Sweet Livy's 4th Birthday- A little late posting it!

She wanted brats and celery for her birthday dinner. 

Wow she is all done! 

Loves to play with her little dress up princess dolls all day

Loves to sing and dance

Loves to eat celery all day long(we easily go through 6 bunches a week for  her)

Loves to not eat dinner.  Just because she doesn't like it.  She will wait to eat until breakfast the next day.

Loves to pester Jeremiah(her little brother)

Loves snuggling and loving on all of her brothers

Loves to hear her daddy come home(especially if she is falling asleep and she hears the garage door open)

Loves to take walks and hikes and catch frogs

Loves wearing anything...seriously anything

Olivia just loves everybody.  Always giving hugs to everybody.    She is a classy tomboy and full of love to share.

We love you!

Crazy Love

Crazy for Kids

Ok, fellow readers this post might not make much sense for you but it's all about a family over at www. aplacecalledsimplicity.com and they are so fun and loving.  Readers were invited to participate in "Crazy love".  I urge you to go and check it our on their blog.  It is so awesome. Just see what the Lord can do for you and put on your hearts.  We were asked  from Linny, the writer of "Simplicity" to  explain out needs, link it to her blog, and then challenging people to prayerfully consider giving to those in need. So what are my needs and what would I write about to share with others? Here you go:

My husband Dave and I live with our 4 awesome kids (3 boys/1 girl all under 6) in the small town of Kiel, Wisconsin, We moved here in 2005 when my husband took the job as Chief of Police in town. Moving here had its own challenges for us but we've found more and more along the away. Being avid Jesus lovers for a long time now and we have battled some serious issues along the way but God has always pulled us through and we are faithful. We have our likes and dislikes about the area but we feel called to be here. God has a plan of us and we anxiously await more signs from him. We tried several different churches in the area but returned to one of the first we had looked and felt called back to the Kiel Alliance Church right in our downtown. It's a church that is growing in leaps and bounds and has lots of potential. Dave and I both volunteer in several capacities at church and we recently led and hosted a bible study on service which we both enjoyed. We tithe as much as possible, not always 10% every week but we give something every week and try to make up by giving more when we miss a week. Adoption has been something I have dreamed of since childhood and David knew it was something we'd probably do when we married. We have 4 beautiful kids already but we both knew we had room in our hearts for more so we decided to adopt a child from Ethiopia. When we were considering adoption, we heard over and over from other families about how Satan attacked them throughout the process. When we made our choice to adopt, from Day 1 we were attacked. We've been under constant attack since. Some of those have been extremely brutal and hard to withstand but we have endured. Dave has been hit the hardest but he manages it by praying and stands tall. He says that he knows God's shield will protect us. Every day our shield is full of arrows, but every night we stand up, wipe them off, and by morning, God has a new shield waiting there for us. Our needs deal directly with our adoption. The costs are high and we are managing but we are devoted to the cause. We've put our house up for sale and plan to use the money from the sale for our adoption.  Our adoption story is one of faith—a mission defined by our desire to participate with God in restoring what’s broken in this world—we thought you might like to contribute to this journey God has brought us on. . We need your prayers. We need you to pray for our finances and for support of this adoption. We're in need of both right now...www.campfunk.blogspot.com

Renald

A clear example of what love and attention can do for a child. Just look at this beautiful child...with the cutest darn face. God is good.

Pray

Please continue to Pray: We had our first house showing yesterday (monday) and our realtor told us that the prospective buyers liked our house and are coming back for a 2nd visit on Friday. PLEASE PRAY FOR US. There are a few homes currently for sale in our city that would work for us so this would truly be a miracle if we sold our home and moved right into another one with money available for the adoption. We're trying not to get excited as we know this can all change in a blink, but WE BELIEVE God will reward our faithfulness and the power of praying is overwhelming so those of you that are doing it, please keep praying!

 

Christian Alliance for Orphans

Coming to an area near us.  Come and see how the Lord can put your thoughts into action.

The Christian Alliance for Orphans (Alliance) works to ignite and equip individuals and churches for effective, Christ-honoring service to orphans.
Mission Statement of the Christian Alliance for Orphans: Motivate and unify the body of Christ to live out God's mandate to care for the orphan with the vision to have every orphan experience God's unfailing love and know Jesus as Savior.

Click on the link for more information on the summit! Feature speakers include Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman. http://www.christian-alliance-for-orphans.org/summit

Praying and Fasting going on over at the Funks

Our house is up for sale. The sign went up on Tuesday and we are so excited for what God has in store for our family.  We decided to fast and pray to help with the selling process. We've fasted since Sunday afternoon skipping breakfast and lunch, eating only small portions for dinner. We get hungry, but our prayers seem to help ease the hunger pains and we've made it 6 days so far. We are on a serious mission here. We know it will take just the right family to buy our house but we are confident it will sell.  The house is a lot of what WE wanted not what God had in his plan for us. We also finished our Homestudy yesterday. It went great but of course Satan attacked us too. Right before Dave was supposed to get off work early for the appointment he had to deal with a bad situation at work and had to stay late. The homestudy appointment went well. Our homestudy rep is a wonderful lady and we have finished the next part of this journey.  Finishing up more paperwork for both the agency and our Dossier. We're cruising right along. Slow and steady but still moving! God is good...God is great.

Mud and Water

Mud and Water...The love of a child

I had a date with my 5 year old son Jonah the other day and it just happened to be raining and pretty dreary outside.  His choice was to go the park (right down the rode from us) and then go and have lunch somewhere.  We forgot the umbrella but we played happily in the mud and water with our boots on.  We were looking for frogs along the river bank and poking sticks in the ice along the water's edge, digging up the slush and muck and whipping it across the river.  What a simple joy to see how far you could throw a stick full of mud and how much you could get on the stick swishing it into the ground.  He was amazed  there was water on the top and ice still down below. 

After an hour of this my hands were freezing and we went to St. Vincent DePaul's to peek around for some much needed boots for him.  I cannot seem to get the smell of yucky wetness out of his old boots.  I have tried scrubbing them with all sorts of stuff and a boot dryer of a friends and nothing works.  You can smell him walking down the hall.  No luck on finding any boots so we went to lunch and had a burger and just hung out chatting like 2 old friends. Jonah is just a funny guy.  There was an elderly lady sitting by herself with a little bonnett on her head and Jonah just couldn't get his mind off of her.  He was very curious about why she was so alone eating lunch.  So when the music was playing in the restaurant he decided to get up and dance a little bit for her in between each bite.  She seemed to think he was oh so cute and he was having a blast. Even though it was cold and dreary outside  we had a wonderful morning together.  It's fun to find the joy in such small things. 

We are diving in....you heard right.
Putting the house up for sale to help us with this adoption..


Enough goofing around. You're going to notice a little change in how I blog movng forward. A bit more "in your face" and "tell it like it is". A dear sweet friend of mine shared some insight with me and I realized I was doing a bit more whining and saying "poor me" about our problems which is OK and I need to get those problems off my chest, but sometimes it went on too long and came out wrong. We'll that's gonna end right now. No more crying about money, we need it but who doesn't right? We're going to get serious now to bring this child home. Dave and I have kicked around the idea of selling our house for some time. We built it out of a true "want" and although it is big and beautiful home, we don't need it we just want it. If we sell it for the price we need, we could use the money to fund our adoption and downsize to a smaller and more practical home for our family in the future. So today we're meeting with a realtor to formally put it up for sale. We're going to fast and pray to God that we sell our home for the price we need (not want!) and that we sell it fast. Please pray with us for the same.  

We are putting it all into God's hands!

Walking on Water

Water.....

The other day when I was walking I came over the bridge by the Sheboygan River near our house. The water captured my attention.  With the recent warm weather we've had, the river is right in between the melting stages of being free water and still frozen.  You could feel the crispness of the flowing water and yet there was still some ice underneath.  I stopped walking and thought about running across.  The water looked like I could just step on a chunk of ice really fast and keep going like a frog on a lillypad and I would definently make it to the other side. But what if I fell?  Someone would see me I am sure. I hope!  Maybe, just maybe because it looks really fun I will go for it. What a thrill it would be to try.  What a sight that would of been to see our Lord and Saviour do that but without the fear and hestiation I had.  

 (Jonah in California 2008)

                                           
                                            Pure Joy!!

Homestudy Part 1 Completed
We had our first homestudy visit and it went great.  What a sweet lady.  The kids had fun showing her the house and running around like the crazy wonderful children they are.  We have also been working on our Dossier paperwork and getting that done.  Minor setbacks but no big deal.  We also had our passports done for all 4 of us.  Thank you (you know who you are) for your kind and generous donation it covered all the costs for everything related to our passports. 
On another note we decided to wait on fixing Dave's teeth.  we just can't do it right now with the adoption and no insurance.  He is fine with that.  The one he's missing on the side adds a little character I told him. (Looks like a pirate!) 
I have sent out the t-shirts for those of you who have ordered from the Feb. order.  The next order will close March 24th.  Please email me if you are interested in the youth style for an adult shirt.  No problem. Thank you all for your Funky Bun orders as well.  Keep them coming!!! I have been busy pricing all of our rummage stuff and we have changed the date to May 13, 14, 15 with the city wide rummage that is on those same dates here in Kiel.  We also will be having a brat sale and selling off a collector's series autographed Green Bay Packer football. Please let me know if you have things to donate for our sale.  The bigger items too. We can't thank you enough for the prayers and donations.  Please pray for the finances to come in and for peace in our home as the stress is pretty heavy on us right now. We're in need of an additional $8500.  You are an awesome God! Spread the word!

We have been faithfully cranking away at all the paperwork in the wee hours of the morning at the Funk household.  It seems like we get more done between 2 and 3 in the morning than at night.  We seem to fall asleep when we put the kids to bed.  We are about half way done with the dossier and are getting very excited. 

I want to thank everyone for the donations, t-shirt orders and for the funky Bun orders as well.  We cannot thank you enough.  It is such a good feeling to me to see people giving and wanting to be part of this childs journey home.  My ultimate goal would be to bring orphan awareness to the forefront over here in the WI area.  People don't know much about it or care about it, which just breaks my heart.  Living selflessly in our lives, to help a child have unconditional love and a forever home is what I want to be a part of.  What a great gift from God to be able to do this. 

On another note Dave broke 2 teeth.  One while eating dinner and a 2nd an hour later!? How does that happen? The city doesn't provide dental so we're now faced with some serious dental bills too. Satan just seems to be after my husband lately.  He's been under attack one after another since we started this journey. Sometimes I start to think about fear and doubt in my life.  

 Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.”He said, “Come ahead.”

Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!” -Matthew 14:28-30

Do I really believe all the time that he can save me? I start out strong and faithful but then start to sink sometimes. 

He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, why did you doubt?” -Matthew 14:31

Jesus never doubts me either. Every time I fail, He picks me up without hesitation. He draws me closer to him and wraps His arms around me.  I don't doubt him I doubt me. I don’t have to “walk on this water” alone. In fact, He is longing to walk through this with me.  We serve an awesome GOD!  Thank you to all.


T-shirts will be done by March 10th and will ship ASAP  

We are still in need of $8500 to pay for the first part of the agency program fee and our Home Study. Think of it as 85 $100 bills.   We are still believing in full faith that God is providing (as He has been). We have no doubt.  Join us as we pray for and work for and think for and wait for the remaining. It can be done... Just wait. Please spread the word of our blogsite to your family, friends and facebook friends.  What a way to help a child in this world.  Thanks so much!!!

Ordering the first batch of t-shirts tonight. I will ship them ASAP.   The next batch will be open from Feb. 24th-March 24th.  Thanks so much for your orders, prayers, listening ears, advice and donations.  God is so good!  Beautiful big flakes of snow outside.  Have a blessed day! 

Some of you have asked if you can order the youth picture on an adult t-shirt.  Yes you can.  Just email me with that order and we'll go from there.  Thanks!

The Big  Nine K
Friends and Followers
As you already know we are currently working on adopting a child from Ethiopia. .At this point we will need to pay for our Home Study Fee, (I600A)U.S. Immigration Service and Citizenship and our first Agency Fee which will be $9000.  We are asking everyone who reads this to prayerfully consider giving to this adoption journey. Your gift of even $25 goes a long way in the end. Or perhaps you might be able to give more. Or maybe you own a business that could make a substantial tax-deductible donation. You can also email your friends and family and refer them to our blog site. SPREAD THE WORDOr, simply cut and paste the text of the email and send it out to everyone you know.We are trusting God to provide, but He does it through people, so we earnestly need the village to come together for this one.  If you feel led to be part of this journey  for the first time ever, we (and all of our children) would be eternally grateful. We know that in this crazy economic era, giving is more difficult. Trust us, though, that this is an investment that will lend you eternal rewards.  First, you can donate directly to us via the link on the right . It will take you directly to our paypal account where you can donate securely. You can also make a tax deductible donation to our agency.  Email me first and I will tell you how to do that.  Or if you would like to send a check to our home addressit  is on the right. PRAY PRAY PRAY  EVERY PENNY OF YOUR GIFT WILL GO DIRECTLY INTO AN ACCOUNT SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR ADOPTION EXPENSES.
Thanks so much to all of you who are coming alongside us in this miraculous endeavor. We are eternally grateful for every single cent that comes our way to bring this child home  to their forever family. We are awaiting miraculous provision and praying for every penny of this process.
"Once our eyes are opened we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12
Blessings
LOVE
The Funks

Jonah's 5th Birthday

What was I thinking with this long hair!

You are a true dee-light!  Simple day of serving you.  You were able to drink juice(out of fancy glasses) with every meal that was your favorite part of the day.  A room filled with balloons all over the floor, your pick for all the meals and a colorful birthday that you asked for.  Simple joy! 

Endless battles with your superhero figurines

Endless questions about how your body works and the blood running through your veins

Endless love and compassion for helping others 

Endless fruit eating(I have never seen anyone eat so much fruit in one sitting

Endless days of organizing.  You are constantly putting things away and organizing and straightening things.

Endless wrestling and dancing

Endless singing and worshiping God in your own creative style

Looking back from when you were six weeks old, and planning a funeral for you in Children's hospital  we will never forget what an awesome God we serve.  You will forever keep changing our hearts.  everyday is a blessing.  thank you Lord. 

I want to thank all of you for the t-shirt sales this month,orders of Funky Buns, donations and all the prayers. From the bottom of our heart to yours.  We officially switched agencies(Gladney) and are in the process of our Home Study paperwork. You have some time yet for t-shirts to, so check them out and get yours today!  Have a wonderful day!

Cares, Prayers & Hugs

Jill 

We have had a lot of questions about t-shirts.  You can also get the youth t-shirt in an adult size too and vice versa.  Just email me and let me know.  Thanks.  There are3 images you get out of the adult shirts: The shape of Africa, a birthing mother, and a face.  Very neat from a very cool artist.  Deadline for the first order is the 23rd.  Thanks and help support a good cause!  Thanks for the prayers and Blessings!

In with February and out with January

We had a wonderful month that God has blessed us with. We had 2 birthdays(I will get Jonah's up on the blog yet), a visit with some old wonderful and beautiful friends of ours, and we got all of our home study application paperwork together.  All of those who donated this month we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

Satan has also been right at our door knocking us down everywhere we turn.   It has been a spiritual winter. We were not meant  to do life on our own that is for sure.  God has reminded me of the importance of living this life in community with others.  Faithful and faith-filled ones who share the warmth of the Son especially when I am slogging around in this spiritual slush I am reminded that God has given me the right equipment to weather the storm. The beauty of it is He clears it all away.  God's compassion never fails. 

Don't forget the Tshirt sale is ending February 23rd.  All proceeds go towards the adoption fund.  You can always use a t-shirt and it's even better when it's for a good cause.  Thanks again for all your prayers, support and unconditional love.....

Jeremiah's 2nd Birthday

He is such a ham and a little peanut.  He has a deep love for his brothers and sister and wants to be included on everything.  We had a wonderful day, not to sure about it all but just went along with it.

We are so blessed!

ADULT SHIRTS NOW ON SALE

SPREAD THE WORD! Adult t-shirts are now on sale too! The adult shirts come in three colors. Red and gray with a black design and a black t-shirt with the design in white. Like the youth t-shirt the design was created by artist Emily Wierenga. She has her own website at http://www.emilywierenga.com/ and her artwork website at http://www.canvaschild.com/ The design is of a birthing mother showered in sunlight and contains a hidden image of Africa too. Both our adult and youth shirts are pre-shrunk Gildan brand shirts and are in typical t-shirt sizes. We will place orders through our supplier each month on the 23rd and there is about a 2-week turnaround time before the shirt comes to us. If you have any questions about the shirts, please contact us before you place an order. SPREAD THE WORD!

Youth T-shirts Now On Sale!

SPREAD THE WORD! We're selling youth t-shirts to raise funds for our adoption. The design on the t-shirt is from artist Emily Wierenga (http://www.canvaschild.com/) Emily worked with us to design the artwork for our t-shirts. A wonderfully talented young woman Emily has a heart of gold too! Please look at her website to see not only her amazing artwork but also her written work too!

The price of each shirt includes shipping. We'll order shirts once per month (next order on Feb 23rd) with our t-shirt company located right here in Kiel, Wisconsin "First Street Studio" (Thanks Jamie!) Adult shirts will be posted for sale soon! SPREAD THE WORD!

Fundraiser Cancelled Jan 31st

We had reserved our city’s community center for the event back in early December. All seemed fine so we put up fliers, ordered and received food & drink, etc. but then on Thursday of this last week we were notified that our request was denied. When our application to use the center was reviewed we found out that the city does not allow use of the facility for the selling of any goods for profit. Despite the fact that our “profit” would in fact be used for the adoption expenses, it is still considered a “sale for profit” so the request to use the city’s facility was denied. UGH! Not sure what we’re going to do yet as it seems every time we get a small blessing, we get kicked have a set back of some sort. We expected some hardships along the way it just seems we’re getting hit right and left as we push forward on this adoption so it is disheartening and discouraging but we’re trying to stay calm and focused in prayer.

Friday Morning
This morning I turned on the coffee pot and headed for the shower. The warm water was instantly there. Clean hair, fresh towels, clean clothes … and coffee. Then I flipped on the  TV.

The mass commotion on a main street in Port-au-Prince drew my attention. The camera zoomed in on a young man threateningly holding up a broken piece of concrete as a weapon.
As the images flash by it’s hard to imagine that this chaos is happening right this moment as I sip my coffee. It troubles my heart to see fellow human beings in such a depth of despair with little hope.
That devastating earthquake in Haiti is overwhelming. The pain is unbelievable, and the anguished faces etch their outline on our memories. They are hungry. They are thirsty. They are frantically looking for loved ones. They have not so much as a blanket or a change of clothes much less a meal to eat. The help is coming, yet the need is so very great.
It’s easy to turn the TV off and continue on into my day. Can I shake off the uneasiness? Can I push the images of the wailing faces to the back of my mind and hurry on? I am so far removed from the chaos. I am so helpless to aid the breaking hearts …
The sun is shining. It’s a good day to wash the car perhaps … and on we go with our own lives. On we MUST go with our own lives. Thankful for today. Praying a prayer for Haiti that is hard to even find words for. What can I do?
I stop at my computer. A quick search brings me to a donation page and before I leave I hit the button and send what seems like such an insignificant gift is the face of such need.
Yet my donation will join with many others and together they WILL make a difference. Together we, who have the privilege of going about our daily routine, will stop to share what we can with those who so desperately need it.
 Sip your coffee with a grateful heart, yes. But take a moment to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Haiti today. It’s what Jesus calls us to do.
Lord God, Thank you that we can represent You in Haiti today by giving what we can to be Your hands and feet to the hurting. Flood our hearts with generosity and care. Be very present in the midst of that chaos and make a way for help to flourish. In Your name we pray, amen.

Tough Break!

Well, the kids and I had a great weekend together while Dave was gone skiing. We went ice skating 5 days in a row. They are surprised at how much better they have gotten in just a few days. It’s so fun and magical at night with the lights and the sparkling ice. Nanee (Grandma) and Papa joined us a few times and they had a blast too. Nanee even wore her skates and was skating so nice and graceful. The kids were in awe of her. Olivia just stared and wondered when she was going to be able to do that. Nanee was pulling the kids on the sled on the ice (with her skates on) and they were laughing and having a great time but then Nanee fell and hurt her wrist. After a trip to the emergency room she came out with a broken wrist. What a trooper she was, having a blast with the gang. Of course the kids thought she lost an arm, or was dead or something silly. Their little minds are so funny. She is doing ok for now.

On another note we are finalizing the t-shirt fundraiser and it should be up and running by next week via our blog.

Something that’s been on my mind these days: If we're called to be imitators of Christ, to look like the One whose image we bear, what does that mean? What are the first qualities that come to your mind? To love lavishly and without condition? To forgive freely even when you've been wronged? To serve sacrificially and to consider others' preferences above your own?

Ice Skating Fun

The kids and I have been having so much fun even though their dad is gone for awhile yet.  I love love love the little things in life.  Children are so great and they are so much fun.  I was crying last night and laughing so hard with my children it was the best.  I decided to take them (walk them) to the ice skating rink in town, two blocks down from our house.  It was so nice outside at least 27 degrees.  So, I pulled my little one Jeremiah(2) in the sled.  We don't have skates but I thought we could slide around and hang out.  There were a few others down there too.  It was so beautiful with the Christmas lights still twinkling and the bridge and dam in the background.  We stayed and played for 2 hours.  Little did I know.  Well when we tried to leave I couldn't get Jeremiah into the sled.  He looked like a fluffly frosty shuffling his feet around as fast as he could trying to get away from me.  Everytime I tried to catch him and run faster he ran faster and I would fall or he would.  We did this for 15 minutes until I got him.  My kids thougt this was great and I was seriously getting concerned if I was going to get him.  Odin (the 6 year old) was crying on the ground and wasn't much of a help and Olivia(3) and Jonah(4) decided to strike up conversations with the guys in the ice shanty who were playing hockey.  So much for helping Mom.  Here, I was worried the whole time about falling on the ice.  We finally got him and made him lay in the sled the way home.  Had some hot chocolate and called it a night.  I am feeling so brokenhearted  for all these people in Haiti and these children left behind.  Please keep praying for them and open your hearts to give.  We just want to say thanks to you for all the prayers for us and for your wonderful genours donations. 

Ok, learned how fast plastic melts in the oven today.  So Dave is leaving for a few days and decides to have all the kids together for a yummy pizza lunch and then take them back to school.  SO I preheated the oven.  It felt like it was taking so long? Then I smelled something burning and saw bright orange flames.  Well, I totally forgot I had put a batch of my funky buns in the oven to rise in the tupperware container and left it in there.  I have never seen such a site before.  My 9x 13 tupperware was now melted liquid on the bottom of my oven and all the funky buns were on the stove rack cooked.  I am cleaning it up and taking breaks in between.  My goodness!   The kids thought it was great.  They decided it was like lava because the container was orange.  My oven needed to be cleaned I guess!

To help us pay for our adoption we need you to drink coffee!
We have an affiliate account set up with 963 Coffee, a company that’s mission is two-fold: to provide a fair wage for coffee farmers in poverty-stricken communities and to allow groups and individuals to use the coffee to raise funds for mission projects and relief initiatives.
Americans consume more coffee than any other nation. On average, 108 million people in the U.S. drink coffee every day, consuming 2.3 billion pounds a year. Behind oil, coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world. However, the trade system does not work in favor of developing countries; unlike the oil industry, coffee producers live in extreme poverty, bringing in an average of only $500 per year. For every American coffee drinker, there is one worker elsewhere in the world who depends on coffee for their day-to-day survival.
Because the rules that govern trade favor rich countries, the potential to reduce poverty and support economic growth for poorer countries is being lost. As a result, most of these developing countries are dependent on outside aid for their survival. If Africa alone could increase its share of world exports by just 1%, it would generate $70 billion – about 5 times what it already receives in aid.
By ordering coffee from the following special link, you will not only be helping these famers, but 40% of your purchase will come back to us from 963 Coffee to be put toward our travel expenses to Africa. You are free to purchase any type of coffee or other products from the web site. Just be sure to use this link:
www.963coffee.com/default.aspx?affiliateID=10391
Our name will not appear anywhere on the site, but on your receipt our affliate ID (10391) will be there to let the office know to credit our account.
Let’s be honest, Starbucks, Caribou, Coffee Bean and Dunn Brothers have seen more than enough of our money! Please consider buying even one bag of 963 Coffee ($10, $4 goes to us) to help these farmers and help us bring home our daughter. If your church or place of business regulary orders coffee for a cafe, break room or special event, please consider 963 for the company’s next bulk purchase. And if you are a tea drinker, that’s cute, but it’s no excuse! Purchase some cocoa or a tumbler instead (see the site’s side navigation links)...or buy a bag of coffee for a caffeine-addicted friend. Your friend will thank you and so will we.
We’ve known since the day we sent our application to that it would be impossible to see this adoption through without the financial support of our friends, family and co-workers. So, please, please join us in helping to bring what remedy we can to one of Africa’s orphans.
With heaps of thanks and loads of love and many blessings.
Love the Funk's

Quick update, Funky Buns  is doing great.  We cranked out another 77 yesterday for samples and are doing more today.  Wish we could get everybody but I don't think I could manage that.  It supports a wonderful cause and I am so  so thankful for all your orders coming in, support and prayers.  Prayers, what a wonderful thing God has blessed us with.  Be sure to suscribe to the post or become a follower so it's easier to follow our blog.  Have a wonderful day! 

Funky Buns

Funky Buns has launched! Thanks to a friend who had the idea: as a fundraiser for our adoption we've now started to sell our homemade Cinnamon and Carmel Rolls.  A dozen is $15 and a half dozen is $8.  100% of the proceeds go to our our adoption fund. Call and order them today. Me and the kids cranked out 72 rolls.  We have started the process and paperwork but now comes the time to start raising the money we will need over the next few months. Sounds insane but totally possible when we are fully faithful and rely on God. We will be doing a few t-shirt fundraisers in a few weeks online too and also a yard sale in both June and August. So start saving your stuff to donate now. Don't forget the big items as well. Every penny made will go towards our adoption costs.

Prayers for the Fallen

Last night one firefighter from the neighboring community of St Anna Wisconsin died and several others were hurt in the line of duty after an explosion occurred while the firefighters worked to extinguish a fire at a local business. Fire and Police Departments including ours from Kiel were involved in the call.  The entire area and our own community of Kiel is hurting deeply today. Please keep hold all of these firefighters, their families, friends, and co-workers in your prayers. These are brave men and women who serve all of us everyday working to keep us all safe. Unfortunately often times we don't truly appreciate what a firefighter or police officer does for us until one or more of them fall in the line of duty.
God Bless.

RAFFLE CANCELLED

RAFFLE CANCELLED.
Straight out of the "learn something new" files, we found out that under Wisconsin Law we do not qualify for a raffle license and that if we conduct one without a license, we'd have all sorts of problems and be in big trouble too! Obviously that would put a major damper on our plans.
Therefore we have cancelled our raffle for the Wii Game System. Sorry.
However; we still plan to host some fundraisers including a Brat Fry (Cook out) scheduled for Jan 31st here in Kiel and we are also are looking into selling t-shirts as a fundraiser too.
Keep checking the blog here for updates and thanks to several of you who contacted us with info on the raffle laws in Wisconsin...we appreciate it.