Pray for Jodi this weekend

Hey Guys!

I have something I would really appreciate you praying about this weekend. Myself, along with 2 good friends, are hosting a women's retreat for Global Challenge - the organization we work for here - as well as for our local church ladies. There will be 18 women attending our “Relax. Refresh. Revive.” Conference, and I am so excited. 

We’ve been planning and praying for weeks, and the weekend is almost here. I am in charge of the hospitality - including all of the meals, so please pray with me:

§  That I remain WELL and not get sick. Emi has been very sick this week with a bad cold and I have felt it trying to get me too. I really am praying that God will protect me from this cold!!

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            That the ladies coming would arrive safely (it’s about an hour’s drive) and be lavishly blessed and loved by God this weekend. I want them to feel spoiled by Him. I’ve made welcome baskets for everyone, and each lady coming will have a handmade card and flower on their bed.  Another treat is my friend Juri who is visiting from Japan is going to make each of them a Hawaiian flower lei,  and I hope they are really going to be blessed by the food and the way we will be serving them.

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           Lastly, please pray that God would help me during the weekend in the kitchen to get everything done well and to not freak out in the process. 

I really believe it will be a much needed encouragement to so many of these women who serve in their ministries every day! Thanks for praying with me. I will send pictures after the weekend and let you know how it went.

Lots and lots of love,

jodi

Exciting News to Announce.........

I am writing this blog from beautiful Swaziland, and from where I sit I can see our old house. I used to push Emi in a stroller around this neighborhood when she was just a little baby.  Now she is talking and running alongside our friend Kriek as she pushes her little baby girl in a stroller. I cannot believe how much can happen in 18 months! Visiting Swaziland is such an incredible blessing and my heart is so full!

Jodi and Emi and I are half way through our 2-½ week trip, and I just can’t wait another minute before sharing some exciting news with you…….  

I’m going to be launching a NEW JOURNEY within Global Challenge Expeditions…

You guys know that we’ve been here working with Global for the past year, and I’ve been helping with training and with the teams’ mid-year debrief sessions, etc. Well, now that we are settled in here, I’ve been asked to pioneer the first ever trip Global mission trip into Africa……….. ON MOTORCYCLES!

That’s right – motorcycles! And with this mode of transportation we will be able to reach villages off the beaten path that are seldom visited by outsiders. This is one of the most exciting journeys ever! It will have the same characteristics as our Explore Africa journey – focusing on discipleship and serving in orphanages, helping churches, and coming alongside long-term missionaries. We’ll just have the added Adventure of traveling this rugged African continent on motorcycles.

One of the fundamental values of Global Challenge is living a simple lifestyle, and this will mean for us hardcore traveling in all kinds of weather on bikes, sleeping in tents, and cooking our food on little camp stoves.

Global’s other journeys are yearlong journeys, but in order to balance family life with this exciting new pioneering phase – my trip will only be 3 months long. And I will still have my other responsibilities at Global with training and debrief. This is just another place within Global Challenge that I’m finding to spread my wings and fly!

So………… Here is the crazy part – in the next 70 days I am attempting to raise $7,000 – to buy a used motorcycle capable of making this kind of trip, get the necessary paperwork in place, and gear up for the first journey. The reason I want to try and go now is 3-fold.

Firstly, our Explore Africa team will be in Kenya in June and one of my jobs this year is to facilitate their mid-year debrief, making sure the leaders and mission participants are all doing ok and facilitating any needed crisis management.  I’m responsible for my own transportation there of course, and I’m thinking that rather than spend $1200 on airfare, I would rather put that money towards a bike for my new journey.

Second, there will be a SERV mission trip in Lodwar, Kenya also in June, working at their orphanage, House of Hope, and I would love to connect with them and help serve there.

Third, this trip will serve as my “scouting trip” for next year’s journey. (We are planning to launch this new Africa trip on motorcycles in Jan 2013). It will help me establish a budget, navigate the route and see how difficult the border crossings will be.

Lately my heart has been beating like crazy as this is going to fulfill a life-long dream of mine. What an AMAZING privilege for me as I believe I will be writing a legacy that could inspire Emi and even her kids one day, as well as mobilizing young people into missions and leading them through wild Africa.

If you feel moved to make a donation to help me pioneer this trip, please go online to www.servintl.org and donate to Marius Deetlefs with the reference TWO. 

Please keep us in your prayers, as Jodi and I trust God to lead us in this exciting new opportunity with Global. We love and appreciate you so much!

Blessings,

Marius & family

Teams headed all over the world!

The Teams were commissioned on Friday,  and are now headed out all over the world..…

This year's training is over, and the 5 teams have left South Africa. Those of us staying behind are  experiencing a bit of empty nest syndrome. The past 8 weeks has been a show of God’s glory as we experienced the transformation of so many young lives. The truth is that Jesus is pursuing our hearts and continues to pour out fresh revelation of the truth of the very simple and uncomplicated Gospel. What a privilege!

My highlight happened Friday morning 6am when I had the privilege of being part of the baptizing two students in the Indian Ocean here in Jeffreysbay. We are indeed making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We are busy debriefing our training for the next week and then our family will be going on a short road trip to visit our old friends in Swaziland.

I also have some VERY exciting news about an upcoming project, so stay tuned as I will share that really soon in the coming days...... 

Blessings

Marius

Jodi's Work at Ithemba Community Center.....

ITHEMBA

Homework Time

As Marius continues to train the mission participants with Global Challenge, I continue my work with the orphans and vulnerable children at Ithemba Community Center.  Ithemba means “Place of Hope”, and I believe that it really is that for many of these kids.  I thought you might like it if I could paint a better picture of this place and about the specific kids I work with each week. This way you can know who you are personally affecting every week as you help us be here on the mission field! And if you know them by name and see their beautiful faces - you might pray for them even more than you already do!

Dancing with "Stomp" on Sesame Street

Mary, Sihle,Jodi & Tadiwa

Ithemba consists of a pre-school with 60 kids ages 3-5, a kindergarten class of 20 kids, and an after school program (which is where I’m involved) with about 50 children.  Each child receives a nutritious meal, medical care, Biblical teaching, education, and most importantly love! Auntie Ria, who is associated with DeoDoxa Church, is the co-coordinator and she is the one who really started Ithemba.

Auntie Ria’s link to Ithemba:

http://www.agsdeodoxa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=9

Interestingly, it is a couple from good ole Atlanta, Georgia who are helping to fund Ithemba though. They have a very unique way of doing this. Gavin (who used to play for the Atlanta Falcons!) and Lindsay come over to Ithemba every year and have all of the kids paint on canvases. They take the canvases back to Georgia and sell each painting for $250 at different places all over the country, which is the money it takes to provide the care for one child for a year. With every painting sold, the buyer also receives a picture of the child who painted it and their name. Below are two links that tell a little more about the paintings – one of these segments aired on CNN!

Gavin and Lindsay’s organization – Luo:

http://luo-setfree.org/partnerships/

The segment that featured on CNN:

http://youtu.be/iaZ4FMtbFk8

Mary, Tadiwa, Sihlesonke, Liyema, and Linam are my girls. They are all English speaking (meaning English is either their 2^nd or 3^rd language), and their ages range from 6-8. We meet each week, and I help them with their homework. I always bring along a nice snack for them at the end – a big bowl of popcorn, all kinds of fruit, and we even had an ice-cream party!  We have lots of fun while doing their homework and then we spend some time either learning a Bible lesson, a song, or even watching Sesame Street. Last year we worked on the fruits of the Spirit, and we studied a different fruit of the Spirit each week, as well as weekly tasting a new fruit that they had never eaten before.

This year I started out the year with a little different approach. I really want to know them better so I can relate a little more. I brought lots of different magazines and let them pick the pages that really “speak” to them and then they had to tell me why. Boy did that help me learn a lot about these girls and where they’re coming from.  The comments from these 6 and 7 year olds really widen my perspective, as well as my compassion level for them!

The next week I asked them to draw me a picture of their very favorite thing in the whole wide world. Three of the five girls drew huge bags full of money and had hearts all around it. They are from very poor backgrounds, and broken families. I think that in their minds they truly believe if they had big bags of money ALL of their problems would be solved. It is really quite a challenging road discipling these little hearts, and I’m so privileged to be the one with the opportunity to do it! I really know that we are making a difference in their lives.

Mary

Tadiwa

Sihlesonke

Liyema

Linam

Thank you so much for being a part of this with me!
Lots and lots of love from Jeffreys Bay, South Africa,

Jodi

Training Is a Joy!

The summer days here in Jeffreys Bay are long and hot, but not lazy… We are busy training our students to go out this year and impact the lives of many.  There are 48 students making up 5 teams: Explore Africa, North Bound, Work your Way, Distant Islands and Hidden World.  Each of these teams will spend this year traveling throughout different parts of the world, and the year begins with 8 weeks of training.  We are currently at the end of week 3.  It is extremely practical and hands on, and exposes the students to practical missions. They are already working in the townships doing Bible studies, praying for the sick, picking up 

trash, doing “house” repairs, and sharing their faith with so many.

Last week we were in the bush away from flushing toilets and electricity.  We camped in tents, prepared all meals on campfires, and bathing consisted of swimming in the river.  This was meant to serve as a real intro to what lies ahead for their year.  Part of the Bush consisted of 3 days of “Survivor” training. They didn’t have tents and had very little food, and it rained 2 of those nights – bless their hearts! But they made it, and that training has a way of bringing out the very best and very worst in people – which will happen all year long.

Emi came to visit me for 2 days in the bush and she loved it.  She is just an outdoor girl. She LOVED sleeping in the tent, and hanging out with the “kids” as she refers to all the college-aged mission participants. She helped "supervise" some of the Survivor challenges in her little 2-year old bossy manner.  I injured my back in the bush, so you can pray for me for complete recovery. I will be sleeping on the ground again for our upcoming two weeks in Transkei.

We are leaving in one week for a very rural region of South Africa called Transkei, where we will be working for two weeks. This will be the mission participants first cross-cultural experience and exposure to this kind of missions.  Week 1 there will be in Coffee Bay (where we were last year) and will be a practical project working at a Christian School. The 5 teams will be taking responsibility for the projects onsite (e.g. new roof, new fence, painting buildings and playing games with the school kids.) We will all be pitching our tents and sleeping in the grass patch in front of the school, and we’ll be eating our meals with the school kids. The second week will be at a different location in Transkei working at a mission station. Much more practical outreach and serving the local community.

I love being part of the team responsible for training these future leaders.  These young people really experience exposure to how the real world functions and they experience first-hand the extreme need and poverty around the world. What a privilege.  Their challenge, for example, this week is for each mission participant to survive on $1.50 per person per day. This is how 2/3 of the people of the world live, so they are plunging in to see first hand how it feels.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support. We are so grateful for your partnership in this work!

I will send more pictures when I return from Transkei so you can see our work there.  Please pray for me while I’m away training, and for Jodi and Emi who will hold down the fort in J-Bay, so Jodi can continue her work at Ithemba.

Blessings to all.

Marius (Jodi & Emi)

Debrief in Progress.....

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to tell you all that Jodi and I are very appreciative of all of you who are so much a part of what we do. Please know that we love you and think of you often.

The Global Challenge Expeditions teams returned from their year-long journeys and we are all gathering for their debrief process.  The Teams worked alongside missionaries, building houses, planting churches and visiting and working very hard at orphanages. I visited two of these teams during the year if you can recall.

We are listening to the most incredible stories that are filled with the faithfulness, the love, and the kindness of God. So many of the young people came back forever changed. They have been especially touched by the plight of the poor, the orphans, and the widows they’ve met this year. They experienced how God uses ordinary people to be messengers of hope. I cannot help but notice how the guys from the “Work your Way” team left as high school boys and returned as powerful men of God.

I have been playing a large part in the debrief process and I absolutely love it. Swaziland has prepared us in a lot of ways to teach from experience. God is stirring my creative side for the first time in a long time and my teachings are becoming more 3 - dimensional.

My being in Jeffreys Bay is almost like I am experiencing Spring. It is as if God, the Gardner is spending a lot of time on me as plant. He enjoys gardening and takes great care in giving me water and nutrients and placing me in the best spot to catch the sun. The stuff that brings me life, my gifts and creative side seem to be blossoming again… I am happy to be here and be a part of the bigger story that God is putting together.

Jodi is also hard at work. She is hosting the international students, and helping to facilitate their debrief process with one-on-ones and lots of listening. She is also planning to cook a Thanksgiving Feast for all of the Americans she knows here in Jeffrey's Bay. Even Emi is helping out, as we had the teams over for dinner and she entertained them with song and dance! Thanks for being a part of all we do here.

Blessings,

Marius (Jodi and Emi)

Emi's Surgery A Success!

Thank you guys so much for praying for Emi during her tonsillectomy. Emi did well in her surgery, and today is DAY 3 and she is still doing great. We’re just staying on top of the pain meds and so far so good.

Thank you!!

Love,

The Deetlefs family