April 2012 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

It is already time for our April prayer letter, and as I reflect upon what God has done throughout March, it reminds me of how good God is. Last month was a very busy month for us. We drove over 4,500 miles to be in scheduled meetings and missions conferences in nine churches throughout FL, AL, TN, and even NJ. We were involved in everything from teaching Sunday School, singing, preaching, Children's church, visitation, and many other things. One new church began supporting us last month, and others have committed to supporting us in the future. We also were able to book more meetings in AL, NC, VA, and MA.

Although missionary deputation involves lots (and I mean lots) of traveling and hard work, it also has some perks. Because we travel to so many places, we are able to see places that we would otherwise never be able to see. We were able to see historic Philadelphia, eat a real Philly Cheesesteak, visit New York City, and even take a brief family trip to Lookout Mountain. We were also able to visit some family for a few days while we were in TN. Lila is now 6 ½ months old, 15 lbs, and is much more mobile than ever before. She is loved and adored at every church we go to.

Thank you for those who prayed specifically for our safety last month. We drove through some bad storm systems last month, and one of the towns we were in was devastated by a tornado the night before we arrived. Please pray for the following:

1. The families that were impacted by the tornadoes.
2. That God will continue to give us safe travels
3. That God will help us seize every opportunity to share the Gospel
4. That God will help us raise the support we need to get to Nicaragua.

In Christ,

Jeremy and Michelle Blanz

March Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you have had a great start to your year this January. January has been a slow month in some ways, but a very busy month in others. This month, we were able to spend some time in at home in Jacksonville with our friends and family as well as take care of some things we can't do while on the road. Everyone really enjoyed getting to see how much Lila has grown and developed. She now “talks” all the time and grabs at everything she can see! It has also been good to attend our home church and be involved in sharing the Gospel here at home!

In January, we had a lot less traveling than we are used to. While we had scheduled meetings in Alabama and Florida, most of our time was spent trying to fill our schedule for 2012. As far as scheduling is concerned, January was the most productive month we have ever had! Throughout the month we have scheduled 21 meetings in the states of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia! Although we now have a nearly full schedule for the next 3 months, we also have many meetings booked throughout the rest of the year. In January, we also saw 2 new supporting churches and 1 more that has committed to begin support next month.

Over the last month, God has given me more of a burden to pray for the churches and people we come into contact with. We believe that God still answers prayer and that “with God all things are possible.” As we look into the coming months, we need God more than ever! Please pray for:
1. That God will enable churches to support us in Nicaragua.
2. That we will be able to fill our calendar for 2012.
3. That God will use us while we are on deputation.
Thank you for your prayers!


In Christ,
Jeremy and Michelle Blanz

January Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas! As we enter into the new year, we ask that God will do amazing things in us and through us in 2012. December has given us a slower deputation schedule than usual due to all of the Christmas festivities. Thankfully, that has given us small window of opportunity to rest and recover before picking up in our travels again. Michelle, Lila, and I were able to see family in both GA and FL. We spent Lila's first family Christmas at home. We have tried to establish good family traditions such as reading the Christmas passage and taking time to thank God for his love in giving us His only begotten Son, Jesus.

During December, we were in 3 scheduled meetings in GA and SC. Beginning on a Saturday night before our first meeting, we experienced a car problem that we are still trying to get fixed. Because of this, our engine will cut off and not start for several hours before we are able to start it and drive again. After several visits to the mechanic, we are still trying to get the problem properly diagnosed and fixed. We thank the Lord it is not caused us to cancel any meetings, and also that it did not happen during a much busier time for scheduled meetings! In January, we will have at least 1 more church that will begin supporting us. There are also several churches that are potential supporters, which may begin supporting us soon.

As we begin this new year, please pray for the following:
1. That God provide support needed for us to serve God in Nicaragua.
2. That God will help us get our car fixed in time for our January meetings.
3. That we will be able to book many meetings and conferences in 2012.
4. For God's guidance and help in raising our new family.

Thank you for your prayers! God bless each of you!

God is Good! Even When Things Seem Bad!

This weekend, God used something unexpected to build my faith. Saturday night, while we were in Atlanta preparing for a meeting in Newborn, GA, I left Michelle and Lila back where we were staying so I could go get some dinner to bring back to them. After I made a quick trip to the dollar store, something took me by surprise... My car wouldn't start. It seemed that the battery was strong, and it seemed like the engine was trying to start, but no success in the car starting. This was a surprise, because the last time I started the car, there was no problem. So now, I am stuck somewhere unfamiliar in Atlanta where I know nobody, while my wife and daughter are stuck at the hotel.

As I tried to figure out what to do, I prayed and asked the Lord to guide me and get me home safely and hopefully allow me to get my car running so I won't have to cancel 2 church meetings the next day. As with any car problem, when you don't know what the problem is, you should try the easiest and most common solutions first. After asking several people for help jump-starting the car, I found a man who would try to help. However, we had no success. After he left, I decided I would try once more before trying to find a mobile mechanic. As I turned the key, VROOOM! The car started right up with no hesitation. In complete amazement, I praised the Lord, and then got to thinking, "How do I know it will start again?" I then decided to drive back our room for the night, so in case it wouldn't start again, I would be where I needed to be. As I drove back, the check engine light was on, and the transmission very, very hard. This concerned me, as transmission repair can be anywhere from $1,000-2,000 easily. Once I got back to Michelle and Lila, I assured her everything would be okay. After talking to her, I decided to give the car another shot. This time, the car started fine, and the transmission was smoother. After a lap or two around the parking lot, I gave it another shot. The third time, the car started fine and transmission now shifted perfectly. Praise the Lord, things were now on the right track!

I then went to an auto part store for a free computer scan, and discovered the problem. Sensors! It turns out some sensors were "misbehaving" and causing my car quite a problem. The car would not start because a sensor couldn't detect that the car was in park. The transmission wasn't shifting right because another sensor couldn't detect the speed properly. After leaving the part store, the check engine light went off, and the car behaved perfectly again. The next day (Sunday), we were able to make it to both of our church meetings without a problem, and Monday we were able to make a safe, problem-free trek home. Praise the Lord! Things looked horrible on Saturday night, and things could have been really bad. Whether the Lord fixed our car, or just allowed us to make it to where we needed to be, it shows that the Lord is good! After doing some research, I have found that other people have had this problem, to have it disappear for years before ever giving them a problem again.

My point in writing this is to encourage whoever is reading this. There will be times when you don't know what's going on, and it seems that everything is going wrong. Despite your circumstances, know that you have a good God! Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His Purpose." Whatever it is that happens, know God is good and that He is allowing these things to happen for a reason. In this case, I believe God is teaching me to trust in Him more and more.

November/December Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We trust that you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for! We were able to spend some time with Jeremy's family in GA as well as Michelle's family in TN. We thank the Lord for the family that He has given us. Last month, one of the churches we were in took up a love offering to replace our broken CD player in our car! Praise the Lord, we now have a new CD player and things needed to install it in the near future. I thank the Lord for giving me a faithful, loving wife and a beautiful baby girl! Lila is growing quickly and can now play with toys, roll over, and do all kinds of “baby talk.”

November was a busy month for us. We were scheduled in 8 churches, including 2 missions conferences, in VA, SC, and GA. We thank the Lord for a vehicle that has given us little to no problems! Last month, we were able to see 2 people come forward to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior! Praise God! As of the end of November, we are now at 25% of full support. After being in so many churches the last 2-3 months, we anticipate that to go up quickly.

Please pray for us as we set out to do what the Lord has called us to do. While we are raising funds to go to Nicaragua, we must remember that deputation is a ministry in itself. There are many opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost around us. Please pray that we will take advantage of those opportunities so that lives will be changed and God will be glorified. Please pray that the churches we have been in will be able to support us in going to Nicaragua. Please also pray for the people in Nicaragua. After the last election, it appears they will remain under the administration of Daniel Ortega. God bless each of you, and may you have a wonderful Christmas this year!


In Christ,

Jeremy and Michelle Blanz

August Prayer Letter

We hope and pray that you each of you have been having a great summer. Last month, while slower than some of the previous months, was still quite a busy month for us! While we were not on the road quite as much as normal, we were still able to preach and share our burden with several churches in FL and VA. When we weren't traveling, we were busy booking meetings for late 2011 and 2012. Oftentimes, Jeremy makes 100 or more calls per day to churches all over the Southeast, sharing our burden to bring the Gospel to the people of Nicaragua.

As of August 1st, Michelle is now 35 1/2 weeks pregnant! With the expected delivery date around September 1st, this very well could be the month we have our first child! We are excited, and God is preparing us in many ways as we transition into parenthood. The doctors have told us that Michelle cannot travel at this point in the pregnancy, so when our meetings are out of town, Jeremy has had to travel alone. Last week, after returning from a 1,400 mile round trip into VA and back, Jeremy noticed the car was shaking a bit on the way home. The next day, when getting the oil changed, the mechanic pointed out that the tire was coming apart on the inside and bulging out, which caused the shaking. Thank you for those who pray for us, as it could have caused a blowout.

Please keep us in prayer as we move into August. Jeremy will be spending a week in church planting school in Tennessee, while Michelle stays home in FL. Please pray that we have a healthy baby, born at the "right" time, and a safe deliver. Also, please pray that we will be able to fill our schedule with meetings and mission conferences throughout late 2011 and 2012. As always, please feel free to let us know if you need prayer as well!

July Prayer Letter

I realized that I hadn't posted last month's prayer letter to the website, so here it is!

July Prayer Letter

This past month has been a time of both hard work and accomplishment for us. We have much to be grateful for! In ministry, this month we were able to go to the BIMI headquarters to complete our second year of candidate school. Looking back over this past year we can see how much we have learned. It was a real joy to be at BIMI again to learn from the directors and their wices as well as to be encouraged by them. We were able to get a fresh vision for what we are doing as we realize how much closer we are to being on the field. We know we are turly blessed to have such a wonderful mission board. We were also able to be in our home church, West Jacksonville Baptist Church, for a week of Revival meetings with Dr. David Gibbs, Bro. Jeff Amsbaugh, Bro. Joe Arthur, and the Rochester family. We were glad that we were able to work these services into our schedule and to see our church family again!

Another accomplishment this month is that, as of July, we are "officially" on full time deputation. With the work on our new home base complete, we were able to move in this past month and now can shift our focus fully to our missions work. Michelle has also put in her two weeks notice at her job in order to have a time of preparation before our baby arrives.

Please continue to pray for us as we strive to reach Nicaragua. Pray for Jeremy as he calls pastors and churches and works to fill our schedule, as well as that we will find the churches that want to join us in our ministry. Pray also for Michelle as she is in her eighth month of pregnancy. Pray that things will go well and that we will have a healthy baby girl soon! Thank you for your continued prayer and support this year. We are so grateful to have this opportunity and we know that we could not do it without all of you behind us.