Pray for us: Exciting Updates!

Thank you for your continued interest in the work in Uruguay. God is answering your prayers:

• We now have a target departure date: June 11, 2013. (You can read details in our Winter 2013 Ministry Report.)
• Our current support level is just under 85% – We continue to be encouraged!
• Plans continue for a start date of March 2014 for FEBU (Facultad de Estudios Biblicos del Uruguay: College of Biblical Studies of Uruguay).

During the past three months we visited churches in SC, NC, IL, and OH.

 

The TN mountains were especially beautiful with fog and frost!

 

In family news:

• JM is finishing another course in the D.Min. program.
• Elizabeth is on target to finish first grade by the end of this month so she can begin second grade in March and be in sync with the school year in Uruguay.
• She turned 7 at the end of January, and DJM turned 2 in late October. If anyone knows how to keep them from growing so fast, we would like to hear from you!

 

We would appreciate your prayers during these next several months:

• February 13: JM’s public ordination questioning
• February 24: Our commissioning service, along with friends, the Crockers, who hope to begin gospel work in Mexico City this year
• March through May: Safety in travel and God’s gracious work in churches we visit here in the US
• June 11: Travel from Miami to Montevideo, Uruguay!

(You can read the entire report on our ministry blog.)

¡Primos!

All the Garwood Cousins together again!

Random Moments Are Often Hardest

Following loss, random moments are often hardest.

 

He would have been graduating from high school this spring, but random moments on random days may be harder than graduation day will be...

• Going to soccer games and remembering how much Jona loved the sport and how he excelled...
• Seeing some of Jona’s best friends across the campus or across the room... Watching them become men...
• Watching my own son grow, remembering some of the same milestones in Jona’s life...
• Remembering the special bond between Jona and “DJ” (as he called him). I’m so thankful that our Little Man still gets excited about photos and video clips of his oldest cousin; he was only almost six-months-old the night of Jona’s home-going...

 Thanks, Sarah Joy, for capturing this moment on Nov. 30!

• Waving good-bye to Esther and Esteban and Marcos as they back out of our driveway and start down the street, remembering the many times we waved good-bye when Jona was at the wheel...
• Using a recipe Jona liked...

The last time Jona ate supper at our house, I served Greens & Rice Casserole. He was so sweet as he expressed his appreciation for the meal; I treasure the memories of the time spent together as extended family that evening. And even though that casserole was a dish we also liked, I hadn’t been able to make it since that evening almost two years ago...

 

At the very last minute before leaving on our latest trip, however, I’d thrown a pound of organic baby spinach into a zipper-bag and into the freezer. Upon returning home, I wondered how I’d cook it so my little people would eat it; I really didn’t want to waste it. Finally, after cooking the greens, I made myself pull out the recipe for that casserole...

 

And then... So many precious memories came flooding back with the memories of that last meal Jona ate with us at our house. And with the memories came the tears – and the renewed realization that it really is the random moments that are often the hardest and that catch us off-guard...

 

As you pray for loved ones now going through hardships, remember that our loving Shepherd sees moments only He can see – and He knows best how to comfort, strengthen, and give desperately-needed grace...

Thoughts on “evangelical obedience”

During last night’s prayer meeting, we meditated on Psalm 119:4.

 

You have ordained Your precepts,

That we should keep them diligently.

We examined thoughts from Bridges’ commentary on the psalm. He highlights “evangelical obedience” – and the born-again believer’s motivation for obeying God’s laws.

 

We concluded with the question: What is “evangelical” (i.e. gospel) obedience?

• It is obedience that springs gladly from my grateful love for my Savior’s love. (cf. John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; I John 5:3; II John 6; Romans 12:1-2)

• It is obedience that transforms all the business of my day into my Master’s business.

A mother’s day is filled with the care of little people: wiping noses, changing diapers, doing laundry, sweeping up crumbs, again and again… Gospel-inspired obedience means that all (even the most ordinary, routine, menial tasks) will be done as if done unto Christ!

 

At the beginning of a new year, I plead for the grace my Savior stands ever-ready to give – and take heart from these encouraging, motivating thoughts!

Weeping... (and Hope!)

Twenty months have passed since the night of April 20, 2011. Together with Esther and Esteban and Marcos, we face our first Christmas in SC without Jona. The rest of our extended family faces the Christmas Season in Uruguay. At this time last year, we were all together in Uruguay.

But we are very aware that even as we sorrow (but not without hope), many families in the northeast of our country are facing grief beyond words this Christmas...

Others echo my thoughts better than I could ever pen them right now...

“As we yearn for the Day of the Lord, we grieve with those who grieve. We sit with them and pray for them and acknowledge that their loss is truly unspeakable and that their tears are unspeakably true. We pray and look for openings for grace and the hope of the gospel. We do our best to speak words of truth, love, grace, and comfort.”

“The darkness of Christmas, whether the first one or the one this [year], serves as a reminder of why Jesus had to come . . . and why He will come again...”

“This life, with all its joys and blessings, is part of a long story that is – in a very real sense – a story of human pain and sorrow. We long for babies that never come. Children come but die in the womb before we get to meet them. Parents bury children they never planned to bury; and children bury parents with words left unsaid . . . and memories of words that should have never been said. We walk through the children’s cancer ward, where bright colors and happy toys fail to hide the stinging knowledge that here are little people who are very sick. Our hearts – and sometimes our voices – scream to the unanswering sky . . . “Why? Is this what it is to be human? Where is God in all of this?” And in our most honest moments, we admit that we’re tempted to question how there could even be a God who allows such suffering. These questions are not new. And though we will never understand all of the answers in this life, God has told us a lot about why we suffer . . . and about how the long story will finally end.” [Read the whole story: God’s Story – and Yours!]

from Psalm 73

You hold me by my right hand.

You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...

 

It is good for me to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,

That I may declare all Your works.

~ from Psalm 73

Do pray specifically!

On November 2 we posted our latest ministry report in which JM commemorates several significant anniversary milestones. We appreciate your reading and praying specifically for our current North American ministry and for what God is doing in Uruguay.

 

Recent travels took us to PA and VA. We’re thankful for educational extras we experienced in the DC area:

 

Pray for our nation!

 

JM used airline miles to fly to UT, where he participated in Kaysville Bible Church’s 40th anniversary celebration, taught a Sunday school class in Liberty, and met with friends in the Salt Lake Valley.
 

 

Do pray specifically for us! We do not take your prayers for granted. We are in constant need of them. Without God’s grace we cannot for one day – let alone 40 years – be faithful in our service to Christ.