While we are still working on some of the minor details, we now have all of our older posts transferred over and will now be posting through the new blog site. Thank you!
The Blanz Family to Costa Rica
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
We Finally Have a New Blog Site!
Ever since our mission field has been changed from Nicaragua to Costa Rica we have been super busy! Due to the violence and instability in Nicaragua in 2018, we sought the Lord's will and consulted with our sending church and mission board. We prayerfully made the decision to change fields from Nicaragua to Costa Rica, at least until the Lord lead us otherwise. We immediately reached out to our supporting churches to inform them of these changes. Next on the agenda was making all of the changes to make the transition happen. With all of the changes going on, one of the things that we had not yet done was make a change to our ministry email and blog. Below, I have included a link to our new ministry blog which better reflects our present ministry in Costa Rica.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
February 2020 Prayer Letter
Dear family and friends,
We
hope that you are doing well. Time is flying. Last month, we received
the final documents for our residency process. They have now been
submitted and we are simply waiting for their approval. Before
beginning home Bible studies last month, Jeremy preached in two
different baptist churches who will be praying for us and possibly
helping in the work. Thankfully, the Lord has answered prayer and
sent a few people our way to help with the church plant. Our first
(unofficial) Bible study was only for the core group of friends and
family. Jeremy taught on the Great Commission and laid out the
mission to reach San Pablo for Jesus Christ. The following day we
began visiting the area. After receiving the invitation, one woman
visited our home and said she had been praying that God would giver
her a place to study the Bible in San Pablo. Another family began
attending who was looking for a Gospel preaching church. We have also
met a couple of Nicaraguans who were very interested in attending. We
have now visited just over 300 homes. Jeremy has preached on city
buses and in the central park. One teenager received Christ as Savior
and several others seemed very close. Many attentively listened to
the message and carefully read the gospel tracts that we gave them.
In our next Bible study, we had a few that could not come, but we
still had about 15 people meet. Jeremy has begun to teach a series of
messages on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He has also been doing some
work on the ministry website, Facebook page, and Whatsapp group.
Until
we begin holding Sunday gatherings, we will continue attending
another baptist church in a nearby city. It has been good for the
kids to make friends and be part of kids classes. At our home, we
have made many changes to accommodate the Bible studies and also make
a kids area. Michelle has continued doing homeschool with the kids.
They will be returning to school in mid-February. Another important
thing for us is that we have been working to build more relationships
in the community.
Thank
you for all of your prayers and support. I believe the Lord answered
many of our prayer requests last month. This month, please pray for
the following:
1.
That the Lord will save souls as we proclaim the Gospel in San Pablo.
2.
That the believers here will learn the Word of God and become
grounded in the faith.
3.
That God will established a vibrant, Gospel-preaching baptist church
here in San Pablo.
In
Christ,
Jeremy,
Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn,
and Elijah
Blanz
Friday, January 3, 2020
January 2020 Prayer Letter
Dear
Friends and Family,
We
hope that each of you had a wonderful Christmas and a great start to
the new year. Although, Jeremy wrote last months prayer letter, we
were so caught up in the work that he forgot to send it!
It can be read on our blog at Blanz2nicaragua.blogspot.com.
We apologize for
that. Last month, we finished our commitment to helping in the Atenas
church plant. We had special Christmas parties for each age group. In
January we will have an official "goodbye" service to
conclude our service there. In the meantime, we have continued
working on the final requirements for legal residency and
establishing a new religious organization in Costa Rica. We have
purchased some equipment for the upcoming church plant. We have
spoken with our home owners and they agree with the need for a Gospel
preaching church in the area and are very supportive. We have also
spoken to others in the region about our vision and some have offered
to help out and shared
ideas to better reach the community. Some will be helping us with
visiting and evangelism. Until we have an official start to the new
church, we will be visiting some other Baptist churches in the area
to share our plans and ask for prayer. This month, we will be ramping
up the visitation and evangelism. We have also received a good report
from the church we started in Nicaragua. Pastor Berner has informed
me that they will soon begin a local church Bible institute
to train people for the ministry!
In
Costa Rica, December is the end of the school year. Ellowyn graduated
from kindergarten with a great report from her teacher. Lila also
finished first grade with great grades. They have also done very well
adjusting to the language and culture. Elijah has also been growing
up quickly and learning new words every day! The kids are now on
"summer" break until February. We had a special Christmas
and always enjoy celebrating the birth of our Savior. In the home we
are making several changes as we will begin hosting weekly Bible
studies. We are converting our garage to an area to hold meetings.
Our home owners have been a great help and have made us a new storage
area. While it is a bit hard for the kids to leave the church where
we have served, they are excited that we will soon be starting a new
one.
We
want to send special thanks to all who gave special Christmas
offerings. This month, please pray:
1.
That God will open doors and prepare hearts for the Gospel in San
Pablo.
2.
That God will save souls and draw others to be a part of our home
Bible studies.
3.
That God will bless our efforts and lay the groundwork for a Gospel
preaching Baptist church in San Pablo.
In
Christ,
Jeremy,
Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn,
and Elijah
Blanz
December 2019 Prayer Letter
(This letter was written in December, but accidentally was not sent until now)
Dear
Friends and Family,
We
hope that this letter finds you doing well. We have stayed busy here.
Jeremy has continued to help with the visitation at the church. While
we were visiting a few months ago, we met a teenager and his mother
who were from Nicaragua. His mother called upon Christ to save her.
Since then, she had to return to Nicaragua and left her son in the
care of a church member. Since then, he has been very faithful in the
church. Every week he has been excited to help us out in visitation.
Although another family had to move away, the church has been
growing. Jeremy has been been teaching on God's plan for the family
as well as on the sufficiency of the Scriptures for faith and
salvation. Jeremy has also been working on various materials for the
current church and our next church plant. Near the end of the month,
we were contacted by our lawyer about some issues with the religious
association that was helping to sponsor us here in the country. We
are praying about establishing one which will be sufficient for our
church, other ministries, and even to help other missionaries with
legal residency. We have gradually been shifting our focus more to
our plans for the next church plant. Jeremy has been sharing our
plans with others. There are now a few different churches that have
expressed the desire to help. There are also two other families who
are planning to help us with evangelism.
Last
month was very busy for our family. Because we are still awaiting
approval of legal residency, we had to take another short trip to
Nicaragua. There is a small shack on the Nicaraguan side which serves
food. While there, Jeremy was able to share the gospel with the
people there. While we now feel like experts at border crossing, we
look forward to no longer having to do it. The kids have been doing
well. We had some sicknesses which made things more difficult, but we
are better at the moment. Lila has been doing great in school and got
excellent grades on her exams. Ellowyn has also been getting much
better at her Spanish. Elijah has even surprised us with words we
never taught him. At the moment, we are at home without a car. It is
getting repaired from when a motorcycle hit us 6 months ago. We are
still awaiting another replacement part from Japan.
This
month, please pray:
1.
That God use our ministry to save souls and add them to the church.
2.
That God will help the church to mature spiritually and give them a
burden for the lost.
3.
That God will lead us as we make plans for the next church plant.
In
Christ,
Jeremy,
Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn,
and Elijah
Blanz
Friday, November 1, 2019
November 2019
Dear
Friends and Family,
We
hope that this letter finds you doing well. We have stayed busy here.
Jeremy has continued to help with the visitation at the church. While
we were visiting a few months ago, we met a teenager and his mother
who were from Nicaragua. His mother called upon Christ to save her.
Since then, she had to return to Nicaragua and left her son in the
care of a church member. Since then, he has been very faithful in the
church. Every week he has been excited to help us out in visitation.
Although another family had to move away, the church has been
growing. Jeremy has been been teaching on God's plan for the family
as well as on the sufficiency of the Scriptures for faith and
salvation. Jeremy has also been working on various materials for the
current church and our next church plant. Near the end of the month,
we were contacted by our lawyer about some issues with the religious
association that was helping to sponsor us here in the country. We
are praying about establishing one which will be sufficient for our
church, other ministries, and even to help other missionaries with
legal residency. We have gradually been shifting our focus more to
our plans for the next church plant. Jeremy has been sharing our
plans with others. There are now a few different churches that have
expressed the desire to help. There are also two other families who
are planning to help us with evangelism.
Last
month was very busy for our family. Because we are still awaiting
approval of legal residency, we had to take another short trip to
Nicaragua. There is a small shack on the Nicaraguan side which serves
food. While there, Jeremy was able to share the gospel with the
people there. While we now feel like experts at border crossing, we
look forward to no longer having to do it. The kids have been doing
well. We had some sicknesses which made things more difficult, but we
are better at the moment. Lila has been doing great in school and got
excellent grades on her exams. Ellowyn has also been getting much
better at her Spanish. Elijah has even surprised us with words we
never taught him. At the moment, we are at home without a car. It is
getting repaired from when a motorcycle hit us 6 months ago. We are
still awaiting another replacement part from Japan.
This
month, please pray:
1.
That God use our ministry to save souls and add them to the church.
2.
That God will help the church to mature spiritually and give them a
burden for the lost.
3.
That God will lead us as we make plans for the next church plant.
In
Christ,
Jeremy,
Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn,
and Elijah
Blanz
Friday, October 4, 2019
October 2019 Prayer Letter
Dear
Friends and Family,
We
hope that this letter finds you doing well. We are staying very busy
here. The Dove family has returned to Costa Rica and we are investing
a few more months with them to strengthen the church plant where they
are. Last month, we had a special activity for "children's day"
and another for independence day. The church also held a conference
on "Breaking Chains" and victorious Christian living. At
the end of the month, there was a church family movie night. Jeremy
has continued to visit the area, evangelize, and build relationships.
During the services, he has been preaching a series on the book of
James and also a Sunday School series on God's design for the family.
We have seen an increased faithfulness in attendance and one new
family added to the church, which is encouraging. Jeremy has also
prepared things to benefit both the current church and upcoming
church plant, such as door hanger invitations, decision cards, hymn
videos with lyrics, and also materials to train members on invitation
counseling. As we prepare the church in these key areas, such as how
to lead someone to Christ, this should strengthen the church. We have
seen many new visitors as well as new contacts. Back in August, a
young Nicaraguan mother received Christ on visitation. Since then,
her teen son has become very involved. Due to economic reasons, she
had to return to Nicaragua. One family in the church has brought her
son into their home for the time being. We believe that God is doing
a great work in his life.
As
for our family, last month was super busy. Michelle's parents came to
visit us for the first time since our arrival here in Costa Rica.
Thankfully, the trip went smoothly and it was great to see them. Near
the end of the month a sickness seemed to go around much of the
country and is now affecting some of us. The kids are all doing well,
apart from a little sickness. They are all learning Spanish pretty
well. Michelle has stayed busy helping out with much of the church
work. She helps in the nursery, the children's ministry, the ladies
ministry, and also puts her sewing skills to work in making things
for the church. She is also homeschooling the girls to make sure that
they are where they need to be in their English reading and writing.
This
month, please pray:
1.
That God will bless our efforts to share the Gospel with the
community.
2.
That many will receive Christ and be added unto the church.
3.
That God will guide us as we make plans for our next church plant.
In
Christ,
Jeremy,
Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn,
and Elijah
Blanz
Thursday, September 5, 2019
September 2019 Prayer Letter
Dear
Friends and Family,
We
hope that this letter finds you doing well! It's hard to believe how
quickly the time passes. Jeremy continued focusing on visiting and
building relationships. We have seen many visitors and many who have
begun coming off and on. Last month, we saw three people profess to
receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. Michelle has been busy
working in the nursery, teaching kids classes, and also organizing a
mother's day banquet. She gave the message to the ladies and it was a
blessing for many. Our church also held it's first soccer event. It
was a good fun activity for the church and also a way to build
relationships with newer members and others in the community. At the
end of the month, the missionary who started the church plant
returned. We will now be able to adjust ministry roles, share the
preaching and teaching, and Jeremy will be able to focus a little
more on evangelism and outreach. We intend to continue with them
until around the end of the year to help grow and strengthen the
church. In the meantime, we have been hearing great news from the
church we started with Bro. Berner in Nicaragua. Last month, they
celebrated their 4th anniversary. Pastor Berner told Jeremy that
about 12-15 people that regularly serve in visitation and about 20
people serve in the church ministries each Sunday. There are also 3
church plants being started by men out of that church. One of them
recently celebrated their 1 year anniversary. We hope that God will
bless our ministry here in Costa Rica to the same degree!
As
for our family, we are doing well. We have had a few sicknesses, but
thankfully a much smoother month than the previous one. Michelle has
been staying busy in the church and also helping out with some events
in the school of Lila and Ellie. She has been able to build some
relationships with some of the mothers. Jeremy tries to visit with
other men from the church when possible, but sometimes they have to
cancel. Last Saturday, Lila went visiting with him. In the latter
half of the month, the church was in a bit of a trial. We had to
focus and work to resolve the situation, but we are thankful that God
is bringing the church out of it. Jesus will build His church and the
gates of Hell will not prevail against it.
This
month, please pray:
1.
That God will open doors, open hearts, and save souls!
2.
That God will strengthen His church in Atenas.
3.
That God will lead as we make plans for our next church plant in San
Pablo, Heredia.
In
Christ,
Jeremy,
Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn,
and Elijah
Blanz
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