Issue 41 August 2015

Prayer Requests

Thanksgiving for Eric and

his dad’s overall safety and the team that helped them

on the mountain, for amazing memories with family and friends in the U.S. this summer, for the

many new friends and connections we have made

personally and professionally, for the love

and encouragement of Linda’s deaconess

community, and for a safe return to our home in

Tanzania.

That the school’s library will become a reality soon and

be a blessing to the students and teachers.

For our transition back to life

in Tanzania, both in our work and in our community.

That our Swahili would

return quickly and continue to improve.

For continued healing for

Eric’s dad’s ankle.

For healing for Linda’s digestive system.

That our adoption process

would continue to go smoothly.

Funke News: Supplied for the Journey We are now back in Mwadui after a beautiful summer in the U.S. We are so thankful for the time we have had to be refreshed physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. If you didn’t get a chance to see us in person and/or would like to hear more about our ministry, check out the new videos at www.youtube.com/EricFunkeGLO. There you can find the 7-minute video about our ministry, our 1-hour presentation, a recording of us singing the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili, and a video of us singing “Never Once” with pictures from Tanzania. School Library Fundraiser Before we share the many ways that God has supplied in this last month, we want to share another way you can be a part of God’s work in Tanzania. Since our return to Mwadui on Wednesday, we have realized more than ever what a blessing a library would be for our school. The school needs $25,000 to construct the library. As many of you in the U.S. are preparing for a new school year, imagine if your kids did not have a place where they could research and learn to read for fun. Our current library is more like a closet than a library. We would love to have the library up as soon as possible, so our students can use it during our next school year (beginning January). We hope you will partner with us in this great cause, and as an added incentive, if the $25,000 is raised by the end of September, we will post a video of our school’s version of the music video “Happy.” Trust us, you want to see us, our students and fellow teachers dancing ;-) If you feel called to donate, you can go to www.GlobalLutheranOutreach.com/support-funke.html and write in the donation amount next to “Funke: Mwadui Library”. Or you can write a check to Global Lutheran Outreach with “Funke: Mwadui Library” in the memo line and send it to Global Lutheran Outreach, 6709 Ficus Drive, Miramar, FL, 33023. Colorado We began the month of July vacationing in Estes Park, CO, with Eric’s parents, sister Andrea, and grandparents. We enjoyed five beautiful days of hiking, playing family games, and learning about the park at the visitor’s center. On the last day, Linda and Andrea went horseback riding, while Eric and his dad climbed Mt. Meeker. Eric and his dad succeeded in getting to the top, but unfortunately on the way down, his dad slipped and broke his ankle. We are thankful for the team of fifteen rangers that helped him crutch his way down the last three miles. Not exactly the way we pictured vacation ending, but it has made us appreciate each other even more. Before we left Colorado, we had the joy of visiting and presenting at Eric’s grandparents’ church, St. John’s in Fort Collins.

Verse of the Month— Acts 28:10

They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Eric and Linda Funke

More Presentations and Connections On our way to St. Louis, we stopped in Urbandale, IA, to visit Pastor Joe Meyer and members of the board of the Shining City Foundation. We joined Immanuel in Waterloo, IL, for a Saturday service. We also spent time with wonderful new friends at Lord of Life in Chesterfield, MO. We spent a weekend in Peoria, IL, visiting Redeemer a great supporter of our school. Finally, Eric went solo at Salem in Black Jack, MO, for our last Sunday, while Linda attended her Deaconess Annual Meeting. It was a joy to meet so many caring Christians across the country.

Baby Shower/Adoption News While in St. Louis, dear friends of ours threw a baby shower for us. It was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with many friends at one place and to begin to see ourselves as parents. Thankfully, our International Social Services report is complete and has arrived in Dar Es Salaam. We are now waiting for the social worker in Dar to review our case and write a recommendation to the commissioner. Our lawyer believes we may get to the next step sometime in late October or early November. A Few of Our Favorite Things During our three weeks in St. Louis, we enjoyed some of our birthday/anniversary gifts from family, such as a day at Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor, a Cardinals game, and “Into the Woods” at the Muny. We also were able to spend more time with family and friends, including time at the St. Louis Science Center, several trips for Ted Drewes frozen custard, and a time of spiritual and emotional nourishment at the annual meeting of Linda’s deaconess community. We also relived special times from our past as Eric helped take campers from Chapel of the Cross to Camp Wartburg, and we visited the Concordia Historical Institute’s Papua New Guinea exhibit. Many former missionaries are quoted there, including Linda. Linda was also able to visit the St. Louis Society for the Blind, where she received a crash course in mobility for Baraka and several other resources. We are thankful for all the special memories we have made this summer.

Health Many have asked about our health, and for the most part it has been good. However, Linda has had low-grade irritating stomach aches for years, so this summer we finally decided to have it checked out. Multiple tests later, Linda tested positive for Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Please pray that the antibiotics and probiotics work well and for patience and creativity as we eliminate lactose, sugar, and other items from her diet. Back to Tanzania We began the journey back August 1st, with stops in Atlanta, Amsterdam and Nairobi. Since we had a 12-hour layover in Amsterdam, we were able to leave the airport to see the Anne Frank House and the canal system. After 41 hours of travel, we arrived in Mwanza and spent a few days recovering. We finally arrived back in Mwadui on August 5th, and we are so glad to be back! We will share more about what God has been doing here this summer in our next newsletter. Until then, Mungu awabariki wote! (God bless you all!)

How To Partner With Us Financially

Make checks out to “Global Lutheran Outreach”.

Write “FUNKE” in the memo line. Mail to Global Lutheran Outreach,

6709 Ficus Drive, Miramar, FL, 33023

Online giving and automatic withdrawal are available at our NEW website

(GlobalLutheranOutreach.com/blog/Funke)

All donations are tax-deductible.

How To Keep in Touch

Daily Updates and Picture Albums– www.facebook.com/AFunkeTimeInTanzania

(You don’t need to have a Facebook account to see this page)

Email– Linda.Funke@GlobalLutheranOutreach.com & Eric.Funke@GlobalLutheranOutreach.com

Stories and Reflections- AFunkeTimeInTanzania.blogspot.com

Videos– www.youtube.com/EricFunkeGLO

Mailing Address– P.O. Box 252; Shinyanga, Tanzania; East Africa