you.
If you are currently one of our supporters we cannot Thank you for journeying with us over the past two years! We are asking that you pray about continuing to support us long term. If you currently are not one of our supporters, we ask that you pray about signing up to journey alongside us in growing God’s kingdom in Egbe, through this revitalization project and C.A.R.E. Africa. Click on this link to sign up now, MILES IN MISSIONS. See you in October!
Give 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!
Give 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.
Miles In Missions 