Calvin Gardner
Presidente Prudente, Brazil
Berean Baptist Church
Mailing Address is:
Sr. Calvin Gardner
Rua Prof. Orlando Monteiro de Amaral,
181 Jd Vale Verde
19065-745 Presidente Prudente, São Paulo
Brazil, S. America
Phones:
Office-(18) 3906-5585
Home-(18) 3906-5175
Email the Gardners at:
wbtbrazil@gmail.com
Benjamin's E-mail is:
benthegardner@gmail.com
David's E-mail is:
ScriptoFerret@hotmail.com
David's Blog Page is:
David's Blog
Daniel's E-mail is:
DanielGardner@bluebottle.com
The other children's E-mail is:
4nuts@zipmail.com
Home Church:
Wooster Baptist Temple
PO Box 433
Wooster, OH 44691
Pastor Floyd Koenig
fkoenig@bright.net
We are on the web!
www.palavraprudente.com.br
Picture Commentary
www.palavraprudente.com.br/usablog
Preaching videos
www.palavraprudente.com.br/video.html
Bro. Calvin's Personal Website:
www.CalvinGardner.com
June 29, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,We greet you in God's eternal mercy because of which we are used and enabled to be a part of His work here in Brazil. We thank the Lord for the vital part you and each prayer is to this work.
The Lord blessed abundantly through you to raise upwards of $6,000 for the Conference here this week Lord willing. Each dime has its place and purpose and we stand amazed at the work of the Lord through your supply. We got the grocery list from the cook and find that just for bread to be served at the continental breakfast and after services each night, 65 pounds of flour are needed. Since Brazilian custom is to drink a beverage other than water for meals, the list requests 78 2-liter bottles of soda pop. I don't remember the number of pounds of meat, cheese, macaroni, and other ingredients but you can be assured that the offerings you have given for this need are well-employed. Thank-you very much for your part in this supply.
More than money and more than our necessary food, we know we need the Lord's blessings of His manifest presence. We long for His ministering to us through His Word. I desire to be revived, refreshed, and reproved through His Word. Perhaps we all need the same? We seek the Lord's establishing His truth in hearts of Pastors and church workers who are planning to come. I believe that there is much confusion about what the doctrine of Grace is and isn't. I believe that true Baptists are losing their identity. No one wins when Truth is known only vaguely. Therefore, we need each preacher to speak plainly on these two subjects. This blessing is only through the Lord's enabling. Therefore we pray that the Lord would give free course to His speakers and open ears to each participant who comes. Please pray with us.
Last week, following Sunday School, we got our family picture taken. It is duly posted at: www.CalvinGardner.com/blog
All of our attention and activity is focused towards the Conference of which I have spoken previously and often at length. I will close for now hoping to get back with you soon after the Conference. However, immediately following the Conference, David and I will be taking Bro. and Mrs. Justice and Bro. and Mrs. Zuhars to Porto Alegre, 840 miles to the South. If the Lord blesses, we will stop in Paraguay and Argentina on the way. Bro. Justice and his wife will return to the US from Porto Alegre. The Zuhars will accompany us to São Paulo city to get their return flight to Fortaleza. Then, David and I will return home. This trip will take 9 days. The brethren in Porto Alegre are looking forward to meeting these servants of the Lord. Because of this trip following on the heels of the conference, I may not be able to get out our usual letter. If you don't hear from us, all is normal. That is to be interpreted: we need your prayers.
Yours in Our Lord,Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
He enjoys nothing--who lacks communion with Christ.
He lacks nothing--who enjoys communion with Christ. -- Thomas Brooks
June 21, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in Our Lord with thanksgiving unto the Lord for you.
Last week I did not send an update due to the fact that David and I were in Catanduva. No, Catanduva is not so backward that they do not have Internet. You to whom I have been sending these updates since 1996 know that it was in Catanduva when I became cyber-minded, therefore, Catanduva is on-line. However, my schedule was so packed that I did not have the time and strength to get you an update even though I had my old laptop with me. But all is not lost as I can give you a short report now.
It had been only about a year since I was last in Catanduva but at that time I was in and out only long enough to participate in the church's ordination of Bro. Figueiredo into the Gospel Ministry. This time I planned to do some catch-up-socializing besides preaching to the church. My goal to socialize was because I had lost contact with a young man and his sisters since furlough and I desired to see them again. About ten years ago my family became involved in helping this unstructured home to have the Word of God ministered regularly in it as well as live role-models before the children. When I was gone on furlough in 2002 the mother died and the children were distributed into the homes of family members. I was unable to get into contact with them when we returned from furlough in 2004. We moved to Presidente Prudente almost immediately also, making contact even more difficult. However, about two months ago we found each other on Orkut, a popular online community, and we made plans to meet each other when David and I were in Catanduva this last Lord's Day.
However, for some reason, the Lord kept us from meeting at this opportunity. We will keep seeking the Lord's will in this matter as we pray for them. Although we did not meet whom we planned to meet, we did renew friendships with several others of this community where we spent almost eleven years of our lives. David got to see a few of his friends too making the trip very profitable socially-speaking and the Lord blessed with grace to again give a witness of Christ to these old friends.
Our main purpose was not socializing but to give two Bible Studies on Eschatology to the church. Although I am no means a learned student in this subject, I was enabled to get material together that was helpful to the brethren in establishing a doctrinal foundation in this area. I must confess that I have not given the attention necessary to teach this subject to the churches and ministries the Lord has used us to organize in thirty years of ministry. I ignorantly believed that it was a non-essential. However, as the Lord has brought me to think otherwise I am trying to correct my mistakes. I am now dedicating attention to both my learning of this glorious subject and sharing what I have learned with the churches. The Lord blessed us on this trip to find the brethren in Catanduva grateful for the teaching of Eschatology. It was equally refreshing to see their steadfastness in the Faith and continued love for the Lord and us His servants.
In other news, Joy and I finished reviewing the translation of chapter five of Bro. D. W. Huckabee's book on Studies in Strong Doctrine. This chapter deals with the fruits of the fall of man and, as expected, shows man for what he is and God's precious grace for what it is. The chapter is now on our website and I trust is part of the thousand pageloads a day with which this site is blessed. I thought that the Conference on Grace and the New Testament Church would never arrive. Now it is only two weeks away and I wonder how it got here so quickly. We have the confirmations of fifty over-night guests coming from all over Brazil. There are ninety-five who have confirmed their being with us at meal times and over one-hundred brethren have told us they are planning on being here for the services. Thank you again for your important part you have through those special offerings you have given and through your prayers for this project. Guests and speakers alike thank you with us and seek your continued supplications. The speakers desire to speak the truth of God's Word with liberty. The brethren who come also desire to be taught this truth by God's Spirit through that Word. Therefore your prayers are very necessary.
Yours in Our Lord,Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
June 8, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in our Lord's full supply. We thank you for your prayers for us through which the Lord is often pleased to effect His Will.
The fatigue from this week's trip to Três Lagoas plus the little bit of a cold I had after the trip I took two weeks ago to Ourinhos has left me hoarse and feeling weak. However, under Peggy's tender care and God's good graces, I am feeling some better even though I have a persistent cough. Even with this good care I had to cancel going to Dracena yesterday to administer tests to those taking seminary classes. You can be assured they did not mind my not coming! But the good rest the cancellation occasioned has been wonderful toward my recuperation. I was feeling very good this morning and I was enabled to teach lesson number 22 on Eschatology in Presidente Prudente for Sunday School. It's hard for any man to be down with feeble health I know, but I think often that when God's laborers are down, it's doubly hard since they are involved in that which affects eternity. Thank you for your prayers for all of us.
Attached is a photo of our new kombi. Thank you to the churches whose faithful support and then extra offerings made the purchase possible. You will notice the radiator. This is a wonderful addition to the kombi experience. The most wonderful part of a water-cooled motor, even better than the added torque from a bi-fuel re-engineered 1.4 motor, is the quietness this affords to the passengers. Thank you all very much again.
David accompanied me to Três Lagoas on Wednesday. We picked up Bro. Jonas in Bataguassu on the way there and enjoyed his fellowship again. In Três Lagoas, Bro. Eliseu, enjoying his vacation, had both his sons at home, so we took advantage of the time we had and the number present and gave a seminary lessons in the late afternoon. After a snack, the womenfolk joined us for services. There were nine present and several were lost. It was wonderful to study with them the truth God has made Christ to be our sanctification.
The church in Presidente Prudente has now changed locations. The brethren are encouraged to reach this new neighborhood for the Lord. Please pray that God would save His people through the preaching of His Word by this group of His people.
The Grace and Church Truth Baptist Conference scheduled for July 4-6, will soon be upon us. Joy tells me that roughly one-hundred are registered already. At one time I thought the speakers would be preaching to empty chairs but, behold, there may be more than we know how to care for after all. We are thrilled at the interest now shown and I am glad these messages will be ministered to many from all over the country. Since we are especially new to organizing such a big event we surely depend on your prayers. I know each speaker would be encouraged by your prayers too.
I will close for now thanking you again for your prayers and special care through extra offerings. They help continue manifold ministries to get the Gospel out through literature, printing, website, seminary, preaching, church-planting efforts and, I trust, through our lives.
Yours in Our Lord,Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
May 31, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings by God's grace after another week of learning more of our Lord through His Word.
My last email update was written just before David and I left for a trip to Ourinhos and region last Saturday. Thank you for praying for us as we traveled and ministered. Seeing the brethren, ministering God's Word with them, and having edifying travel time alone with David was a veritable blessing. I've gotten a cold since returning that's taking a while to shake but otherwise the results of the trip were certainly positive.
The brethren in Presidente Prudente are moving to a new location. What was sufficient space for our number at organization is now, two and a half years later, insufficient. They have definitely needed more room for the consistent 15 ? 20 people in attendance. The new location will easily seat 50 - 75. The church has not had high expenses to maintain and besides helping Bro. Jonas and contributing to the Radio Program, their only expenses are rent and utilities. Thus they have were able to build up their savings account and negotiated a contract with 6 months rent pre-paid. The landlord was happy to lower the rent while getting a good sum immediately. I'll try to get a picture or two of the building for you soon. A positive point in all of this is the fact that the brethren negotiated the contract and are paying their way without outside assistance. They are proving they are not only self-governing, but also self-supporting, two New Testament church attributes this missionary is glad to witness.
Recently the Lord impressed upon us of our need to get out of rent. The only way to do so is to purchase housing. By faith we have been looking at what is available. This week we saw a house that would serve well as a residence as well as house our print shop, book room, film editing apparatus and my office. We of course do not have funds for this so we ask you to pray for the Lord to move according to His will to supply as only He can do. As one pastor related to his congregation in a similar context, "The good news is that the Lord will supply our needs. The bad news is that it is in your pockets."
We are just about one month from the Grace and Church Conference we are planning here in Presidente Prudente. The number of pastors who have confirmed their coming looks like the speakers are going to have someone to speak to after all. We have a firm 85 coming but I expect there will be 100 after all is said and done. This is not counting the locals who will attend the services. Several of you have given special offerings for this need. Out of that offering, several pastors are enabled to come from afar. They graciously thank you for your help. We have a few pastors needing help yet in this way. Thank you for your prayers in all these things. Our weather is getting consistently cooler. You wouldn't believe how low the temps have gotten so early this Winter. One morning it was actually below 60 dgrees F.
This Wednesday, Lord willing, I will be in Três Lagoas ministering to the few brethren in that church. I hope to spend some time giving seminary-level classes to the men as well as helping to make a few visits in the city. In two weeks I trust the Lord will bless another trip, this time to Catanduva. It has been about two years since I have been there, so I am looking forward to being with them again. While living in Catanduva, my family nurtured some children with special needs and Lord willing, I hope to see them as well. It has been at least 6 years since we have seen them. They are about 17 or 18 years old now. As always traveling puts extra strain on the family so I ask your prayers for them also as I travel.
We are so dependent upon your prayer life there for our victories here. Thank you very much for your labor in this arduous spiritual warfare. We all desire spiritual fruit of lives redeemed by the blood and conformed to the image of our Savior. As we abide in Him and He abides in us, we can all ask what we will and He will do it. Therefore, we are all encouraged to abide in Him and pray.
Yours in Our Lord,Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
May 24, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in Our Wonderful Lord Who, in mercy, punishes us less than our iniquities deserve (Ezra 9:13). There is much work to be done in the preaching of the Gospel and the gathering the disciples made through the preaching of the Gospel into a New Testament assembly. In addition to this great work there is much being done in the ministering of Truth through the Print Room, the Radio Program, the Translation and Literature Ministry, and through the Seminary classes. May God be praised for giving strength to our hands, provision through your sacrificial giving and grace to minister through your prayers. We continually seek your prayers for the Lord to minister with us during the upcoming Conference on the Grace of God and the Lord's kind of Church. We have news of eighty-one people planning to be in attendance thus far. Those of you who have given special offerings for this Conference coming up in July will be glad to know that, among many other needs met, you are also helping several pastors to come by providing them the cost of bus tickets to the Conference. They remind me often to thank you very much for your part in this blessing.
This last Thursday was a national holiday, Corpus Christi, so Bataguassu planned a Thanksgiving service unto the Lord for His bringing them to the grand old age of two. Most of the family accompanied me on this trip. Marcelo also took a car full. It was a joy to see that the brethren in Bataguassu are reaching-out all over their town to preach the Gospel. They are reaching a good number of children too. A brother goes out in his car to bring about ten children to services who otherwise would not hear the Gospel. Bro. Jonas is encouraged in the Lord to keep-on-keeping-on as well. Thank you for your prayers for him and the brethren. I sold our Kombi (Volkswagen van) last week at a good price. That sale plus the offerings given toward a new Kombi are awaiting the day when the purchase can be finalized. The economy is so hot here that I have to wait 60-70 days for delivery. In the meantime, as a one-car family now, we are adjusting.
Today David and I travel to the region around Ourinhos. I will be preaching tonight in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, the Lord's Day morning in Ourinhos and that evening in Ribeirão Claro. It is always a joy to meet the Lord's people and minister God's Word among them. Although it takes more work for this fellow to travel than it took him 30 years ago, the fellowship with the brethren always compensates the efforts. As you remember, please pray that I would minister the Word of God in truth and that the Lord's traveling mercies would be upon our trip. I rented a small car for the family to use here while we are gone.
The late Fall weather we are having is very lovely. Right now there are no temperatures over ninety-five degrees or under sixty degrees in our part of Brazil (right below the Tropic of Capricorn). In our garden I notice that our Poinsettias, whose leaves sprout green in the summer, are sprouting red leaves now. Joy's Christmas Cacti, called May Flowers here, are also budding. We are thankful for the break from the very hot Summer weather and the absence of a full-fledged Winter. Why not come down and enjoy it with us?
We thank you very much for your fervent participation with us in the work. Without your prayers I am fearful to know where we would be. With them I am encouraged to spend and be spent for the Lord's glory.
Yours in Our Lord,Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
May 11, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in our Lord with thanksgiving for His wondrous supply of grace.
The week before last was a milestone marker in the Calvin Gardner family. When I wrote my update letter last week, I forgot to mention this milestone. There are many brands in the fire and God is blessing His Word but I would like my son David (20) to bring you up to date on the mentioned milestone. The following is his report.
Two weeks ago, the last Gardner graduated from high school. It was nice to put the last high school Physics test away -- literally. Although there were no parades, nor angels singing, there was cake and ice-cream which seemed just as good, at the time. After 14 years of homeschooling, I am qualified to read, write, and 'rithmetic by myself. My graduation was a couple years late because of two major events. The first event was furlough. Furlough ate up two years of my life, but only one year of my schooling. The second event was what I call the Car Wreck, because that's what it was. Because the car wreck wasn't scheduled into my agenda at the time, I hadn't been saving up in the preceding months to pay it off. Therefore, in order to pay off the repairs I started working as an English Teacher and, consequently, spent less time in study. Hence the two year delay.
Contrary to my expectation, life did not get easier after graduation, but increasingly busy. Life is, however, more enjoyable now that high school won't keep interrupting my education, as Mark Twain didn't quite say.
Yours in Our Lord,David Gardner for my Dad.
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
May 11, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in our Lord through whose mercy and grace we have fruit to His glory. Therefore our thanksgiving unto Him for His grace and mercy and unto you for your praying to this end.
We are blessed with the website averaging over a thousand pageloads a day. We are thankful for the public we receive, for the almost hundred and fifty collaborators furnishing the Bible studies, and for the many who write seeking further studies or giving comments. We really appreciate the positive comments. However, the load of correspondence, which I take seriously, is awesome. It takes me about ten hours a week to answer every one. These contacts are from Sunday School teachers, Pastors, Seminary students, and laymen. They live in Brazil, or Portugal, or Japan, or the United States. Although this is not the main thrust of our efforts, it gives opportunity to influence many beyond our ministry here in Presidente Prudente. Thank you for praying for us, for without the Lord's ministering through His Word, neither the website nor the answers to correspondence would bear fruit. Daniel is working constantly on getting filmed messages edited and posted onto the website. David then takes these edited messages, burns them to DVDs and we add them to our list of materials available for sale at cost. Joy then takes the orders, packages them, and sends them around the world. What began in 1998 as an enjoyable pastime has become an edifying ministry downloading over half a million studies.
The brethren in Alvares Machado continue to join us in services in Presidente Prudente. On Friday, we took the family from Alvares Machado to visit relatives in Mirante de Paranapanema. Although it was just a social visit this time, these relatives long for a fundamental Baptist church in their town. There is a strong family-friendly, progressive, and entertaining Baptist work there. However, as you may know, truth suffers to pragmatism in this type of ministry. Our prayer has been of a long time that the Lord would guide us as to His will concerning these precious souls. Would you pray also for us?
The radio ministry is continuing. Daniel provided software and I provided a microphone to both Bro. Jonas in Bataguassu and Bro. Marcelo in Presidente Prudente to have the equipment necessary to record messages at home for use on the radio. I haven't offered any free material to those who listen to find out how far away we reach through this ministry. In any case, we know we are reaching a radius of 60 miles.
I have weekly phone contact with the brethren in Porto Alegre. They are maintaining services in their home at least once every week. I wish that I could take the 24 hour car trip there ever other week to encourage them but this is not practical nor financially wise. I seek your prayers for their encouragement and that the Lord would give them fruit and all of us direction as to exactly what He would have us to do to help organize them into a New Testament assembly.
This week we will have seminary classes both in Presidente Prudente and in Jaciporã. Thank you for your prayers for these eight students who, by God's grace, are benefiting from these classes.
Thank you again for your continued vital participation through your prayers and generous monthly sacrifices, plus many special offerings. May the Lord be pleased to glorify Himself through all your efforts and our ministering.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
May 4, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in Our Lord Jesus Christ Whom by faith we kiss unto the assurance of eternal blessing of salvation (Psalm 2.12).
The highlight of this week has been the weather. Tornado-strength winds announced a vigorous cold front that arrived Thursday night. Strong winds brought very heavy rains which tested our new roof and brought flooding to the city. Thankfully no lives were lost but there was substantial material damage in parts of the city, but our roof was not part of it. With the fierce winds and heavy rains a cold mass of air made the temperatures plummet. Believe it or not, the temperature did not get above 65 degees F all day Saturday. Our winter clothing is out of storage and is gladly being used. Being Americans and accustomed to prolonged cold weather, we are prepared. However, it never ceases to be amusing to some degree the attire used here by those unaccustomed to any kind of cold weather. All types of hats, and hoods for the head together with various styles and types of material for jackets and sweaters are displayed by the general populace. The amusing thing is not really what they wear, but what they don't wear. Warm slacks and wool socks are not used in combination with the jackets and head covering, leaving the legs mostly uncovered and the feet shod in sandals. It's a wonder that there are not long lines in the local drugstores of people seeking medication for all types of colds and flues because of exposure. If I were to dress the way they do, it would be to my death. Perhaps those born in tropical Brazil come with built-in immunity.
Bro. Edson has performed a very needed operation on my book on Soteriology. Since November, he has been excising the disagreeable adjectives of nouns and wrongly conjugated verbs. In Portuguese, the adjectives must agree with the nouns both in number and gender. I do not always get it right thus the agreement becomes a disagreement. This last Thursday was Labor Day here in Brazil and he came and spent several hours that morning on his much appreciated surgery of the text. By God's grace we finished. He would like to make one more run through the book to be sure there are no glaring mistakes. Hopefully soon, I will be able to put this material in print. My preliminary search and lack of results for books on this subject tells me that such a book needs to be printed. Several respected brethren have requested through the years that I do this. Perhaps the time has come.
The July Conference on the Grace of God and the Church of God is shaping up. I sent out a second letter to over 50 pastors and churches giving information and seeking their early registration. "Early" is not a word often used in the Brazilian language. "Punctual" is not often used either opting for "late" most often. Therefore the first letter requesting early registration was completely ignored. We have received 1 written enrollment as of today. My colleagues in Presidente Prudente tell me that everyone will swamp me with requests for registration in the last two weeks of June. Never mind that this makes it difficult to plan seating and eating arrangements. So please pray we have wisdom and that all who come can be cared for.
We thank you for your continued prayers for our health and for our needs to be met. The Lord is using your prayers, support and special offerings to keep us well and busy in His work. This includes preaching the gospel from the pulpit, on the radio, on internet, by the printed page, and I trust in our lives.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
April 27, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings again because of the Lord's faithfulness. I missed writing last week. As the Lord is faithful in our unfaithfulness so has your care been for us even in the absence of our weekly update. Thank you very much.
David and I left Saturday afternoon a week ago for Sud Mennucci where it was our pleasure to participate with the church there in the ordination of Brother Ademir Adorno da Silva. After 7 years of directing the work, the church called for his ordination. A good number of pastors and deacons and brethren from the churches in São Paulo and the region around Sud Mennucci were present. As always the love of the brethren in Sud Mennucci encouraged our heart in the Lord. Brother Ademir's grandfather was a charter member of this church some 47 years ago. It is wonderful to see the Lord raise up a pastor from among these same brethren. Brother Steve Montgomery was the instrument God used to organize and give a doctrinal foundation to this church. May the Lord be pleased to do the same among the other area churches that are without a pastor.
We met brother Jonas, who was vacationing yet, but came along with brethren from São Paulo to witness the ordination. His heart has been refreshed and his ministerial vigor has returned. So much so that he asked for a ride with David and I to Bataguassu since we were headed there anyway last Sunday afternoon. Thank you for your prayers in his need. The church in Bataguassu was very glad to have him back among them, too.
Brother Hirialte and his family are biting at the bits to return to Brazil from Portugal where they have been 7 years. The Lord has closed the door for them to remain in Portugal. Upon returning in June they hope to move to Presidente Prudente if the Lord is willing. As he awaits the flight date, he is translating Brother Davis W. Huckabee's Studies On the New Testament Church. As he translates, he tells me he is receiving a seminary education. Praise the Lord!
After 4 years of unchanging familiarity, I broke down and took Peggy's advice to move the furniture around in my office. I think things are better arranged now then before but for some reason I habitually try to open the door of a bookcase that is no longer in the position where I am trying to open it. I wonder if I will ever adapt!
As the American economy slows down, the American dollar here falls in value. We appreciate heartily your faithful giving and increased monthly support by many of you. In your need, you increase to meet our needs. Thank You very much. We are very thankful also for special offerings to meet printing, literature, and travel needs. Without your sacrifices, our ministry would have to slow way down. Many from the website and book ministry thank us for the edification they are obtaining through these means. The brethren of the four churches in which we minister, plus the two families further south in Porto Alegre to whom we minister by sending studies and maintaining telephone contact, are also grateful for the ministering of the Word that the Lord has enabled us to give among them. In reality, they are thanking the Lord for His instrumentality in getting the Word to them. You figure in this instrumentality in a great way therefore many are the thanks given among the brethren here for you.
The extremely high temperatures have given way to moderate temperatures. This is a wonderful time of year to live slightly below the Tropic of Capricorn. As our warm weather goes north to greet you, we look forward to the cooler weather that you are leaving. Our health is good and we are looking forward to continue ministering the Gospel as God gives us grace. Thank you again for your prayers and sacrifices.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
April 13, 2008
Dear Prayer Warriors,Greetings in Our Lord's precious grace! We would be consumed, without hope, without God in this world and without any usefulness if God were not gracious.
The Lord blessed us this week to get a paper prayer letter with expense reports ready to mail out next week. If you do not receive one but would like to do so, please let me know and please give me your address and you will be sent one. I try to get these paper prayer letters out every two months at the least. However, I do not get them out that often. This one will be the first one this year. I expect most get my weekly updates so I rest assured that everyone knows what we are doing, how to pray for us and what are our needs.
Saturday I went with Daniel to Dracena to give seminary-level lessons. This group is in the third semester already. We picked up Bro. Marco and his wife, who are from Bataguassu, along the way, so most all the regulars were there. We enjoyed having two young men who visit the church in Jaciporã visit the seminry-level classes too. They are quite interested in the Gospel. Pray for them as you remember. Their names are William and Sidney.
This next Saturday I will travel to Sud Mennucci four hours away to participate in the ordination of Bro. Ademir Adorno into the Gospel Ministry. I have known this brother since the early 1990s. I am looking forward to renewing friendships with many of the Lord's people. Bro. Steve Montgomery was used of the Lord to organize this work almost 50 years ago. Please pray for the ordination as the Lord brings it to your memory.
Our new roof has finally been tested. Hail, strong winds and rain battered it repeatedly yesterday. We are glad to report that the new roof passed the test! What a relief. Again we Thank You for your prayers to this end.
Thank You for your prayers for our health. We Thank You also for the special offerings sent towards the printing fund and for help to trade in our VW van for a new one. I ordered it this week and they told us to expect it to be delivered in about 60 days. We are very grateful for the churches that have increased their amount of monthly support. The Lord is using this increase to keep us going month-by-month. If it were not for the fact that our support is devalued almost by 50% by the weakness of the dollar here we could get along with less. However, it takes twice as much as we needed four years ago to just stay in the same place. Thank you for your understanding our position. We know that you are responding in love as unto Our Lord for we know that many of you are also going through rough economic times. We pray the Lord will meet your needs out of His abundance.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
April 6, 2008
Dear Faithful Prayer Warriors,Greetings in Our Lord who is pleased to effect His will through the fervent prayers of His righteous people (James 5.17). The Lord has been merciful among us to hold back the rains so that Jaime and his helper, Daniel, could work steadily on completing our new roof. This last Thursday the work was done and since then the mops and buckets and various pieces of furniture have been put back into their normal positions. For almost a year, the mops and buckets have been stored to be close at hand and the pieces of furniture shoved to the driest areas where the roof didn't leak. All such preparation is a thing of the past. Peggy, Charity and Joy can now relax in the comfort of a dry home. Thank you very much for your prayers that the Lord certainly has used to bring all this about. I hope to soon have pictures of the event at: www.palavraprudente.com.br/usablog
We are preparing continually for the Baptist Conference to be held in July. Joy and I worked this week on the translation of Brother Justice's message for the conference. Also, several pastors have contacted us about coming and we have remembered a few others that we needed to invite. The brethren of the church here in Presidente Prudente are thinking ahead by planning now to open up their homes for possible overflow guests. This being our first conference to plan provokes our seeking your prayers that all may be done that is necessary for the smooth running of the event.
Brother Jonas of Bataguassu is now on vacation and David, Daniel, and I are planning to cover the Sunday night services all month for him. It is a joy to serve the Lord in this manner. Following Wednesday night prayer meeting, Brother Marcelo requested permission to help cover a service. This was a proof of Christian growth on Marcelo's part. Surely as the brethren learn to look out for each other Christ's image is more manifest. Therein we rejoice.
In Alvares Machado, although there is not growth in numbers, we believe that the Word of God preached to the one family there is pleasing to the Lord. The family joins us in the services in Presidente Prudente Wednesday and Sunday nights. This last Friday night they hosted a service in their home. Seventeen were present.
I haven't mentioned, except to several pastors, our desire to exchange our VolksWagen van, affectionately known as a Kombi, for a newer model. After umpteen decades of no major changes, the Kombi, in the last decade, has undergone two well-received modifications. First was the streamlined body with sliding side door. Next was a water-cooled motor. This last modification means much greater comfort for the passengers. The older air-cooled motor prohibited normal conversation by its noisiness. Therein our desire to exchange the old for the new. Several churches have helped with special offerings to make up the difference of the trade-in value of our present Kombi (2003 Model) for a new one. Lord willing this week we will put in our order with hopes for it to be filled in sixty to seventy days.
It seems the hottest weather of our area of Brazil is over. No longer is it 90 degrees or above in my office. It has been 80 degrees lately and surprisingly even lower. As I write it is only 76 degrees. I hope you enjoy the warmer weather as it heads north of the equator.
May the Lord be pleased to continue being gracious to use each one of you to preach and to live Christ Jesus in your respective part of the globe even as we desire you to pray the same for us here.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
March 30, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in Our Lord by Whose grace we are transformed to be His treasures, then found, bought and kept.
The Lord never ceases to surprise us by His wondrous blessings and workings. At one time I felt that we would have to stop renting the house where we have lived the last four years and move to another house within the same city and preferably within the same neighborhood. Wherever it would be such a move would be a lot of work. The problem in our house is that for the last two years it would rain in. Peggy and the girls have become trained to have buckets and mops out constantly in rainy weather. They would never really rest well in rainy weather unless they had buckets and towels in place before resting. Their comfort was constantly held hostage. Therefore, if the landlady did not take drastic measures to fix the problem (new roof) we would have to move. Thank you praying with us for this. Drastic measures are taking place finally. Friday and Saturday, half the roof was made like new. We're looking forward, as God blesses, to have the other half replaced by Wednesday. I hope to get a picture up on my blog of the work in progress. Rejoice in the Lord with us. Now it does not look like we will be moving any time soon. This is a relief. In thirty years of marriage we have moved at least eight times. If we stay put for awhile I do not think anyone will complain.
Last Monday our pit-bull mix watchdog became intemperate again. The last two times my hands carried the brunt of the proof of how suddenly such a dog can change moods. I have learned to constantly carry dog treats to keep him good humored. However, David was the target this time, his right thumb in particular. If it were not for the wonderful deterrent factor such a dog gives to those evil-intentioned toward the useful possessions in the office, I would seriously consider not having him around. As it is, he gives peace of mind, humanly speaking. To most of us that is.
Talking about health, we all appreciate your kind consideration shown by writing and asking about Peggy's falling. She was reassured knowing you were praying for her and happily encouraged by each comment sent. She is much better now and back to spinning around the house again. The Lord has been merciful to all of us here. Changing the subject, but still about heath, Tuesday will mark one month since I began treating Mr. Parkinson to a new diet. This diet is filled with lots of good salad, vegetables, desserts, and all that's good, except red meat. For several years I have heard off and on of reports suggesting such a diet stalls, retards, or even reverses the manifest symptoms of my condition. I thought, "Why not try it? I have nothing to lose and have much to gain." After three months, preferably six months, a revaluation should be made. Yet, after just one month, I am cautiously thinking this diet is helpful. A report by a university in São Paulo is what led me to finally try it. If I forget later to mention how things are going, please remind me to say something about it again.
Our Baptist Conference on the Grace of God and the Church of God is starting to get confirmations. Brazilians are not known for their promptness. We set a deadline of May 1st for all enrollments to be confirmed. Many of my Brazilian friends tell me that May 15th will be when most will let us know for sure of their coming. Knowing this to be true, we do not cease to be surprised for several have already sent news of their coming. In any case, I'm planning to send a letter to those we have not heard from already reinforcing our desire to have them here and how nice it would be if they would let us know of their coming by the deadline. We continually seek your prayers for the five men who will be preaching and for there to be all those present who would benefit the most from their messages. The website ministry is steadily averaging over 1,100 pageloads a day. I believe that "Word of Mouth" is great advertising. I often have 5 to 10 email contacts daily from these visitors seeking further Bible studies or requesting information about churches in their area, etc. I am thankful for the large outreach and for the Lord giving me time to help those who contact us.
Talking about outreach, the radio ministry took a giant step forward this week. The radio station bought a new digital transmitter to the tune of about $60,000. The 8,500 watts purportedly boosts their signal in a 120 miles radius from Presidente Prudente. We are recording Wednesday night and Sunday night messages and putting these on the radio each Saturday from 10 to 11 o'clock. Let's continue to pray for God's precious fruit from the sowing of His incorruptible seed.We thank you for your faithful support and special offerings that enable us by God's grace to continue doing what we need to do even though the dollar is worth half as much as it was worth four short years ago.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
March 23, 2008
Dear Faithful Prayer Warriors,The Lord has blessed us with a busy and safe week. Thank You for praying for us! To get a good idea of the "busy", in our busy and safe week, you would need to accompany us to the church organization meeting in Ribeirão Claro, Paraná. Although we did not plan it nor clean up after it, the travel to and from Ribeirão Claro, Paraná was tiring to the body. But oh how refreshing it was to the soul! You CAN accompany us on this trip by looking up my blog to see some of the pictures of the event and to read a brief report of the organization of the new church by authority of the Good Hope Baptist Church in Ourinhos, São Paulo. See it all: www.palavraprudente.com.br/usablog
The new church in Ribeirão Claro is the daughter of the Lord's kind of church in Ourinho, which is the daughter of Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, which is the daughter of the Lord's kind of church in Ubirajara, which is the daughter of the church in Jabaquara, São Paulo which is the daughter of the Antioch Baptist Church in Greencastle, Indiana which is ..... Praise the Lord for missions! Thank the Lord for raising up missionaries and providing their needs to do this kind of work through the years! To get an idea of the 'safe,' in my description of our busy and safe week, please know that the Lord took Daniel and a Kombi full (Kombi is a VW van) of brethren from Presidente Prudente to the above meeting while Peggy and I went by Marília to pick up Pr Gilberto Stefano. There were eight hours of driving in my sixteen-hour work day that day. Daniel went a different and shorter route but it was six hours of work nonetheless. Thank You for your prayers the Lord used to keep us all safe and bring us home at His allotted time.
Another answer to your prayers for our safety was surely given Saturday. On her way back from the bread store, Peggy fell. She caught herself going down, but she still hit her head lightly on the asphalt. No bones were broken and she is much better this morning. She even accompanied us to this morning' s services. Thank You for your praying for our safety! She could have been hit by a vehicle while she was down, but the Lord was merciful to all of us in keeping her safe, even in this fall. May the Lord keep you as well as He has kept us, and supply for all your needs as you have supplied ours is our prayer unto the Lord for you.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
It did not take him long to declare
He would rather sleep with a lion,
Than to try to live without prayer." -- Uknown
March 16, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,Greetings in Our Lord with thanksgiving for His preserving grace. We are what we are verily by His grace. The Lord blessed us with a Ricoh color printer about seven months ago. It has been a real blessing as it prints both sides of the paper automatically thus saving us headaches and wasted time and material. Last month it began presenting less than clear copies so I called the Ricoh authorized service department here in town. They took the printer to their office and later sent it to São Paulo for the needed repair. As it turned out the problem was in the memory and motherboard. The factory only gave a six month guarantee. However, the people I bought it from guaranteed it for an added six months. Moral of the story: This week I was delivered a brand new machine to replace the defective one! Is not that grand?
In The Translation Ministry Joy and I finished reviewing the translation of another chapter of Bro. D. W. Huckabee's book, Studies in Strong Doctrine. This chapter considered Original Sin. As always we reviewers were greatly edified. As we have to read the original, consider what the author is saying and then judge if the translation expresses faithfully the intent of the author, the doctrinal material has to run through our minds several times. Therein we are edified. As soon as this chapter in Portuguese was finished we posted it to our website. The English version of these edifying Studies on our website at the following address: http://www.palavraprudente.com.br/english/dw_huckabee/strong_doctrine/index.html
Talking about the website, the Website Ministry broke the record of number of pageloads. We averaged 1,050 pageloads this week. It looks like the almost four hundred visitors that daily visit the website download almost three studies each. We thank the Lord for His blessings on this part of our ministry. I am convinced again and again that the Internet is the least expensive tool for getting Truth around the world. At least it has been so for us.
The Book Ministry is going forward as well. This week an area pastor accompanied his wife who was delivering some translations she had done for us. After the visit I let them take what they needed from the Book Room. They were very grateful for the material that I know will be used to shape their ministries. Thank You for your faithful support that makes these blessings a reality.
Charity and Joy worked on getting out 256 envelopes to pastors and church workers this week. Each envelope included a copy of the Portuguese edition of the Pioneer Baptist courtesy of Bro. David Zurhars, Jr. in Fortaleza and other material from our Printing Ministry. In the Printing Ministry David and Daniel are getting copies of the large print edition of The Trail of Blood bound and stored. Soon we will Lord willing start on re-printing Bro. Forrest Keener's volume one of Basic Bible Characters of the Old Testament. The original 500 copies were distributed long ago. We will be doing 1,000 copies this time around.
Daniel and David took care of the Radio Ministry this week. It was David's first time and Daniel's third time. The Lord blessed both of them with grace and liberty to preach the Gospel clearly. This week the Radio station will install their new transmitter boosting the outreach area to a radius of 120 miles. As I could not afford a trip to Porto Alegre this month I spent some good time on the phone with Bro. Edimilson there. We set up a time to call each other every week thus making it possible to counsel and encourage him as he leads the beginning work there in that city some 900 miles away. I sent them some books dealing with Pentecostalism this week as well.
The rainy season is upon us so the leaks are abundant in our house. Thankfully those responsible for the repair are taking steps to resolve this depressing problem. Thank You for praying especially for the women folk in this family as they have to take care of the clean-up all the time...
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
March 8, 2008
Dear Faithful Brethren,Greetings in our Lord with wonder that His marvelous grace has saved such as this missionary. Very seldom do I feel worthy to be in the Lord's service but ever thankful for His grace of putting within my heart the desire to preach His Word and establish His kind of churches. I appreciate all your sacrifices of prayers and offerings for surely His Word deserves all that we can give.
Thank you very much for your prayers for our health. We are all in good health again.
David and Daniel made a safe trip to São Paulo to renew their American passports at the Consulate. They traveled alone and enjoyed the adventure. The Lord brought them safely home. Thank you for your prayers. Brother Jonas in Bataguassu asked me to come see him on Tuesday because he was, and is, going through a very deep valley. The Lord gave wisdom to listen and share the Scriptures with him. He was very conscious of his short-comings and lack of theological preparation. He also feels that the lack of growth in the church is his fault. I shared with him lessons from the parables that the lack of the world's acceptance of the truth is because of their sinful nature in opposition to the perfect standard of truth the gospel maintains. He feels that his own personal shortcomings disqualify him from the ministry. However, as the Lord is pleased to use the foolish things of the world and the base things of the world to show forth His glory, that which Jonas feels should disqualify him actually are traits that promote humility and therefore are assets. By God's grace Jonas is looking to the Lord for strength.
He did ask if Daniel and David and I could cover for him during his month vacation in April. Daniel and David are happy to help him in this way. Brother Marcelo from Presidente Prudente wants to do what he can do to help, too. So he and his family will visit with him this Lord's Day evening.
I would be interested to receive your counsel about our need of housing. I believe that purchasing a home is a wise use of the Lord's money but both the down payment for financing or the purchase price in buying a house are impediments. Would any of you have counsel as to the best way in solving this problem?
The Printing Ministry sent out a record 99lbs. of material this week. The Website Ministry has averaged almost a thousand page loads per day this week generating at least seventeen requests for counsel and studies. Because of your special offerings I have ordered books for the Book Ministry. Thank you for your participation in these ministries through your prayers for us.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
March 2, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,We all thank you very much for your prayers! The Lord is using them to enable us to minister and to meet our needs as we minister.
We sent out the first completed copies of the Trail of Blood in Large Print this week. This part of the Printing Ministry is always a happy time. Nothing better than having our objectives reached. Thank you to the churches who sent in special offerings for this ministry.
Our landlady's sister came by yesterday to see for herself that the roof of our house was actually in need of repair. Peggy was even happy that there had been a rainstorm the night before so there were buckets catching drips proving we were not exaggerating the problem. We thank you who have carried this burden with us in prayer.
These last three weeks most of us have been sick. Peggy, then I, then Charity and now David have been on antibiotic or, as in David's case, bronchial dilators. So far neither Joy nor Daniel have not succumbed to anything yet. Thank you for praying for our health as most of us are back to full strength
We did not have any Bible Studies in the home of Marcos and Luciana this week because of schedule conflicts on their part. However, they joined us in an in-home service at Bro. Marcelo's dad's house. Not only was that family visiting but there were two other visiting families present as well! Marcelo was enabled to preach Christ plainly. Thank you for praying!
This week the preparations for the Conference in July took a giant step forward. After confirming the speakers and getting the invitations, registrations and speaker's schedule written, formatted, corrected, re-edited, re-formatted and finally printed, we got everything in the mail. I set the end of February as a dead-line to get this done. I feel so lost in all this work of planning the Conference as I have never done this before so I really appreciate the helpful suggestions given along the way as I cried for help. And I say thanks again to the many who gave special offerings for this project. You reap the benefits of the Conference along with us!
I began seminary-level classes with the brethren in Presidente Prudente yesterday. Although there were only two of the three students present, we had a good time learning about the attributes of God together. I would like to see fifty men in the class, but I can not complain for the two who were present. Who knows where the Lord will use these two who are preparing themselves in the Word?
On Friday, as David was sick, Daniel alone was able to record for the Saturday Radio Program. By God's grace he was enabled to be calm and expressive. The Gospel was clearly preached again by this servant. Perhaps soon both can take part in this ministry again. Let's pray to that end.
As you pray for these two, please seek God's traveling mercies upon them this Tuesday and Wednesday. They will Lord willing go to the American consulate in São Paulo to renew their passports. We thank you who have helped in special offerings for this need as well.
I will close for now giving Thanks unto God for you.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
February 24, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,
Greetings again because of God's grace! God is keeping us and using us to preach the Gospel. Is it because you prayed? We thank you very much for your co-laboring with us in prayer!
The visits that I asked you last week to pray about in Luciana and Marcos' home were blessed. Luciana seems to be assured of her salvation since the first visit week before last. Praise the Lord for giving her grace to rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. Marcos is less ignorant now of what it is to be a sinner also. He never did deny that he was a sinner. However, this last Friday, after a study on the nature of sin, he admitted he had not realized before that he was such a sinner. Then he sat through a clear presentation of Christ being the only sacrifice God accepts in the place of sinners. I also preached about his responsibility to repent of his sins and trust Christ by faith. I asked if anyone had further questions. None did. So to redeem the time, I asked them questions, such as: Does baptism help save us? Does obedience help maintain our salvation? I also asked them questions as to what is the purpose of baptism and the church. We studied together the Biblical responses to these questions and the Lord blessed with a very profitable time. Were these blessings because you prayed? This Lord's Day morning, Luciana and her three children were in services. I forgot to mention their children: Marcelo (11), Fabio (9) and Isabela (4). My son David accompanied me on this last Friday visit and played chess with the boys then colored pictures with Isabela. He was a big help. Will you keep praying for these visits?
Our Radio program still goes strong every Saturday. Yesterday's program featured preaching from Pastor Eduardo Cadete from Osasco and Bro. Jonas from Bataguassu. Both men had recorded messages when they were here last. My sons David and Daniel will, Lord willing, record messages this Friday for use on Saturday. Thank the Lord with me for all these brethren helping us use this channel of communication for the proclamation of Truth. An added blessing is that the Radio Station let me pay the next three months at one time with a $25 per month discount! Did the Lord use your prayers to give us this blessing?
In December I mentioned the problem we were having from the loud music played late into the night by the neighbor right across the street from us. Upon counsel from the police, I registered a complaint against her at the police station. Sixteen neighbors then signed this complaint in support. Thankfully since then the number of nights of perturbing music has decreased as has the volume. However, all is not orderly as common sense should dictate. Therefore, a couple of the neighbors who signed the complaint have been summoned to the police station. They went this past week and supported our complaint. Next step is for the police to contact the victimizing neighbor. We trust this will take care of the problem once-for-all.
The rains are upon us (yes, our house leaked again) and the HOT weather has broken. Blessings to write home about for sure! We are praying for those of you touched by the large snows and very cold weather there. The July Conference here is taking further shape. This week, Lord willing, we hope to send out the invitations and registration forms. I have separated forty pastors and church workers from around Brazil to invite to be with us. I hope they all can come. Pray with us that the Lord would bring those He would have hear the messages being prepared on the Grace of God and the Church of God.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
February 16, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren,
Greetings in our untiring eternal Savior. We often become burdened down with much responsibility which leads us then to forget our focus in all our responsibilities. Serving in love for the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is our focus. When we forget the focus we become not much more than the Pharisees of Christ's day. May loving obedience be ever our occupation.
The Lord is blessing our Website Ministry to average 1,000 downloads per day. We praise the Lord for His blessing the labor invested in maintaining almost 1,000 Bible studies from over 150 authors. Of course this generates correspondence seeking counsel and further studies. These contacts are avenues to advertise the material we print and the CD/DVDs we produce. I trust this effort spreads the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ around the world.
David (20) and Daniel (22) continue to labor in the Printing Ministry. They are still in the process of producing the large-print edition of The Trail of Blood in Portuguese. We still lack $800 to cover the cost of this project. We thank the Lord for the $1000 received in special offerings already. Our next project is a re-print of Bro. Forrest Keener's Principal Characters of the Old Testament. If someone would like to help towards the cost of this project ($1900), I believe the Lord would be pleased. Following Bro. Keener's work, I am hoping to be able to print my book on Soteriology. Most Tuesday evenings find me at Bro. Edson's home correcting its grammatical issues. Pray with us that the Lord would be glorified in it.
It has been my joy to present Christ repeatedly to Sr. Nelson, our next-door neighbor. He underwent surgery and is an avid listener to the work of Christ in the place of repentant sinners. Follow-up visits in his home have been blessed with the same attentiveness to the Word proclaimed. Please pray with us that the Lord would be glorified to call him unto Himself through the presentation of Christ through the Word. Thursday evening, in the company of Bro. Edson and Sis. Isabel, the Lord enabled me to present Christ clearly to their in-laws. Pray please that Marcos and Luciana "hear" the Word presented. I will return there this coming Tuesday, Lord willing.
Friday, Mrs. Gardner, Charity (26) and Joy (24) prepared our home to host an evening service of the church in Presidente Prudente. Although I was duly disappointed that Sr. Nelson, our next-door neighbor, and other neighbors invited did not come, the family from Alvares Machado did come as did Bro. Marcelo's family. Christ was exalted mightily in the Scriptures as there were several lost present, so pray with us for fruit to God's glory.
The family and I are brainstorming as we work to prepare the pamphlets for the preaching schedule for the upcoming July Conference on the Grace of God and the Church of God. We are also developing the registration forms which Lord willing will soon be sent out to over 50 preachers and church leaders in Brazil. As this is our first attempt at organizing a conference we appreciate your prayers for wisdom. Thank you very much to the many that have sent special offerings for this event.
Last Lord's Day night's trip to Bataguassu was a blessing. It had been several months since I had been there and it was good to find the brethren growing in the Lord.
Our Radio Program is going worldwide by way of the Internet. If you enjoy hearing preaching in Portuguese, listen to the various preachers each Saturday morning from 10 to 11 o'clock at this address: mms://72.233.35.141/difusoraprudente.Thank you again for your prayers that we stay focused in all our activities. We pray the same for you.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
February 10, 2008
Dear Faithful Prayer Warriors,
Greetings in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ through Whom we may ask all things according to His Father's will. In this manner we know we have the requests we make for they are according to His will. What blessings to participate in through prayer! What a blessed duty to pray seeking God's will to be done for one another! I am sure we will be aware of God's will being done among us if we spend time seeking it for one another.
The Lord blessed the funeral service for Jonas' mother, Sister Rita, last Lord's Day. Peggy, Charity and Joy accompanied me this trip. The Lord is giving the family grace. They thank you for the sentiments communicated and for the prayers in their behalf.
In fact, Jonas is with us here in Presidente Prudente since Friday by my invitation. On Friday afternoon he recorded three messages for later use on the Radio Program. Then, Saturday morning he preached three other messages on the Radio. He stayed here to preach this morning for the brethren in Presidente Prudente. It is a joy to have him among us although he is feeling rather melancholy yet.
For those who desire to do so, the Radio program is now on the Internet. The plug-in is: mms://72.233.35.141/difusoraprudente. Listen in from 10-11 o'clock on Saturday mornings if you enjoy and understand Portuguese. By the way, our time zone (GMT -03:00) is three hours ahead of whatever time it is in New York.
Now that the school holidays are over we restarted our schedule for Seminary-level classes. Yesterday we were in Jaciporã with brethren from Presidente Prudente, Bataguassu and of course, Jaciporã. We studied lessons 37 and 38 of the 56-lesson course. Our subject matter was Soteriology, and we dealt with Election and The Means God Uses to Call Sinners unto Salvation. It is a blessing to see these brethren rejoice in the truths of God's grace. Later this month I will meet with the other three brethren in Presidente Prudente who will be studying lessons 15-16, The Attributes of the Will of God.
This week I was extra busy with a lot of important correspondence. The Lord blessed in that I was enabled to get the preaching schedule for the July Conference on the Grace of God and the Church of God to the speakers. Lord willing we will have five messages on Grace and five messages on the Church. Our speakers are Bro. Laurence A. Justice, Bro. David A. Zuhars, Jr., Bro. John Hawkins, Jr., Pastor Eduardo A Cadete and Pastor Gilberto Stefano. Joy is working with me to get the registration forms and promotional material written. We hope to get this into the mail this month. Please pray with us that this would all be done in God's time. I again seriously corresponded with a dear Baptist pastor from Angola this week. However, it seems the closer he comes to Fundamental Baptist doctrine, the less he wants to identify with it. In any case, New Testament doctrine has been taught. We pray the Lord would be glorified through this truth.
I again corresponded with a dear brother in Portugal this week. The Lord has brought changes in his life that have brought him to the end of himself. He confesses that his earlier "faith" in Christ was subject to his point of view of the way things should be. He believes that he was wrong in this belief and has now come to know Christ personally. He appreciates your prayers for his Christian walk.
My correspondence with Porto Alegre was because Bro. Edimilson asked for instructions in the practical area of accepting brethren into membership. The time taken to give him instruction in this important area, with the Lord's blessing, will be redeemed as he practices these truths and as he teaches these truths to other men. Please pray that the Truth communicated through correspondence this week will be edifying to the brethren and glorifying to the Lord.
Besides Correspondence, teaching Seminary-level classes, planning for the July Conference, and taking care of the Radio Program, the other ministries continue on by God's grace through the help of the family. Thank you for the special offerings for the Printing and Book/Literature/CD/DVD Ministries. Things are going full throttle thanks to you and my dear family.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
February 2, 2008
Dear Faithful Brethren,
Greetings in our Lord whose name is ever worthy to proclaim!
The Prudent Word Hour which airs on the radio every Saturday from 10-11 AM is getting quite a repertoire of speakers. Bro. Jonas from Bataguassu was the first to join with me in making a program, then Pr. Cadete from Osasco took part. Last week, from Presidente Prudente, was Bro. Marcelo's first time and today, Daniel (22) debuted. We still don't know how many people listen to the program, of course, but it is a joy to preach Christ and Him crucified. Thank you for your love offerings and prayers that keep this program on the air.
This July we are hosting a Grace and Church Conference here in Presidente Prudente. Many of you have responded to the plea Bro. Laurence Justice has made for special offerings to make this a reality. We thank you all for your generosity towards this project. Thankfully, the Lord blessed us to find one place where we can room and board the guests as well as assemble for the three-day meeting. We signed the contract last week and the first installment was paid this week. I am hoping to get the invitations out soon. By God's grace we'll have about a hundred brethren from all over Brazil listening and taking part in five messages on the Grace of God and five messages on the Church of God. Please pray that I would be guided to make the printed material we need and get things rolling well for the conference.
Last Lord's day, David (20), Joy (24) and I went to Três Lagoas for services. It was a blessing to see the brethren, preach God's Word and say farewell to some brethren moving away. The only thing that was really different was that I was not supposed to be there then. Ever go some place and realize that no one was expecting you then? That was the way it was. I was supposed to be there the next Wednesday! However, everything worked out right.
The Lord is blessing supporting churches to help us financially in even a greater way. One church doubled their monthly support and another church also increased their monthly support. Several churches have responded with special offerings to help the Printing Ministry, travel needs to Portugal and Porto Alegre. Thank you all very much. I am sorry that it takes so much extra money these days because of the low dollar value but the Lord is overall and His promises are still firm that He will supply for His work His way through His churches. We sincerely thank you as we pray the Lord would continue to provide your needs even as you are generous towards us.
Sister Rita, Bro. Jonas's mother, is still growing weaker. She appreciates your prayers as do all her family. The Lord has blessed in opening a way for me to be able to preach Christ to my neighbor. Nelson had to have surgery and the Lord blessed and I was able to visit him before and after the surgery. He was ready to listen to the Gospel and the Lord gave grace for me to preach it. I hope to continue contact with him even now that he is home. As you remember, please pray that I could be a good witness to him.
The part of the year where crime and homicides go up one hundred per cent, AIDS flourishes, highway deaths increase and nudity reigns has arrived. They call it Carnival, here. In Louisiana they call it Mardi Gras. But by whatever name it is ungodly. May God give us grace to be Lights in this dark world. After taking January off from Seminary and our regular visits to the churches, we begin again this week to our regular schedule. We thank you for your prayers for safety on the highways and wisdom in the pulpits.
Yours in Our Lord,Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
February 3, 2008
Dear Brethren,
This morning at four o'clock we received word that Jonas' mother, Sister Rita, departed unto eternity. Burial will be this afternoon at four or five o'clock. Daniel and David are covering for Bro. Jonas in Bataguassu so he can stay in Jaciporã with his family. Peggy, Charity, Joy and I will travel to Jaciporã this afternoon to be at the funeral. All appreciate your prayers.
Dear Sister Rita is well reported of for good works; she has lodged strangers, she has washed the saints' feet, she has diligently followed every good work since her conversion about six years ago.
In Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin Gardner
January 26, 2008
Dear Praying Brethren ,
Greetings in our eternal Lord of eternal Truth. May the Lord guide us all to not only know in our hearts this Truth but maintain ourselves as faithful ambassadors of that Truth. This last week I have fielded questions and correspondence from two groups of families in two distinct places: Angola and Maringá. Angola, of course, is a country settled by the Portuguese positioned a little below the equator in the African Continent. Maringá is a city in Brazil just 2 ½ hours south of where we live which is a little below the Tropic of Capricorn. (That will get you looking at your maps, won't it?) Both groups feel that the fundamental Baptist as identified by the numerous studies on our website are what true Baptists should be. Both groups feel the assemblies in which they are members are no longer following New Testament doctrine and practice. Therefore their request for help and orientation.
As I dealt with both groups through email sending studies to answer questions, they may be coming to the conclusion that the position we hold as precious may not be what they thought fundamental Baptists were after all. In any case, truth has been declared with great detail. Our prayer is that, if we have been teaching them truth, the Holy Spirit will convince them of His truth and give spiritual zeal and courage to follow that truth. This will mean right baptism for all involved and the organization of a type of Baptist heretofore unknown in Angola. Following truth in Mariná will mean, besides right baptism, the inability of a well-cultured, educated leader to be the pastor. Seek with us that God's work be done.
In the Printing Ministry, David has been busy collating the Trail of Blood. He has also been printing and collating another booklet on right Christian music in the church. The funds for printing are being well invested in these books. However, the printing fund is depleted. There are more projects in line to do. Please pray for the Lord's direction in His supplying for these to be accomplished. Again, I bring to remembrance the now well-known phrase: Missions is always at the cross-roads.
Friday of last week, about an hour before the Friday night service in a home was to begin, Brother Marcelo was involved in a motorcycle accident. His life was not in danger, but the survival of a portion of his finger was in doubt. By God's grace the doctors have given wisdom and his finger seems to be mending. Rejoice in the Lord with us. His incapacity to withstand a full-day's work resulted in his participation in the Radio Ministry. This is quite a blessing. I didn't mention it last week but Pastor Eduardo Cadete also participated in recording sermons to be used on the Radio. Daniel and David are being prepared to participate in the near future. Thank the Lord with us for these ready workers.
Tomorrow afternoon I will be traveling to Tres Lagoas to preach in the services there. It will be a farewell service for one, and a welcoming service for another. Tres Lagoas, because of Brother Eliseu's work schedule impeding weekly visitation, has the least growth of all the works. They are encouraged by the recent conversion of Eliseu's oldest son and the receiving of a new brother recently moved from Pereira Barreto. On my way to Tres Lagoas I will stop to visit Sister Rita in Jaciporã. Thank you for praying for her. She is at home now but bedridden and growing weaker every day. The family appreciates your prayers for her. She has been a testimony of dying grace.
As I marked another year's passage in time this week, I was often refreshed by your cards, letters, and best wishes. Thank you very much for them all. As God gives grace I desire to redeem the time of past years wasted in sin and number the days that come from the Lord one at a time for His glory. Thank you again for your prayers, support, and special offerings.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner
January 13, 2008
Dear Faithful Praying Brethren,
Greetings with thankfulness unto God for your well doing. You brought us forward on our journey after a godly sort (III John 1.5).
The Lord has blessed us with special offerings again and we are very thankful for them. Another church also doubled their monthly support for us. Praise be to the Lord for such generous participation in our new reality. As the dollar has fallen about 40% in the last four years, and as prices have risen, we face this new reality: we need twice as much support as we had four years ago to just stay in the same place. Yet the work and opportunities have increased. As we spend and are spent, we thank the Lord for His faithful supply, even as we seek Him to continually supply the extra through His people in His churches. If you would like a list of needs that are facing us, please let us or Pastor Koenig know.
As you pray, please remember Sister Rita from Jaciporã. Sister Rita, Bro. Jonas's mother, is suffering a reoccurrence of cancer after seven years of health. She is in the hospital depending on morphine to keep the pain bearable. She desires to return to her home and family, yet at the same time, she is looking for a better home prepared in heaven for her by her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Joy helped me in the Translation Ministry this week again. We reviewed more of chapter four -- Original Sin - of Bro. Davis Huckabee's book Studies in Strong Doctrine. We also went over to Bro. Edson's house Tuesday evening and reviewed the grammar on eight more pages of my study on Soteriology. We hope to print this book later this year. Also this week Pr Josué's wife, Eunice, delivered the translation of the first chapter of Bro. Thomas Williamson's book Waldenses were Independent Baptists. Since there is a dearth of Baptist History books available in Portuguese, I hope this book will help out the situation.
Pastor Eduardo Cadete is in the area enjoying his vacation with in-laws. He surprised us with a visit in the church on Wednesday. I invited him to preach on the radio Saturday and he was very glad to do so. He preached on the Dangers of Not Having the Love of God from John 5:42 and he preached on the Iniquity of Sodom from Ezekiel 16:49. The Lord was faithfully exalted.
If the Lord is willing and continues to direct my steps in this direction, I will fly this coming weekend to Porto Alegre. Pastor Eduardo Cadete may come with me to minister to the three families who are seeking guidance to obey the Lord in a church capacity. I must go as planting churches is my calling. I must go because planting churches is the Lord's command. As I go I must look to Him for His supply through you as this is His method. Half of the costs are in hand already thanks to special offerings from many of you. Please pray that He will supply the remaining half as He has promised.
Now that almost everyone in Brazil is back to work our website is again averaging almost 800 page loads a day. As the Bible Studies are found and used, more are becoming firm believers in Sovereign Grace and in the doctrines of the Church. These are two areas the website is an exception from most other Brazilian Baptist websites. I think that Bro. David Zuhar's website and mine are exceptional in this respect.
In the past and increasingly more often I am receiving requests for seminary-level studies from the men who find the website. These men feel unprepared for the ministry yet they are doing what they can to study on their own to be approved workmen unto God. Since I have prepared almost three semesters of material for the brethren in Dracena, Bataguassu and Presidente Prudente, I am considering setting up a type of Online Seminary with enrollment, homework, lessons and certificate. I do not feel qualified in all of this but we must do what we can. Please pray for the Lord's guidance for us to dispatch this opportunity for His glory. I will be integrating the studies of other Fundamental Baptists into this work as well.
My son Daniel helped me get my personal website online this week. Look up www.CalvinGardner.com for personal news and pictures of the work and family. Remember the two-thousand piece puzzle I mentioned recently? A picture of the finished project is on the blog of that website.
May the Lord's grace be continually sufficient to encourage all of us to redeem the time with which He has blessed us.
Yours in Our Lord,
Bro. Calvin G. Gardner