July 2023 Prayer Letter

 Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you had a happy 4^th of July! We began last month by making a few changes to our new location for the church. We bought and assembled shelving as well as some new chairs and other things. We also held our first monthly English service. We saw some new visitors including a few who had not attended church in nearly 20 years! We hope to see a few more new faces next time. We have continued our regular visitation and one lady named Theres (like Theresa) received Christ as Savior. We also completed lots of preparation for a brief US trip. Initially, Jeremy was scheduled for Jury duty (Yes, missionaries can be summoned for jury duty if they maintain a US license). We were able to also visit family, friends, and our home church. This was an important step for the church to be able to continue in our brief absence. Jeremy prepared one man to take the bus route. Michelle prepared lessons and materials for two women to take the children’s Sunday School class. Jeremy also prepared one man who has some theological training to lead the services and preach a couple of times. We have also had to copy keys, prepare bank accounts and other things. Even when not there in person, Jeremy kept contact with the church and provide guidance as needed. While in the US, Jeremy has been working with pastor Kelley from our home church to coordinate the plans for the youth group trip to Costa Rica in August. Jeremy was also able to give a brief ministry report and preach on a Sunday night.

Although we stayed busy, last month was a nice change of pace for our family. Elijah graduated from kindergarten and the girls got straight As in their classes. Once we came to the US, it was good for them to spend some time with friends and family in the US. They were even able to attend one VBS. What a blessing it was to attend church together as a family. Normally, we are the ones serving before, during, and after every service. What a blessing it is to be ministered to by others. This happens in churches all over the US every week – May we never take this for granted! We were also able to spend time with our families. We often go years without being able to see them… so we value every opportunity to spend time with them.

We are so thankful for all of you who pray for us regularly. This month, please pray:

1. That God will work in the hearts of the youth who will visit us on a short term trip next month.

2. That God will continue to save souls and add them unto the church.

3. That God will continue to care for our families in the US while we serve the Lord abroad.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

June 2023 Prayer Letter

 Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that every one of you are doing well. Last month was a pretty good month. Early in the month, the building owner confirmed that we could rent a larger location in the same building for the same price. We began making plans to change locations at the time of our next rent payment. We had to do a little work to repair the walls and paint them, among a few other things. We had to rent some scaffolding for a day to repair the high ceiling and paint it afterwards. We then had to move everything over as quickly as possible to turn over the keys to the old location. We then settled things into place for our first service. Our first Sunday we had a good turnout, but unfortunately it was a bit hotter with less air flow. We then installed 2 out of the 3 wall fans that we purchased. Last week, we had several new visitors and had a new high attendance of about 52 people! Michelle said that the kids class areas were just about full. We are still getting settled in and will work out how to better use the new area. This month, we are preparing to hold our first English church service as a trial. Apart from Belize, whose official language is English, Costa Rica has the highest English proficiency in Central America. There is a high demand to learn and practice English as well as a significant population of foreign residents who speak English and do not have a place to attend church. We hope to be able to minister to them as well as reach out to Costa Ricans who are learning the language. Many have expressed interest and we are praying for a good turnout. Our goal is to glorify God buy using our talents to proclaim the Gospel and ministry to as many people as possible.

Our family has been doing well, although we have been super busy. The kids are doing well in school and are near the end of their school year. The girls were able to opt-out of some of their final exams because of their high grades. Elijah was chosen to speak a portion in Spanish at his kindergarten graduation. Once school gets out, we are looking forward to taking a short trip to see our family. We have been working to prepare the church to continue on in our absence.

Last month, we requested prayer for Mrs. Liliam. Thankfully, she has been making progress towards recovery and is feeling a lot better than she has in several months. However, she is still not yet 100% and we continue to lift her up in prayer. In addition to praying for her, please pray:

1. For the Holy Spirit to work in hearts, to convict of sin, and to lead others to faith in Christ.

2. For Jesus to continue to build up His church here in San Pablo, Costa Rica.

3. For God to guide and protect the church during our brief absence.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

May 2023 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

It seems like we just sent our last prayer letter! Last month was a pretty good month. The week preceding Easter is known as Semana Santa (Holy Week). We had a church family movie night and for Easter we had an early sunrise service with a breakfast and fellowship time. In the latter part of the month, we worked hard to get caught up on a lot of things. We are now looking at taking a few more steps forward. We have continued to preach the Gospel from door to door in San Pablo. We have seen some visitors. On Sundays, Jeremy is preaching a sermon series on “Foundations” of the faith and on Tuesday night he is teaching a series on personal evangelism. Last night we had a practice or “role-playing” session. It was good to see many people practice sharing the Gospel with others. We have finally been able to split our children’s Sunday school class. Michelle teaches the younger kids and a faithful man named Alberto is teaching the older kids and teens. Generally speaking, we have seen some increase in faithfulness, which is encouraging. One lady has recently expressed her desire to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism. Jeremy has also been counseling a couple on family/marriage issues. Most Sundays recently we are nearly full, and we are looking at possibly moving into a larger space in the same building for the same price. Jeremy has also had to do some work to fix the church bathroom sink as well as fix a problem on the church van. There is always so much to do, but it is encouraging to see how we are moving forward!

As for our family, we stay very busy. The kids are doing well in school and are constantly improving their Spanish. They are usually able to “bridge the gap” between the Costa Rican kids and the children of missionary families. Last month, they had Spring Break and we were able to take a day trip together. In the Summer, we are planning a short trip to see our families. Unfortunately, there seems to have been a problem with the renewal of the passports because only Elijah’s passport has arrived. We are working to figure out what is going on with that. We are also waiting for our renewed residency cards which are already about 2 months beyond when they were supposed to arrive. God is very good at teaching us patience!

Last month, we asked for prayer for a lady at our church named Liliam. Thankfully, she has made some improvement, but still needs a lot of prayer. This month, please pray:

1. For Liliam’s health to continue to improve.

2. For God to continue saving souls and add them unto His church.

3. For God to continue to raise up laborers within the church.

4. For God to work out any complications with our passports and residency IDs.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

April 2023 Prayer Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Last month was another busy month. We were able to get some work done on the church van, then schedule another appointment for the inspection. A few days before it was canceled and we were told we can wait until September. So that’s a blessing! We also were able to present all of our documents to renew our legal residency and it appears that we will be granted another 2 years. We also took a trip to the US embassy to renew some passports. In the church, we have seen some positive signs. Despite several people being out sick, we were nearly full on a few Sundays. We’ve seen some visitors and one lady has been coming very faithfully. Some have been getting involved in helping in different ways. Michelle is also getting some help in the children’s class, so that is encouraging! Jeremy also had the privilege to preach to the missionary students at the language school on two occasions. It is a great opportunity to encourage new missionaries and pass on some of what we have learned. We have also been planning for a short trip to the states in June to visit our families. We are also working on plans to host a team from our home church in August.

Apart from all of the appointments in government offices, our kids have been very busy with school. All three of our kids have had to do special projects for a science fair. They all did a great job. In the church they’ve also been helpful. Ellowyn usually makes the coffee. She also has expressed desire to help teach the small kids in Sunday school. Lila helps to set up. She has also been practicing a song to sing with us. They both take care of the small kids during our Tuesday night Bible studies. Elijah helps out from time to time. In the week before Easter, we had a break long enough to take a day and do a little hiking. On the 13th, Michelle and I (Jeremy) celebrated 14 years of marriage! It is amazing how much time flies! God is good!

Last month, we asked for prayer for Lilliam. Earlier in the month, she fell at church and we had to call paramedics. Thankfully, she had no serious injuries. In the following weeks, she showed some improvements! We keep praying and see what the Lord will do. We are also thankful that over the months a few churches have increased our support. Compared to June of last year, for every $100 we get $23 less in local currency. On top of that, we have seen inflation on par with the US. So, we are really thankful for that extra support. This month, please pray:

1. That God will help Lilliam to recover and give God the glory.

2. That God will continue to save souls and add them unto the church.

3. That God will continue to raise up laborers for His harvest here in Costa Rica.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

March 2023 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Last was an unusual month for sure. It started out pretty normal. Jeremy has been teaching on the attributes of God and began a new sermon series on the call of the Christian. We have begun to get some new people involved in serving. Unfortunately, after the van was left with a mechanic for several days, it appears that nothing was done to solve the problem. Hopefully, we will find another mechanic to fix it. Jeremy has been visiting Lilliam in the hospital. She was finally released last week and came to church on Sunday to praise God and continue seeking prayer. She needs a miracle. We have had several visitors over the last month. Some were invited by family members and friends. Others received an invitation from our door-to-door evangelism efforts. Others even came from the language school. Of course, along with positive growth also comes challenges. On Saturday, February 18^th, we heard reports of a broken window at the church building. When Jeremy arrived, there were police taping off the area. He looked up at the third floor of the building where we meet and the huge window (side wall) was shattered with huge sharp pieces of glass dangling in the wind. It appears that a small earthquake may have damaged the glass and some really strong winds busted it out. The church meeting area looked like a disaster zone. Jeremy managed to remove the dangling glass to eliminate any danger to pedestrians. Thankfully, we were able to meet in the additional area that we rent for the children’s ministry. Eventually, we were able to get it replaced. We are now waiting for the replacement of the glass door which was also shattered.

As for our family, we are doing well. The kids are doing well in school. We are planning a short trip in June to see our family. In the meantime, we are working to renew our passports. We are also working to renew our legal residency here in Costa Rica. Our home church is planning a youth missions trip in August, so we are also busy working on the details for that. Our kids are excited and looking forward to seeing them.

March will also be a very busy month. Besides all of the church ministry, Jeremy will also be preaching twice to the missionary students at the language school. Please pray for the following:

1. That the renewal of our legal residency will be approved without any complications.

2. That God will guide us as we make some necessary changes to the religious association.

3. That God will heal Mrs. Lilliam and help her to recover.

4. That God will continue to save souls and add them to the church.

5. That those who are beginning to serve will do so faithfully and that the church will be strengthened.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

February 2023 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

February is here already and things aren’t slowing down a bit! Last month, our ministry got back into more of a normal rhythm. Jeremy finished preaching through the epistle of James and he is now preaching a little bit more through Proverbs. He is also teaching through the attributes of God on Tuesday nights. Michelle is laying a good foundation in the Children’s ministry with the book of Genesis. We had a special planning meeting on a Tuesday night to talk about the past, present, and future of the church plant. Thankfully, several people have expressed the desire to get involved in serving in different ways. Lord willing, this should help us to make more progress and develop the ministries of the church. We continue to see new people come to the church and we pray that the Lord will lead them to commit to be faithful members. Last month, we took the church van for the yearly inspection. Unfortunately, it failed the emissions test. Hopefully, it won’t be too expensive to get fixed. We are praying about the possibility of holding an English or bilingual service once per month. Many have expressed interest in this and it may be a good way to both minister to English speakers and also reach out to the high number of University students in the area who are eager to learn and practice English.

January was also a month for our family to get back into a more normal routine. Our kids are now back in school. Jeremy is back to a normal weekly routine and is just trying to get caught up on everything that the new year brings. We are also approaching the end of our 2 year legal residency and are working to get it renewed. Thankfully, we are told that this is a much simpler process than it was the first time. Not only this, but we also need to get some passports renewed! There is always so much to be done!

Last month, we shared with you a prayer request for a lady named Liliam. Unfortunately, she is still in the hospital. The doctors have done many tests, but have yet to be able to cure her from whatever type of infection that she is fighting. This month, please pray:

1. That the Lord will heal Liliam or provide a cure in whatever way He sees fit.

2. That the Lord will continue to save souls, add them to the church, and bring them to spiritual maturity.

3. That the Lord will continue to build His church in San Pablo.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz

January 2023 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and a great start to the new year. Last month was a busy month for ministry. Throughout the month we sang many Christmas hymns and Jeremy preached a series of messages on “The Mystery of Godliness” from 1 Timothy 3:16. It was a great opportunity to focus on the incarnation of Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Michelle worked with the kids to prepare them for our first ever Nativity play. We had a special Christmas services and had nearly 40 people. We enjoyed being able to teach them Spanish versions of many of the Christmas hymns that we know and love. We have also continued to proclaim the Gospel throughout San Pablo. One woman named Daisy called upon Christ for salvation. We have also had some new visitors as well as others who have returned. One lady said that she had spent years in church and had never heard such doctrinal and biblical teaching. She encouraged others to not only receive it but also to share it with others. We are now making plans for the new year. We are praying for the Lord’s direction on how we can further expand the ministry this year.

As for our family, we did not do any traveling for Christmas this year. We simply celebrated Christmas with our children and with our church family. Thankfully, the kids were able to get a nice break from school and we were able to enjoy a little bit more sleep each day. It was a good time to spend extra time with Michelle and the kids. We listened to lots of Christmas hymns and were able to both make and eat some nice Christmas treats! We were also able to spend some extra time with friends. God has been good to us in 2022. We now look forward to what God will do in 2023!

Before sharing some prayer requests, I would like to send a special “thank you” to those who have sent us special Christmas offerings. What a blessing! This month please pray:

1. That God will guide us as we seek to renew our legal residency this year.

2. That God will help a lady who attends our church (Liliam) with her eye infection and upcoming surgery.

3. That God will use us to bring the Gospel to more people this year.

4. That more people will receive Christ, follow the Lord in baptism, and join the church this year.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz