June 2021 Prayer Letter

 Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that this letter finds each of you doing well. Last month was a challenging month for us. Costa Rica has been hit very hard in another wave of the covid pandemic. For nearly all of the month, Costa Rica has been either 5th or 6th in all of the world for most new cases per million. After the previous lockdown, we went to increased restrictions for the month. We are only able to drive every other day. This makes it much more difficult to get everything done. Thankfully, we were able to continue holding meetings in person on Sundays, though the attendance has been affected. We have seen a slight increase in attendance on our Tuesday night Bible studies on zoom. Due to the previous lockdown, our last Baptism service had to be canceled, but thankfully, we were able to do it on another day. Three people followed the Lord in believer's baptism, including our daughter Ellowyn. Near the end of the month, Michelle held a special ladies meeting which was a blessing. This upcoming month, we are planning to do a baby dedication and a men's meeting.

Another part of the restrictions for May and June is that the ministry of education has completely canceled classes for all public schools. Private schools are not canceled, but have also been forced to go virtual. We have had to convert our bedrooms into small work spaces for the kids to do their studies. On some days we are working in 4 different places of the house all at the same time all while taking care of Elijah. As difficult as this is, we are thankful that they can continue to have classes virtually. Family life has been difficult as even all of the parks outside are now closed. We have tried to continue taking the kids outside and find ways for them to get exercise and stay healthy. We are considering the possibility of doing an evangelistic children's outreach, but we are still very limited by the number of people who are serving in the church plant.

There was a special blessing last month that came in the form of an unexpected offering towards our land and building fund. It is always amazing how God works in unexpected ways. This month, please pray:

1. That God will help those who are sick and help us to share the Gospel with them.

2. That God will continue to provide the funds needed for the church to get it's own meeting location.

3. That God will help clear some of the red tape that has hindered us in the church plant.

4. That God will continue to open hearts and save souls here in Costa Rica.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

May 2021 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Costa Rica! We are now beginning rainy season and are once again discovering new leaks in the roof that need to be fixed! Last month was a slightly better month than the one before. We have kept on keeping on and were encouraged that one lady from the church has begun helping out with door to door visitation. One young man named Joel called upon Christ for salvation. Please pray that God will motivate him to come to church and grow in his faith. We have also spoken with several others who are interested in attending. Unfortunately, throughout the month we saw new cases of COVID skyrocket to twice the highest peak from last year. In fact, we are now seeing about twice as many new cases per million as India, one of the hardest hit countries. Many hospitals are now full and people injured in car accidents are now being sent to other hospitals farther away to get treatment. Anticipating another round of lockdowns, Jeremy was able to do some grocery shopping for our family and a few other needy families. Within a few hours of that, the government announced one week of lockdown for everything deemed "non-essential" and stricter restrictions for the whole month of May. This means that churches are once again unable to hold normal services. On a positive note, we have received a good report from Nicaragua. The newest church that was planted out of the church we started is now coming along quite well.

As for our family, we have been doing well and constantly adjusting to the situation here at any given time. I believe we are much better able to handle lockdowns and such after what we went through last year. Thankfully, at the moment, the kids are still able to attend school in-person. This means that we are able to get more done throughout the day. One of the downsides of the lockdown is that we have had to reschedule our baptism service for our second daughter, Ellowyn, and two others. She was saved last year and was excited to finally be baptized, but it looks like she will have to wait a little bit longer. The girls have recently been helping out more in the kitchen and learning to cook. Elijah has been working towards doing "big boy" things like cleaning his room and helping out with chores around the house. But all of our kids seem like they are growing up quickly!

Last month, we requested prayer regarding Michelle's ID and residency process. Thankfully, we were connected with a man from a church we attended back when we were in language school who works in the government. He was able to find the problem and get it resolved. Michelle now has her resident ID. That is one big obstacle out of the way! This month, please pray:

1. That God will continue to help us reach the lost with the Gospel in creative ways.

2. That God will help us to find a better meeting location for rainy season.

3. That God will continue to build His church here in Costa Rica.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz