The Garwood Family Blog

Back to the Blog just in time for Christmas

2010-12-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time but I am back to the Blog if for no other reason than to instill discipline in myself.

I have always wanted to write more but I never make the time. '

Let's change that.

More Christmas Home!

2008-12-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time at the Garwoods

2008-12-14T00:46:00.001-08:00

What I did not expect

2008-09-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Two Weeks:

God is so good and we are so thankful for our little Hunter. He has been home for two weeks and it has been a blast. We have had so much fun with him and the girls are really enjoying him. Abby thinks she is the mama and wants to do everything for him; change his diaper, dress him, etc. Fiona had a harder time at first but this morning when he got up she wanted to talk to him and play with him.

Expectations:

I expected the diapers and I expected people to stare and ask odd questions.

Something I didn’t expect: people touching him and how enamored they would be with him. It is really quiet strange. Strangers touch him. They don't ask, they just touch.....bizarre. Nothing like this happened with the girls.

Saturday at the YMCA waiting to sign the kids up for swim lessons, the guy next to me pulled out his keys to entertain Hunter. No problem. But then he reached over to take him. He didn't ask or say anything. I held Hunter and said, “No.” The man was shocked and asked, “Why?” I wanted to say, “Because you are a stranger and I don't know you.” but instead I was sweet and explained that he had only been home a week or so and only mama and daddy are holding him right now until he gets used to us.

Sunday was an even stranger moment. We took the kids to the aquarium. I was playing with Hunter and Abby in front of the large tank waiting for Tom, Fiona and our friends to come down stairs. A couple approached me and asked to take a picture with Hunter. I said, “no.” They were surprised and I just held him until they were done with their pictures. Now, Hunter is very handsome but still it is odd that a stranger would want a picture with him.

The sermon in Crossroads (college group at GCC) was such a blessing Sunday. We need to have urgency with others to share the gospel. On the subway coming home from the aquarium a sleeping traveler woke up and asked me if Hunter was mine and where he was from. I explained that he was from Uganda. He said, “Oh, like Madonna?” I said, “I didn't know where she adopted her child from. Not like Madonna, no, more like Jesus.” He looked at me puzzled and I explained what Jesus did for us. He then asked, “didn't that Angelina Jolie adopt too?” I said, “Yes, there are many children that are orphans in Africa that need mamas and daddies.” He then closed his eyes and went back to sleep. I pray that our lives will constantly be a reflection of the love of Christ to adopt us as sons.

Croatia and Beyond

2008-08-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

After much preparation Team Croatia arrived in Zagreb without incident. We met at Grace Church at midnight to get all the luggage weighed and organized. Some, deep down inside there hears, questioned to need to meet at midnight for a flight that departed at 6:15 AM from LAX. Those questions proved unwarranted. By 2am we were on our way to Denny's for a earl, early breakfast joined by our newly wed friends the Kricks. After Rich Downer graciously deposited us at terminal 7 we hoped in line, checked out bags and boarded our plane to Chicago. From Chicago to Munich was a very fast flight. Munich to Zagreb was even faster. Kris Brackett and Todd Dick were there to fetch us an take us back to their respective homes. Tom, Jessica F., Susannah and Mark said goodbye to Keith, Jason, Doug and Jessica Y. and headed for Krapina with the Bracketts.

Once at the Brackett's we took a short drink and snack break, after which we started loading up the van with all the camp supplies. We drove to the new church facility. I like it. It's a bit cooler than the previous location. The landlord seems to be much nicer. We met up with Momir at the church and pulled the rest of the camp supplies together and loaded the van and trailer so that they would be ready for this afternoon when the advance team departs to make camp ready.

We four American STMers were guests at Misko's home for dinner. As dinner wound to a close I couldn't keep my eyes open. Kris took the girls to Vestna's home in Zabok and dropped Mark and I at the Brackett home. I took a nap and shortly after waking up I want to me room to sleep. I awoke at 4am and spent the morning revewing me message.

We went to church her in Krapina this morning. I preached out of John 15 about Jesus the Vine. Misko translated. It was a great service.

After church Mark and I joined the Bracketts for lunch while Jessica headed down to the sea early with Veastna to pick up Vestna's daughters and neices and bring them to camp.

Kris just left to take Mark to the church. Mark will join Momir and his family along with Antune to go ahead and set up camp.

I think I will go take a nap

Hunter's Second Birthday Part 2

2008-07-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

It's Hunter's birthday today. Once Yetta realized that we didn't have anyone's phone numbers to call and wish him a happy Birthday she found herself in tears. I pulled out my trusty Moleskine journal and asked Yetta for the phone card number. She said, "Why" Who are you going to call?" I said, "Abdulla." She said, "Who's that?" I said, "a taxi driver." She though, "(I am not sure what she thought but maybe something like, "How in the world is calling a taxi driver in Uganda going to help?")." So I call him. After he answers, I tell him who I am and he remembers me. I asked him for Danyne's phone number and he ended up passing the phone to a woman in the cab. She said, "Hello." I ask who she is and it turns out that it's Debbie from Amani who happens to be in Kampala on her way to the equator in Abdulla's cab. She gave me the phone number for Andrea who is filling in as nurse while Souixanne is away. We were able to call Andrea and sing happy birthday to Hunter and talk to him. He was able to talk some gibberish back to us. Yetta even woke the girls to say Happy Birthday.

God is good whether or not we got to talk with Hunter this morning but we are so thankful to the Lord that He worked it out for us to get to talk with Hunter on his birthday.

Happy 2nd Birthday Hunter!

2008-07-01T00:57:00.000-07:00

Today Hunter turns two! Happy Birthday son. We wish you were here with us to celebrate but we know God's timing is perfect. We hope your day is full of fun and laughter. We are praying for you and celebrating you today! We love you! Daddy, Mommy, Fiona and Abby

We have a court date

2008-06-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

As many of you know we are in the process of adopting Hunter from Uganda. He will turn 2 on July 1. We now have very exciting news. Ditte emailed Yetta to let her know that we have a court date of August 22. This will be a crazy time since Tom will be in Croatia from the 1st to the 18th on a short term Ministry trip. I will have to reroute myself from Germany on the way home to head to Entebbe to make it to court. It should take at least a week following the ruling to get a written ruling and then we try to get a passport and visa. Please pray for us that we will continue to trust the Lord and his timing. Pray also for ticketing and pricing that God would continue to provide the funds needed. I will try to keep you updated as we have more news .

Tiger's Roar in Cubbies Tonight

2008-05-15T00:55:00.000-07:00

Fiona received her awards tonight during her last Cubbies event of the year. Abby will be joining her as a Cubbie the time she goes. Awana ministry is a great time for kids to be challenged to memorize scripture and I am thankful that the church continues this ministry.

Tommy and our Boy Hunter

2008-05-02T14:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of Tom's time with Hunter in Uganda. Please pray for a court date to come soon and for the judge to rule favorably. We know that God is in control of all things and we are trusting Him.

Heading Home

2008-04-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

We packed our bags and loaded the van and we said goodbye to the boys today. Hunter just cried and Adam wasn't gonna have any thing to do with being put down. They both cried for a bit. I took a few pictures of the crying just to document it. I successfully filled a card today. 2 gigs of pictures and video. I am just hoping its enough for my loving wife who would love so much to see Hunter and be here.

We headed out with Ditte and Abby Sweeney and baby Claire to Kampala to meet again with the attorney to sign papers. While there we learned that our spouses will need to sign forms and FedEx them back here once we get home before we can file for a court date. It looks like we will get court dates closer together than we were told last week. We thought the court dates would need to be spaced about 5 weeks apart but it looks like it will be more like 2 or 3 weeks at this point. It doesn't look like any of us will get to come to Uganda together again for this process.

We were dropped off at the Hurley's in Makono on the way back to Jinja. We said our goodbyes to Ditte who had been faithfully coordinating the adoption process as well as to Abby Sweeney and Baby Claire who still have about a week left before they head back. Danielle made a great dinner (apparently Danielle never cooks for less then 13 people here in the Hurley home.) It was a tasty pumpkin soup with a really good chocolate creme brûlée. Shannon will be driving us to the airport in Entebbe at 5am.

He excited I am to see my wife and my girls.

A Family's First Visit

2008-04-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

During a family's first visit, they must meet with Mr. Opio in the Jinja probation office to apply for foster custody. At the same time, ask him to sign the introduction letter required by Mr. Otim.
On Friday we walked with Ditte and Mama Agatha to meet Mr. Opio. He was in a meeting when we arrived at 4:30pm. We sat down in the sun and waited. He left his cell phone plugged into an outlet and it started ringing so that he left his meeting to answer it. When he saw us he said something about us making him late but that he would be about 10 more minutes. At 5:15pm he called us into his office with concrete floors a few chairs, two tables, lots of papers and some long ago broken windows. He asked some questions about why we were there. He looked over our paperwork asking questions about Angels Haven. He tried to sound serious when he said that he was planning a trip out to America to check out the organization and visit the families where these babies are living in California. We told him that it was a great idea; a very good excuse to come to America.
He asked Aaron if he was happily married. To which Aaron answered yes. He asked if Aaron was shopping for more wives and pointed to my weddng ring and said, "he is wearing his noose and I am wearing my noose where is yours?" Aaron explained something about machinery and I said that it wouldn't be very wise to look for other women when your wife's brother is traveling with you. Mr. Opio said,"So, he us under your supervision?" I said, "Oh, Yes. He is under my supervision."
With that he said that he would sign the letters on Monday when we brought them back.

Ditte is heading over there in a little while to do that.

Tomorrow we will head to Kampala to meet with Nicolas Opyio (the lawyer used by Amani)

Uganda

2008-04-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

I have had a number of days to play with my boy Hunter. He is a pretty happy little boy. He always has an eye out for CoCo (chickens). He as well as the other children eat a ton. Here the kids portion of a meal is a full plate of food. We looked through the picture book that Yetta sent a while back. He pointing at Yetta's picture when I asked him, "Where is Mama?" He repeated Mama and Dada and Abby but Fiona is a little more of a challange for him.

It's been a cool and rainy time these last few days. It has kept the temp wonderful. Aaron and I spent our first night in the appartment upstairs above the babies. It was the best night so far. It coats less than any of the hotels and is so much more convenient to be right here.

It is exciting that Adam has been doing great with Aaron. Yesterday he wanted Aaron to hold him and didn't want to be put down. If I can get pictures to upload I have a couple of Aaron holding Adam while running around and playing soccer with John the security guard.

More Pictures of our Boy!

2008-03-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

There is a sweet volunteer at ABC who has been sending me updates and pictures of our sweet Hunter. He is learning how to walk and was walking with this toy car yesterday. Here is what she wrote about him:

"He is getting stronger everyday and is loving the progress he has made. Today at lunch time I was asking him to "bonga" with me, which means pounding fists kind of like a high five- Hunter was thrilled to understand the concept and kept reaching his little fist out for another bonga. SO cute!"

Here is a picture of our boy

2008-03-04T01:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of our boy! He is so sweet looking. We found out that Birungi means "good" or "well". They don't really know where he got this name from but guess that it is because he is such a sweet baby who hardly cries. Please pray that we would wait on the Lord as we go through this adoption process.

Our Baby BOY!!!!!!

2008-02-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

Yes! We got the call today about our UGANDAN BOY! Praise God for his wonderful grace to give us a baby boy. Right now his name is Hunter Birungi. We have not decided on his name yet but think Hunter is a great name. I think we would like to see more pictures first. We think we have seen one but we want to confirm with the orphanage that it is him before we post his picture. But pictures are coming soon!

Here is what we know about him so far-

He is about 19 months old.
He is learning how to walk.
He loves milk and does not like water.
He is healthy.
He weighs just a little over 17 pounds.
He has 10 teeth.
He is VERY easygoing, self-entertaining and introverted.
He is very handsome.
He only has a few words right now-the words he hears every day-like “Auntie” and “Uncle” and lots of babble.
Hunter also likes to sing everything he says!

When we heard that he likes to sing everything he says we knew he was truly ours and a GARWOOD!!!! It is so like us and our girls.

It has been such a joyful day with many tears as we think of all that God is doing. He is the first boy to carry on the Garwood name to the next generation! We are very excited!!!

Meeting the DODGERS!

2008-02-07T16:05:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we had a great day. We went down to Pasadena for lunch at the Panda Inn. This was one of the stops on the Dodger's two day caravan through out Los Angeles. They served us lunch and took tons of pictures, signed autographs and gave out hats to all of us. It was great to meet my favorite players, James Loney and Nomar Garciaparra! We also got to meet pitchers Brad Penny and Kuroda, Andre Either and Dodger legends Bobby Castillo and Kenny Landreaux. The girls met Tommy Lasorda and he asked them to kiss him on the cheek! It was such a fun time. Abby yelled over to James Loney several times and when we were leaving the girls said goodbye to them all and said see you later Dodgers! It was so cute!

Cool pictures of our family and cute stuff to buy!

2008-01-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

We recently took some pictures to model aprons for a friend who sows really cute aprons and other things. Check out her etsy store and see our cute girls! Then go and buy some cute stuff for your valentine! Have a great day!

www.jnsweeney.etsy.com

Abby's 3rd Birthday

2008-01-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

Today Abby turned 3! Happy Birthday our sweet girl. Happy Birthday to Aunt Abby too. To celebrate our little Abby's birthday (since her party will be in a few weeks combined with Fiona) we went and rode the ponies at Griffith park. We have done this a few times but Abby could only ride the slow pony because she was not 3. So today she got to ride the pony that trots like her big sister. Our dear friend Sally (bridesmaid in our wedding) came from Washington and spent the night with us last night and the day with us today. It was so good to see her and catch up. Here are some Pict's from the day.

My Husband is the Coolest!

2008-01-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I mentioned to Tom that I think it might be cool to make the girls two toddler beds into one bunk bed. He said he had been thinking about it for awhile too and the next thing I know he is in the bedroom with his tools making it happen. The girls are loving there new sleeping situation and Fiona climbs up to the top like a champ. We will see how they do in a few minutes when they really do go to sleep in them for the first time. We need the extra space in the room because my mom got the girls a great dollhouse for Christmas and when our little Ugandan baby comes we will have to fit a crib into the room. We are still waiting for our phone call letting us know who our little one is- but we should know in the next month or so! Keep praying. Here are some pictures of Tom putting the beds together and the finished product! I also put a picture of the beds next to each other so you can see how they used to sleep.

The Dodger Float- 50 years in LA Celebration!

2008-01-06T19:31:00.001-08:00

Here are pictures of the Dodger float. I can hardly wait for the season to begin. I am so excited that Joe Torre is our manager. Every time I see someone with a Yankee hat on I giggle inside and thank them for the coach. WOW! Let's go Dodgers!

Rose Parade Float Viewing

2008-01-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

I think I have found a new family tradition (well at least while in Cali). I was more motivated to go this year because I had to see the Dodger float up close! Let's Go Dodgers- 2008!!! My mom and I took the girls on the 2ND and went and viewed the Rose Parade floats. They let you get pretty close to them and some of them even operate them for you. It is really cool to see these floats up close. They can't be appreciated on TV. Seeing them up close I really got to see all the detail and hard work that goes into each and every one of these floats. They are an amazing display of all the beautiful things God has made. It is defiantly worth going and taking a look at- you get exercise- it is a lot of walking and you don't have to sleep all night on the street to see them in the parade. Here are a few Pict's.

More Christmas Day pictures

2007-12-29T21:50:00.001-08:00

Christmas Day

2007-12-29T21:29:00.001-08:00

Christmas day was a blast! We opened gifts at my mom's house in the morning then drove to Santa Barbara for brunch and more and more and more presents. We open them one at a time and there are 21 of us or so.....so it took about 4 hours. Then we ate a ham dinner. And I forgot to mention that on Christmas Eve our car broke down - a bad battery so we took great grandma's truck to SB. It was a great time! This year advent was big for us- and we really felt like we honored Christ as we taught our girls about Jesus coming to earth every night. So one of my gifts from Tom was the Willow Tree people's nativity set! I was so excited! He gave it to me after we did our last advent time Christmas morning with the girls. We had them tell us what they remembered from the last month. When we asked what the angel said to Mary, Abby said, "Do not be afraid". We are always so amazed at what our children pick up and pray we are planting the beginning seeds of a life of faith in Christ Jesus as Lord. Tonight when Fiona was kissing me goodnight she asked where our calendar went. It took me a few minutes to realize that she meant the Advent Calendar. I explained that the Christmas season was over but that next year we would do it again. But I told here that we would begin family devotions each night instead. She said she would like that! God is so good.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. Here are some pictures of all the fun. We spent Christmas Eve with my mom and 92 year old great grandma! It was a blast. When we told Fiona that we were going to open a few presents she climbed on one to reach another gift. We told her not to do it again but it was so cute we took a picture!

At the Zoo

2007-12-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of our most recent trip to the Zoo. Yes, we got the car working after it over-heated!

Meeting Sean "Sam Wise " Astin

2007-12-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

So the other day on the way to the zoo with the cousins my car over-heated. I pulled into a random parking lot and my sister-in-law saw Sean Astin sitting there drinking hot chocolate. After driving the car across the street to Chevron we realized he is the one actor we would really want to meet. So while Aaron worked on my car we drove back across the street and he was still in the parking lot! He was the nicest man and very kind. Here are the boys with him! We love Lord of the Rings and Sam has always been my favorite character. I also love the movie Rudy! I cry every time I see it!

Advent Singing

2007-12-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a cute video of the girls singing!

We have been elfed

2007-12-05T16:10:00.001-08:00

Thank you Melissa for this fun idea!

Check out our cute family!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1183392610

Advent Calender

2007-11-28T12:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the calender I made this year for Advent. We are planning to use it to tell the girls the Christmas story and about our great savior coming to earth to save us!

More Christmas pictures

2007-11-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some more Christmas Decorating Pictures...

Christmas Time

2007-11-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

I love decorating for the holidays. We always try to get our tree on Thanksgiving weekend. This year we planned for Saturday and invited the Swaney family to join us for the decorating. But Fiona was not feeling well and so we stayed home most of the day because she wanted to sleep and we cleaned and decorated. Then she woke up and said she felt better and wanted to go get our tree. So we said OK, and traveled to Home Depot around 4 pm. We shopped around for a bit before coming home to the Swaney's waiting at the door and we all piled in our elevator up to the 3rd floor with tree and all. Then we began to put the lights on the tree and all the fun ornaments. I passed them out and Tom helped the kids put the ornaments on. When it was all done we were very delighted. And put the kids to bed about 11:45!!! Wow- Sunday morning came too quick after that late night. But it was well worth it to us and our girls. We reminded Abby that her prayers had been answered- Jay and Eli were sleeping over! Yippee!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. First we went to my mom's house and cooked up a turkey and stuffing. I have not had my mom's stuffing since '97 and wow it was soooo good. Then we headed up to Lompoc to the Graham house for their first thanksgiving, well anything in their remodeled home. They have been out of their house for 4 months while it was being remodeled due to a water leak! Crazy- a family of 10 and one on the way with out their home. We were all so thankful that they could be home for Thanksgiving that we celebrated there. And actually it worked out quiet well since they have 3 industrial ovens now and a huge kitchen! It was a blast. I decorated for the event. Here are some pictures from the day.

Awana Fall Festival

2007-11-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

A couple saturdays ago Tom had a day with our girls while I helped plan a wedding shower. Here are some cute pictures of the girls that Tom took. We love our cute little love bugs.

Reformation Day 2007

2007-11-03T21:49:00.001-07:00

Here are our cute girls dressed up as ladybugs.

Fall is my favorite time of year

2007-11-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of some of our fall adventures. I love this time of year and I am always excited to decorate the house and go to the pumpkin patch. Our kids get so excited every time they see a pumpkin!

The Tube is Out!

2007-08-21T01:17:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the doctor and they took out her g-tube (feeding tube)! Praise the Lord. They placed this during surgery so that after surgery if we needed to use it to feed her due to complications we would be able too. We did use it and those first two weeks after surgery were some of the hardest days of our lives. God was continually good to us and we by His grace made it through and she made it through too! She is doing great and gaining weight and we are no longer using the tube so out it came! We are praising the Lord for his goodness to us.

Surgery went well

2007-05-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

Today, Fiona's surgery went really well. She is recovering. We have made it through the Post-op recovery time wonderfully. It's the toughest time for Yetta because Fiona is usually angry, frustrated and crazy. Today she just slept through almost all of it.
Grandma Karen is sleeping at the hospital with her tonight so Tom and I can get some much needed rest. Grandmas are the best.
We were able to encourage our post-op nurse today. She claims to be a believer and was wanting good materials to encourage her in her walk. Pray for Cherry that we will have further ministry in her life. She shared with us her burdens for patients and how she prays and fasts for them. We gave her a copy of a small booklet by JC Ryle called Sickness which has been very encouraging to us. We also gave her a copy of the Two Ways to Live track to help her in her witness to patients. She told how she shared with a patient and kept up with him after his Cancer treatments and how he later became a believer and was baptized. To God be the glory!
We are also sharing our room with another family. Please pray for many opportunities to share the gospel with them and to encourage them as their 2 month old baby is in the hospital!
Thank you for your prayers!
The Garwoods

We will trust the Lord

2007-05-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Fiona had her pre-op today. Tommorow, May 30th at 9 am Fiona will have surgery. Please pray for her as she will have three procedures done. They will try laproscopic but if they are unsuccessful they will have to follow a much more invasive method. Please pray for people we come in contact with that they may know of the love and grace of God in our lives and for us to take opportunities to share gospel. Pray for Fiona's surgery and recovery. Pray for mommy and daddy to trust God all the more tommorow. Pray for Abby while she hangs out with Grandma and Pa Garwood this week.
We are leaning much on the Lord. This past week Yetta took the girls to the zoo and one of the animals they saw were the eagles. She shared with them words from the prophet Isaiah who said, "...but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary;they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31 ESV) Please pray for us as we wait for the Lord.

Sweet Fiona Fairy

2007-05-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Fiona is returning to the surgical room Wednesday, May 30Th. Although she is just three years old, over the past eight months she has had pneumonia five times. Two cases required hospital stays. In our efforts to discover the cause Fiona recently underwent a procedure to test for reflux (GERD). A new technology was used called the Bravo™ pH Monitoring System. A capsule, about the size of a gel cap, was temporarily attached to the wall of Fiona's esophagus. It measured pH levels in her esophagus and transmited readings via radio telemetry to a Receiver Fiona wore on her waistband.(pictured below on her back) The capsule collected data for 48 hours. After we turned in the receiver they uploaded the data to a computer for analysis.

Bravo pH Capsule $800
Bravo pH Receiver $10,000
Co-pay for the procedure $10
Diagnosis and treatment plan....Priceless

Diagnosis: GERD. The results of the 48 hour study revealed 58 episodes of reflux and for about 2.6% of the day she had acid sitting in her esophagus. Acid enters her lungs causing infection that leads to Pneumonia.

Treatment Plan: Surgical. We met with Dr. Applebaum to schedule a Fundoplication. This is where they take the top of your stomach and wrap it around your esophagus so that you can't reflux. We also know from previous studies she has slow gastric emptying, which means just that, her stomach empties into her intestines slowly.

When she had her feeding tube put in at 13 months they opened up the pyloric muscle between the stomach and the intestines to give her more room to pass the food through, but they may want to open it up more.

We have a gastric study study scheduled for Wednesday, May 16th. The surgery scheduled for Wednesday, May 30th. We are trusting God for our dear sweet Fiona and know that He is so good to us. We pray that we will be able to be a testiomony to all we come in contact with and that we will be able to tell them about the great hope we have in Christ!

Never Enough Time

2006-08-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

So here it is...With all the effort I can muster...I find that there is never the time to do all that I hope to do with my life. Blogging sounded like such a great idea but where do we find all the time necessary to do all this reading, and reflecting and writing to keep up the posting every day? Being a dad and a husband and a friend and a neighbor and a brother and a son and a whatever other hat I can fit on my head hardly affords me the time to get it all done. But I find myself amazed at all the volume that someone like Al Mohler can produce with all the hats that he wears.
It's after 11pm and Yetta is working like a mad woman to finish our birthday gift for her mother. Karen turns 60 this month. Our oldest Fiona is ailing with something that might look like pneumonia. Our youngest Abby cannot stop touching Fiona, kissing Fiona, climbing on Fiona, poking Fiona, chasing Fiona, stepping on Fiona, and taking anything from Fiona. Fiona for her part only appreciates Abby about 12% of the time.

We are adopting from Uganda! It will still be some time before we are in the final stages but we have been approved on all levels and are just waiting for a baby to be assigned to us. Amani Baby Cottage is the orphanage from which we will be adopting. My sister Abby and her husband Aaron are also adopting from the same place which is a great joy for us all. We will have Ugandan cousins to grow up with.

Pastor Steve Severence from Placerita Baptist recently asked me if Yetta and I were praying together regularly. I had to confess that we were not. I am always thankful for Pastor Steve because he doesn't hesitate to challenge in such a loving way. I was encouraged to demonstrate my love for the Lord and my love for my wife by praying for her and with her everyday. We haven't yet arrived but breaking long time habits of not praying together takes time. I am just thankful that we have a gracious God who brings gentle persuasion our way (sometimes in the form of Pastor Steve.)

Kicking Things Off Right

2006-01-05T02:01:00.000-08:00

A Merry Christmas and Happy New year. On our 3rd Christmas together Yetta and I remembered fondly our first Christmas as the Garwoods. It was just two years ago but so much has happened since. Now, a new appartment and a second child later, here we are. The providences of God are many making them hard to catalogue. But that is my task in the opening weeks of January 2006. I don't want to forget what God has taught us through this year. From Hospital stays to surgeries and helicopter rides God has been faithful to us in so many ways.
Praise the Lord forever!