Fresh Fruit, Multi-Vitamin Syrup and Sunshine!

ITHEMBA KIDS SAY THANK YOU  TO  JASPER JINGLE JOG!!!!!!!!!

Fresh Fruit and Multi-vitamin syrup help keep the doctor away! Thanks to our friends in Georgia who ran the Jasper Jingle Jog in December,  we were able to buy enough multi-vitamin syrup for all the Ithemba kiddos for the whole year! AND they will each receive yummy fresh fruit packed with vitamin C every week. This is the only fresh fruit that lots of them receive at all! 

And that is just the beginning. We were also able to significantly help with the Ithemba food budget, and there are funds to still help with other much-needed basics. It really takes people contributing a little amount each to make a HUGE difference!

Jodi teaching the Ithemba kids about what vitamins are and how you get them from sunshine, vitamin syrup, and fresh fruit

Thank you Bonnie, Lisa, and Carrie for having this vision and implementing it, and for all of you runners and walkers who ran to make a difference- we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Love,

Jodi & Marius & Emion behalf of the children of ITHEMBA

First days of 2013

TRAINING & EQUIPPING........

Hi there! 2013 is here, and Jodi is busy with Ithemba & will blog about that soon. I am helping to equip 36 new students to go into the Nations. Our theme is “To know Him and to make Him known!” What a privilege to be part of this chapter of their lives, knowing that they will impact many, and they themselves will never be the same.  Our first week of training started in the bush last week, where the students learned to live without their comforts. They slept under the stars,drank and bathed in the river, food was sparse & the sun was hot. Our goal was to bring them face to face with who they REALLY are.

The bush mimics circumstances they will encounter this year - hunger,eating strange food, and living in close proximity with teammates with very little privacy.This week we are focusing on “knowing” God and how we are a part of HIS story. Sunday I will teach on "Identity in Christ". Pray with me for them to have a revelation of Christ’s heart for them as well as the Nations. Our friend Joe Ewin from Scotland,  always says: "You cannot live on experiences, but only on revelation that God drops in our hearts…I pray that God will reveal more of who He is to you this week. Thanks for being on our team!      Marius

December in Jeffrey's Bay

Hi there from J-Bay,

Maybe some of you are sitting around a fireplace sipping cider and relaxing with family, but the sun is HOT and this is our busiest season here in South Africa. We just finished our two week debrief session of our teams who returned from their year-long mission journeys. It was an amazing time of hearing about the wonderful things God did in and through these students- many miraculous, wonderful testimonies of God’s power and love!  Week one was focused on bringing closure to “team” life and week 2 helped prepare them to re-enter this next chapter of their lives.

I loved the times of prayer, worship and teaching. What a blessing it is to be a part of this organization and all that God is doing in these young people’s lives. My mom heard a quote the other day that “if you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life…”  I truly do love what I’m doing here! I thought you guys might like to see a few little clips of my teaching on “Identity in Christ”. (Click link to view teaching)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UKmnV0AREs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

During the month of December, while all of the surfers and vacationers take over our little town here, I am waitering at a local coffee shop that some friends of ours from Global own. Hopefully this will help me to pay the remainder that I owe on my motorcycle,  and our friends who own the coffee shop just had a baby last week who is in intensive care, so it helps us and it helps them.  Jodi is busy selling her Emi's Closet crafts at the Christmas markets here. She has already been to 4 markets and there are more each weekend. It's going well with Emi's Closet! God is really blessing this project, and we thank Him for that.

We are celebrating two years with Global Challenge at the end of December, which means we have been living outside the USA for four years already (Two years with Adventure in Missions in Swaziland and now two years with Global Challenge Expeditions here in South Africa). I can’t believe how time just flies by.

Jodi and I hope that you are enjoying this holiday season.  Thank you so much for your support and for helping us do what we do here. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Blessings,

Marius (and the girls)

P.S. I will update you on Soul Adventure and Jodi will update you on her Emi's Closet Project soon so be on the lookout........

A Week of Celebrations!

First, it was Jodi's Birthday on Oct 26. We won't say which one, but let's just say that next year will be a BIG one! 

then four days later it was  Marius & Jodi's 7 year Wedding Anniversary (Oct 30)

And the very next day was our little Emi Adison's 3rd birthday. She had a princess tea party, and her friends came dressed as little Disney princesses (compliments of Ouma Cheryl). They decorated their own smiley face pizzas and their own cupcakes. They also got their little nails done and got to wear make up, mommy's jewelry, and shoes! It was sooooooo cute!

 and finally..... a huge milestone for me....
 Nov. 2nd - the launch of Emi's Closet's first clothing sale!!!

My friend Tanya who owns a local coffee shop let me use the top floor of her shop in downtown Jeffrey's Bay for my "store" at no charge for 2 days. It was a great response, and MANY moms came and shopped. 

As a result of the sale, Emi's Closet was able to give R2050 to Ithemba's Feeding Program which will feed 20 kids for a month! We are very happy and very blessed by this beginning. The next sale will be at the Happy Hippo market on Nov. 24th. Thanks to all of you who helped make this first Emi's Closet Sale possible by your clothing, fabric, and button donations and prayers!!!

I will keep you posted, but we're off to a great start!

lots and lots and lots of love,

jodi (marius & emi)

BarkBusters!

A glimpse into our work this week......

The organization we work with here in South Africa - Global Challenge Expeditions is building a new high school here in Jeffreys Bay. A 5,000,000Rand property has been donated, and we've purchased trees to build the first of 4 staff houses.

Talk about grass roots! Our staff has been out busting the bark off of these 130 trees for many days now and many more to come! It's going to be an awesome property one day with a big school, sports grounds, a dormitory, staff houses, a day-care facility, etc. Just wanted to let you have a peek at the humble start of this great school. Each day Emi asks her dad, "Are we going to the trees?"

Here is a video of Emi barkbusting http://bit.ly/ROeEof

Love,

Marius, Jodi & Emi

A Million Thanks!!

Hello from J-bay, South Africa! 

We're finally over our jet lag now. Now that my brain is functioning properly again I want to say a huge THANK YOU from the absolute bottom of our hearts to all of our many friends (new & old) who blessed us while we were home - with buttons, toddler clothes, fabrics, onesies, meals, good advice, and lots of love. We're extremely grateful to everyone who is helping to make the Emi's Closet Project a success!

I'm changing our updates as some mentioned you would rather hear less information - more often. Please let us know what YOU think.

I will send more pics of all the donations when I get them organized. Again, thank you for partnering with us to help make a difference here in South Africa!

We love you!

The Deetlefs