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