Inspired by Jesus’ commission to make disciples, George began sharing his faith with fellow students. Within a year, two hundred had chosen to follow Christ. At college in Tennessee, George became burdened for those without access to the Bible, and in 1957, he and two friends sold some of their possessions to fund a road trip to Mexico; taking 20,000 Spanish-language tracts and 10,000 Gospel booklets. The trip led to many more and fanned the flame of George’s conviction to share God’s Word with those who’d never heard it.

Moving to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, George was confident of God’s call on his life. He blazed a trail for world mission, motivating others in nights of prayer and planning further literature distribution ventures. It was at Moody that George met Drena Knecht, who would become his wife.

In 1960, George and Drena were married. They prioritized their service to the Lord and sold some of their wedding gifts to fund a six-month outreach to Mexico City before moving to Spain, where they established what would become OM’s work there. While in Europe, George smuggled Bibles into Communist-controlled countries, but after being arrested and deported, he took time to reflect. During a time of private prayer in Vienna, Austria, George climbed a tree and saw a group of young people boarding a bus. At that moment, the name Operation Mobilization sprang to his mind, with the idea of mobilizing ‘busloads’ of young people into mission.

Under George’s exuberant leadership and fueled by the passion of believers from many nations to reach those who had never heard the Good News, OM expanded in the 60s, 70s and 80s: first, across Europe and into the Middle East, then with volunteers crewing ocean-going ships. Logos, the first of five vessels, was launched in 1971, and since then more than 49 million people have visited the onboard book fairs, with over 70 million portions of Scripture distributed during port calls in 151 countries.

After a time living and establishing ministry in India, George and Drena, along with their three children, settled in London, England; where George continued to emphasize radical discipleship within OM and focused on ministry sustainability.

George led OM until 2003, then concentrated on special projects, traveling and speaking on global mission at thousands of gatherings worldwide. His authentic lifestyle and zeal for the spread of the gospel have motivated countless individuals and churches into more intentional mission involvement.

Rarely seen without his world map jacket or inflatable globe, George always prayed for the nations and current issues. He was energized by encouraging others and keeping in contact with thousands of friends and ministry partners through letters, emails and phone calls.

George wrote several books, including Revolution of Love, Out of the Comfort Zone, Messiology and Confessions of a Toxic Perfectionist

During those years, Dale and George Verwer, along with Walter Borchard, made their first evangelistic trip to Mexico in December 1957, the beginning of what would become OM.

George Verwer challenged Dale to consider the 33 million Muslims of Turkey, who also had no access to the Bible, a challenge Dale took up with friend Roger Malstead in 1961. Dale’s then- fiancée Elaine Thomas joined the team, and the couple married in December 1961 in Ankara, Turkey.

In 1964, at a meeting in Bucharest, Romania, Dale met Richard Wurmbrand and his son Michael; that meeting was catalytic in the formation of OM’s Greater Europe ministry, which in years to come, would encourage countless believers behind the Iron Curtain and smuggle in millions of Bibles, New Testaments and other materials. Prior to 1989, hundreds of thousands of believers in the Communist countries of Europe received copies of the Scriptures as a result of this initiative.

Dale served as Director of OM’s ship MV Doulos from 1979 to 1981, then the Rhotons moved to the new ships’ headquarters in Mosbach, Germany, where he served as the associate director from 1981 to 1984, then as the managing director from 1984 to 1999. Elaine and he relocated to San Diego, California, where they formed part of a small team focused on developing partners and resources for the ministry, a role Dale has continued in even after moving to the Shell Point Retirement Community in Florida in 2021.

Through the ministry of OM’s ships, millions—from school children to prime ministers—have received a touch of hope and the light of the gospel, in part because of the ongoing faithfulness of Dale Rhoton and his profound trust in the faithful, loving, heavenly Father and a total commitment to His Son, Jesus Christ.