Shalom in His grace,
The last two months have been one of the busiest and most blessed seasons of our lives. Busy – because, in addition to switching ministry organizations, moving into a new house, and having a baby, we ended up spending six days in NICU for phototherapy to treat baby Ashira’s high bilirubin. Not only that, but she is now in a Pavlik harness for about two months to treat her hip dysplasia. We are also blessed – because after four-and-a-half years of living in our travel trailer, God provided the perfect house for us to rent and move into on Christmas Eve (which feels like a mansion, being six times the square footage of our trailer). And then, on January 13th our third baby girl was born! In addition to the blessing of her birth, it is a blessing that of all the possible health complications in a baby, hers – God-willing – will resolve quickly and not be a life-long issue.
The most asked question we have received in the last few months is, “How is the property search going for the campground ministry?” We spent most of 2025 praying and searching for a campground property to rent and God did not provide a suitable property. What we learned is that the kind of property we need is for sale, but not for rent. Therefore, rather than renting a campground property, we have decided to rent a house with a guest suite for hosting Israelis in this season of ministry. We will continue fundraising toward the long-term goal of purchasing a campground property.
We officially started on staff with Life in Messiah on January 1st and have already been so blessed and encouraged to be a part of this new mission organization. After 11 years with Chosen People Ministries (CPM), it was hard to leave. Although it was a difficult decision to make and the way forward was unknown, God gently reminded us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). So, we have trusted God and He has graciously made our path straight.
For our ministry in 2026, we plan to raise more funds to build up our personal support (which is needed), as well as raise funds for the campground property. We also plan to host Israelis in our home, do outreach among the local Jewish community here in Flagstaff, continue Hebrew studies, and start developing a Grand Canyon tour in partnership with Canyon Ministries for our Israeli guests.
For our family in 2026, we are excited to continue building community here in Flagstaff and invest in our new local church. Carissa will continue homeschooling our girls and we will be working on our chronic health conditions with local naturopaths. We are also excited to connect with our new co-laborers at the Life in Messiah Staff Conference this summer!
Please pray for:
· Ashira’s hip to grow properly and not need further intervention beyond the harness
· God to provide an additional $3,000/month in support, as well as funds for the campground property
· God to bring us Israelis to host in our home
· The salvation of the local Jewish community in Flagstaff
· Healing for our chronic illnesses
Thank you so much for your generous support and prayers for our family and ministry in reaching the Jewish people with the gospel! We are so grateful for each and every one of you.
In Messiah’s love,
BJ, Carissa, Ari, Aviya and Ashira