Author Archives: Carissa Kerstetter

Speak to Their Hearts

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
– Nelson Mandela

You and I are the ambassadors of the most important message ever entrusted to mankind. It is not a message which we can risk fumbling. It must be proclaimed with every chance we get, with the utmost urgency and accuracy. And we must do all that we can to communicate it not only to the mind, but to the heart.

It is with this deep conviction that BJ and I have enrolled in an intensive Modern Hebrew course at Tel Aviv University for this summer. Although, most Israelis understand English, it does not speak to their hearts. And it is our responsibility and desire to communicate the good news of our Messiah to their hearts. Were we to only speak with them in English, the burden of clear communication and understanding would be on them. And if they are uninterested in our message, they may not make enough effort to fully grasp it. But if we are equipped to share this precious truth with them in their heart language, the burden of communication remains with us, and we can ensure that the message is properly expressed. We are passionate about making the truth of Jesus our Messiah as accessible and easy to understand as possible for every Israeli we meet.

If you share our passion, would you please commit to praying with us that the Lord will provide the funds we need to acquire this vital training? The cost of this course must be paid from funds outside of our Chosen People Ministries account. We must raise $2,500 for the course and related expenses. Thank you for praying and trusting with us that God will provide for this important preparation to come to fruition.

Please continue praying with us as BJ finishes this semester at Moody, and we pursue further treatments for Carissa’s various health concerns. This has been a demanding semester for us, and we are eager for the opportunities and change of pace the summer brings. We are so thankful for the many ways God is stretching, equipping and using us for His purposes, and for your partnership with us in it all.

Kerstetter Chronicles: April 2016

Six wise and experienced leaders sat around the table. They listened eagerly to our testimonies and our passion to share the Gospel with our beloved Jewish people. They smiled with understanding as we described the steps that God laid out before us to lead us here. They said it’s clear we have been called. And they hired us to do our dream job.

After more than a year of serious consideration and prayer, while BJ has worked as a student missionary with Chosen People Ministries, he has been offered and has accepted the role of full-fledged missionary. The position is contingent on his finishing school, so he will continue to work in ministry part-time as he completes his studies at Moody Bible Institute.

Also, as a crucial part of our training, we will spend most of this summer in Israel! We will join a short-term team with Chosen People for several weeks of outreach and humanitarian aid work, based in Jerusalem, followed by four weeks of intensive Modern Hebrew study at Tel Aviv University. During this time we will also try to reconnect with Israeli friends we made in South America. Please pray that God will be working in their hearts before we see them next, and also for the funding needed for this trip. We need to raise $2,500 outside of our Chosen People ministry fund to be able to pay for Hebrew studies and some travel expenses.

Besides our exciting transition with Chosen People, this last month has been filled with outreach and learning opportunities. We celebrated Purim by distributing gift bags of treats and literature to Israelis who work kiosks in the Chicagoland malls. Through that we were able to have some really good conversations. This is a challenging group to connect with, so please pray for follow up opportunities with them.

Also, that week BJ did a wonderful job leading Passover Seders at four churches. And I had the pleasure of leading a Passover Seder for the children at our church here in Chicago! But since Passover is actually in April this year, we are looking forward to celebrating it some more in the coming weeks!

It is an incredible honor to represent you in sharing the Good News of Messiah with Jewish people, and educating the Church about the rich Jewish roots of our faith.

Thank you for the vital part you play in it all!

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

Five Things I Want My Friends to Know About Purim

Purim is coming up next week! You may be very familiar with the biblical story of Queen Esther, but since many Christians are less familiar with the Jewish traditions surrounding Purim, I asked my good friend, Lea Dickinson, to write up a guest post about this special holiday.

For those of you, who have never heard of Purim or have been curious to learn, here are five points to give you a quick overview!

Purim, like many Jewish holidays, celebrates God’s preservation of the Jewish people. An ancient holiday that is still being celebrated by Jewish people this very day, Purim commemorates the freedom of the Jewish people in Persia from destruction. Haman, an evil man, plotted to destroy the Jewish people. If it weren’t for Esther’s bravery and her Uncle Mordechai relaying the message to Esther to go to the King, the Jewish people would have been wiped out, much like the Holocaust. We celebrate Purim because we are thankful that we were not annihilated and that God sustained us.

Jewish holiday – Jewish calendar. Purim is celebrated every year on the 14^th of Adar, which is a Jewish month. On the Gregorian calendar, the date of Purim changes, but on the Hebrew Calendar it never changes. As it happens, this year Purim lands on March 23-24, the same week as Easter, even though you might be celebrating Passover at your church!

“The whole megillah.” It is traditional to go to the synagogue for a reading of the whole book of Esther, or as we call it, the Megillah, (which literally means “scroll”) on Purim. It is also traditional as one reads to loudly “Boo” the name of Haman and to shout “Yay!”, when the names Mordechai or Esther are read. The reason we do this is to blot out the name of Haman. Try it with your family! It’s fun!

Purim is sometimes called the Jewish Halloween, but it’s meant only in the sense of wearing costumes. Purim is a time of celebration. And what better way to celebrate than dressing up? Children and adults alike will dress up as one of the characters mentioned in the book of Esther, and those who are less traditional may wear any kind of costume.

Hamentashen! It’s not a celebration without food! At Purim, we eat delicious hamentashen, which are cookies in the shape of a three pointed hat (said to be Haman’s hat, or ears, depending on who you talk to) that are filled with a filling of choice. This is a traditional dessert that is always eaten on Purim, and it’s very easy to make! Follow this link for Carissa’s family recipe and try it for yourself! And if you have a Jewish friend, they would be delighted to receive a basket of hamentashen from you next week! Happy Purim!

Lea Dickinson

Lea Dickinson has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, with a minor in Jewish Studies and Islamic Studies from San Fransisco State University. She and her husband, Mikael, are Jewish believers in Jesus and are passionate about reaching fellow Jewish people with the truth of Jesus the Jewish Messiah. She currently serves as the Evangelistic Coordinator at Shema Yisrael Messianic Congregation in Michigan.

Hamentashen for Purim: A Ziegler Family Recipe

Poppy seeds get every where. Flour dusts the counter tops and I somehow managed to get apricot jam in my hair. But the buttery fruit and vanilla scent coming from the oven is worth it. Many years growing up, my family celebrated the holiday of Purim by baking hamentashen. It’s a little tricky to learn the pronunciation, and it can make a mess of your kitchen, but they are delicious and fantastically versatile. I think next year, I’ll try a nutella filling. What do you think?

As tradition has it, these jam and nut filled gems are meant to resemble Haman’s hat, or ears, depending on who you ask. Either way, they’re a fun way to celebrate! So, here’s the family recipe. Double the batch and have plenty to share! They make a great goody basket to show the love of Jesus to your Jewish friends, or to educate your Gentile friends about Jewish culture and the need for love and restoration from the Church to Jewish people. This is such a fun and easy way to make a difference!

Ziegler Family Hamentashen (from Bubbe Dorothy Ziegler)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

1/2 juice from lemon

1 cup oil

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp baking powder

4-5 cups flour (use just enough to make soft dough)

Beat eggs very well. Mix sugar and salt and add gradually to eggs. Add lemon and oil. Add enough flour to make soft dough which can be kneaded. Knead until smooth. Roll dough on lightly floured board. Cut into 2-3 inch circles with cookie cutter. Place 3/4 tsp filling on the center of each circle. Fold edges into the center to make three corners, and pinch the corners together, forming a triangle. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

For filling you may use the traditional recipe below, any flavor of jelly or jam, or come up with your own creative filling!

Raisin & Nut filling

1 lb. raisins

1 cup honey

3/4 lb. walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

A little water to blend

Grind nuts & raisins together. Add remaining ingredients and blend with a little water.

When it Looks Like Your Missionaries Are on Vacation

It must have crossed your mind. If I were you, and I saw our Facebook posts of perfect sandy beaches, gorgeous mountain hikes and laughing groups of friends, I’d be thinking it. “Am I paying for my missionaries to go on vacation or do missions work?”

We sure wouldn’t blame you for asking. Maybe you’re more gracious than I am, because you haven’t asked. But if you in any way support our work, here’s what you should know about backpacker ministry and why it’s actually important that it looks like we’re on vacation.

Backpackers are tourists. So, if you want to hang out with backpackers, you have to do touristy things. Like go rock climbing or hang out on Brazil’s most beautiful beaches. That’s where the backpackers go, so that’s where we go to talk to them.

Backpacker ministry is living the dream. YES we will go to amazing places and do amazing things with amazing people. YES this means we will get to do what we love much of the time. YES we count ourselves ridiculously blessed. But please believe me when I say… backpacker ministry definitely doesn’t feel like vacation most of the time.

Ministry is hard work no matter where you do it. True, we’re hanging out on breath-taking mountain tops in Patagonia and sipping coconut water on Copacabana, but while we’re in those places, we’re doing much more than enjoying the view. We’re constantly on the lookout to make new friends, actively scouring the area for Israeli shoes (yes, shoes) and conversations in Hebrew. Once we connect with a couple of Israelis or other backpackers, we are working hard to build up that connection and find any way we can to naturally and strategically turn the conversation to spiritual things. This may be the coolest thing we can imagine doing, but it’s anything but easy.

We are not “missionaries.” Yes, that may be the best way to describe what we do on Sunday morning when we share in your church, but when we leave that church building, we avoid the “M” word like the plague. For us to be able to connect with these backpackers, it is absolutely critical that we present the right image to them.

So, when we volunteered at the Shelter on the Lake, we were simply that – volunteers – and part of a team who is passionate about showing God’s love to travellers. To anyone who asked, we said that BJ is studying Intercultural Studies at a college in Chicago and we were on winter break and wanted to visit our friends at the Shelter and do some backpacking in the Andes. We also freely told our new friends that I’m a Jewish follower of Jesus and we both love to talk about our God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and celebrate the Jewish heritage of our faith. 100% true story. Just a critically different way of explaining it. And our public Facebook posts must reflect that story.

When we tell people that we want to open a guest house like the Shelter on the Lake, we tell them honestly that it is our passion to bless and serve travelers and show them the love of God and Jesus, His Son.
Pouring into other people – spiritually, mentally and emotionally – is an incredible and exhausting ride. I can’t think of anything I would rather do than this. It is crazy rewarding and uplifting to show the love of Jesus to people who often have only known hurt in His name, and to share with them things about their history, their Scriptures and their God that they often have never heard before. But pouring your soul out like that is exhausting. And it takes consistent committed time alone to rest and be refilled from God’s Word to keep going each day, even if you are going to the beach…

Kerstetter Chronicles: A Backpacker’s Christmas

I’ve never seen anything like it. Travelers from all over – France, Germany, Chile, Argentina and Israel – sat silently listening as BJ explained prophecy after prophecy from the Tanakh (Old Testament), and showed clearly how Jesus fulfilled each one.

Idan, an atheist Israeli guy who went climbing with us Christmas Eve, had retreated to the kitchen as if to show he wanted nothing to do with our Bible study; but it was easy to see he was listening intently through the window to all that BJ said.

His friend, Binyamin, who had reluctantly taken the Bible I offered him moments before, now followed along attentively, turning to each passage BJ read, and nodding as BJ spoke of the promise of Messiah.

I sat next to Binyamin, taking in the scene, and my eyes got teary as I thought, “This is it. I think I could spend every Christmas day just like this one.” How better to celebrate the birth of my Messiah than to tell my people about His coming and the peace and joy He has given me to overflowing? What better gift to give or receive than the joy of showing a Jewish friend that in following Yeshua I have not sacrificed an ounce of my Jewish identity, but instead I know my Messiah better and more personally because of my Jewish heritage not despite it.

It has been about one month now since that day, and I still tear up to think of the conversations we had following that study and the seeds that were planted.

BJ and I agree that this trip was everything we prayed it would be and so much more. Of course, more. God is so gracious! It was another sweet confirmation that this is truly the life and work to which God has called us.

But we won’t only remember that time through rose-colored lenses. There were definitely challenges and there will be many more. But they are challenges we will face joyfully, with the hope of introducing even one soul to Jesus our Messiah!

Your prayers and support of us make challenges easier and blessings sweeter as we feel the power and life of the body of Messiah working as one.

Thank you for making this work possible. We can’t wait to share the next steps with you!

This is Backpacker Ministry

It is the looks on their faces. The picture in their eyes. The future they might have, the person they might be, the fire that might explode from that bright, sparkly glimpse of understanding I see as we talk.

It is walking through the room and hearing bits of Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, and Mandarin as voices chatter and laugh, weaving easily and smoothly from crazy travel tales into Messianic prophecies.

It is not knowing how to answer every question and argument and knowing that the Holy Spirit isn’t limited to the power of a finely-tuned apologetic argument.

It is watching a team of believers from different countries and different backgrounds set aside differences and personal interests to further a singular, eternal goal, and supernaturally function as one body to love and serve a hurting world.

It is seeing guests soften under the warmth of that love and service offered in the name of Yeshua – whose name has long brought them images of hurt and not hope because too often throughout history it has been brandished as a weapon and used to hurt, destroy and divide, rather than nurture, heal and restore.

It is blistered feet, sunburned shoulders and grinning faces after a day of hiking or climbing the crags and pressing deep into conversations about why God allows suffering and how we can know true shalom from God’s Word.

It is the openness of a community of travelers who have already softened their minds and hearts to new experiences, different worldviews and changed perspectives – with the deeply seated hope that maybe somewhere along the way they’ll find an answer that fits all the questions.

It is a simmering pot of soup on the table and the exhausted volunteer in the corner who doesn’t clock out at the end of the day and gives more than anybody really knows, and then gives some more. Because it’s worth it. Jesus is worth it.

It is the tearful, expectant prayers of the team in the back room for every soul that steps through the door and the grace to point them to their Savior.

It is the brothers and sisters around the world interceding for those souls before the Father and praying grace and strength and victory for the feet on the ground.

It is the Spirit of God directing the steps of each traveler and preparing each heart and empowering each word of truth shared.

This is the Shelter on the Lake.

This is backpacker ministry.

This is our heart.

Kerstetter Chronicles: January

“God always hated the Jews. It is incumbent upon all Christians to hate the Jews.”

– John Chrysostom, 349 – 407 A.D.

I know, it’s only one extreme statement from some old church father most people haven’t heard of. And it’s obviously ridiculous. It can’t possibly reflect the Church now. Right? Or wrong?

Through BJ’s Holocaust class last semester, among other things, BJ and I have been blown away by the deep roots of anti-Semitism in the Church, and more disturbingly, by its not-as-obvious but definite presence in the Church today. Yes, even in Bible-believing neighborhood churches in our United States. To see it clearly is a harsh wakeup call about the state of the Church; but we are thankful for that, because it’s made us more passionate than ever about being the love of Jesus to His beloved people who have been so often persecuted in His name.

And every time you make a donation for the work, or write to let us know that you are praying, or even click “Like” on our ministry posts on Facebook, we thank God for you. Because you are light in the darkness. You are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, (Isaiah 62:6).

And your light came with us on December 20^th when we arrived to Barioloche, Argentina! If only you could experience the beauty in this place. We’ve already been so blessed and learned so much through various interactions and conversations with ministry staff, volunteers and guests at the guest house here. So much of Jesus’ love is poured out to each guest, Jewish or Gentile, who walks through these doors.

There are so many incredible opportunities here to share the Gospel, but one of the most exciting has been when BJ had the privilege of teaching the Bible study at our Christmas-Shabbat (Sabbath) celebration. Thank you for praying for God to work through us. Several great conversations came out of it and we have no doubt that He will bless the sharing of His word! In two more weeks we start the next phase of our trip and survey potential ministry locations in Brazil, please continue to pray, especially that God will make His will for a location unmistakably clear! We look forward to sharing more stories and details with you soon!

Always praising God for your faithfulness,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

Five Things I Want My Friends to Know about Hanukkah

Today is the last day of Hanukkah 2015, and as BJ and I have lit the candles each night and thought about what this special holiday means to us, I have come up with five things that I want you to know. They may not even be the five most important things or the most spiritual, but they are the ones that I want to share with you. If you would like to learn more about Hanukkah, or how to celebrate next year, check out https://www.chosenpeople.com/site/hanukkah.

1. Hanukkah celebrates more than one miracle.
The most commonly known reason for celebrating Hanukkah is the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days when there was only enough pure oil for one day. But the other incredible miracle that we celebrate is God’s preservation of the Jewish people under the threat of destruction at the time of the Maccabees and all throughout history.

2. Hanukkah is not a mandated holy day but it does honor God.
God did not command the celebration of Hanukkah or mandate how it should be celebrated, but it celebrates and honors His faithfulness to the Jewish people and His holiness and glory displayed in miracles and in the Jewish people’s dedication to obeying His commands, purifying the temple and keeping the light of the temple menorah burning.

3. Jesus celebrated Hanukkah.
Because Jesus is Jewish. God chose Israel to be the people to represent Him to the nations and through which to bring the promised Messiah into the world. Not only did Jesus choose to honor God and honor His heritage by celebrating Hanukkah in Jerusalem, but the fact that he did was important enough for God to include it in His inspired Word. (See John 10:22).

4. God’s unfailing faithfulness to Israel through history is a testament to His character and His perfect faithfulness.
Because He has always been faithful to Israel, you can know that He always will be and He also will be faithful to His promises to you.

5. It’s cool if you celebrate Hanukkah too.
You don’t have to be Jewish to celebrate Hanukkah. If you do, you show that you stand in solidarity with the Jewish people and your Jewish friends. And if you worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you too can celebrate that God is faithful and always true to His word. Besides, who doesn’t like lighting candles and eating fried foods for eight nights in a row?

Kerstetter Chronicles: The Day I Felt at Home in An Orthodox Synagogue

You should have seen it! It was amazing to watch as children ran from all corners of the sanctuary to the center where the rabbi stood. As they ran, they sang out Hebrew words in unison as if they’d sung them a hundred times. They smiled and laughed and praised Adonai; and the congregation began to clap in tempo with their song. I couldn’t help but smile too, and it struck me that I felt at home. I felt like one of them.

I found myself thinking, it wasn’t strange for me to get up early for services, to sit in a wooden pew, or to read from a hard bound book for worship. The prayers were not unlike the ones I’ve prayed all my life. The readings were from Genesis, Deuteronomy and the Psalms. The verses were the same. They spoke of the same God that you and I know and worship.

The rabbi gave a message about knowing God and living for Him in our community. And it blew me away, because it was a message that you might have heard from the pulpit of your church. Of course, it was missing something.

Mixed emotions flooded my heart as I sat there. I’d never expected to feel so at home in an orthodox synagogue. But the feelings of familiarity and belonging made it all the more heartbreaking. I am one of them. We share the same heritage. We celebrate the same holidays, and cook the same recipes from our bubbes’ cookbooks. We worship the same God and read from the same Scriptures.

But I know that Messiah came. And they are still waiting.

My heart just ached as I sat listening to their sincere – and empty – prayers. And then God gently spoke to my heart, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

And I smiled to myself, because I can’t imagine anything more incredible than the honor of introducing even one Jewish brother or sister to Jesus, our Messiah.

But, “how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Romans 10:14-15)

Send us. The need is now. Let us represent you to Jewish people in Chicago and Israelis in South America. You can be the reason they hear about Jesus.

This month we are so excited to do three weeks of evangelistic outreach to Israeli backpackers at a hostel in Argentina! We covet your prayers as we prepare for this intensive outreach. Please pray that God will equip us physically, mentally and spiritually, and prepare the hearts of the Israelis we will meet.

Thank you for making this outreach possible – for whatever part you have played on this team over the last year. Your generous gifts and dedicated prayer are the reason we can do what we do. And we are incredibly thankful for you!

Blessings on your holiday season and the end of your year!