December 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you will have a merry Christmas! It is hard to believe that we are at the end of another year. On the one hand, it seems like the ministry doesn’t develop fast enough… on the other hand it is hard to believe all that God has done over the last year. Just since January, we have found a church building and obtained all necessary permits. We have moved in, purchased everything needed to set up and hold church services. We have purchased a church van and developed a van route. We held our first VBS and rented additional space to expand the children’s ministry. We have continued in evangelism and all basic church ministries. God has grown and expanded the ministry. God is so good!

Last month, we held a special Thanksgiving service with the church of another BIMI missionary. Jeremy was able to baptize 3 believers from our church. We had a special time of fellowship. Since then we have also had 1 baby dedication and a church fellowship meal. We’ve had visitors nearly every week and generally had an increase in attendance. Michelle has been working with the kids to develop a kids choir and she is now preparing the kids for a special Christmas drama.

As for our family, we have stayed busy. Not only did we have a special Thanksgiving church service, but we also helped with a Thanksgiving event at the school where our kids attend. After all of that, we spent the day of Thanksgiving with our family and tried to get a little rest. We are thankful for God’s goodness and his continual provision. There are times when we don’t know the way forward, but God always makes a way! I am thankful for Michelle and all that she does for our family and ministry. We are also thankful for all who sacrifice to make it possible for us to serve here. We really are blessed. The kids are doing well in school. Elijah has grown very confident in his Spanish… almost too confident. He invents new words from time to time and always gives us a good laugh.

Before closing with a few prayer requests, I would like to thank all who have sent special offerings last month. This month, please pray:

1. That God will continue to bless the ministry here and help us to see more souls saved!

2. That God will give us the strength, endurance, and wisdom needed to do His work.

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

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

November 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that this letter finds each of you doing well. Last month went by very quickly. We have continued our work in evangelism. We’ve had a little extra help from two other men. One elderly man named Wilbur heard the Gospel and called upon Christ for salvation. We are continuing to visit him and encourage him to take the next steps. We have also visited the sick. There is a woman in the church named Liliam who had a tumor in her eye. After a surgery to get it removed, she has had infections, inflammation, and lots of pain. She has been to the hospital many times, but they have not been much help. We had a family movie night activity and watched a Christian movie. There was a pretty good turnout. We have also had many new visitors this last month with several returning. Unfortunately, our regular attendees have not been as regular as normal. Several have faced sickness and other problems, but we hope to see them back soon. This next month, we are planning a special Thanksgiving service with another church pastored by a fellow BIMI missionary. We will also hold a special baptism service that day as well. We presently have 2 confirmed for baptism and hope for a few more to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism. The following week, we will have a baby dedication. It will be a busy month!

As for our family, we stay very busy. Earlier in the month, we celebrated Ellowyn’s 9^th birthday! She has grown so tall that it is sometimes hard to believe that she is only turning 9. The kids are doing well in school and Elijah is speaking more Spanish than ever! Unfortunately, near the end of the month, Michelle’s grandfather passed away. While it has been sad for everybody, there is great comfort in knowing that he not only believed in Jesus as Savior, but lived his life for the Lord. He has served the Lord in many ways such as constructing buildings, helping out with disaster relief efforts, as well as guiding his family to walk with the Lord. His love for the Lord and love for his family have made a strong impact on many people. This is the type of testimony that we would all love to have. Michelle took a brief trip to be with her family during this time and we are glad that she was able to be with them for this time.

Last month, one church sent extra funds for our additional space we are renting for the children’s ministry. Thank you! This month, please pray:

1. That God will help Ms. Liliam with her recovery after the eye surgery which left her with great pain.

2. That God will help us to balance the demands of ministry and keep pressing forward.

3. That God will help us to see more souls saved and added unto the church.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

October 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that this letter finds you doing well and encouraged in the Lord. It seems that each month has its share both of blessings and difficulties. We began training some volunteers to serve in the children’s ministry. Unfortunately, it seems that one of the two may not be able to help us to do a work conflict. This means that we have a delay in beginning our second kids class. These things can be disappointing, but we continue to press forward and we are thankful for what the Lord is doing. Just yesterday, we began work to remove a small wall and expand the children’s class area. We will soon work on another part of the building to install a small kitchen. We have continued preaching and teaching the Gospel and we know that it shall not return void. We continue in the work of evangelism and inviting people to church. We meet many who no longer attend church. If they have a testimony of salvation, we invite them and encourage them to return to faithfulness. One lady who visited us last week said that she enjoyed the preaching and the service and will likely return for the midweek service. We have also recently been given the contact information for the director of the public school of San Pablo. It sounds like we will have an opportunity to speak to many parents and will have liberty to share the Gospel. Please pray for this opportunity!

September and October are busy months for birthdays! In September, Lila turned 11 and Jeremy turned “one year older” (38). In October, we will celebrate Ellowyn’s 9^th birthday. Both Lila and Ellowyn were born when we were on deputation. We are thankful to be able to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. They are both a big help when we set everything up for church services. It is a blessing to see how they can serve the Lord in different ways. The kids are all doing well in school and making progress in their Spanish. In some ways, they probably speak better than we do!

This month, we would like to send special thanks to Southwood Baptist church for a special offering for vehicle repair expenses and also to Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church for the special offering to help cover our increased rent at the church building. God has also blessed us with one new supporting church. Praise God! This month, please pray:

1. That the Lord guide us as we seek a new treasurer for the church religious association.

2. That God guide us as we plan to renew our legal residency next year under the religious association.

3. That the Lord continue to raise up laborers for the ministry.

4. That the Lord help us to reach more souls for Jesus Christ.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz 

September 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that each of you are doing well. Last month was another busy month! We continue in all of our normal church and outreach activities. Michelle teaches the children’s class and supports the ministry in many ways. Jeremy is teaching a mid-week series on “The Christian Home” and preaching a Sunday series on “Before and After” about the moments which changed the lives of the biblical heroes of the faith. We held a special service for Costa Rican mother’s day and had about 35 people. Our small church space was maxed out! Afterwards, we prayed about what to do on space. The building owner contacted us about an adjacent unit and offered us a reduced price. After praying about it, we decided to step out on faith and begin renting the additional space to use for our growing children’s ministry. We hope to be able to raise a little extra work fund to help cover that cost. We are now using that extra space and are working on plans to begin a second children’s class. Unfortunately, there are some sicknesses going around that has affected our attendance near the end of the month. We have also had some problems with the church van and it’s spent a few days in the shop for repairs.

Last month, Michelle’s parents came down to visit us. It was good to see them again and spend some time with them. It was a short trip, but it was good. The kids enjoyed the last bit of their summer break and have now returned to school. There is a new missionary family attending and Lila has helped their daughter to settle in and make friends. For Elijah’s 5^th birthday, we celebrated his birthday at the school with some of his friends. We hadn’t been able to do anything like that for such a long time due to the pandemic. Near the end of the month, Jeremy received some news from his family about some health difficulties that came up. It is hard to not be able to be there and help, but we are trusting the Lord to help them through it.

As we begin September, we know that we’ve got a lot on our hands. We are still working on some vehicle issues, making adjustments to the children’s ministry, and many other things. This month, please pray:

1. That the Lord will send forth laborers to serve in a new childrens class.

2. That the Lord will provide some extra funds to help cover the additional space that we are renting.

3. That the Lord will lead new believers to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism and be added unto the church.

4. That God will continue to guide us as we take the next few steps in establishing the church in San Pablo.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

August 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family

We hope that this letter finds you doing well. Last month was an encouraging month. We continued our normal evangelism efforts and church services. Jeremy and one man from the church were able to fix up one bathroom and convert another unused bathroom to a small office. After that, we held our first church VBS. We were encouraged that nearly everybody from the church stepped up to help in some way. We averaged about 30-35 people per day. We saw one mother receive Christ as Savior. Since then, we have seen higher than normal attendance. Our children’s class is now at max capacity and we are praying about starting a second children’s class. However, in order to do that, we will need some people to step up and commit to serve in that area. Near the end of the month, we had some water issues at the church building. Hopefully, they should be resolved this week.

As for our family, the kids are now on summer break. They all did very well at school and had very good grades. Even Elijah has made a lot of progress this last year socially as he is now speaking more and more Spanish. Lila will soon be entering 5^th grade, Ellowyn will be entering 4^th grade, and Elijah will begin kindergarten. We have tried to enjoy the slightly slower pace of “summer break” with a little more family time. We are finally able to focus on settling in to the house a bit more. We have set up some new shelves and organized a lot of things room by room. We were also able to go visit another missionary family that lives not too far from here. It was nice to talk about the progress of missions here in Costa Rica as well as some of the things that need to be done in the future.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for our VBS last month. I believe the Lord really blessed! This month, please pray for the following:

1. That the Lord will send forth laborers to serve in a new childrens class.

2. That the Lord will lead new believers to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism and be added unto the church.

3. That God will continue to guide us as we take the next few steps in establishing the church in San Pablo.

Thank you!

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

July 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

It is hard to believe that July is already here! We hope that you had a nice 4^th of July. Last month we kept busy finding ways to push forward! Besides leading normal services and visitation evangelism, Jeremy had the opportunity to preach to the missionaries at the language school. It was good to encourage them to persevere when times get difficult. As for the church, now that we have our meeting location, permits, etcetera we have moved forward with an official church name – Iglesia Bautista San Pablo Para Cristo (San Pablo For Christ Baptist Church). We designed new tracts, but they were declined by one printer for being “religious.” The second printer never delivered them and after 2 weeks had to give us a refund. This led us to invest in buying a nice printer that we can use for printing tracts, invitations, and church materials. We have also made up our first church sign and are working to make some changes to the building where we meet. For Father’s day, we had a special service and had some new visitors. We are now finalizing plans to do our first Vacation Bible School (VBS). We are a small church but we are trusting in God to do big things!

As for our family, we are doing pretty well. The kids recently finished the school year. It was a big goal for many teachers to get kids back on track after missing so much education throughout the pandemic. We are proud that all of our kids did an excellent job. Lila and Ellowyn scored all A’s and Elijah also did very well and made great progress in his Spanish. At home, we had a little complication due to some refrigerator issues. We lost some food, but that seems to be all straightened out now. Near the end of last month, Tropical Storm Bonnie passed over Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We were expecting massive rains, power outages, and even landslides. Somehow, it passed over and we didn’t really experience any more rain than normal! Jeremy was even able to go visiting as usual! However, one morning, as Jeremy went to the back porch area of our house, he found a fairly large snake that had somehow entered through an opening in the screen. We think it was probably a boa constrictor (not venomous), but they all look pretty similar. Jeremy managed to remove it with some brooms. Thank God for His protection!

This month will be an extra busy one. We will need God’s help to pull off all of our VBS plans. Please pray:

1. That God will help us as we plan our first VBS.

2. That God will continue to save souls and add new members to the church.

3. That God will lead us and guide us as we continue to develop the church ministries.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

June 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you are doing well! Last month went by very quickly. We’ve continued working on many different things as we continue to settle into the new church location. It seems that the heat has really picked up. We purchased some fans to help keep things cool during the service. We’ve also had a contractor come and make plans for some minor modifications to the building. We are looking at changing one bathroom to an office and the old office space to a small kitchen. He has also drew up plans for a new pulpit. We are also working on getting new signs and materials as we prepare for a new phase in the new location. Jeremy has been preaching a series on the Will of God and teaching a Tuesday night series on “Spiritual Stability.” Thankfully, we have seen an improvement in attendance. Jeremy has continued visitation evangelism and continues to meet new people and encourage them in the Lord. Of the Christians that we meet, there are so many who stopped attending church during the pandemic and have not yet returned. Many have said that their churches have been closed. We know that the Lord has a plan for us as we press forward preaching the gospel. We are currently making plans to do a Vacation Bible School in July, so please pray for that!

As for our family, we stay very busy. The kids are doing great in school and have made a lot of friends. Michelle stays very busy teaching the Bible, preparing for Sunday school, and planning ladies meetings… not to mention taking care of the family. Unfortunately, the last “fix” for the washing machine did not really fix it as we had hoped. We eventually had to get a new washer, but thankfully it is running smoothly and we will not lose any more time trying to fix it! We are all looking forward to the end of the school year at the end of June. We hope to be able to get a little rest, but also be freed up to do more outreach at the church plant.

We are so thankful for those who pray for us and support our ministry. We would not be able to do what we do were it not for those who give sacrificially and hold us up in prayer. This month, please pray for the following:

1. That God will help us to see more souls saved and more follow the Lord in faithful obedience.

2. That God will raise up laborers in the church to help us grow in our ministry capacity.

3. That God will lead us and guide us as we move forward to the next phase in the church plant.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

May 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you had a wonderful time celebrating Resurrection Sunday last month! We had a special early morning service and several people brought in food to have a special breakfast together. As we have been settling into the new church location, we have purchased some new chairs and a couple of new tables. In order to better utilize the space, we also purchased a screen which we are now using instead of the projector. We have also moved our Tuesday night Bible studies out of our house and into the new building as well. Unfortunately, we have seen a small drop in attendance, but we hope to bounce back very soon. Last Sunday, we had a shorter service and held a planning meeting afterwards. Not that we have cleared out many of the obstacles, we are now moving the church plant into the next phase. We will be deciding upon a formal name for the church and will be producing new signs and materials for the new address. We are also hoping to get more people involved in serving and be able to have a greater outreach in the San Pablo area.

Not only have we recently changed meeting locations for the church, but we also moved to a “new” house. We are about the same distance to the church, but from the other direction. We hope that the Lord will open many doors and opportunities to share the Gospel in the new neighborhood. Since arriving, we have had a lot of setbacks… roof problems, electrical problems, washing machine problems, computer problems… Thankfully, we have gotten most of those resolved. As for our family, the kids have loved adjusting to their new rooms. The kids are doing well in school and Elijah has made significant progress in his Spanish. The other day, while playing at the park with his friends, he was using new words and even conjugating them correctly! Near the end of the month, we were able to take a short trip to do some hiking and enjoy the natural scenery here in Costa Rica. It was nice to refresh and get ready to push forward again in the ministry.

We have faced a lot of ups, downs, trials, and difficulties… but God has been faithful! We are thankful to be able to serve the Lord here in Costa Rica. We are thankful for all of your prayers and financial support. This month, please pray...

1. That God will use us to lead many people to Christ.

2. That God will build up His church and send forth laborers into the harvest!

3. That God will guide us and lead us as we move forward with the next phase of the church plant.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

April 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that this letter finds each of you doing well. Last month was an exciting month for us. We asked you to pray about the permits needed to hold services in a building we wanted to rent. Shortly after sending that letter, we received news that the first permit was approved. We then begun the work to obtain the second one. About a week and a half later, we obtained the second permit… but there was a problem – It had the wrong address! We then resubmitted it with the note explaining the change that was needed and were able to receive it again a week later. Thankfully, we were able to proceed with beginning a contract and getting the church building ready for our first meeting. On Sunday, March 27^th, we held our first service in the new building! We have continued to run the van to pick up families for church. On one Sunday, we saw 5 first time visitors! We have also seen some new regular attenders. We still have a lot to do to adjust to the new location such as building modifications, changing the address on the gospel tracts, and other things. This month, we are planning to do a family activity as well as a special early morning service for Resurrection Sunday.

Our family has stayed very busy throughout the month of March. Michelle and I (Jeremy) celebrated our 13 year anniversary! I am so thankful that the Lord has given me a godly wife. Proverbs 18:22 says, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” God sure has been good to me! As for our children, they have been keeping busy with school. We also had a church “clean up” day in which we all worked together to get things ready for our first service in the new building. Not only have we recently changed buildings, but we are also preparing to change houses! This month, if the Lord wills, we will be moving to a new house. We hope that it will give us new opportunities to be a witness to the people around us in the new location.

As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, we are thankful that God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son. We are thankful that the Lord has allowed us to serve Him and we are thankful for all who support us and pray for our ministry. This month, please pray:

1. That God will raise up laborers in the church to expand our ministry potential.

2. That God will allow us to see more souls saved, more baptisms, and more members added to His church.

3. That God will lead us and guide us as we take the next few steps in the church plant.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

March 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family, March 2022

Last month was an exciting month. It has been a little unusual as we are still waiting to hear back on the permits for the new building that where we would like to hold services. In the middle of the month, our pastor, Rodney Kelley, came to visit us. It was a blessing to spend some time together and for him to see firsthand the blessings and challenges of ministry here. It has been nearly three years since Jeremy has been to Nicaragua, so it was a good opportunity for him to see the churches and spend a little time with the pastors. The trip started well until they were held up at the border. Their covid tests were not accepted, so we had to get new ones. After getting through, Jeremy then had some stomach issues. Thankfully, he recovered quickly after. He was able to teach a boys class at a church that was planted a few years ago. He was also able to preach at the church that we started in San Marcos. It was good for him to see pastor Berner and the church members. There are now 11 students preparing for the ministry at the Bible Institute. Praise God! It was a good reminder that a fruitful harvest in ministry usually only comes after many years of laying a strong foundation. We must sow the Word, but God gives the increase in His time!

Before our trip, Elijah walked into a moving swing and cut his head. We had to take him to the E.R. Thankfully, he only needed one stitch. He is now better. During the Nicaragua trip, Michelle stayed home and took care of the kids. She stays very busy caring for the kids and serving in many ways. In Jeremy's absence, it was good to see several people get more engaged. Several came early to help set up and others helped in other capacities. As mentioned last month, we were able to purchase a used 12 seat van/microbus. We did not know this, but one family that attends with us used to run a bus route in another church. They were very excited. The wife helped to coordinate with families, and the husband helped to drive. We did not expect to have to run two trips on our first Sunday! Even though several were absent, we had about 28 in attendance. It is encouraging to see how Jesus builds his church! The girls have continued studying very hard. Ellowyn has had to study extra hard as she is currently one grade ahead of where she would be in the United States. All of the children continue to make progress in their Spanish.

Last month, the Lord also provided by way of another church taking us on for support and also committing to send the first month's rent payment for the new building! What a blessing! This month, please pray:

1. That God will clear any obstacles to the approval of the permits for our new meeting location.

2. That God will continue to raise up more laborers to help us with the work of the ministry.

3. That God will lead as we push forward to see more souls saved and more spiritual growth in the church.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

February 2022

 Dear Friends and Family,

We trust that this letter finds each of you doing well. Last month, we continued to push forward. Throughout January, Jeremy preached a series on Biblical Priorities. This applies to us both on an individual level and also on a church level. One woman came on a Sunday morning and prayed to receive Christ after the service. As church planting missionaries, we have continued to prioritize evangelism and discipleship. We have continued meeting with the families that attend with us for counseling and discipleship as well as host weekly in-home meetings. Unfortunately, our attendance has been a little lower after the loss of a very faithful family that moved away. However, one couple who has not attended in a while has begun to attend again! Praise God! Another praise is that we have found a great location for our church plant. Not only that, but the owner is a Christian and also desires to help us any way that he can. We are currently applying for permits. If everything goes according to plan, we should have our own location soon! We are also moving forward with the religious association that we have established and now have an accountant who is helping us with the legal/financial side.

As for our family, we have stayed incredibly busy between school and ministry. Our girls have been studying very hard to master their spelling words. Elijah has been making progress in learning Spanish. We will be speaking more Spanish at home to help him to understand it better. Costa Rica is a challenging country for missionaries for many reasons. Unfortunately, we have heard of other missionaries that have recently left or are leaving the country, including 2 families that are friends of ours. It has been sad to see them go, but we trust that the Lord will guide them as they move into the next steps of their ministry. One of them will be selling us a used 12-seater van/microbus that we will be able to use in our ministry. This will be a blessing to our ministry as we will be able to help bring people to and from church. It will also be a blessing for church trips.

Before concluding with prayer requests, we want to thank those who have sent special Christmas offerings. What a blessing! May the Lord bless you above and beyond. This month, there is much to pray for. Please pray:

1. That God will allow for us to obtain the proper permits for the building we seek to rent.

2. That God will bring forth the increase as we continue to sow God's word in the community.

3. That God will strengthen each missionary family and clear any obstacles to ministry here in Costa Rica.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

January 2022 Prayer Letter

 Dear Friends and Family

We hope that each of you had a wonderful Christmas and a great start to the new year! We celebrated Christmas throughout the month of December. Jeremy preached several Christmas themed messages from Matthew 1 and Luke 1-2. We also enjoyed singing our favorite Christmas hymns and even introducing some new ones to the church here in Costa Rica. As we knocked on doors sharing the Gospel throughout the community, it became apparent that there was a special love for the holiday of Christmas... but sadly, most do not trust in Christ alone for salvation by grace through faith. Our in home meetings have been going well with a good core group. One night, we had a special Christmas dinner for the church family with ham and all of the classic sides. I believe this was our first year on the mission field when we had a "real" ham! We also had a special Christmas activity for the kids at an artificial ice-skating rink. The idea was great... but the artificial ice was not so great. We were sliding around everywhere... but it was a good time with many laughs. We have also continued to make progress with our religious association. Many do not know this, but Costa Rica does not allow missionaries to legally come here without being sponsored by an existing ministry with a high level of credentials. Although these processes are very slow and time consuming, we are laying the groundwork not only for our own ministry, but also for other missionaries who seek to serve in Costa Rica.

As for our family, we had a special time this Christmas. Between school, church, and family activities, we stayed very busy! The kids had a nice break from school for a few weeks. We all had more than our share of hot chocolate and Christmas goodies! Although we love the Christmas season, we always remember the true meaning of Christmas and why Christ came to live among us and save us from our sins. As we start the new year, we are seeking the Lord for His direction and guidance as for 2022.

Last month, we requested prayer for the permits we were seeking for a building we were seeking to rent for our church. Unfortunately, the permits were declined. Here in Costa Rica, it is much harder for churches to obtain permits than it is for businesses, making it very difficult for new churches. However, we know that the Lord is in control. We will keep seeking a way to move forward. Also, we send special thanks to those who sent special Christmas offerings. This month, please pray...

1. That God will continue to use us to witness to the lost and see more souls saved.

2. That Christ will continue to build His Church in San Pablo.

3. That God will lead us and guide us as we seek a way forward for the church plant.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz