Don & Pat Garwood - Pando, Uruguay

Don and Pat serve under the Maranatha Bible Missions Board. Don ministered with his first wife Edith in Uruguay for over 25 years before the Lord called her home in 1999. He and Pat have returned to the field to continue the work. Don has a son, Daniel, and two daughters, Esther and Deborah. Daniel and his wife Viviana are also now serving in the ministry in Uruguay.

Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America. It was a part of Spain’s colonial empire in the Americas until the early 1800s, and became an independent nation in 1828. Throughout most of its history, Uruguay has been a democracy. Uruguay has a population of 3,284,841, is largely of European origin, with few mestizos (people of mixed European and Native American ancestry) and no remaining indigenous people. Uruguay is a highly urbanized country, even though its economy is based largely on agriculture, particularly livestock raising, which flourishes on the rolling plains of the countryside. Uruguay has a temperate climate. The average temperature for the warmest months, January and February, is 71° F, and for the coldest month, June, 50° F. Rainfall is well distributed and averages about 35”a year. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution of Uruguay. Three-quarters of the people belong to the Roman Catholic church. Spanish is the official language.