WE CELEBRATE OUR 20TH YEAR OF MISSION WORK

 

We cannot believe that it is almost mid-year already, and not only that, our ministry is 20 years old. WOW! time does fly when you are having fun, working for the Lord, or should one say, as you get older. God is so Good and has blessed us as we planned the work and then worked the plan. Goals have been the backbone of this ministry and as we celebrate 20 years, PLEASE PRAY FOR US AS WE ASK GOD FOR WISDOM AND PLAN AND PLOT THE NEXT 20 YEARS OF GOALS FOR JESUS.

 

On the work front it has been busy, busy. For some reason this year seems a lot more busier. The team and I have had our work cut out, problems and all. Below are just a few of the happenings that God is doing through us. Many souls have come to Lord and we give HIM THE GLORY. AMEN.

 







NEW GHANA GOSPEL CHARIOT



Above shows the New Gospel Chariot that was built for Ghana. This

is it, filling up with diesel, on its way to the Durban harbour, where it was

loaded onto a vessel for Accra, Ghana. It has now arrived

in Ghana. It will soon start having Gospel meetings in Ghana. This was

once upon a time a goal we had for Jesus. Today, a dream come true.

WE GIVE GOD THE GLORY. MAY MANY, MANY SOULS COME
TO HIM THROUGH IT.

NAMIBIA

Above shows Chariot 2 in Namibia where we just finished a campaign

and lectureship. IT WAS FANTASTIC. Brethren from Fredericksburg

and Benton came over to help. This has been a difficult mission field

where we have done most of the planting of congregations. 3 years back

we started a lectureship, where we got all the newly planted churches together.

This year it was hosted by the Wanaheda Church of Christ in Windhoek.

There were 9 congregations that attended or should we say, the leaders of

9 congregations. 2 Churches in the USA have worked with me over the years

to make this happen. Fredericksburg and Benton. It has been tough and now we

are seeing the most amazing growth. AMEN AND AMEN

There were over 250 in attendance on the Sunday when we left. We had a

week of Bible studies and lectures. Above shows brother Terry Phillips

from Fredericksburg, who has stuck with me on this mission of Namibia.

Big THANK YOU, Brother. I almost walked away some years ago. It

was tough. You helped me persevere and encourage even more Churches.

GOD IS GOOD.

Above shows the teaching during the week.

 

We also had one on one studies going on. Every year we visit different

areas where we have planted congregations and help grow the church,

but also look for opportunities where we can plant new churches. A

great door has now opened in Oshikati. I hope to go  there and visit

later this year. Above is sister Marty teaching one on one. Sister Marty

taught the ladies how to teach Sunday school as well. AMEN

Above shows sister Peggy teaching one on one and brother Laurence

interpreting for her.

More bible studies. We also had 6 men doing bible studies.
There were 21 souls baptized during the week.

Above shows me having a little fun as they brought the mattresses in.

We housed and fed the brethren. The local church also contributed

towards the food. I am so happy with the growth in Namibia. It went

through 5 years of conflict as a false teacher continued to visit and teach

error and create division....

Brother Joel Lewis baptizing one of the 21 souls

Brother James and brother Michael from Fredericksburg baptizing a soul.

It was wonderful. The Chariot was parked outside the Church building

on a busy road and every time they wanted to baptize they would do it

in full view of all the people and traffic.

PLETTENBERG BAY

Above shows the Hillview Church of Christ in Plett. After the campaign

in Namibia Mike Knappier and Joel Lewis stayed a week with me in Plett

and helped do a marriage seminar on the Saturday as well as preach on

Sunday. They also met with the leaders Sunday night encouraging them.

Above shows the marriage seminar on the Saturday.

Mike and Joel preached on Sunday and then the congregation fed us.
Above shows the children standing in line waiting for their food.

Mike, Joel, Ria and I having a meal. It was chicken, mealie meal and
chakalaka mixed with vegetables. It was awesome. Mike and Joel have
been such good friends of mine. Mike is based in Benton and helps GCM
in more ways than one. Thanks guys for your love and friendship. I am a
better person because of you.

Above shows some of the other brothers eating. Sunday morning service
was maxed out. No seats left. This is a growing congregation. Remember
some years back Ria and I started a congregation in a shack then bought a
shack and now today there is a Church building and Bible School. Brothers
Zonge and Gladman are the young preachers working with the church now.

Above shows tons of bible literature being off loaded that will be used
in the area and on the Chariots.

Above shows brother Lyman baptizing one of the short term
Bible students in Plett.

Another short term Bible student being brought to the Lord

CHARIOT ONE IN THE EASTERN CAPE

Above shows some of the brethren who attended the gospel meeting
in Port Elizabeth.

It is so good to see the brethren get together and use the Chariot and
evangelize the community in a combined way like this.

Above shows Bongani baptizing one of the many souls baptized in the
Eastern Cape.

Never too late to say I do. AMEN.

And what do you say. I say I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

VENDA

Above shows brother Stanley from the Downtown Church of Christ
in Pretoria teaching on leadership. Stanley and Dimpo are the preachers
of the Downtown Church in Pretoria. Above shows 15 bible students
at the short term bible school. Brother O'Brien Malindi is the director
of the school and brother De Villiers the full time teacher. This semester
we have Dimpo and Lazarus commuting as they help teach.

Above shows the leaders from the big Tshidimbini Church of Christ
meeting with the new intake of students.

Above shows some of the students studying at the Bible School.

Above shows 2 big brothers helping load books shipped in from the US.
These are commentaries and books for the Vhemba Bible School Library.
The little guy is our volunteer who is always working for the Lord.
He is Morena. Dimpo's son. He is a cutie.

AMEN Dimpo baptizing a soul in Pretoria.

Gospel Chariot Missions does WBS Follow up and many of
these souls are students studying with a teacher in the USA.

Lazarus also baptizing a soul in Pretoria. We have such a precious GCM
TEAM. That's what makes this work so great. Great people who take what
they  are great at and use it to benefit others. THANKS TO THE TEAM.



GEORGE IN THE JUNGLE DOES IRONMAN

On the 14th April I managed to complete the Ironman in Port Elizabeth.
This has always been one of my goals, but why I left it until age 58 I really
don't know. Whatever, it was GREAT. You have to swim 3.8km in he sea.
Then jump on a racing bike and cycle 180km and then get off that bike and
Run a marathon 42km. They give you 17 hours to do it. Above shows me
after completing the event. My face says it all. TAKE ME HOME

Above shows me finishing my swim of 3.8km in 1hr 17min
Much easier than what I thought. I never was much of a
swimmer. Lesson. You can do anything you set you mind to.
 

Above shows me at the transition getting my bike and heading
for the 180km ride. It was great. I cycle a lot and it went well.
30ks an hour. It took me 6 hours.


 

After cycling we had to run a marathon. 42km, 26miles.
Well, just look at my face, it says it all. HA HA.
Reality setting in and questions like. What are you
doing? No not that bad. It was just the last 20ks that
kind of hurt, but they say everyone hurts on the last bit.

Above show me hitting the red carpet after 12hrs51.
What a feeling. I still had 4 hrs and 9min to spare.
I MADE IT.

ABOVE SHOWS YOU ONE HAPPY CHAPPIE....... I LOVE EXERCISING.
IT HELPS ME SET GOALS AND HELPS ME STAY FOCUSED AND
DISCIPLINED. MANY AND IF NOT ALL GOSPEL CHARIOTS MISSIONS
GOALS HAVE BEEN PRAYED AND THOUGHT OF ON THE ROAD
EXERCISING. IS ONE OF MY TIMES WITH GOD.
PSALMS 139:23-24 SEARCH ME GOD AND KNOW MY HEART
TEST ME AND KNOW MY ANXIOUS THOUGHTS. SEE IF THERE IS ANY
OFFENSIVE WAY IN ME AND LEAD ME IN THE WAY EVERLASTING.

 

Ready to GO.....AMEN

 

At last the Ghana Gospel Chariot has been completed. It is ready to be shipped to Ghana. The only thing that still needs to be done, is the long distance fuel tank needs
to be mounted between the cab and the body. Then its off. Chariot 1 and Chariot 2 have also been in the body shop for repairs before leaving and going into the world. There have been some expensive repairs, but nothing as costly as a lost soul. Amen
PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE 3 GOSPEL CHARIOTS AND THE GCM TEAM.

On the right hand side you have 2 doors that are store rooms for chairs and
tons of literature as well as the tent. One also has a generator that swings out
from the compartment behind the back wheel.
As you can see this is the GHANA GOSPEL CHARIOT.
THANK YOU LORD.

 



On the left hand side you can see it has 2 big doors that open out and inside
you have a baptistery and PA system with a stage that pulls out. You also
have the signwriting advertizing World Bible School and Nations University.

At the back of the Chariot you have 2 beds where the driver/ evangelists
sleep as they travel from area to area. You also have the steps going up
onto the roof where you attach the big tent when having Gospel meetings.

Above and below show the tents being manufactured. Not only for the
new Ghana Gospel Chariot, but for the old Chariots as well. The wind
and the weather take its toll on the tents and we have managed to replace
all tents.

Above shows Chariot 1 pulling out of the body shop after receiving repairs.
This Chariot works South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique.

Every year there are things to repair. All vehicles have to go through
a roadworthy test to make sure they are safe on the public roads. We also
get the engine serviced and look for any defect that might be a problem.

Above shows Bongani pulling out onto the road ready to leave for the
Eastern Cape with Chariot 1. This is the 13th year that Chariot 1 will be
on the road. Last year we managed to refurbish the body.

As you can see we advertize World Bible School and Nations University.
Every year at this time we print hundreds of thousands of lessons that will
be distributed as people hear the word of God. That is the exciting thing
about this work. Wherever we go we are preaching, but also leaving lessons
for those who want to study through the mail.

Above shows Dimpo, Lazarus and Bongani with me in Plettenberg Bay.
They visit every year this time when we get the Chariots ready. We
also do some team building and work with the Kwanokuthulu Church
of Christ.

Above shows Bongani ready to baptize a whole family in Kwanokuthulo.
What an exciting day when you see a whole family come to the Lord.

Above shows 2 ladies studying with Bongani. One lady visited us on
Sunday and Bongani followed up on the Monday. Her friend also
obeyed the gospel...amen

Bongani baptizing one of the sisters.

Above shows the family being taught in the Church building in Plett.

Above shows Dimpo preaching to us whilst visiting. Brother Zonge is
interpreting. Both these men have so much potential intellectually.

On a sad note. We lost our dear brother Jackson Mcwakumbana.
Jackson was from our George congregation. It was a sad passing.
We are working with his wife and have further plans to assist the congregation.
I personally have been traveling through there once a month and will
from now on help every second week.

Above shows brother Esau and I praying with and appointing Zonge
Xoshe as the preacher evangelist in Kwanokuthulo Plett.

PRETORIA. Look what we have here. A refurbished Downtown Church
of Christ. The building became too small for Sunday morning worship. The
congregation and GCM put funds together to assist in this upgrade.
WELL DONE DOWNTOWN. They should now be able to get 400
members in or change to have more services. GROWING CHURCH.

Some of the alterations taking place in Downtown Pretoria.

O My, the big boss is checking on the work. Ha Ha. That's Morena,
Dimpo's little one. He is a cutie and loves to help his dad.

This use to be our GCM office that now has made way for Sunday
worshippers. We have a smaller office off to the one side.

WINDHOEK NAMIBIA. Above shows more extensions being made to
the church building to seat more on Sunday morning. This is the GCM
facility in Windhoek where a congregation was planted some years back.
It has been a struggle, but things are heading in the right direction the last
couple of years. We are excited about extending the building. Brother Anton
works with the congregation. We are having the third lectureship there this May.
Thanks has to go to the Fredericksburg and Benton congregations for working
with us there, and not forgetting brother Anton.

Above shows the new facility for worship in Durban. Beautiful and clean.
The GCM office, World Bible School work and the congregation has moved
over into the SASOP Bible School building. All ministries working out of
the same building. Amen and Amen

The Queen Mary Church of Christ supplied the funds to put the baptistery in
and Brian Lister worked his heart out to get all this done.
BIG THANKS BRIAN. You are a servant of note.

Above shows boxes and boxes of books for our short term Bible Schools
in Venda and Pretoria. Brother Mike Knappier and Joel Lewis donated
their libraries. Then brother Don Noles from Tulsa helped find even more
books for the Venda library. He packed, paid and shipped it all to
South Africa. THANK YOU, BRETHREN.

Above shows more literature being shipped off to preachers in
Australia. Vicki and Quinton helped get it off. Brother Roger
Dickson donated it and GCM did the rest. I have received a
number of emails from brethren in Australia thanking us for
helping them in this way.

 

Above shows a little guy wanting his own chair at Church.
It is our youngest grandson, Zac. That is Chantal and Rob's son.
Quinton, Vicki, Chantal, Rob and Hilton all attend the same
congregation in Perth Australia. God is Good.

Above shows Zac giving us a smile. He should be walking in a month or two.

Here we have Quinton and Vicki's two little girls. Jemmica and Payton.
They both go to pre-school now. Time is flying.

Then we have Wayne and Nicole's two children, Channelle and Cooper.
They stay in Cape Town and attend the Bellville Church of Christ.
Ria and I love our children and grandchildren and need to THANK GOD
for teaching us the importance of family. Please pray for my family and my
extended GCM family as we reach out this year.