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
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
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
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 plans4. The Lord to help our transition from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
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 language2. 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
Dear Friends and Family,Last month was an exciting month for us here in Costa Rica. Besides language school, we were able to be a part of a Vacation Bible School here at the church we attend. During the last VBS, Jeremy was able to help out with security, but this time, he was able to help out on a higher level. This time, Jeremy was able to help out as a teacher assistant throughout the week. Though it was a very busy week, it was a great experience to be able to get more involved in Spanish ministry. Throughout the week, there were over 1000 people who attended. There were at least 87 children that made professed Christ as Savior, as well as at least 14 adults, not to mention many lives rededicated to Jesus Christ. It was a very fruitful week. We look forward to being able to do similar outreaches in Nicaragua.The last month or so has also been very intense in our language school. We have been placed within the top level classes offered at our language school. Every new thing we learn is like another key to unlock the doors of communication. While we will likely continue learning Spanish for many, many years, we are determined to make the most of this brief time of intense language study, as it will greatly improve our ability to communicate the Gospel in the Spanish language. Our girls are also learning very quickly. Lila really enjoys being able to speak in Spanish, even if it is only a little bit. She frequently surprises us with new words or new Spanish songs that she has learned. Ellie has now learned to greet people with the Spanish, “hola!”.It is such a privilege to be able to serve the Lord in Central America. We are putting much thought and prayer into planning our next steps after completing language school. This month, will you please pray for the following:1. That the Lord will help us in learning the language2. That the Lord will give guidance in our next step after language school3. That the Lord will continue working in the lives of those who received Christ in VBSIn Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope that each of you had an awesome Christmas and great start to the new year! Last month started out very busy as we were finishing up our second trimester of language school. Michelle and I were both heavily involved in planning the graduation program and reception. Jeremy was able to learn how to run a soundboard, which should prove to be beneficial in the future. As we are about to start our third trimester of language school, we are earnestly praying and seeking the Lord's direction for our next step. At this point, we have a few different options that we are considering, and we expect things to become clearer in the near future.
During the later part of the month, it was nice to take a moment to slow down and focus upon celebrating Christ coming into the world. One of our greatest goals for this Christmas, was to help out daughters to understand that Christmas is not about presents, big meals, Christmas trees, family, or any other good thing- but it is about Christ! All of those things are simply part of our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. During the month, Lila frequently sang about Navidad and it was also exciting to see our youngest daughter Ellowyn showing interest in praying... even ending our family prayer with “Amen!” We are very thankful for all of our family, friends, and churches who gave gifts and cards during this time.
This year, we will complete language school, and officially begin our ministry in the Spanish speaking world. After all this time and preparation, we look forward to being able to bring forth much fruit for Jesus Christ. This month, please pray for:
1. The Lord to continue helping us in learning the Spanish language2. God to guide us as we make important decisions regarding our next step after language school.3. The Lord to provide opportunities to serve him during our last trimester of language school.
In Christ,Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz
