Dear Friends and Family,
We hope that this letter finds you doing well. We expected for last month to be a month to be able to catch up on a few things. Instead, it was a difficult month. But God is good and continues to bless! We have continued to knock on doors and preach the gospel throughout San Pablo. We have continued to see new visitors. There is one new family that has become very faithful. We also now have 5 candidates for believer’s baptism and hope to meet with them individually as we plan a special baptism Sunday. On Tuesday evenings, Jeremy has been teaching through our church doctrinal statement. We also had a special mother’s day service. Last month, we asked for prayer for our church van. Unfortunately, it has continued to have problems. Despite various repairs, it has had consistent problems. If we cannot get it fixed to run properly and pass the emissions test, we may need to sell it and consider the possibility of buying a new church van that we can maintain and use for many years. Not only has the van been in and out of the shop, but we’ve also had our car in the shop for about a week and a half. As a result, it’s been a lot harder to get things done. Thankfully, the car is now out of the shop and working great again!
Last month was not only complicated due to vehicle issues, but it was also difficult for our family. One morning, Jeremy received word that his oldest brother David had passed away early that morning. Although his health had declined over the years, it was still unexpected. Jeremy then found a flight to visit his family and attend the funeral. When Jesus spoke of those who would leave their families for his name’s sake, He did not speak of it lightly, but rather as an example of one of the most difficult things that His disciples would do for His name’s sake. Without a doubt, the hardest thing about serving as foreign missionaries is not being able to be with one’s family. While Michelle cared for our children in Costa Rica, Jeremy spent a little extra time with His family in GA to try to support them however he could. It was good to see his family, though obviously difficult given the circumstances. We will miss David very much and trust that we will one day see Him again with the Lord. Upon returning to Costa Rica, Jeremy had to hit the ground running to catch up on things at the church. Near the end of the month, we celebrated Elijah’s 6th birthday.
This month, please pray that God will strengthen both foreign missionaries and their families as they serve the Lord in foreign lands. Also, please pray for the following requests…
1. For our church plant in San Pablo, Costa Rica.
2. For more salvations, baptisms, and spiritual growth.
3. For us as we make decisions regarding the church van.
In Christ,
Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz
