August 2017 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Last month was a special month for us. To celebrate the second anniversary of the church plant, we held a 3 day anniversary conference. Each night, the attendance was approximately 200 people. This included some visiting groups from other baptist churches in other cities. There were many visitors and each night, there were several professions of faith. We are thankful that the Lord is still adding to the church. During the regular services, Jeremy has continued his series on the Holy Spirit. While many churches have left people confused, it has been a great opportunity to provide clarity on the doctrines of the Holy Spirit. One other baptist church nearby has invited Jeremy to teach the same series. There have been great discussions and great questions, but it has been edifying to many. One man in our church recently began preparing for the ministry at the Bible Institute in Managua. It has been exciting for our church to rally behind him and pray for him as he begins his studies. As for the building project, we have now sorted out many of the obstacles including paying several years of back taxes on the land as well as obtaining permission from the local government to remove a few trees and begin construction. We expect to begin building very soon. In between everything else, Jeremy is continuing to contact our supporting churches regarding furlough. We are now scheduled to be in 15 churches. To view our online calendar, please visit Blanz2Nicaragua.blogspot.com and click the tab that says, “Our Schedule.”

Lord willing, this will be our last prayer letter before Michelle gives birth to our baby boy. He is due on the 24^th. At our church plant, the ladies wanted to throw a surprise baby shower for Michelle. It was a special night and meant a lot to her. There were probably 50 people there easily. We are thankful to be part of such a loving church. Other events from the family last month would include Jeremy having to take a trip to Managua in the middle of the night to get stitches. Long story, but the good news is that he is okay. It was just warm up for when the baby comes!

We are looking forward to some big changes with our baby's birth this month. This month, will you please pray:

1. That God keeps his hand upon Michelle and the baby for a healthy delivery.

2. That God will continue to save souls, build, and strengthen His church here.

3. That God will guide us in our furlough planning.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, and Ellowyn Blanz