Thursday, May 29, 2008

Report May 2008

On the 2nd June our 2nd grandbaby was born. Wayne and Nicole Funk are the proud parents of a little girl. Is she not cute? Look at Quinton and Vicki's little Jemmica holding Chanelle. Ria and I are very blessed at this time. The Bible tells us in proverbs to consider yourself blessed when you get to see your children's children. We are so BLESSED and so PROUD of the grandchildren.

Above shows Wayne and Nicole, our son and daughter-in-law with their newborn baby, Chanelle. Wayne and Nicole attend the Bellville Church of Christ in Cape Town South Africa.
ON THE WORK FRONT.
Namibia
There is a lot going on. Richard and Shirley Wallace from our sponsoring congregation has arrived in Windhoek Namibia for their annual visit to help evangelize the country. They have been staying in the missions house and working with the congregation. On Tuesday the 10th, Jimmy Mitchell and the 4 young men from Benton also arrived in Windhoek to help. As satan does, he puts stumbling blocks in your way. Jimmy, the youth minister from our sponsoring congregation, got ill and had to have emergency surgery. Jimmy is a fireball of a youth minister. PLEASE PRAY FOR JIMMY AT THIS TIME.


RUNDU.
In Rundu, just 7 hours north of Windhoek, there have been over 19 baptisms the last 6 weeks. Jonas Maseka who drives Chariot 2 has just returned from Tanzania. We have replaced him with Harrison and Dimpo. Jonas and Chariot 2 baptized 20 souls in Zambia and 20 in Tanzania. Chariot 2 is now in Malawi. I leave for Malawi in a couple of days. The Fredericksburg Church of Christ will campaign with me in Rundu in August. This will be their 2nd year working in Rundu. God is working in Namibia through GCM. Thank you, brethren.

PLETTENBERG BAY......Cape region.
We have been working here now for almost 3 years and we are making headway. This is unevangelized area regarding the Church of Christ. To date we have started 3 congregations and we are busy converting 2 independent churches. We have build a Church building and are in the process of getting a short term school going. Harrison Nkabelani who I have been training up to work with me here in the area, has been a blessing. He also helps on Chariot 2 some months of the year. He is a Malawian who we taught to drive and has so much potential. He is in Malawi at present and there have been hundreds of souls converted. Read about it when I get back from Malawi.
Above shows our Church building with some additional building taking place. We have just put a fence around the building and we are also busy building an extra bathroom with a shower for the evangelists and future Bible students. You can also see our first students graduating after studying with us.


Above shows some of the 10 souls baptised in Plettenberg Bay. There are some exciting developments taking place in the area. We believe if we can have a good base with a short term Bible School, we then will be able to reach the entire central region of South Africa. Remember this was one of our goals set some 4 years ago. God is working in us and through us because of you, our supporters.



Above shows some of the 19 souls baptized in Rundu. Jonas has been on Chariot 2 in Zambia and Tanzania. Whilst away brother Tobias has been helping, with sister Minnie also doing so much for the Lord. Brother Tobias' house burnt down and the sisters in Fredericksburg came forward with some funds to repair it. This is the area Fredericksburg is working with us. We have a piece of land for a Church building. This area of Rundu is right on the Angolan border. It is also on the main road going north from Namibia to Zambia. Wonderfully situated for reaching countries to the north.

CHARIOT ONE is in Venda, South Africa. It will be having gospel meetings in the area for two months, June and July. These are motivated brethren. Please pray that thousands will hear the Word and hundreds baptized into Christ. Our Bible School, being built at the Tshidimbini Church building, should be finished by August. More about Venda next month.

CHARIOT TWO has crossed over from Tanzania into Malawi. Jonas had to go back home after doing his two months and Harrison was not yet ready as a driver. So we had to fly Dimpo Mr. Reliable, from our Pretoria office to assist. It does get a little hectic at times because things don't always work out the way you planned. I can tell you this, there have been hundreds baptized in the last two weeks in Malawi. I will inform you on my return. God is working through GCM. I personally am amazed. I believe we baptize too many people, but what must I do? Tell the brethren to stop or slow down. I cannot, it is their country and they are doing the baptizing. We are just bringing the Chariots and method of evangelism. They are the ones who work with the converts after we leave. This really works when all the congregations work together.

SHORT TERM BIBLE SCHOOL.
Graduation takes place in Pretoria in June. A new semester will start in July. Dimpo and Lazarus are doing an outstanding job with Nations University. The wonderful thing about Gospel Chariot Missions is, we are very, very evangelistic. Using the Chariots, as well as World Bible School. Teaching through the mail. Many souls are converted, but we do not leave it there, we have a plan, and that is bringing new converts into our offices for 2 to 4 months a time to study. Trying to take souls from milk to meat.

Brethren, I must go. PLEASE have a special prayer for Jimmy Mitchell in hospital in Windhoek.

Love.

George Funk


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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

CRIME IN SOUTH AFRICA ON A ALL TIME HIGH


South Africa is becoming a gangsters' paradise. As you all know, I am a optimist and have never reported about crime in my reports. Well things are getting really bad. In 2000 I was hijacked and would have been shot dead had I not handed over the vehicle I was driving. Since then I am really careful and try not work in huge townships in the Johannesburg area. Every day you read the news and there are woman being raped, some as old as 80 years. Fathers being shot in front of their wife and children. The criminals are all over. Even President Thabo Mbeki's residence is not safe. They broke in and stole aluminum worth hundreds of thousands, from in his roof. The USA has moved their staff working at their embassy to safer multi-unit security complexes. Farmers are being killed and robbed. It is so SAD. A life is worth very little. You will get killed for a cell phone. A little while back I was visiting the work in Downtown Johannesburg. I had some errands to do in the area and as I was walking through a little stripmall, a man was shot next to me for his cell phone. Well, you know what I done? Ran for my life. The crime and corruption is rife. There is no law and order any more. I love South Africa, but at the moment feel a little embarrassed to say I am a South African. Because things are getting worse.

LOOK WHATS HAPPENING NOW..... XENOPHOBIA ATTACKS.


This month of May has seen 50 foreigners killed and hundreds of thousands displaced as xenophobia attacks spread like wild fire here in South Africa. There are over 3.5 million immigrant's from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and other African countries. South Africans are complaining that they are taking their jobs. What I see is a lot of OPPORTUNISTIC LOOTERS. People doing crime in the name of xenophobia. Many of the foreigners are hard working people. They come to this country with nothing and find jobs and send money home for their hungry families. Some start spaza shops that sell food and supplies. The South Africans have burnt their homes and bussiness. Stole whatever they could. This has been a sad month.

PHOTOS ABOVE. Show the Masses coming to destroy. Burning of homes. Foreigners with children jumping on pickups and heading for no where. Right bottom show locals looting a business run by immigrants. ABOVE Shows the police with their hands full. There were foreigners who died with burning tires around them. WHY, WHY, WHY kill, burn and harm them.
Gospel Chariot's Team are safe and reporting no major problems. Here in Plett all our foreigners have run to the Graggs where they will stay until things cool down. I spoke to Dimpo in Pretoria as well as Bongani and Shanga. They reported no deaths among our Christan brothers and sisters. There are just many that are displaced. Shanga reported 10 immigrants shot in his area.
All this puts a lot of pressure on us as we preach the gospel on the Chariots. We are concerned that people in neighbouring countries might retaliate when they see our Gospel Chariots are from South Africa. Chariot 2 is crossing from Tanzania into Malawi this month. Moster and Harrison have indicated we should not worry. I leave for Malawi on the 18th June.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AFRICA AND THE GCM TEAM.