February 2019 Prayer Letter

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