August 2015 Prayer Letter - Additional Content

Occasionally, when we send out our monthly prayer letters via email, we add additional content that would not fit in a standard prayer letter. Below, you will find some additional content we could not fit in the letter. 

So much has happened in the last month, it's hard to fit even the highlights into a prayer letter. Last month, we requested prayer for our inauguration service of Iglesia Bautista Biblica in San Marcos, Nicaragua. We are glad to report that the Lord not only meet our expectations, but exceeded them! While there is limited space in a normal prayer letter, I thought that I would include a few more personal examples of the Gospel at work in San Marcos, Nicaragua. I hope the testimonies below will be an encouragement to each of you.

1. Julio - Julio is a man that we had met while visiting door to door. Julio listened to the Gospel as presented, and seemed to be really considering it. He did not receive Christ that day, but we were glad to see that he attended our inauguration service. After the messsage, he responded to the invitation, and was 1 of 2 people that received Christ during our inauguration service. While Julio previously had problems with alcohol, he has not drank since he received Christ. Since then, he has attended our church regularly and is growing in the Lord.

2. Abel- Abel is a teenage boy who had a background in church, but had never received Christ as Savior. Our first Sunday morning service, he came and was counseled by Pastor Berner who is our partner in this church plant. He received Christ as Savior, is now attending regularly, and has recently begun serving as a helper in our children's Sunday School Class.

3. Jose - Jose is a young man who had been out of work and had been involved with drugs. On day, while visiting, we were able to meet him and speak with him regarding his past and the Gospel. That day, he prayed to receive Christ as Savior. He has recently begun attending church, stopped using drugs, and is now actively pursuing work.

4. Carla- Carla is a young lady who attended one of our first church services. She heard the Gospel clearly presented, and that night, she received Christ as Savior. Since then, she has been faithful to attend services, and has been actively inviting all of her family. Each week, she brings her daughter and several other children. She has also invited us to hold a "Thanksgiving" service in her home to give thanks to the Lord for the work he did in giving a family member a quick recovery. We saw about 35-45 persons in this service, including mostly family and friends that had never before attended our church.

5. "Cabo" or "Sergeant" Luis - Cabo Luis is a man who is in his 60s or 70s. While he had been catholic for all of his life, he attended our inauguration service. While many know him as a man who has always said he would be catholic "until the day he dies", he has recently revealed to us that he really enjoyed the Biblical message he heard. As he was considering all of this, he revealed to us that if he were to ever change his stance on this, he would choose Baptist. Since then, we have built a relationship with his family and have met with him in his house twice. During our most recent service, we were so thankful to see that he had come to hear more Bible preaching. I believe God is working in his life and that the seed of God's word is taking root.

Please pray for each of these people. The Gospel still changes lives, and we are so thankful to have a part in the eternal work of God.  

August 2015 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Last month was a month full of blessings and challenges. On July 12th, we had the
inauguration service for Iglesia Bautista Biblica in San Marcos, Nicaragua. While we were
praying for a great turnout and had rented 100 chairs, we were pleased to have seen an
approximate 110-115 who came for our first church service. During the inauguration
service, there were two men who came forward to receive Christ as Savior. Despite being
a very small and new church, we have seen dramatic growth in our children's ministry.
This last Sunday, we had once again reached our inauguration day attendance of 12-13
children. Despite having a very small classroom to meet in, we are now making plans to
better accommodate this rapidly growing ministry. Last month, we saw an additional 13
people pray to receive Christ and a few others rededicate their lives to the Lord. Because
so many have never heard the Gospel, and others have recently received Christ as
Savior, we are teaching a series on the doctrinal aspects of Salvation. Thankfully, we have
seen a few new faces each week.

Although we have seen many blessings of the Lord, we know that we must
constantly trust the Lord. Near the end of last month, our daughter Ellowyn was sitting on
the side of the bed and fell backwards onto the tile floor. When Jeremy rushed to pick her
up and comfort her, she lost consciousness, stopped breathing, and began convulsing.
Immediately, we sought the Lord's help, and as Jeremy was going to begin CPR, she
began struggling to breathe very weakly. She regained consciousness, but could not
move or respond. 45 minutes later, the local hospital sent us in ambulance to the Capital.
An hour after this, we arrived at the hospital in Managua. Many people prayed, and upon
arrival in Managua, Ellowyn awoke and began singing “Jesus loves me,” which Jeremy
had sung to her many times. Shortly after, she was talking, walking, and responding in
every way! After an Xray and CT scan, the doctors found no damage to her neck and
brain. In fact, they could not explain the symptoms with the lack of damage found. We
truly believe the Lord protected her and may have healed her before the tests.

God is good, and we need all need Him daily. This month, please pray for the
following:

1. God's protection on our family, especially for Ellie and her recovery.
2. That God will grow His church and help us reach the families of the children.
3. That God will lead us daily in His work here in Nicaragua.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz

July 2015 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

This last month has been chock full of activity, and we are glad to be able to share about all the great things the Lord is doing. Our main focus last month was to work in preparation for our upcoming church plant in San Marcos, Nicaragua. We have are renting a house that will serve as the church's first location. After much cleaning, painting, electrical work, and the purchase of banners, chairs, etc, it now looks much more like a church. We have placed a strong focus on personal evangelism. The Lord opened a major door as the captain of a local soccer team received Christ. Since then, we have been meeting with the team weekly, preaching, discipling, and encouraging them. Since then, 9 more players have received Christ. We have also received the help from 3 partner churches in Managua. Last week, we hosted a group of 15 members from one church to help us in an evangelistic campaign. Between this event and our personal soul winning, we have seen an additional 21 people receive Christ. Last Sunday, Jeremy was able to preach the Sunday evening service completely in Spanish at a nearby church in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. Our ministry partnership with Berner has been a blessing as we have both been able to learn in process, all while continuing to focus upon learning the language more each day.

We have also been able to do a lot of work around the house. We had a few problems during the first 2 weeks at our house, but thankfully, the Lord has allowed those problems to be resolved. With the lack of Wal-mart and big box stores, we have had to learn to find many places across the city to find things. Each day, we have also been able to learn more and more of the differences between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. From pronunciation, to vocabulary, to the culture, as well as the lifestyle, the differences have become stronger with time. What a privilege to be able to learn these things.

This next month will be a huge month for us. I want to stress that we need the Lord to work through us, so we must all be in prayer. Please pray for the following:
1. The Lord will help us in planning and preparing for the new church.
2. The Lord to bless abundantly in our first church service.
3. The Lord to help us see more people saved and discipled to follow Christ.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz

June 2015 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

This letter should find you a bit earlier than normal. This weekend, we will be moving into our house in the city of Jinotepe. It may take a few days to get back to normal. Thankfully, we now have a vehicle to help us move our things! After much searching, researching, and praying, we found a vehicle that was perfect for our needs. While we did not think we could afford a larger vehicle, the Lord helped us find a nice, used vehicle that could seat 8 people as well as haul cargo when needed... all at a good price! This will surely be a blessing to our family and ministry. Jeremy has been working to obtain documents from both Costa Rica and USA to help with receiving legal residency here in Nicaragua. We are thankful for all of the help we received from Michelle's parents with mailing documents and forms. Although, we are still only in a planning stage of the church plant in San Marcos, our ministry partner Berner was able to lead one person to Christ last week. We know that the Lord will do a great work in San Marcos!

As for our family, we are still going through much transition. By the time we left Costa Rica, we had many English peaking friends from the School and Spanish speaking friends in the church. While we have a few relationships here in Nicaragua, we are having to start anew in building relationships. Aside from relationships, we are seeing some changes in the pace of life. In Costa Rica, we were full time students language school students and our children attended the day care school. Now, Michelle is helping the girls to transition towards a home school routine.

Last month, we were glad to hear that we now have one more supporting church. Praise the Lord! This next month, we will move to Jinotepe and begin moving forward with our plans to plant a church in San Marcos. This month, please pray:

1. That everything goes well with our documents and residency process.
2. For our family as we transition to life in Nicaragua.
3. That souls will be saved as we begin working in San Marcos, Nicaragua.

In Christ,
Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz

May 2015 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

This is our first prayer letter from Nicaragua. Since last month, we have graduated from language school in Costa Rica. Thankfully, we have studied hard, made good grades, and now have a strong foundation in the Spanish language. We will surely continue learning in our personal studies for much time to come. At the end of the month, we moved from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. Thankfully, the Lord brought us here with relatively few problems. We were also able to save a significant amount of funds by driving, rather than flying. Since arriving, our Nicaraguan friend and partner in the ministry, Berner, has done a great job helping us to get around and find the necessary things for our family.

Since arriving, we've had a few difficulties, but nothing significant. We are spending our first month in an apartment in Managua while we searched for a car, a house, and all of the smaller things we have needed. Thankfully, we have found a house that will be a great fit for us in the area where we intend to serve. We will be moving in at the beginning of next month. We have also been working hard to find a good, reliable vehicle at a decent price. We expect to have a car by the time we write our next prayer letter. Our girls have certainly had to make a few adjustments with the change of lifestyle and climate, as it is much hotter here in Managua, Nicaragua. However, they are doing well, singing in Spanish, and making new friends.

This month will be an exciting month. While we still have much work to do to get settled, work on residency, and begin our ministry, we believe the Lord is going to do some amazing things in the coming months. This month, please pray:

1. That the Lord guide us to the right vehicle.
2. That the Lord guide our plans and open doors to share the Gospel.
3. That the Lord help us improve in the language so we may be better witnesses.

In Christ,
Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz

April 2015 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Here in Costa Rica, we are now in the middle of Semana Santa or Holy Week. While the week is full of religious activity, there is little emphasis upon the simple truth of the Gospel. We are eager to make our transition to Nicaragua and begin putting a strong emphasis upon evangelism and discipleship. This month marks our last month in language School in Costa Rica. We have learned so much and though far from perfect, we are now much better equipped to share the Gospel in Spanish. Though we still have to focus much of our time on schoolwork, we are now making our plans to leave Costa Rica and enter Managua. We will be beginning our Nicaraguan ministry in the Managua area. There is much to do. We are working to acquire proper documentation, obtain legal residency, find a house, and to make plans to move all of our stuff across the border.

As for our family, our health has been much better recently. Michelle has had a few of the unusual symptoms that she had when she was in the hospital last year. After a recent appointment, we learned that her stomach ulcer has been cured. We are now awaiting results from a few more tests. As for our girls, they have been very healthy and are doing great here in Central America. People frequently tell me that Lila speaks Spanish really well. Even Ellowyn, who is 1 ½, knows many Spanish words. They both love to meet new people and open many doors for building relationships and sharing the Gospel.

This month is a big month for us. We will be selling many things and moving to Nicaragua. This month, please pray for the following:

1. Michelle as we are awaiting the results of a few medical tests.
2. Our family as we continue learning the language.
3. The Lord's direction as we continue to work on our ministry plans
4. The Lord to help our transition from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.

In Christ,
Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz

March 2015 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that all of you are doing well. Around this time last year, we found ourselves in the middle of many winter storms. We are quite thankful to be able to avoid doing that this year. This last month, we have continued our progress in language school. While that has been our main focus, we have also been working on our plans for our transition to Nicaragua. We have been presented with many great opportunities and we are very excited about all of it. We have also enjoyed being able to be involved in various church activities throughout the month.

One Sunday, we had an all day church anniversary celebration at a local camp. We were able to fellowship, play games, and even observe many baptisms of people who had recently received Christ. For Valentine's Day, Michelle and I were able to attend a special married couple activity at the church. It was nice to have an opportunity to spend some time together while others were able to watch our children. During our time here in Costa Rica, we have been surprised at how many people like to practice their English with us. We were able to have a young man come over to our house for an English interview for his class. Because we are native English speakers, this may provide future opportunities to build relationships and share the Gospel with others in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Near the end of the month, we had a guest pastor from the Virgin Islands as a guest speaker. We were pleased to have him over for dinner at our house. He was very familiar with BIMI and was able to encourage us in our work.

This month, we will be making some big decisions regarding our next step after language school. Please pray for the following:

1. That the Lord will help us in learning the language
2. That the Lord will guide us as we make plans for after language school.
3. That the Lord will continue to provide opportunities for us to share the Gospel and encourage other Christians.

In Christ,
Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz