For those who like communicating by e-mail, Ben’s e-mail is: benthegardner@gmail.com

Although Ben has been out of the house and on his own since the year 2001, he is still part of the work here in Brazil. Like you, he participates in our work through his giving where he is a member. In his case this is the Victory Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO. His prayers are daily with us and his letters are with us weekly as well. Ben feels called into the ministry and thus is preparing himself presently by taking on preaching duties where he is a member, as well as in other churches which are without pastors. He enjoys street preaching and evangelizing as part of his seminary training at Mid-Western Baptist Theological Seminary. Besides these activities he is involved with Homeschool Alumni Association’s OutReach Program and leads a Bible-study and prayer meeting in the dorm at the Seminary. He always was very active with me in the work, as are his two brothers, and it is good to see him happy in the ministry yet.

Puritan literature and e-mailing head his ‘non-physical’ Hobby list and working out, hunting and horseback-riding head his ‘physical’ Hobby list. Really, he finds that whatever there is to do at hand becomes his short-term Hobby. Having classical and vocal music surrounding all the above is acceptable.

He counts glorifying God through our family now, and a family of his own in the future, along with church work as his personal goals. As for his career goal, which are pretty close to his personal goals he states: “Full-time ministry, with a general emphasis on–if the Lord allows–returning to Brazil to carry on the work there. Finishing seminary and engaging in full-time ministry, which is my calling, is another, more specific goal. Teaching and preaching at every available opportunity remains a constant goal, and a general measure of my progress in the matter of career goals.”

Ever the family man, his favorite memories of the USA are times with the family in Wooster, OH. Those times of enjoying hand-cranked ice-cream within the fellowship of church and especially family on hot summer evenings are high on his list of remembered activities there. While in Brazil, long, chatty walks through the countryside with the family on days-off figure among his best memories of Brazil.

If there were a choice and Ben could do what he enjoys the most, he says he would choose to be immersed in the Lord’s work in its various aspects and the resulting fellowship of the local church. Besides that, some time out on the rifle range would be alright too.

As one who has been-there, seen-it, done-that, his advice to anyone thinking about visiting Brazil to just sight-see in Brazil is: don’t waste your money and time doing that. However, if there is a spiritual and evangelistic element to your visit, his advice is considerably different. He encourages you: to strengthen the work of the Lord all you can and then your visit will be a memorable and profitable one. This he guarantees.