Wednesday, December 24, 2008

2008 YEAR END

What a wonderful year this has been. It is very hard to explain. Our Gospel Chariots have traveled as far north as Tanzania. The cooperation and participation by so many brethren in the different countries has made this year of 2008 the best ever. Over 1000 souls were baptised into Jesus. The GCM team needs to be commended. Wow, Gospel Chariot Missions has come a long way in 15 years. It all started when Ria and I started handing out free bible correspondence lessons. After seeing how many people where interested in studying God's word we started linking these students up to teachers in the USA. Then we started planting Churches and even more exciting was the dream of starting congregations in the big cities. Calling them Downtown Churches of Christ. This idea spread and we managed to not only start congregations but set up GCM offices that are linked to Nations University and World Bible School. Then came the dream of building Gospel Chariots that would travel into 11 countries preaching and distributing free bible lessons and bibles. Wow now we have offices in Pretoria, Venda, Durban, Windhoek, Nelspriut and Plettenberg Bay. So much good has and is being done every day because of this work. I stand amazed. I did not grow up in a christian family and so I know what it is like to have no morals and direction. That is our main goal. Finding ordinary people and giving them direction in life. Making this world a better place. To all involved in this loving, caring ministry may you have a wonderful 2009. God is good and wants us all to have a relationship with Him. Then when we love Him we will love those around us. That is what makes life so fulfilling. Its nice being nice....
Above shows our graduation this month in Pretoria. Students at the back with lecturers in the front. Bongani, Dimpo, Tebogo and Lazarus. It was wonderful. We filled the building up with students and visitors. The ladies made food and it was so encouraging. To our GCM team in Pretoria. You are touching lives and are growing which is so exciting. Every year is getting better...amen

Above shows the GCM team giving me a leadership award. That was very special of them. We are truelly a family and it makes me feel so good to know that whatever happens one day we have men ready to continue after me. After the graduation Dimpo and Lazarus drove with me to our Nelspruit office and worshiped there on the Sunday. It was fantastic. They fed us and we left for Venda where we slept at O'brian Malindi's house. On the Monday we met with the elders and looked at the progress of the Bible School being built. It is almost completed. We are hoping on having our first semester of students in July. We then visited the GCM office in Thohoyandou.

Then it was back home. Remember there was no Church in Plett. We now have a Church building and wonderful Church family. We then had our year-end fellowship meal.
After Church the youth entertained us and the little ones got gifts for attendance.
The ladies did all the cooking and were thanked for their hard work.


The men sat down and enjoyed the fellowship meal together. Many of these brethren are from Malawi who work in South Africa. There are 5000 Churches of Christ in Malawi.
I appreciate the brethren and love eating at the different congregations and homes as I travel many miles every year. As they say meet, eat and greet.
Above shows the little ones sitting on the grass eating their food. They are so special.
Above shows me having a special time with some of the little ones. They were showing me their gifts. Some got little baby dolls. It was a special day. There were year end fellowships at many of the other congregations we have started. Just cannot be at all the places at once. All offices are closed until the 12th of January. Then repairs will be done and into Africa we go. Can we reach more in 2009. Brother Charlie Worrell will be arriving from the USA to help us repair the Chariots. He has worked on big trucks all his life. The whole idea is to give the trucks some tender loving care before they hit the road again.....Thank you Charlie and Fredericksburg.

Above shows how full we can get the tents at times. Please pray for us as we look to 2009. Everything we do at our offices, schools and Chariot travels are free of charge. All we are striving for is to make this world a better place and bring hope into the lives of others. There is a God and there is eternal live. God molds people's lives. We are the go between. There are jewels out there. We see it every year. Pray that God continues to use us in this way.
FAMILY NEWS
Above shows our new grand baby. Here name is Payton Funk. Vicki gave birth to her on the 22nd of December. Ria and I are very blessed to have 3 grandchildren now. Thank you Lord.
Above shows Chanelle Funk. Wayne and Nicole's little baby girl. Look at my face. I am a happy chappy when with my little grandchildren.
Then below we have our oldest grand baby. Her name is Jemmica Funk. That is also Quinton and Vicki's little one. She was the baby and now she is the big girl in the family. I am so grateful that I became a child of God. I don't think I would have appreciated life and my family the way I do had I not become a believer. To all of you in the USA who sent missionaries into Africa. Thank you very much. I am a Christian because of you. Now I pray that we turn around and do the sending. Love to all and have a happy new year........In Him. George Funk