Dear
Friends and Family,
Greetings
from Costa Rica! The last few weeks have been a blur as we've been
working very hard in this transition. Although we are still waiting
for one last document from the United States, we have proceeded to
make our transition to Costa Rica. Last month, Jeremy and Pastor
Kelley took a brief survey trip to Costa Rica. We surveyed 4 cities
of significant population that do not have a single Baptist church!
We also were able to get a house reserved for our first few months in
the country. Upon returning, we then proceeded to get packed up for
our move to Costa Rica. Getting through the airport was a challenge
with three small children and all of our suitcases, carry-ons,
strollers, and car seats, but thankfully, that is not something we
have to do frequently. We just arrived in Costa Rica last week and
are now starting from square one to get established. We now have the
basic necessities for the house, cell phone service, and internet. We
are also in the midst of searching for a reliable vehicle to help us
be more effective in our ministry.
Moving
our family from one country to another is always a bit of a
challenge. With every move, there are always many things that we
cannot bring, but our children did very well with that. After
condensing down our things, we are now doing a short rental agreement
until we find a house closer to where we will serve. Although life is
more difficult here in some ways, it also has its benefits. Although
there are too many things to get done each day, we sometimes have had
to slow it down a bit and help our kids to enjoy the special things
that Costa Rica offers. Ellowyn was very excited to eat some
authentic Gallo Pinto (Costa Rica rice and beans) and we have all
enjoyed the fresh fruits from the market. There is also a big
adjustment in language and culture... even from Nicaragua! Ellowyn is
now relearning Spanish and Lila is now remembering more and more each
day!
Just
yesterday, we received an unexpected blessing. A church where we had
presented our ministry last year has recently voted to take us on for
support. Praise the Lord! This month, please pray:
1.
That God will bless and provide for the churches in Nicaragua during
this time.
2.
That God will lead us to the exact city where He would have us plant
our next church.
3.
That God will protect and help our family as we get established in
Costa Rica.
4.
That God will use us as a witnesses to lead others to Christ.
In
Christ,
Jeremy,
Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn,
and Elijah
Blanz
