January Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas! As we enter into the new year, we ask that God will do amazing things in us and through us in 2012. December has given us a slower deputation schedule than usual due to all of the Christmas festivities. Thankfully, that has given us small window of opportunity to rest and recover before picking up in our travels again. Michelle, Lila, and I were able to see family in both GA and FL. We spent Lila's first family Christmas at home. We have tried to establish good family traditions such as reading the Christmas passage and taking time to thank God for his love in giving us His only begotten Son, Jesus.

During December, we were in 3 scheduled meetings in GA and SC. Beginning on a Saturday night before our first meeting, we experienced a car problem that we are still trying to get fixed. Because of this, our engine will cut off and not start for several hours before we are able to start it and drive again. After several visits to the mechanic, we are still trying to get the problem properly diagnosed and fixed. We thank the Lord it is not caused us to cancel any meetings, and also that it did not happen during a much busier time for scheduled meetings! In January, we will have at least 1 more church that will begin supporting us. There are also several churches that are potential supporters, which may begin supporting us soon.

As we begin this new year, please pray for the following:
1. That God provide support needed for us to serve God in Nicaragua.
2. That God will help us get our car fixed in time for our January meetings.
3. That we will be able to book many meetings and conferences in 2012.
4. For God's guidance and help in raising our new family.

Thank you for your prayers! God bless each of you!

God is Good! Even When Things Seem Bad!

This weekend, God used something unexpected to build my faith. Saturday night, while we were in Atlanta preparing for a meeting in Newborn, GA, I left Michelle and Lila back where we were staying so I could go get some dinner to bring back to them. After I made a quick trip to the dollar store, something took me by surprise... My car wouldn't start. It seemed that the battery was strong, and it seemed like the engine was trying to start, but no success in the car starting. This was a surprise, because the last time I started the car, there was no problem. So now, I am stuck somewhere unfamiliar in Atlanta where I know nobody, while my wife and daughter are stuck at the hotel.

As I tried to figure out what to do, I prayed and asked the Lord to guide me and get me home safely and hopefully allow me to get my car running so I won't have to cancel 2 church meetings the next day. As with any car problem, when you don't know what the problem is, you should try the easiest and most common solutions first. After asking several people for help jump-starting the car, I found a man who would try to help. However, we had no success. After he left, I decided I would try once more before trying to find a mobile mechanic. As I turned the key, VROOOM! The car started right up with no hesitation. In complete amazement, I praised the Lord, and then got to thinking, "How do I know it will start again?" I then decided to drive back our room for the night, so in case it wouldn't start again, I would be where I needed to be. As I drove back, the check engine light was on, and the transmission very, very hard. This concerned me, as transmission repair can be anywhere from $1,000-2,000 easily. Once I got back to Michelle and Lila, I assured her everything would be okay. After talking to her, I decided to give the car another shot. This time, the car started fine, and the transmission was smoother. After a lap or two around the parking lot, I gave it another shot. The third time, the car started fine and transmission now shifted perfectly. Praise the Lord, things were now on the right track!

I then went to an auto part store for a free computer scan, and discovered the problem. Sensors! It turns out some sensors were "misbehaving" and causing my car quite a problem. The car would not start because a sensor couldn't detect that the car was in park. The transmission wasn't shifting right because another sensor couldn't detect the speed properly. After leaving the part store, the check engine light went off, and the car behaved perfectly again. The next day (Sunday), we were able to make it to both of our church meetings without a problem, and Monday we were able to make a safe, problem-free trek home. Praise the Lord! Things looked horrible on Saturday night, and things could have been really bad. Whether the Lord fixed our car, or just allowed us to make it to where we needed to be, it shows that the Lord is good! After doing some research, I have found that other people have had this problem, to have it disappear for years before ever giving them a problem again.

My point in writing this is to encourage whoever is reading this. There will be times when you don't know what's going on, and it seems that everything is going wrong. Despite your circumstances, know that you have a good God! Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His Purpose." Whatever it is that happens, know God is good and that He is allowing these things to happen for a reason. In this case, I believe God is teaching me to trust in Him more and more.

November/December Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We trust that you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for! We were able to spend some time with Jeremy's family in GA as well as Michelle's family in TN. We thank the Lord for the family that He has given us. Last month, one of the churches we were in took up a love offering to replace our broken CD player in our car! Praise the Lord, we now have a new CD player and things needed to install it in the near future. I thank the Lord for giving me a faithful, loving wife and a beautiful baby girl! Lila is growing quickly and can now play with toys, roll over, and do all kinds of “baby talk.”

November was a busy month for us. We were scheduled in 8 churches, including 2 missions conferences, in VA, SC, and GA. We thank the Lord for a vehicle that has given us little to no problems! Last month, we were able to see 2 people come forward to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior! Praise God! As of the end of November, we are now at 25% of full support. After being in so many churches the last 2-3 months, we anticipate that to go up quickly.

Please pray for us as we set out to do what the Lord has called us to do. While we are raising funds to go to Nicaragua, we must remember that deputation is a ministry in itself. There are many opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost around us. Please pray that we will take advantage of those opportunities so that lives will be changed and God will be glorified. Please pray that the churches we have been in will be able to support us in going to Nicaragua. Please also pray for the people in Nicaragua. After the last election, it appears they will remain under the administration of Daniel Ortega. God bless each of you, and may you have a wonderful Christmas this year!


In Christ,

Jeremy and Michelle Blanz

August Prayer Letter

We hope and pray that you each of you have been having a great summer. Last month, while slower than some of the previous months, was still quite a busy month for us! While we were not on the road quite as much as normal, we were still able to preach and share our burden with several churches in FL and VA. When we weren't traveling, we were busy booking meetings for late 2011 and 2012. Oftentimes, Jeremy makes 100 or more calls per day to churches all over the Southeast, sharing our burden to bring the Gospel to the people of Nicaragua.

As of August 1st, Michelle is now 35 1/2 weeks pregnant! With the expected delivery date around September 1st, this very well could be the month we have our first child! We are excited, and God is preparing us in many ways as we transition into parenthood. The doctors have told us that Michelle cannot travel at this point in the pregnancy, so when our meetings are out of town, Jeremy has had to travel alone. Last week, after returning from a 1,400 mile round trip into VA and back, Jeremy noticed the car was shaking a bit on the way home. The next day, when getting the oil changed, the mechanic pointed out that the tire was coming apart on the inside and bulging out, which caused the shaking. Thank you for those who pray for us, as it could have caused a blowout.

Please keep us in prayer as we move into August. Jeremy will be spending a week in church planting school in Tennessee, while Michelle stays home in FL. Please pray that we have a healthy baby, born at the "right" time, and a safe deliver. Also, please pray that we will be able to fill our schedule with meetings and mission conferences throughout late 2011 and 2012. As always, please feel free to let us know if you need prayer as well!

July Prayer Letter

I realized that I hadn't posted last month's prayer letter to the website, so here it is!

July Prayer Letter

This past month has been a time of both hard work and accomplishment for us. We have much to be grateful for! In ministry, this month we were able to go to the BIMI headquarters to complete our second year of candidate school. Looking back over this past year we can see how much we have learned. It was a real joy to be at BIMI again to learn from the directors and their wices as well as to be encouraged by them. We were able to get a fresh vision for what we are doing as we realize how much closer we are to being on the field. We know we are turly blessed to have such a wonderful mission board. We were also able to be in our home church, West Jacksonville Baptist Church, for a week of Revival meetings with Dr. David Gibbs, Bro. Jeff Amsbaugh, Bro. Joe Arthur, and the Rochester family. We were glad that we were able to work these services into our schedule and to see our church family again!

Another accomplishment this month is that, as of July, we are "officially" on full time deputation. With the work on our new home base complete, we were able to move in this past month and now can shift our focus fully to our missions work. Michelle has also put in her two weeks notice at her job in order to have a time of preparation before our baby arrives.

Please continue to pray for us as we strive to reach Nicaragua. Pray for Jeremy as he calls pastors and churches and works to fill our schedule, as well as that we will find the churches that want to join us in our ministry. Pray also for Michelle as she is in her eighth month of pregnancy. Pray that things will go well and that we will have a healthy baby girl soon! Thank you for your continued prayer and support this year. We are so grateful to have this opportunity and we know that we could not do it without all of you behind us.

Opportunities to share the love of God

Below, is a brief testimony of something God used to open my eyes. I thought I would share this with you.

• Yesterday was a busy day. As I entered into a fast food restaurant to get a cheap lunch, I saw a homeless looking man outside. I didn't pay too much attention as I went inside to get lunch. After lunch, on the way back to my car, he called out to me asking me for help. He had a pretty bad limp in his step, and mostly leaned on and pushed a shopping cart to get around. As I came closer, he asked if I could help him get some food. I decided to buy him some lunch, and use that as an opportunity to tell him about the Bread of Life. After I got his food, I told him about the Trinity Rescue Mission, which could help him. As we stood in the hot sun, we talked for quite a while, and I got to hear a little bit about his story. He shared with me how many people turn away from him, or act like they don't see him (as I first did). He told me how he is unwanted in most areas of the city. Eventually, I began to tell him about Jesus, who he claimed to know. After a while, I offered to pray for him, which he gladly accepted. I asked what things I should specifically pray for. He told me he needed a home, a means to make a living, and then he thought for a moment and asked me to pray for "somebody that will love me." This opened the door for me to tell Him of Jesus, who loved us, died for us, and will never forsake us. I prayed together with Him that God will give Him exactly what He needs and to help him get out of this state of life. After we finished praying, he pointed out all the spots where he "lives" and gets by in case I ever want to see Him again. God used this to open my eyes to what I've been missing. How many opportunities we pass every day to show somebody the love of God...

I want to encourage you to sieze every opportunity to share the love of God with this world. I did not lead that man (Maurice) to the Lord, but I was obedient to show him the love of God and give him the Gospel. Some plant... Others water... But God gives the increase. May we strive each day to sieze every opportunity to share the love of Christ and His Gospel! Please pray for Maurice. I hope I will one day see him again.

June 2011 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope and pray that you are doing well! God is good, and we cannot complain!

Last month was a busy month for us. Between field conferences, mission

conferences, and meetings- We have been in Guelph, Ontario, Cleveland, GA,

Gainesville, GA, Pinellas Park, FL, Cumming, GA, Rustburg, VA, and Tampa, FL.

At one point, we realized that we had been on the road for 25 of the last 30 days!

We have been blessed, and God is teaching us many things during our time on

deputation:

Trust- God is teaching us to trust Him, despite the circumstances. “...all things

work together for good to them that love God...”

Patience- We must keep doing good, even when we don't see the immediate

results: “let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if

we faint not.”

Love- We have seen the love of God demonstrated by those who have

sacrificially given so that we may bring the Gospel to Nicaragua. “... because

the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost...”

As we enter into Summer, we strive to stay busy and get opportunities to share

our ministry and share Christ. Please pray that we will be able to book meetings

and mission conferences throughout the Summer. Pray for Michelle as she is

entering the third trimester of her pregnancy. Also, please pray for us as we seek

to finish up preparing our future deputation home in a reasonable amount of time

before our baby is born. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Information Packet

We are always trying to find better ways to improve our website. I have discovered a new tool that will help us display our packet materials in a much more "web friendly" way. Below is a link to a page we have made that allows to see view, download, and print our materials in a very simple way. We are still working on ways to better implement this. Check out the link below:

Our Packet

April 2011 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

It is now April and Easter is coming soon! March was a very busy month, and we are now getting the feel of full-time deputation. God has been good, and He has given us several opportunities to share our ministry throughout the Southeast. We have been in mission conferences and special “Mission Sundays” in the outer Jacksonville area, Florida Panhandle, and Alabama. This month, God also opened doors for us to set up meetings in Florida, Virginia, and even Ontario, Canada. God is good!

There are several other things we ought to give God praise for. Our first pregnancy is coming along well. Michelle is now 4 months along! We know that God is teaching us many things and preparing us to be the parents we ought to be. Most importantly, God is teaching us to trust in Him to provide all our needs, including those of our unborn child. God has blessed us more than we have ever anticipated- To God be the glory! Also, the home that will become our “base” throughout deputation is now getting close to completion.

Please keep us in prayer as we seek to do the Lords will and prepare to go to Nicaragua. We still have a long way to go, so pray that God provides the financial and prayer support we need. Pray that God will give us opportunities to share what He has laid on our heart with churches all over the country. As we travel, pray for our safety, especially as we trek into Canada for the first time. And lastly, pray that God will use us during our time on deputation. We know that God wants to use us each and every day, and its our desire to be greatly used by God here and in Nicaragua. Thank you for your prayers, love, and encouragement!

Remembering the Blessings of God

As some of you may know, over this last week I fell sick to a stomach bug, which really hurt my productivity. If you're anything like me, it's easy to get a little bit down when you don't get as much done as you hoped. I sometimes have to remind myself, that even though my 100% doesn't feel like enough, the power to move mountains doesn't lie in me. If we are to ever be successful in ministry, we are to walk in faith, knowing that it is God who gives the increase. God often reminds me of that. If we are faithful to give God our best, even when it is not much, God can take that and do amazing things with it.

This is a recurring theme in Scripture. In the Old Testament, God would take a tiny army devoted to Him and overrun a large army. Jesus took a little bit of bread and a few small fish and fed thousands. Paul, struggling with his infirmity, asked the Lord several times to remove it from him three times, yet Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Perhaps, you may be going through a time of weakness in some way, shape, or form. Remember, that our performance in doing what God wants us to do does not lie in us giving beyond what we are able to do. God wants for us to give him our best and trust in Him to give the increase.

Yesterday, I decided to make a small list of blessings to remember. I know that God pours out his blessings on us every day, but sometimes I forget just how much he blesses us. So as the day progressed, I wrote down the things I ought to be thankful for. Even though I was still recovering from being ill, God blessed my efforts tremendously. Since yesterday, we have set up 3 meetings and a 4th which we will set a date for next week! God blessed my 100%! Also, God has given us the funds to cover every need while we are on deputation. Yesterday, we got notice that $500 had been given to support our ministry, which was completely unexpected! Though it may seem small, when I took my car to get worked on, it took 30-60 minutes less than estimated. Amen! Not to mention, I am now feeling much better than I was a few days ago. Don't ever forget to give God the glory for all the great things He has done!

March Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

February has been a very exciting month for us. We were able to present our ministry in churches in both Florida and Georgia, as well as set up several more meetings throughout the year. Also, we have heard reports that some of the Nicaraguan pastors and missionary Bob Dayton have been able to bring the Gospel to 2 river villages near Puerto Cabezas. There were approximately 20 people from each village that accepted Christ as they heard the Gospel for the first time. Praise God!



Feburary has also been a month of exciting news. Michelle and I found out recently that we will be having our first baby approximately September 1st! We are very excited and have been making the appropriate changes in preparation for our first child.

As we enter into March, please pray for us and the people of Nicaragua. Pray for our unborn child and that God will prepare us as parents. Pray that the home we are working on will be completed soon. Please continue to pray for the government both in Nicaragua and United States, that the Word of God will have free course.

February Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that your new year has started off well! January has been an busy and exciting month for us. One of our main goals at this time is to fill up the rest of the year with church meetings where in which we can present our ministry. In order for us to get to the field, we must raise financial and prayer support that will help us to be successful in doing what God has called us to do. God has proven himself faithful this last month as we have set up several meetings throughout the year.

While we are anxious to get to Nicaragua, we must never forget what God is currently using us to do here. For nearly 2 years, God has given us the privilege of leading a children church program here at our home church. Starting with the birth of Jesus on Christmas day, we have been teaching a series through the life of Christ. It is truly a blessing to see young children learning about and falling in love with our Savior. Just recently, one of our children received Christ as her Savior! When a person receives Christ, it reminds us that serving God is worth every second of our time.

As we begin February, we are expecting great things from the Lord. We will be presenting our work in Florida and Georgia churches. We will also be very busy as we move out of our apartment to a new location that will serve as our “home base” while we are on deputation. Please pray that God will help us as we present the spiritual needs of the people of Nicaragua.

In Christ,

Jeremy and Michelle Blanz

January Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you all had a merry Christmas. As we move into the new year, we look back at all God has done for us in 2010. In March, Michelle and I celebrated our one year anniversary. We also took our first mission trip together to Nicaragua. God showed us the needs in Nicaragua and we have accepted His call on our lives to reach the people with the Gospel. In June, we went to the B.I.M.I. headquarters for Candidate School and were approved as missionaries to Nicaragua. In the second half of 2010, we worked on materials and dropping into local churches and building relationships with people all over Jacksonville. We had the opportunity to present our ministry to some churches, as well as set up several meetings for 2011.

In the year to come, we are looking forward to a very busy year. Our goal is to begin full time deputation in the near future. In March, we will be moving out of our apartment into a smaller, more affordable location that will serve as our “home base” while we are on deputation. We are also preparing to leave behind our jobs sometime in the coming months as God leads. God has shown Himself faithful last year, and we know that He will continue to be faithful this year.

We are still booking meetings throughout 2011, and we hope to be an encouragement and blessing to the people we meet. We pray that God will help us to raise support so that we may bring the saving Gospel of Christ to those who do not know Him. May God do amazing things in your lives this year!