July 2016 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

June was a very rainy month here in Nicaragua, but we won't let that slow us down! Last month, we held a special Father's Day service for the fathers in our church. Many father's committed to lead their families in the ways of the Lord. In our regular visits, Jeremy was able to lead a young lady to the Lord. We also were encouraged by a visit from a supporting Pastor. While we are still renting a building at this point, the church has begun saving up to buy our own land and building. Many of the church people are giving every month to the building fund, and we send special thanks to Grace Baptist Church for the special offering we received. God is good! Last month, we began holding Friday night prayer services. Each Friday, we now have nearly 40 people praying together. Another thing that we are very excited about is the plans for our first missions conference. We do not have the details planned yet, but in the coming months, we will host our first missions conference. We believe that missions is essential to the DNA of the local church and that God will bless when we make His priority our priority.

As for our family, it was a difficult month for us. Michelle became very sick and after some blood tests, the doctor said it was probably Dengue. After the next blood test, she was confirmed to have Chikungunya, which is a similar sickness. Our youngest daughter, Ellowyn, thought Chikungunya was a good thing. It turns out that she thought it was a chicken restaurant! After about a week of being very sick, she is now much better. She is now back in action teaching Sunday School and the Wednesday night kids music class. In the month of June, Lila started her 3 week Summer break from School. Lila has been growing up so quickly! She has grown in her faith, and now wants to see other children get saved! Over the last few months, we have had many stomach sicknesses. At the advice of a friend, we are now taking anti-parasite medicine. We shall see if it helps!

Over the last month, there have been an unusually high number of things breaking around the house. From multiple appliances to our water supply to the internet in our homes and phones... even the light bulbs have gone out while fixing other broken things. It's been highly unusual. Some say we are under spiritual attack. While we are unsure if that is the case, we must be careful that we do not let these things discourage us. This month, will you please pray:

1. That God protect us from the abundant sicknesses we have experienced.
2. That God protect us from any type of spiritual attack or discouragement.
3. That God bless the work here in Nicaragua, save souls, and provide every need.

In Christ,
Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz