Rhodes College -
B.A.
Columbia Theological Seminary - M-Div.
Washington College Academy - D.D.
Hampden-Sydney College - L.D.H.
Born: 5/14/53
Married to Mickie Yamamori Mathes, Ph. D.
2 sons: Benjamin is now 26, an actor, who lives in Irvine, Ca. He is
currently enrolled in UC Irvine in a Masters Degree program in
theater. Lt. Adam Mathes,USMC, 25, is stationed at Camp Pendleton,
CA and has returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Ben is the President of Rivers of the World, an international
exploration and development agency that targets remote river basins. He
is an ordained Presbyterian minister.
Since 1978, Ben has traveled the world in behalf of international health
development, explorations and Christian missions. He has worked extensively in The Congo,
Kenya, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea,
Taiwan, El Salvador, Brasil, Belize, Ecuador, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
He serves in a different country almost each month! ROW has
recently completed new ships in Congo and Brasil. The ships serve
150,000 in the Lusambo Health Zone of Congo and an average of 27 villages
a year on the Amazon River. Staff members Congo Staff Omba, Akula, and Shamba, are responsible for a program that has treated
over 1 million cases of river blindness and immunized over 500,000
children against polio - and every one treated by ROW staff hears
the Gospel!
In addition to serving in Congo and Brazil, ROW actively ministers
in Kenya, Vietnam, Belize, Honduras, Peru, and Bolivia. Ben is a
regular on K-LOVE Christian Radio, reaching over 3 million
listeners with a twice daily feature about his mission adventures.
His TV Debut on "E-Explorer" will take place in October,
2006. His the author of a series of audio books, DVD's and paper
back books under the title "Lessons From The Forests."
Ben was recently honored by Rotary International with an Honorary
Membership in appreciation for his his work fighting polio and river
blindness. An avid sportsman, he hunts and fishes around the
world. He enjoys tennis, running, music, and is an often published
photographer.
Ben
received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.D.H.) From Hampden-
Sydney College in May of 1999, and an Honorary Paul Harris Award from
Rotary International during the same month.
Ben's wife Mickie is from Nagoya, Japan. She holds a Ph.D. from the
University of Georgia in Special Education. She is actively involved in
tennis at all levels, is a harpist, a water color artist, and a
professor at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia.
The Mathes' have one dog, Winston, who travels with Ben.
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