Thursday, May 28, 2015

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

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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