Dear Friends and Family,
We hope that you are doing well. The year is going by so fast! Last month, we had to work a little extra hard in our church plant because the national pastor we are partnered with took a 3 week trip out of the country. During our visits, we saw 8 people profess faith in Jesus Christ. For Resurrection Sunday, we also planned a special sunrise service and breakfast afterward. We saw a good attendance as well as many new faces. Of course, there is always work outside of the church plant. We have now spent a portion of several days working to get our vehicle properly registered. I think we are now near the end of the process. We have also been working to plan our trip to Honduras for the BIMI field conference. We are looking forward to that. There are many firsts for our ministry here in Nicaragua. This month, we are preparing to do our first baptisms. Because many people believe in a sacramental Baptism as a means of receiving grace, we have been working to lead new converts through a brief course to help them understand biblical salvation and believers baptism. This month, we are looking forward to seeing 6 young people follow the Lord in believer's baptism.
It seems that every month that goes by, Nicaragua begins to feel less and less like a foreign country to us. Lila is now getting more and more into her school routine. She has now made several friends in her school. For Resurrection Sunday, our girls really enjoyed getting to hear about how Jesus rose from the dead. We enjoyed teaching them that because He lives, we have the promise of resurrection from the dead. We understand that there may be some who pray for us who are unsure about salvation. If you are not 100% sure that you have eternal life, please read our post at:
Each month that goes by, we are reminded that we need the blessing of God here in the work. Our greatest ministry desire is that this church be one that glorifies Jesus Christ and does what He has commanded us. This month, will you please pray for the following prayer requests?
1. That God guide our church and continue to grow those who will be baptized.2. That God “give the increase” as we labor here in His work.3. That God help us to be faithful in our part, that God may be glorified in all we do.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
Dear Friends and Family,
As always, there is much to do in the Lord's work. Here in Nicaragua, we have stayed busy working and trusting the Lord to strengthen His church. We have continued in visitation and evangelism, and Michelle has recently started a kids choir practice on Wednesday nights. For valentines day, we did a special service and focused upon the love of Jesus Christ in our families. For many, it was a blessing and encouragement. One faithful youth in our church recently enrolled in the three year Baptist Bible Institute in preparation for ministry. It is exciting to see young people with a heart for the ministry. Berner, the national pastor with whom we are working, will be taking a three week trip, so we will be working even harder over this next month. Over this next month or so, we will be doing a series on Biblical Stewardship. We believe that God will continue blessing and strengthening the church. We are also working to accommodate a medical missions trip in the coming months as well. We are planning for our first Baptismal service as well.
As for the family, we are keeping busy as well. This month, Lila started school for the first time here in Nicaragua. Despite differences in culture and language, she is doing pretty well. We pray that God will help her to flourish here in her new school. Ellowyn is now spending a bit more time without her sister, but it is good for her development. Last month, something very exciting happened. We have now completed the residency process and finally have our residency approved with government IDs. Praise the Lord! This now means that there are several other things we now have to do, but this is one big step in the right direction!
Last month, we requested prayer for our health. Thankfully, we are all doing better. Thank you for praying. This last month, God answered a personal prayer. I have been praying for God to provide land and a building for the church, and God has already begun putting it in the hearts of some to help with this need. God is good! This month, will you please pray:
1. For God to continue strengthening the church and saving souls in Berner's absence.2. That God will provide every need for us to buy land and a building in His timing.3. That God will lead Lila and help her to flourish in her new classes.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
Dear Friends and Family,
Last month was an exciting month and great start to the new year. A ladies ministry named “Women of the Well” came to do a ladies conference at our church. Though we had little time to prepare, there was a great turnout of near 100 ladies and children and many were edified in the faith. We practiced the “Lord's Supper” as well as a special birthday service for pastor Berner. It was probably our highest normal attendance yet. Next month, we are planning a baptismal service, and there are several candidates ready to take this step of obedience. In our visiting, we saw 8 individuals who made the decision to place their faith in Christ alone for salvation as well as one young man who rededicated his life to the Lord. The Lord has been strengthening the church in number and maturity. There are several more who are beginning to tithe and serve in various capacities. In the neighboring city of Diriá, we are continuing to hold evangelistic services, and one young man has decided to continue this work as a church plant. Please pray for this.
While we are very busy in the ministry, we have a very busy familiy life too. We are presently still in the residency process, and take 3 trips to the migration office each month. We have also had to deal with minor car problems and it will need three days in the garage to get repairs from the accident that happened 1-2 months ago. We have enjoyed becoming more involved in life here in Nicaragua. We were invited to the birthday party of one of our daughters friends. It is a great opportunity to get to know the people more on a personal level. Near the end of the month, we took a couple days to help out some other missionaries who recently arrived here in Nicaragua. We know how difficult it can be, and are thankful to be able to help others as they get started in the work here. At the end of the month, Ellowyn and Lila both came down with a sickness of some sort. Please pray for them.
As always, we are so thankful to have churches and individuals who pray for us monthly. This month, will you please pray for the following?1. The health of our family (particularly for Lila and Ellowyn)2. That the Lord will raise up laborers here in our church to expand the ministry3. That the Lord will continue to direct our ministry in the Lord's work in Nicaragua.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
Dear Friends and Family,
Happy New Year! We hope that you had a Merry Christmas and a great start to the new year. Last month was an extra busy month for us. Aside from normal visitation, evangelism, preaching, and teaching Children's church, we had a couple special events. First, we did a Christmas event for the children. Besides all of the activities, every child received a gift. We saw about 65 people for this event. In our normal church services, we are close to max capacity at every service, and we are seeing greater commitment from those who attend. The neighbors, who have allowed us to use their covered porch area for a children's class, have expanded the area and are allowing us to hold services there with greater seating capacity. For the end of the year, we did a special service with a meal afterward. We were blown away when we maxed out the new larger area with approximately 90-95 people. The Lord is doing a great work here in San Marcos, and he has opened doors in a neighboring city named Diriá. We are hosting evangelistic services there about every other week. We are seeking the Lord's guidance in the first church plant as well as praying about our next steps in Diriá.
Last month, we celebrated our first Christmas in Nicaragua. We started the day reading the Biblical account of the very first Christmas. Each year, Lila and Ellowyn learn a little bit more about how and why Jesus left heaven to be born a child. They also enjoyed opening presents! Most importantly, we focus upon God's gift to us- Jesus Christ. While the people here celebrate Christmas very late on the night of Christmas Eve, we keep some old traditions and adopt some new ones. We made a somewhat traditional dinner and had a couple friends come over for dinner. We had a couple car problems, but thankfully we were able to get them both resolved without spending a lot of money.
We are so thankful for those who pray for us and support us on a regular basis. Thank you to all who send special Christmas offerings. That is a big blessing! This month, will you please pray for the following:
1. That the Lord continue to grow and strengthen our first church plant.2. That the Lord give us guidance in the new work in Diriá.3. That the Lord continue to save souls here in San Marcos, Nicaragua.4. That the Lord continue to mature each saved person in the faith.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
Dear Friends and Family,
It is hard to believe we are already at the end of the year! As we approach Christmas, we know it is a privilege to proclaim the Gospel here in Nicaragua. This last month, we saw 5 people receive Christ as Savior. While we have focused upon door-to-door evangelism, we are also finding other ways to present the Gospel to unbelievers as well as edify the people of the church. We hosted a large ladies event and saw a great turnout. Nearly 40 ladies came as well as 15-20 children. We have seen steady growth and are now frequently reaching full capacity in our present location. Those who attend have shown an increase in desire to serve as well. Our church has also recently become involved in a new outreach in a neighboring city called Diria. One family invited several of their friends, and we held an evangelistic service. Several responded to the invitation, and we were given an open door to come and begin holding services in the same home. At this point, we are now looking to continue planting the seeds of the gospel in this area and preparing for a future church plant.
As for our family, we are continuing to adjust and adapt to life here in Nicaragua. We celebrated our first Thanksgiving last month, and although it is an ordinary day here, we were able to invite some friends to come to give thanks to the Lord and enjoy a somewhat traditional Thanksgiving meal with us. Another important experience was our first car accident. Somebody had hit our vehicle, and although the experience was difficult and scary, it was a blessing to see several of our Nicaraguan friends come to help us through the process. Although we've heard stories of injustice in situations like this, we were glad that in the official resolution, the other party was held responsible and we were cleared from any wrongdoing. This month, we are preparing for our first Christmas here in Nicaragua. It is the perfect opportunity to keep old traditions, make new ones, and most of all, celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We are so thankful for those who pray for us on a regular basis. The greatest needs are generally unexpected. This month, will you please pray for the following:1. The Lord to continue to save souls and help each person to grow in the faith.2. The Lord to help us through the final steps of the residency process.3. The Lord to guide and protect our family as we serve in Nicaragua.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
Dear Friends and Family,
Last month was a very busy month for us. We are working hard to grow the young church. Last month, we saw 7 people that professed faith in Christ. Although not everyone that makes a profession of faith continues in church attendance, we are thankful to have also seen some growth in the lives of those who attend the church. One lady who received Christ a few months ago has begun helping and serving in the church. She is now serving in the nursery, and we are better able to minister to families with small children. We also held a Men's prayer breakfast, which was a blessing to those who attended. We are now approaching the time to begin renting a larger location. Please pray for this.
During this last month, our daughter Lila has shown an increased desire in learning more and more about Jesus every day. Almost every morning and night, she asks for us to read her more in the Bible about Jesus. She has also begun visiting with me sometimes during the day. Her presence frequently opens up many doors for us to build relationships with people in the community. While Ellowyn is not yet ready to visit, she enjoys singing the spanish hymns... in own own words of course! Last month, we celebrated her second birthday. We planned a small party and invited some children from church and the area. We were surprised to see so many people who came. It was a great opportunity to build stronger and closer relationships with the people in the area. Of course, Ellowyn had a blast! One task that our whole family is involved in is the residency process. Unfortunately, we had to acquire additional documentation, and now have several more visits to different places before we have legal status.
As we approach Thanksgiving, we are reminded of all that we have to be thankful for. First and foremost, we are thankful for Jesus Christ. We are thankful for the ability to share the message of his love and salvation with the world. We are thankful for all of our family, our friends, and supporting churches. We truly are thankful for those who pray for us each month.This month, please pray:
1. For spiritual and numeric growth in the church here in San Marcos, Nicaragua2. That God will guide and strengthen our family here in the work.3. For the health of our family. We are in constant need of prayer in this area.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
Dear Friends and Family,
At the end of this month, we will have been in Nicaragua for 6 months! Every day, we are working hard to accomplish all that God has called us to do. Although we have taken several trips the migration office in Managua, we are still waiting for approval of our legal residency here. Though our residency process is slow, we are thankful that God is working quickly! Last month, we saw several more people receive Christ as Savior. Last month, we requested prayer for our partner, Berner, who had the Chikungunya virus. Thankfully, he had a great recovery. However, presently, he is in the states for three weeks preaching in a few churches. During this time, Jeremy is leading the services as well as preaching with the help of a couple other pastors. We are working hard to not only maintain the church, but to grow and strengthen the church in his absence. This month, we are doing our first church-wide visitation day. We are also hosting a Men's prayer breakfast to help strengthen the men and families of the church. Apart from the mission work at the church, Jeremy was able to preach in the Nicaragua Bible Institute. It is a blessing to encourage these young people who are training to serve the Lord!
As for our family, last month was a good month for us. Michelle's parents were able to take a brief trip down to see us and spend a little time with their grandchildren. That was a blessing and encouragement to us. They also enjoyed getting to the see the mission work here in Nicaragua. Near the end of the month, Lila went on visitation with Jeremy a few times. She really enjoyed passing out tracts and making new friends with the kids at each house. Ellie is now speaking a lot and singing a lot as well. Sometimes, she mixes parts from each song. One of our favorites is “Yes... Jesus Bible... The Bible tells me so.”
One day, while visiting, the Lord laid it upon my heart to speak with a man who was walking down the street and give him a tract. Long story made short, we built a relationship with the man, and he later received Christ as Savior. Within a few weeks, he had a heart attack and passed away. Now, he is with Christ, and his family is now attending our church. God is still in charge, and this experience reminds us of the importance of daily obedience. This month, please pray:
1. That God will continue to use us to preach the Gospel and see souls saved.2. That God will help us with the final steps to receive legal residence.3. That God will build his church and grow each believer in the faith.4. That God will help Michelle and Ellowyn recover from bronchitis.
