July 2021 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

June was a big month for us and despite heavy government restrictions, we have seen God's hand in many things. First of all, the covid cases are now lowering from the massive second wave (or is it third?). Early in the month, while getting a haircut, Jeremy was able to speak with the barber about the Lord. He is a Christian and from Nicaragua. He has been attending pretty faithfully. Jeremy also held another men's meeting, and we were nearly maxed out on space. We also did our first baby dedication and had several visitors. We have been planning to do an evangelistic children's outreach. Several who attend our church plant have volunteered to help. We have been praying for two things: 1 - To meet some Christians in the area of the evangelistic outreach beforehand and 2 - To be able to secure a location where we can hold the event. The Lord has answered both prayer requests. The barber, named Donald, actually just moved to that exact area on June 15th! So not only have we met a Christian in the area... but one who attends with us! Jeremy was also able to hunt down information and get ahold of someone in charge of a community center and was able to reserve it for the event. Given the opposition and restrictions we face, this is a huge breakthrough!

After requesting prayer last month for some of the red tape to be cleared, we have made significant progress on several things. After four trips to the bank and providing tons of paperwork, we now have a Costa Rican bank account which should save a lot of time on paying bills and such. Jeremy also was able to finally get a Costa Rican driver's license, which is also much harder than it should be. And lastly, after a year and a half of waiting, our religious association is now registered with the government, which means that once we receive the final document, we will be able to take several steps forward as a church as well as be able to help sponsor missionaries to get into the country in the future.

As for our family, we have been adjusting to every change and rolling with the punches! Our girls are working very hard in their virtual classes. They will have a two week break before returning to school. Currently, many public parks are still closed and we are still only able to drive every other day. We have had to be creative to find things to do as a family, but the Lord has given us some special times together.

Last month, we received another unexpected offering towards our building fund. Praise the Lord! This month, please pray:

1. For the Lord to bless abundantly in the evangelistic children's event on July 3rd and to save many souls.

2. For the Lord to continue to provide towards our church land/building fund.

3. For the Lord to save many souls and strengthen His church here in Costa Rica!

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz