Dear family and friends,
We hope that you are doing well. Time is flying. Last month, we received the final documents for our residency process. They have now been submitted and we are simply waiting for their approval. Before beginning home Bible studies last month, Jeremy preached in two different baptist churches who will be praying for us and possibly helping in the work. Thankfully, the Lord has answered prayer and sent a few people our way to help with the church plant. Our first (unofficial) Bible study was only for the core group of friends and family. Jeremy taught on the Great Commission and laid out the mission to reach San Pablo for Jesus Christ. The following day we began visiting the area. After receiving the invitation, one woman visited our home and said she had been praying that God would giver her a place to study the Bible in San Pablo. Another family began attending who was looking for a Gospel preaching church. We have also met a couple of Nicaraguans who were very interested in attending. We have now visited just over 300 homes. Jeremy has preached on city buses and in the central park. One teenager received Christ as Savior and several others seemed very close. Many attentively listened to the message and carefully read the gospel tracts that we gave them. In our next Bible study, we had a few that could not come, but we still had about 15 people meet. Jeremy has begun to teach a series of messages on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He has also been doing some work on the ministry website, Facebook page, and Whatsapp group.
Until we begin holding Sunday gatherings, we will continue attending another baptist church in a nearby city. It has been good for the kids to make friends and be part of kids classes. At our home, we have made many changes to accommodate the Bible studies and also make a kids area. Michelle has continued doing homeschool with the kids. They will be returning to school in mid-February. Another important thing for us is that we have been working to build more relationships in the community.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I believe the Lord answered many of our prayer requests last month. This month, please pray for the following:
1. That the Lord will save souls as we proclaim the Gospel in San Pablo.
2. That the believers here will learn the Word of God and become grounded in the faith.
3. That God will established a vibrant, Gospel-preaching baptist church here in San Pablo.
In Christ,
Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and ElijahBlanz