Update - November 2014

Hi Everyone.

Hope you are all doing well.  It is November and 2014 is history, but first things first:  Ria and I are grandparents again.  Below you can see our daughter Chantal and her husband, Rob, with their 2nd little baby boy.  His name is Scott and you can see little Zac enjoying the moment whilst visiting Chantal in hospital.  Thank you, Lord.  

Also, below is a photo of my 3 boys - Quinton, Wayne and Hilton.  We managed  to attend a 2 day Leadership Conference together.  God has blessed Ria and I with an amazing family and we need to thank all you Christians for influencing us over the many years.  We all attend the same Church of Christ.  Thank You, Thank You to all.

Above shows Chantal, Rob, Zac and newborn Scott.

Above shows George, Hilton, Wayne and Quinton at a Leadership Conference

As you can see, we are all losing some hair! Haha!

ON THE WORK FRONT

We are now going into 15 countries and will soon have 15 Gospel Chariots.  It has

been a good year and things are setting up for a phenomenal 2015. 

First, I want to let you all know how excited I am about working in Africa and how we are so blessed to be working with some of the best leaders in Africa.  As we build these evangelistic vehicles, we are linking them up to mature brethren, as they say "those closest to you will determine your effectiveness."  Brethren, this is what is making this such a powerful work. God is working through you all. Here are some of the leaders we are allocating Chariots to and working with in Africa.

GHANA                      Nsawam Road Eldership and Heritage University

LIBERIA                     Isaac Daye

TOGO                         Willie Gley and Togo Bible School

BENIN                        Dr. George Akpabli and Benin Bible School

MALAWI                     Moster Kanyinji

ZIMBABWE                Dr. Washington Mhlanga

VENDA                       O’Brian Malindi and Vhembe Bible School

SOUTH AFRICA        Dimpo Motimele, Lazarus Munetsi & Bongani Mabena

NATAL                       Brian Lister and Natal Bible School

SWAZILAND              Bheki Mamba and Swaziland Bible School

NAMIBIA                    Anton Ngabwe, John Dalton and Tsumeb Bible School

As you can see, we are linking to reputable brethren and works, this way it will have a multiplying effect.  As I like to say, "Team work is Dream work".  It is about adding value to other people.

MACHONA MONYAMANE

Wow, look who we have here!  It’s Machona Monyamane speaking at the Global Missions Conference in the USA last month.  I am so proud of Machona and many of you have heard him speak at so many other lectureships and conferences all over the US and Africa. 

Machona was, by the grace of God, one of our converts in the mid 1990's when I was at that time planting Downtown Churches of Christ in South Africa and at the same time doing World Bible School follow up.  I set out on a week- long follow up trip into the Orange Free State in South Africa and made an appointment to meet and study with him.  It was in a dusty town called Bultfontein that I found him and studied with him and confirmed what his WBS teacher had been teaching him through the post.  He accepted the message and was baptized.  I asked him to then come and study at our short term Bible school in Downtown Johannesburg.  He accepted and I then helped him get a drivers’ license and empowered him to become our first driver evangelist on our first Gospel Chariot.  

Today he is a renowned speaker in the brotherhood.  I am humbled and so grateful that God could have used me to play a small part in this giant's life.  I told you this because next year I would like to share with you some of the men that God has brought into our life and who are now educated and amazing leaders in the Kingdom.

CHARIOTS

All the mini chariots are up and running, except the one in Benin.  It just needs to be sprayed and sign written.  Isaac Daye, in Liberia, is doing well and reaching out in a country riddled with Ebola.  Please pray for him.  I cancelled my trip to Liberia and Ghana due to the Ebola scare there.  The Big Chariot in Ghana, with brother Evans

Larty, has had a number of meetings and is heading to the north of Ghana now that

the rainy season is behind them.  The Togo mini chariot has just completed a distribution of French speaking tracts.

Wow!  Then we have the Malawian mini chariot that has been working in Lilongwe and Mzuzu, see below.  The Zimbabwean mini chariot has been working hard and has baptized many.  They report that since they started working on it, they have planted 5 congregations.  Then the Venda mini chariot, just across the border in South Africa, has also planted 2 congregations in Zimbabwe, but in the South.  The two leaders from the Zimbabwean and Vendan mini chariots are working together due to their proximity, one in the South and one in the North.  Then we have the two big Gospel Chariots and they have just finished off meetings in Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Natal and Pretoria.  Thousands and thousands have heard the message and hundreds have been baptized.  Wow, that was with most of the mini chariots not up and running for the year.  Imagine what 2015 is going to be like with all them working, plus adding another 4 mini chariots to the fleet, bringing Good News and Hope to a hurting world. To all involeved BIG THANK YOU.

NEW CHARIOTS PLANNED

We are busy trying to find the funds for 4 new mini chariots for Kenya, Zambia, Namibia and the Western Cape.  That would make it 10 mini chariots and 3 Big Chariots.

PREACHING ON THE GOSPEL CHARIOT IN MZUZU, MALAWI

Above shows our Gospel Chariot 2 in Mzuzu, where we had a leadership seminar.  It was fantastic!  I stayed at the Mzuzu Bible College with missionary Randy Judd.  The Gospel Chariot team needs to be commended, that is Moster Kanyinji, who has overseen the chariot's work in Malawi for years now, and our amazing Malawian evangelists who operate this chariot, that is Lyman Mpharo and Robert Hara.  These brothers are not good - they are very, very good!  This chariot crossed into Malawi from Tanzania and they baptised 100 plus souls, 30 of them whilst I was there. 11 congregations have been planted in the Mzuzu area in Malawi with this Gospel Chariot and these brethren over the years and it was good to see them and visit with the leaders.  The wonderful thing about all this is that it’s all co-ordinated by the congregations who help mature the new congregations and Christians. 

Above shows me preaching in the heat and dust in Malawi.  It does get hot and dusty, but it is so encouraging to see so many brethren show up and want to learn from God's word.  On the right you can see about 8 ladies that came forward wanting to be baptized.  Next to that, you can see me handing over the keys of a brand new mini chariot that will now be working in Malawi full time.  It is their own mini chariot that will be used for WBS follow-up, prison work and maturing of congregations.  Since we handed over the keys almost 90 souls have been baptized. Thank you, Lord, for such motivated and capable brethren.

We are now in the process of getting a Risograph printer that will assist them in printing their own tracts and WBS introduction lessons to take into the communities, schools and prisons. God is working.  

Then there was food and more food.  One thing about Malawi, you don't visit without being fed and appreciated.  Thank you to all those ladies who spent hours and days preparing and fetching the supplies, most from their own gardens.  On the right you can see me with our GCM co-workers, who made it all happen -  Moster, Lyman and Robert.  It was fantastic.  All three of them live in Mzuzu and it was lovely for me to go into their homes and see where they live and pray with them and get to know their family, because we are a family.

PLEASE PRAY FOR US AS WE LOOK AHEAD

In Him

Love

Brother George Funk