Today I got an unexpected phone call from our Israeli friend, Tom, who wanted to congratulate us on our baby girl. Carissa and I met Tom on Christmas day 2015 at the Shelter on the Lake where we were serving and sharing the Gospel with backpackers from Israel and around the world. It is our favorite Christmas memory to date, and it has been our dream ever since to spend future Christmases just like that one. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to celebrate the birth of our Messiah than to share the story of that first Christmas with the nation to which Jesus first came.

The three weeks we spent in Bariloche were transformational.

• I got to teach my very first Bible lesson for unbelieving Israelis… on Christmas day!
• We saw that hiking, rock climbing, and camping are strategic opportunities for sharing the Gospel 
• We gained experience applying what we learned in Bible school 
• We stayed up till 2 or 3am many nights with Israelis engaged in spiritual conversation

We had heard incredible stories of how effective Israeli backpacker ministry is, but until we experienced it ourselves it was hard to imagine. Now we’re hooked. We want to spend the rest of our lives staying up till 3am to share the Gospel with Israelis. But that wouldn’t be enough. A ministry this strategic and dynamic merits far more resources and manpower than it’s been given so far – which is why we are recruiting and mobilizing students into Jewish ministry. 

Over the past year and a half God has enabled us to mobilize 16 students into short-term Jewish ministry and 1 student into long-term Jewish ministry! Pray that God would send many more into the field of Jewish ministry.

Before ending the conversation today, Carissa asked Tom how we could be praying for him. His surprise reminded me of the powerful testimony of prayer, and the unique privilege we have as believers to talk with the sovereign God of the universe.

Thank you for your partnership with us in prayer. Please continue to pray with us for Tom’s salvation, and the salvation of the nation of Israel.

B’shalom Yeshua,

BJ and Carissa

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