***Important October Update*** - Deetlefs Reunited after 3 months!

Team Deetlefs Reunited!!

Finally some news to report! 

Thank you for bearing with me in these past 6 weeks with little communication. I sent my last report just as I was about to head to Montana for a missions debrief week, which was absolutely incredible. I also got to re-connect with so many friends (Cat, Schramm, Suze, Anna, Nancy, the Briggs, the McDonalds, the Ogles, Wilkie, Mariska, and many more. It was cool water to my thirsty soul!!!)

         

  

Next, we moved mom and dad out of their Main St. house into their new rental house, and the week they closed we also found a small townhouse for Marius and Emi and I to live in (just 2 doors down from the one we lived in 14 years ago when we were first married!!) It is tiny and needs a lot of work, but it's going to be beautiful, and we're so very grateful to have a place to stay!  This is the kitchen/living room/dining room and it's what I've been working on day and night. My parents have helped so much too. I will send you pics going forward as I gradually DIY my way through. 

   

Marius arrived this past Saturday, October 5th! We're very happy for our family to be together again! Emi is so glad to be with her papa again!. Please continue to pray for her. She is in a great school. She loves her teacher. She loves her bus driver. She loves the school janitor. But she hasn't made a real friend at school yet, and the girls in her class have not embraced her, so her transition has been pretty tough. She says it is like the schools in American movies with cliques, and this was not what she was used to in South Africa where she was in class with her best friends.  She misses them terribly. I also dearly miss my friends and church and leading worship. I have been like a fish out of water here, and it's getting a little bit easier each day, but I still can't type this update without a steady flow of tears. I had just not envisioned God moving us back here again, and its so hard to assimilate back into my own culture. Weird I know, but it's true. Reverse culture shock is a very real thing!

Marius also accomplished alot in the past 3 months since we last saw him. Our house in Jeffrey's Bay is under contract and the buyers are set to move in November. Things take forever to happen in SA, so it will be mid-December before everything is finalized, but they will pay occupational rent until the title paperwork returns from Capetown. All of our household stuff sold to friends and neighbors.

Our business partners will carry on business as usual at the coffee shop/restuarant in Jbay for now, and Marius managed to do all of the necessary training, and transfer job responsibilities to the necessary people. Our car in Jbay also sold, and with that money we were able to purchase a car in the States.

Big prayer request:  With the stress and the physical demands of the move, Marius injured his back pretty severely - so much so that we weren't sure he would be able to make the flight last week. In the end, he did fly, and we are busy trying to get him some pain relief as he is in ALOT of pain right now. He had an MRI done yesterday, and based on the results the dr. recommends that he have an epidural steroid injection. All of this is very expensive here in the States and unfortunately we are having to pay out of pocket as our South African insurance does not cover us here, and we won't have American medical insurance for another month. Just the last 2 days alone have cost over $1,000 and that is before we find a specialist to do this steroid injection. Please pray with us that God will continue to direct us to the right care, as Marius is not able to function and work with this level of pain. Our friend Nick has offered Marius a job at Reformation, but he needs his back to be strong in order to do it, so please pray with us for his total healing. 

Now onto the subject of support. I know that several of you who have been supporting us have probably received an email from World Outreach explaining their new credit card processing system, and that it is necessary to re-register in order to support us via credit card. This comes at an extremely bad time as I'm sure some of you are debating whether or not you should still support us since we are now Stateside. I want to ask you to prayerfully consider sticking with us at least until the end of this year.

Going forward in 2020 I will still be working on this side of the ocean to champion and empower the vulnerable children of South Africa. The vitamin project continues to flourish, with well over 1,000 kids served daily. There are still scholarships in play at Oakridge Academy, and there are upcoming school supplies that need to be purchased in January for the same kids that we've helped for the past 8 years in South Africa. I don't feel like we should discontinue their education and nutrition just because of their government's decision to not renew my visa. Please consider continuing to send your monthly support to help make sure these needs continue to be cared for, and these kids don't fall through the cracks. I won't be able to fund all of these things without your continued help. November and December have always been the biggest months for people's giving, and that helped us buy all the necessary school supplies for several children, so please don't forget them. If you do wish to support us going forward, please go to www.worldoutreach.org/490  or send checks with Deetlefs #490 in the memo line to:

World Outreach Ministries 

P.O. Box B 

Marietta, GA 30061

Treasure, our single mom empowering, fund raising, skills training, recycling, repurposing project continues to go forward as my dear friend Mich takes the helm. She and Zanele are sewing and marketing our beautiful re-purposed items that are selling in South Africa.           

    

I have a possible ministry job opportunity that I will share more about when it's a for sure, but it would allow me to continue to help hurting, vulnerable people right here in my own community. Now, isn't that a God thing?

I know this is ALOT of info, and I'm sure some of you gave up several paragraphs ago. I just had so much to catch you up on. I have a U.S. phone number now (770-547-9047) and hopefully Marius will get one this week. Please let us know if you have questions or would like to connect. We appreciate each one of you so very much, all of your love and support and care through this unexpected relocation. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

With so much love,

Team Deetlefs

Marius, Jodi, Emi, Zoe (the doxiepoo), and Clemson (the Maine Coon)