It has been a great few weeks for me here in Swaziland.  I hosted a group from Children's Hope Chest last week and was reminded again why Jodi and I are here.   We are people from all walks of life with the one goal of somehow making a difference here in Swaziland at such a time as this.  As you guys know we work with Adventures in Missions (AIM) and Children's Hope Chest (CHC), www.hopechest.org  This trip was a CHC trip of only 4 guys and that included Tom Davis, the president of CHC.  Jodi and I connected with these guys and visited like old friends.  We are connected because our hearts are broken for the poor and needy, the orphans and the widows, and we stand on behalf of those who cannot stand for themselves...

 

We visited several of our care points throughout the country. Some are in better shape than others, but the common denominator is kids are being cared for that would otherwise starve without the food provided here.  My heart broke anew, when I sat at a homestead of a lady that was dying from HIV/AIDS and TB. It is one thing to bring food to the care points to feed the thousands of orphans; it's a whole different story sitting down with a dying grandmother in her mud hut.

 

Here we were at this homestead in the bush, far from the comforts that I depend on every day. The reality is this lady will die soon, and I kept thinking that the one thing we all have in common as humans on this little planet is death. Death is the great Equalizer. Doesn't matter how hard you try to avoid it.

Here I was, sitting on the red African dirt, smelling the smoke from the fire cooking their meal for the evening - which consisted of beans and a little boiling pot of maize meal to feed the five of them.  I looked at the lady sitting on her mat and couldn't help but think about the fact that she is someone's mom, someone's daughter, someone's sister.  The woman opened up about her illness and my heart broke over the harshness of this life. She told us her joints hurt, she couldn't lift her arms, and she needed someone to help her stand. She had difficulty talking to us, and I couldn't believe how honest she was.

 

Two little boys, her grandchildren, were playing in a little tub which served as their bathtub, and they were all smiles, not aware at all of the dire straits they are in. I sat there wondering if their mom is also HIV positive and wondered about their futures.

 

The grandmother tells us that her biggest struggle is to get someone to take her to a clinic to get daily injections for her TB. Have you ever been in a situation when you feel that whatever you do, it won't be enough? I patted my pockets down for money, looked in the car for food, and I felt so inadequate - wondering how we could help this lady today. Tom Davis paid the public transport money and immediately met this lady's most desperate need. This means that for the next 45 days she can restart her regiment of TB shots. We layed hands on her and prayed for her. She was so grateful.

 

 The hour and a half drive home was a silent one, as we all were busy with our own thoughts. You can always look downstream and find someone that is in more need than yourself. I felt so blessed and so saddened at the same time.

 

The next day I sat with a dear Swazi brother of mine, Elliot, at his homestead in the rural area.  Elliot says I am his youngest born brother. We sat under a tree and talked about life. We walked between the rows of corn that was in desperate need of rain and he showed me his land and told me what he dreamed of doing with it. He was proud, almost beaming, and I realized that I have developed a soft spot for Elliot.

 

I love being here in Africa.  I love being in Swaziland.  While I love to be part of the lives of many, I mostly enjoy being part of individual's lives. The masses of needy people can be overwhelming, but Jodi and I want to make a difference in the lives of a few families. So, while we continue to help feed the masses, we want to personally give a lot to a few.  When we leave Swaziland, we want to feel that we have truly made a difference in people's lives...

 

Marius, Jodi & Emi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Christmas from Swaziland! I know it's a little late for a Christmas message, but I'm learning just how long it can take to write a blog in between feeding sessions of a little one! We had such a great time hanging with my parents over the holidays. They got to help out with a Christmas party (Kriek's last one of the year and it was a great success thanks to all her planning and hard work).  Interestingly, this year there was a team of NFL wives who also helped out at the Christmas party, so that was pretty cool to meet them. We want to say a big thank you to Whitefish Foursquare in Montana for sending money to help make this party possible.
Besides the party, mom and dad also visited several care points, met Enoch (Marius will write a special blog about this later), helped us decorate Emi's room, delivered food to some Swazi families for Christmas, and just hung out together. They left on Dec. 14th, which was bittersweet – more bitter than sweet – but I'm so thankful that they were here.
Marius and I spent our actual Christmas day in serious hot weather, wearing shorts and trying to stay cool. We have enjoyed our much-needed break, as the Swazi base is closed for a few weeks until the new year. We are gearing up for a very busy year, full of lots of teams from the States. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that 2010 is a blessed year for you! We greatly appreciate your support here!
Lots of love from Swaziland,

 

 

 

Happy Holidays from Swaziland! It has been so nice to have my parents here with us for the past few weeks. They have been enjoying little Emi as she is already growing and changing so fast. Marius and I always try and keep talk of money out of our blog, but we find ourselves needing to mention our present situation.  We are facing some pretty serious financial challenges right now. We have lost about 20% of our support due to some of our supporters having financial troubles, the exchange rate has taken another 28% cut as the Dollar has become weaker here, and our medical insurance just TRIPLED this month due to the addition of our daughter.  Some pretty serious changes! We have been trying to make up the difference from other sources, but those are now depleted and we need to get the word out that we could use some help.

 

Several of you who are reading this send us monthly support FAITHFULLY every month and we would literally not be able to do what we do here without that consistent support. THANK YOU! Others of you might not know that we don't get paid by the organization we're with – rather, we raise support, which means that individuals send a monthly amount or make a one time donation into our AIM account.

 

So, if you or someone you might want to share this need with have an opportunity to make a year-end donation, it would be GREATLY appreciated. Or, if you want to give a monthly amount and become part of our support team, then you can do that from this site. No gift is too small.  All you need to do is go to www.jodiandmarius.com .  Click on "Support Marius and Jodi" on the left menu and follow the online instructions. When it asks for Program, click on "Unknown" because there isn't a special field for us. Of course all donations are tax-deductible, and if you don't give online, there is also a tab to click on for the address to send a check.   Thanks so much for reading our blog and caring about what we're doing here in Swaziland. We know that we are supposed to be here and we are making a difference with your help.   Please pray with us that we will make up this deficit soon and be able to continue our work here. Thank you so much.

 

 

I finally received my American passport and I am so excited to be in my new home in Swaziland. I'm with my mommy and daddy, and my grandparents are visiting from the States. Yeah!  We're going to have a big Thanksgiving meal tomorrow (a week late) now that we are all here and together.

 

 

I had a bit of a rough start with getting a flight out of South Africa. I was supposed to fly standby with a buddy pass, but after waiting 6 days and Delta not letting a single standby passenger on, we finally bit the bullet and bought a ticket at the last minute on SAA. Thanks to some very generous friends (Stephan and Janene, Randy and Sandra, Jay and Cindy, Christy and Gilbert, and Tommy and Velma), we were able to not go into debt for the airfare. THANK YOU GUYS!

 

Marius spent time at AIM headquarters where he participated in training, and attended several meetings regarding his new position here in Swaziland. He is now overseeing all the AIM short-term teams that come through Swaziland – logistically, arranging ministry opportunities, hosting, transportation, etc. He is enjoying his new responsibilities, and I am also getting a chance to get to

know the teams, and be there for the leaders when they need input.

 

This past weekend we hosted a "sleepover" for the AIM team that is currently here. They are here for 3 months, and there are 19 of them, and they're an all-girl team. They're working at Nsoko with the carepoints there – playing with the children, teaching Bible stories, visiting several homesteads, and taking care of some desperate needs in the community. They're also really roughing it – with bucket showers.

 

We made homemade chocolate chip cookies, brownies, hot fudge sauce for ice cream sundaes, and we grilled burgers and had a baked potato bar. We also made homemade pancakes with maple syrup and bacon for breakfast. Best of all for them was the face that everybody got to take their first hot shower in a month! I think that was their favorite part.  They were blessed and we really enjoyed getting to know this team.  This is really right up mine and Marius's alley to make food and have a home to host people and bless them. We love it! We have had a sweet girl from Alabama staying with us for a few weeks. Bailey was not feeling so well, so she came to the Deetlefs's B&B for some rest and relaxation, and we just love her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are getting really close to our due date – just under a month away. We leave next week to spend the last 2 ½ weeks in South Africa (so that we'll be over the border in plenty of time before I go into labor. Please pray for us in these last days of preparation, and pray that by the mercy of God it be a labor and birth without complications. I am so blessed that my mom and dad are coming to hang out with their little granddaughter for a few weeks, and Marius's mom will also come spend time with us. We are very excited to meet this sweet girl!

 

There is much more to say, but for now please know how grateful we were to see you in the States, and thank you so much for supporting us here in Swaziland. We love you and promise to keep you posted on ministry and "baby" news!

 

Lots of love from Africa, Jodi and Marius

 

 

 

Here are some ads from our local newspaper here in Swaziland that I have really enjoyed.  Somehow the difference between first and second prize seems a bit, well, less appealing.

 

I'm dropping Jodi off at the airport in a few hours, and she will be in GA tomorrow morning. She's so excited. 

 

Bless you!

Marius

 

 

 

For a split second I considered driving by.  I just had no energy to deal with this very familiar situation. We have people at the office door all day long looking for money for school fees or looking for work or food or a combination of all three. We almost get numb to the need that overshadows us daily. There is no end to the desperate conditions and need here.

 

I decided to phone Musa and see if the man's story was legitimate.  Turns out they have helped this man in the past, but our shipment of food boxes was not here yet. "He was supposed to wait for a phone call," said Musa. "That settles it then," I thought.  "You should go home and wait for Musa to phone you. We don't have food boxes yet." His face immediately changed and I could see the desperation. " They promised me food for me and my family... Home is far away and I need money for transportation back home. I need R20.'' (This was about $2.50 USD). We don't hand out money as a general rule, but if I don't give this man taxi fare, he is not going to leave... I stuffed R10 in his hand (half of what he said he needs) and told him again how crazy it was to just show up here out of the blue without calling first.

 

He disappeared up the street while I stood there confronted with my own thoughts.

 

"You are such a fraud, why did you come to Swaziland? You wanted to make a difference but look at you – how did you help this man?" I finally couldn't take it any more, so I ran up the street looking for the man who fights with gravity every step he gives with those crutches. I could not find him; he disappeared like he was a dream, a mirage, a figment of my imagination. I was still the only one at the office and as I climbed the stairs to the door, the weight of what just happened hit me and I started crying. I realized that I had just failed a major test in my life...  I had the overwhelming sense that I was going to see that guy again in heaven and that I would be confronted with my "by the book" attitude and lack of compassion. I left the office with my heart heavy and my mind being flooded by image after image of the man struggling to get up the hill, a man who I had failed to help...

 

Yes, there is a lot of need, but I should focus on the one that God sends my way today. I can make a difference in peoples lives here, one at a time. I want to be a blessing to this Nation one child at a time, one widow at a time, one man on crutches that comes to me for help. In recalling the episode I told Jodi that he had traveled far to get food for his family. He wasn't asking for money, he needed food. People don't get up early, leave their wheelchair at the bus stop, travel half a day, change buses twice, and show up at a door hoping someone would be there to give them food if they weren't HUNGRY!

 

 

That has been the question for the last 23 weeks of our lives, and we finally have an answer.............The Dr. says it's going to be a GIRL! We are absolutely thrilled and can't wait to meet this new Deetlefs chick! Just 4 more months until we get to hold her. She is kicking and punching her mommy daily, and Marius even got to feel her strength the other day. So, so cool.........