Tag Archives: 2015

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.

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 20th 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!

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

Kerstetter Chronicles: November 2015

You – our partner in the Gospel – are in our cloud of witnesses. You are essential to the team and we need you to reach Israelis. Your sacrifice, whether in prayer, love or financial support, is well worth the cost, because it is for the name of Jesus.

“How much are you willing to give for the sake of the Gospel?” This is what BJ and I keep asking ourselves as we step forward into this ministry.

It’s inspiring to hear stories about Israelis coming to faith. It was exciting to apply for my visa to Brazil this month, and buy plane tickets to Argentina for December. It’s motivating to sit in classes at Moody studying Jewish religious thought and the impact of the Holocaust; and it’s an honor to do outreach to Jewish college students in Chicago.

It’s exciting. Truly. But it’s also terrifying, and really, truly painful. With every step in this direction, we begin to say “goodbye” to home and friends and family. And it already hurts. Will it be worth it?
Jim Elliot put it brilliantly, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Nothing we’re asked to sacrifice could be worth more than the eternal joy and reward of living in God’s will and making His name known.

Because of your generous gifts over the last couple months, we have raised $4,500 of the $7,500 total cost of our winter outreach. Your sacrifice, and the power of your support, is an incredible testimony and encouragement to us. You are the reason we could buy those plane tickets, and sit in those classes, and talk to students about Jesus at Northwestern University. Your gift forwards the Gospel and you inspire us to make our own sacrifices. Thank you!

So, as you pray for this ministry, please pray that we, and our team, will be continually convicted of the infinite worth of sacrifice for the name of Jesus, and that we will echo the heart of King David, who said to Araunah, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing,” (2 Samuel 24:24).

With our sincere gratitude for your sacrifices,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

Kerstetter Chronicles: October 2015

Imagine you’re standing in line at your favorite café. Through small talk with the college aged guy next to you, you mention that you believe in Jesus. His eagerness surprises you, “I’ve heard of you, Jesus-followers, but never met one! Would you tell me what you believe?”

“I’d love to,” you reply. Drink now in hand, you walk to a nearby table, and watch your new acquaintance invite several friends to join you. Astonished, you end up spending hours answering their eager questions about your faith in Jesus.

Hard to imagine such an incredible opportunity! But this is what happened when our friend, on a short-term outreach to Israeli backpackers in India, met some Israelis in a café, and introduced herself as a Jewish believer in Jesus. Curious to know how a person can believe in Jesus and still be Jewish, they talked with her for hours.

We believe you desire to make the greatest impact for the Lord with the resources you have.  What if you could personally impact eternity for the price of a visit to your favorite café? If every person receiving this letter contributes just $5 more per month for the next four months, the sum would cover the remaining 50% needed for our winter outreach trip. For the price of a latte, you can be the reason an Israeli learns about Jesus.

This December, Lord willing, we will do three weeks of evangelistic outreach to Israelis and gain invaluable experience in hostel ministry in Argentina. Then we will fly to Brazil to visit potential locations for our hostel. This trip is a vital step forward! Please pray for full funding before our departure, and that God will show us the perfect location for this ministry.

Meanwhile, we continue training at Moody Bible Institute. Praise God, this school year is fully covered by scholarships! We are also so thankful that we’ve each seen some improvement in our health. Please continue prayer for full healing and strength.

Through generous commitments over the summer, we have reached 17% of monthly support. Please pray as we work to raise our support to 100% ($6,000/month), required before we can begin ministry in Brazil. Donations now fund our training, outreach trips and ministry work in Chicago.

We so appreciate the essential role you play in this work, and are continually encouraged by the body and love of Christ so beautifully manifested through your faithfulness!

With love,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

Kerstetter Chronices: September 2015

God has used many things – people, conversations, Scripture – to challenge us to Brazil to reach Israeli backpackers with the Gospel. But it is personal testimonies from Israelis, and friends who have been privileged to share the good news of Messiah with them, that tug at our heart strings and drive us forward – testimonies like this one from *Tamar, an Israeli who stayed at hostel, Shelter on the Lake, in Argentina.

This is what she had to say after her stay there,

 “Israel does not talk about Jesus, I don’t know nothing about him before I come to the house… The first week I was there, Brooks told a story after dinner Friday, and something touched me. I felt I wanted to know more. I spoke that night with people about Jesus for many hours, and after this I start to read about him. I feel something different about me. I feel like I’m reborn. I believe on him, and I pray to him. I know him, I learned from him so much, I love his life and what he said. Love, appreciate and respect. I believe it very much. After I left, I talked with many people about him. All the people in the house changed me, hard to find good people who give so much and ask for nothing in return.”

As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities,” (Isaiah 53:11b). Because of Israel’s cultural hostility toward Jesus, Tamar had never before had the chance to learn who Jesus really is. But God prepared her heart and directed her steps to the Shelter on the Lake, where she could listen and ask questions freely, in an open and understanding context. Through the incredible ministry of the Shelter on the Lake, Tamar now knows the truth about Jesus and has a personal relationship with Him!

This December, we will have the great privilege of volunteering for three weeks at the Shelter, where we pray we will have many opportunities to talk with Israelis like Tamar, as well as learn firsthand as much as we can about running a hostel and through it, reaching Israelis with the love and light of our Messiah Jesus.

Please pray for us as we continue to prepare for this work and raise funds for this vital training trip. As always, we are so grateful for your love and support!

In His Grace & Peace,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

*Name changed to respect privacy

Kerstetter Chronicles: August 2015

Friendly faces crowded the apartment, all talking and laughing as they waited to light the Sabbath candles and have dinner. When we walked in, we knew only our host and hostess. But when we drove away at the end of the evening, we had the distinct impression that God had just led us to our “ministry soul mate.” And it seems we were right!

His name is Stephen Arnold, but many of his friends call him by his Hebrew name, Shmueli. On that winter night in 2012, when our new friend, Vlad, excitedly pulled Shmueli across the room to introduce us, it quickly became clear that this was no chance encounter! Shmueli had just moved to Chicago from North Carolina and prayed that God would send him ministry partners to go to Brazil and open a hostel ministry for Israelis. We knew that God had called us to Jewish ministry, and we dreamed of working with Israeli backpackers, but were praying that God would give us clear direction. We never expected that God would combine BJ’s upbringing in and love for Brazil with my Jewish heritage and heart for Israel to uniquely equip us for such a strategic ministry. But here was a man, with a love for Brazil and passion for Jewish evangelism offering us a dream we didn’t know we had.

Now, almost 3 years later, it is becoming a reality. Friend, we eagerly covet your prayers as we step forward into this new work. As missionaries with Chosen People Ministries, our team of three is working to establish a hostel in Brazil in 2017, to share the gospel of Jesus with the thousands of Israelis that backpack through South America every year. And much needs to be done before then!

Thank you for praying for our summer fundraising project. As we near the end of our travels, we praise God for His provision and for all of the gracious friends and family who have supported and loved on us. Please continue to pray for our full funding by January 2017; our Fall Semester at Moody Bible Institute, beginning on August 24th; and our continued healing from Lyme disease.

Praying continually for an overflow of God’s joy and peace in your life,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter