October 2019 Report

Greetings from Montevideo, Uruguay!

The quarter-year since our last report was in some ways routine: Weeks passed in a pattern of preparing and teaching college and institute classes, facilitating video courses for the institute, teaching in DJ’s school, taking E and DJ to their respective places of study, teaching and preaching in Pando on the weekends. But in other ways these months have not been “normal”: For just over three months we housed a former student; and in these last days of October we enjoyed a visit from JM’s sister Shannah (from SC) and a group of workers from Hamilton Acres Baptist Church (in AK). This team worked and slept at Camp Emmanuel, sixty kilometers to the east, contributing to the annual work event at the camp. They also spent several days with us here in the capital, where they participated in a FEBU class, toured some of Montevideo, and helped us with yard and painting projects.

In late August Matías and Bethany Acevedo and their three children relocated from upstate New York to Uruguay. Matías is Uruguayan, the brother of a friend and former student. (In 2018 he helped us during part of our four-month absence from Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha in Pando.) They are renting a house in the community of Totoral del Sauce, approximately fifteen minutes from Pando, where they plan to contribute to the ministry of our church. Please pray for the Lord’s leading for them and for the church and for an effective ministry among us. Daniel and Viviana continue to faithfully work alongside us, and we appreciate Jorge and Blanca’s help as well.

In September we were given opportunities for teaching and preaching in a one-day family conference in the city of Fray Bentos, on Uruguay’s west side, and at anniversary services in Iglesia Evangélica Siloé in the northern Montevideo neighborhood of Colón. The church in Fray Bentos is currently pastored by 2017-graduate Gabriel (married to Valeria). Another graduate from the same year, Exequiel (married to Vanesa), is assisting our friends Matías and Kristine Espinel in the church in Colón. Pray for these families and their ministries in each place.

Please pray also for a brief trip in November to the city of Paso de los Toros, in the heart of Uruguay, where pastor José Kowalcuk from the nearby city of Durazno is regularly engaged in evangelism. We will not be able to participate that weekend, but several Bible-institute students plan to accompany mission evangelist Juan González and take part in focused effort there.

By mid-December JM hopes to submit a prospectus to BJU Seminary, which (if approved) will form the first chapter of a research project focused on expository preaching and designed to strengthen Bible-college and institute classes and ultimately local churches here in Uruguay.

Uruguay held general elections on the last Sunday of October and will hold runoff elections on the last Sunday of November. Judging from the past ten to fifteen years, the results of elections will significantly impact the next five years and beyond. Please pray for God’s mercy on this country.

July 2019 Report

¡Saludos desde Montevideo, Uruguay!

Campamento Emanuel. Thank you for praying for the Winter Retreat at Camp Emmanuel. Approximately thirty-six teens came for three days, mostly from the Montevideo and Pando areas but several from interior Uruguay. The weather was chilly: Cold rain (and even some sleet) fell the first evening, and temps during the days hovered in the 40’s F, with usual high humidity. Please pray for the Spirit’s continued work in the hearts of those who heard the Word. Nico taught from the life of Joseph, highlighting God’s providential control of circumstances on behalf of His children. Robert and JM spoke on the effects of music, a general theme introduced this month with more extensive treatment planned for the Jan-Feb 2020 camps. Three teens attended from our church in Pando.

Training programs. In addition to the four Bible-institute locations in the interior (Rivera, Tacuarembó, Pando, and Treinta y Tres), churches in two other locations (Vergara and Durazno) have expressed interest in starting local classes as soon as possible. Please pray for the Lord’s clear direction in these two places—especially in Durazno as there appears to be potential for the development of future church leadership there. The second semester of classes begins on August 5 and runs through the end of November. In Montevideo JM will be teaching Bible-institute and FEBU classes, including Hermeneutics, General Epistles, and Church Music.

In another context, JM has the opportunity to participate, as a group of pastors evaluate and revise their joint doctrinal statement. Please pray for the Lord’s guidance of all those involved.

CCB Cristo Viene. This is DJ’s elementary school outside of Las Piedras, just north of Montevideo. The early-morning commute is long, but the combined benefits that address DJ’s needs and offer many ministry opportunities cause us to be thankful for this situation. Both of us have been able to clearly share the gospel with significant groups of students and their family members: D to the mothers and students, and JM to groups of grandparents, parents, and students. D has also been given the opportunity to teach elementary English two mornings a week. Apart from the impact on the students, her teaching is facilitating DJ’s attendance there. Much closer to home, E continues to do well in a local public middle school just two blocks from our house.

Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha in Pando. Please continue to pray for the Lord’s provision for this church. JM recently returned to a study in 1 Peter, and Jorge has taken several weeks of Sunday school to instruct about evangelism. Pat Garwood arrived in Uruguay on June 18 and is thankful to have seen many people from the church here (and elsewhere) where she and Don served for so many years. Please pray for her continued healing from a fall that she took on her second day here, a providential turn of events that significantly altered the nature of her trip.

The Lord’s dealings with us, in fact, over the last several months have been reminders of His providential control of everything. We do not always see His hand, but we are assured that He is guiding all. We do not ever need to say, “God must have some purpose for this,” because He has already revealed that at least one of His purposes is always our transformation into Christ-likeness (Romans 8). We are more fully convinced than ever of His keeping of His own and of the ultimately irresistible grace of God. Without sharing details, we want you to rejoice with us that God is keeping our current and former students. Though some have stumbled, most—and we hope all—are enduring. And we are watching God graciously rescue and restore in His own time and way. Our hearts are full! This month we are also celebrating His blessing and keeping us for 20 years of marriage. We are thankful! Please pray that we will be faithful with whatever more time the Lord may give us.

April 2019 Report

In a recent newsletter our mission director observed that the EMU mission house in Montevideo shares the same latitude—in the other hemisphere—as Greenville-Spartanburg, SC. This means that our summer camps take place in January and February. Summer plans this year had included JM’s participation in staff training at Campamento Emanuel and a week of teen/young-adult camp, plans that were adjusted on Thursday during staff training when Dad Garwood’s health rapidly destabilized. Early Friday morning, January 11, we received the message that “Don went Home . . . very peacefully.” Though we had planned to see him once more, the timing of his Home-going was determined perfectly by the Lord whom he had served for over forty years as missionary to Uruguay. The summer break allowed our and Daniel’s (Deborah’s brother’s) families to be together with US and Canadian family for the memorial service in Jacksonville, FL, and interment in Greenville, SC.

The grandchildren sang a favorite hymn in both English and Spanish.

Since 2012 JM has taken an average of one class per year toward the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree from Bob Jones University Seminary (though changes in the program now require more accelerated completion). In December he finished an independent study course (in Montevideo) and in February took his last class (during our trip to SC). The DMin is usually done in conjunction with current ministry, and the Seminary in recent years has refined the focus of the program toward expository preaching. During the next several months JM will seek approval for a research project that maintains this focus and directly serves the training programs in Uruguay.

We returned to Uruguay on March 6 in time for the beginning of the FEBU, Bible-institute, middle-school, and elementary school year on March 11. FEBU had organized its first student-teacher retreat during the first week of the semester, a productive time likely to be repeated annually. Though only able to attend the final morning, we are thankful for this opportunity for the teachers and approximately 18 students (9 full-time) attending this year.

Bible-institute classes take place Monday through Wednesday evenings, this semester including Systematic Theology and a course on the pastor’s life (both taught by local pastors), two video courses (Bible Geography and Pastoral Epistles), and Apologetics. The latter, with 11 enrolled, is larger than most due to several FEBU students who join us. Not counting those, 8 students in Montevideo and 19 more in the interior locations are studying in the Bible-institute programs. In March we participated in the graduation of Nanciley, a former Mormon who completed the four-year video program in Treinta y Tres. Her husband and son are 2 of the 7 studying there.

Overall the semester is off to a good start, and we’re very thankful for your prayers. Elizabeth and DJ are adjusting well to their new school situations. E actively looks for opportunities to befriend and share the gospel. One of her friends in the local public middle school is one of many Venezuelan immigrants now in Uruguay.

In Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha we are currently taking time to help our people know how to talk to members of some of the more prominent sects and cults. We received encouraging reports about the work Agustina, Gonzalo, and Sebastián did this past summer as staff help at Campamento Emanuel. Please pray for their growth and that of other teens and young adults in the church: Sofía, Lucía, Florencia, Tabaré, Stefi, Selena, and Elizabeth. In June Bible-institute students plan to help us with an evangelistic outreach to the neighborhood around the church.

With Dad Garwood’s Home-going in recent months we are aware of the brevity of life and the need for laborers. In addition to the work in Pando, two other churches he helped to start continue in San Fernando and Minas. These and others are in need of laborers. We trust the Lord of the Harvest to accomplish His work—sometimes in ways we don’t understand—but we also know that our Lord instructed us to pray for laborers. Thank you for your part both here in Uruguay and there where He has placed you. Please also be willing to be moved!

January 2019 Report

Facultad de Estudios Bíblicos del Uruguay (College of Biblical Studies of Uruguay). In November the FEBU Pastors’ Program and the UCB Camp in Paysandú hosted the first of two Systematic Theology classes. Several undergraduate students worked at camp during the week while another served in Chile. FEBU desires to provide abundant practical ministry experience, locally and beyond Uruguay. Please pray for those directly responsible for this Ministerio Práctico, especially now in preparation for the 2019 school year (beginning March 11).

The Instituto Bíblico F.V. Dabold is a three-year cycle of live classes (in Montevideo) and a four-year video-based program (in several churches in the interior). Our desire is to take full advantage of the particular strengths and reach of these structures to train and encourage Uruguayan church members, pastors, and potential pastors both in the capital and throughout Uruguay. Recently the Uruguayan leadership asked JM to direct the Bible Institute.

Campamento Emanuel. Between January 10 and 12 JM will teach counseling to summer staff in preparation for the camp season; he will work as counselor during the teen/young adult camp (Jan 21-26). Other camps include children’s (Jan 14-19), younger teens (Jan 28-Feb 2), EMU workers’ (Feb 25-28), and family camps (Mar 4-9).

Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha. In November Gonzalo’s and Sebastián’s grandmother passed away during a lung surgery. Ana had spent most of the year in fragile health, awaiting a heart-valve replacement and dealing with other physical issues both before and after that surgery. Earlier this year she professed faith in Christ in direct response to the twins’ testimony. Their extended family has been exposed to the ministry of the gospel for years, especially during the time the Garwoods worked in Pando; however, most of them are not Christians. The family reported a significant change in Ana’s attitude and outlook following her conversion, and the grandsons have given public testimony about the Lord’s work through this situation. We believe that God has been glorified, that the church has grown in unity, and that there is opportunity for future gospel influence in this family.

Both Gonzalo and Sebastián plan to serve at camp in January, along with another young lady from the church. Please pray that this experience will be one of growth for all three. By March as many as four of the teen and college-age group plan to be studying in the national university, some of them also considering Bible-institute classes. May the Lord continue leading and maturing these youth, part of the apparent future of this church.

In March, Elizabeth will begin the first year of liceo (seventh grade) in a neighborhood public school. Daniel James will begin second grade in a small community north of Montevideo, in a Christian elementary school where one of our students teaches. Déborah also expects opportunities for involvement. E and DJ have proven to be capable students (in both languages), but the new school year with multiple schedules will require a number of adjustments for our family. DJ turned 8 this past October, and E turns 13 this month. Thank you for praying for the Lord’s ongoing work in their (and our) hearts. Schooling affords ample opportunity to share the gospel.

During the Christmas holidays we enjoyed a visit from Déborah’s sister, Esther, and her family. Esteban, Esther’s husband, is a graduate of EMU’s Bible Institute and now pastors a bilingual church in SC.

JM’s father had heart difficulties in 2018, but otherwise he and Mom Steel are well; they are active in their church in SC. Don Garwood (D’s father) struggles with heart and lung issues. He and Pat are fondly remembered here and have frequent contact with many via internet media. Pat continues to teach Spanish in their church’s school.

Abu (“Gramma”) Julia, the retired housekeeper for the mission home and office, turns 93 in February. She lives with us, receiving regular help from several in her church. The Lord has not yet finished His work in her!