Tag Archives: Jewish Studies

Cleansing our Homes & Lives of Leaven

In five days time begins one of the most celebrated festivals of Judaism; that is, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Easter has come and gone, and perhaps you had the joy of attending a Passover presentation at church, but according to Scripture, the dates of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection coincide with the days of Passover, which on the Jewish calendar falls next weekend. Passover is one of my favorite holidays because the biblical Jewish traditions surrounding it provide so much rich symbolism through which we can learn a great deal about the character of God, how He has chosen to relate to mankind and His incredible plan to redeem us by sending a Savior or Messiah to make the necessary payment for our sin.

As I clean my home of chametz, or leaven, and prepare for Passover to begin, I embrace the tangible reminder to meditate on all that God has done for me and examine my life and heart for areas of sin that also need to be cleansed, as God continues to sanctify me and make my life a clearer reflection of Himself.

Whether you are Jewish or not, I invite you to join me in physically and spiritually removing leaven from your life this Passover. To help us intentionally meditate on the spiritual truths symbolized in Passover, I’ve asked eight respected friends to write a devotional for each day of unleavened bread. Reading them has already blessed my socks off and I’m confident you will enjoy them too! This first wonderful devotional by our coworker, Stephen Arnold, explains the significance of cleansing the home of leaven.

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“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” Exodus 12:15 (ESV)

“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” I Corinthians 5:6-8 (ESV)

The story of Passover is the story of the exodus of the Jewish people out of Egypt. When the Jewish people left Egypt, it says that they left in such haste that their dough didn’t have time to be leavened (Ex. 12:39). Once this unleavened dough was cooked, the result was matzah, which is essentially a large cracker.

While this is the origin of eating matzah on Passover, there is a much deeper significance to why God commanded that no leaven be eaten during Passover. This is because leaven represents sin. The seriousness of this representation is displayed in the punishment for eating leaven during Passover: expulsion from Israel (Ex. 12:15). The person who eats leaven during Passover is essentially saying that he is disregarding the covenant that God has made with His people, and this rebellion has repercussions.

This is why Orthodox Jews go to great lengths to cleanse their homes of leaven. Every corner of their home is cleaned from top to bottom. Even special dishes are used, which are only used during Passover and have never touched leaven. Nothing is left unclean or uninspected. Every book they own is shaken out to ensure that if someone was eating a cookie while reading, no single crumb containing leaven could be found contaminating their home.

This is the point: sin is what separates us from God (Is. 59:2, Rom. 6:23). If sin once completely separated us from God and we have been forgiven through the blood of the Lamb, how can we allow it to continue in our lives once we are cleansed? The act of cleaning out one’s home of symbolic sin should be a huge reminder to clean all sin out of our lives. It may seem strange that some Jewish people go to such extremes to cleanse their homes of leaven, but have we gone to such extremes to cleanse the most spiritually toxic thing from our lives? Have we even taken the time to examine the hidden corners of our lives so we can clean out the filth and be brought closer to our Savior? As Passover is a time of remembering Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection, may this season be a time of introspection and removal of sin so we can partake of the body and blood of our Messiah in a worthy manner (I Cor. 11:27-32).

Shmueli

Stephen Arnold is a Jewish believer in Jesus and a full time missionary with Chosen People Ministries. He currently serves in Argentina, loving, serving and evangelizing to Israeli backpackers. In the future, we will partner with him to open a new outreach to Israelis in Brazil! 

 

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.

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!

  1. 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.

 

  1. Jewish holiday – Jewish calendar. Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th 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!

 

  1. “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!

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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

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.

Kerstetter Chronicles: A Very Jewish Gospel

I can still see the amazement and anticipation on their faces, as Carissa explained what it was like for her growing up as a Jewish follower of Jesus. I held my breath, thinking that any second one of the two Israeli guys or the Jewish girl from New York would get defensive or change the subject. But they looked awestruck. They didn’t say a word, or even seem to blink, as she explained the significance of a part of the Passover Seder that has stumped most rabbis for centuries, and described how clearly it points to Yeshua.

We made the perfect team. When she got stumped trying to explain the Trinity, I was excited to put my studies to good use and explain the significance of the Hebrew word, “echad,” (Deuteronomy 6:4) which means “one” but actually indicates multiple persons in one God.

God allowed us to plant many seeds like these ones in a very short time. We were blessed to see 39 backpackers come through the Shelter on the Lake during our three week stay in Argentina. Nearly all of them were engaged in spiritual conversations and accepted copies of the New Testament. Of course, closest to our hearts are the connections we made with numerous Israelis. By watching and working with the incredible team at the Shelter, we learned various approaches to starting spiritual conversations with backpackers, and grew in boldness. In the second phase of our trip, our survey of potential locations in Brazil answered all of our questions and provided all the information needed. Please continue to pray with us as we try to discern God’s will for our location.

Now that we’re back in Chicago, we are more eager than ever to visit Israel to follow up with the friends we made and learn more about Israeli culture and outreach. So, we are again praying about going to Israel this summer! Plans are in motion, and we will let you know when we know if they will work out! (Please pray that they do!)

All of this has given us renewed passion to pursue this ministry, but has also made us impatient to finish our preparations and begin this work. It is more challenging now to stay focused on what God has for us in Chicago, as our hearts long for the work God has in store for us in Brazil, but we have no doubt that this is where He wants us right now and that He will continue to bless our time here.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support. We wouldn’t be able to do this without you!

Blessings,

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 Chronicles: March & April

“Ilu natan, natan lanu. Natan lanu et ha Shabbat. Natan lanu et ha Shabbat. Dai-a-nu. Dai-dai-anu. Dai-dai-anu. Dai-dai-anu. Dai-anu! Dai-anu!”

Grins broke across each face around the table as the familiar Hebrew words, sung out in unison, filled the room and affirmed in our hearts the eternal truth, “It really would have been enough.” If God had brought us out of slavery in Egypt and had not split the sea for us; If He had only split the sea for us, but had not brought us through on dry ground; If He had only brought us through on dry ground, but had not provided us manna in the desert for forty years; If He had only fed us with manna, but had not given us the Sabbath. It would have been enough! But God has done so much more for us.

“Dai-anu!” the song finished, and the voices seemed to fade into the memory of songs sung in Passovers gone by. As the head of the house began to explain each element of the Passover service, I thought to myself, “There must be thousands of Jewish people across the world singing this song tonight and praising God for His miraculous provision for Israel. God has done so much for us!” And I ached inside as I thought for the thousandth time, “If only they could see just how much He has done for us. If only they could believe that Jesus is the Messiah that God promised.” And for the thousandth time, God spoke to my heart, “I have not forsaken them. I will open their eyes and they will know that Yeshua is the One they have been waiting for.” And again a passion was ignited in my heart. “We must tell them. We must share the truth that Yeshua is the promised Messiah.”

Will you partner with us, as we continue our ministry preparations and find opportunities here in Chicago to share the truth of Messiah with Jewish people? Your prayer and financial partnership are crucial as we continue studies at Moody Bible Institute and prepare to begin full time work with Chosen People Ministries reaching Israeli backpackers in Brazil in the year 2017. 

Please be praying with us:

  • Praise – A Jewish man from our executive Passover outreach downtown prayed to receive the Lord this week!
  • Praise – Carissa’s health has continued to improve since treatment in January. Please pray that both BJ and she will soon make complete recoveries.
  • Praise – God has provided $600 for BJ to get the same Lyme treatment in May. Please pray that He will provide the remaining $2,000 needed.
  • Praise – We have received commitments of monthly support totaling $345/month. Please pray as we develop a partnership team with the goal of reaching Chosen People Ministry’s requirement of full support, $6,000/month, by January 2017.
  • Praise – our ministry partner, Stephen (Shmueli) Arnold, just returned from a productive survey trip to Brazil. He has identified three possible locations for our hostel ministry. Please pray that God will give us clear direction as we consider these options.

Finally, please pray for us as we make plans to travel this summer. We are now scheduling dates to speak in churches and present our ministry. If you are interested in partnering with us, or know of someone who would be, please email us! We would love to share our ministry vision with you personally or with your Bible study or small group.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support of us. May God use your connection to this work to richly bless you.

“I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”

Romans 11:11

Love,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

If you would like to partner with us financially donate to our account with Chosen People Ministries at chosenpeople.com/donation *Please be sure to write “BJ Kerstetter” in the space marked special designation. If you would like to contribute toward BJ’s Lyme treatment, school bill or other expenses, click the button below:




Kerstetter Chronicles: January & February

Greetings, friends!

I am happy to report that we’re doing well these days, and we pray you can say the same! As you know, BJ is back to his studies and working hard, as always. I am so blessed to have such a dedicated and hard working husband! His plate is very full, with a full class schedule, Moody’s notorious homework load, part-time work, and part-time ministry. Phew! He is tired, but he presses on. I would really like you to let us believe that this really is an especially busy phase of life, and that it won’t always be this way. Shh… don’t tell me different. We don’t want to hear it right now!

Despite the craziness, we feel so thankful to be here, as G-d continues to provide for school. BJ especially enjoys his classes in Apologetics and Jewish Culture & Communication. He is recording the latter for me to listen to at home, and we’ve both already learned alot. If you are interested in learning more about Jewish culture for yourself, or to know better how to witness to a Jewish friend, we definitely recommend the main text book for this class, “You Bring the Bagels, I’ll Bring the Gospel,” by Barry Rubin.

Thank you all for praying for our time in Idaho for Lyme treatment. The doctor that we saw is a believer, and was very kind and encouraging. He was excited to hear about the work we are doing and our future ministry plans. We especially appreciated his understanding attitude and how he prayed over us before beginning treatment.

The treatment itself was very quick and painless. We saw Dr. Smith a total of six times while we were there, for testing, diagnosis and magnetic treatments. He diagnosed me with various molds & fungi, protozoa, parasites (worms), Borrelia (Lyme), Babesia (Lyme co-infection), Bartonella (Lyme co-infection), Lyme viruses A, B & C, two unidentified viruses, a neurotransmitter deficiency, multiple nutritional deficiencies and a methylation defect. Yes, that is a lot! It was bittersweet to hear him say that I am more sick than most patients he has seen, and that he was impressed that I am still walking around! G-d is so gracious to give both BJ and I the strength He has given us to press forward through all of this.

The most difficult part about our trip was the news that BJ has also been infected with Lyme disease. We really were not expecting that, but it does explain his continual fatigue and struggles with “brain fog,” memory and focus, which have been making work and homework much more difficult. After a good deal of prayer and consideration, we’ve decided to schedule BJ’s Lyme treatment and my check-up both at the end of the semester. To allow enough time for detox and healing, we will have to put off our trip to Israel until Summer 2016. It was a sad decision to make, but we trust that G-d’s timing is always perfect, and He has a purpose in all that He allows in our lives.

The last weeks since we’ve been back have gone relatively smoothly, and have definitely been easier than we expected. We both try to get a lot of rest, and as long as I don’t “over-do,” my pain and other symptoms are manageable. We have really been encouraged by the cards, some visits and even a couple meals from friends in the last few weeks, and we were especially thankful to have my mom, Karen Richards, visit and help us for a few days! What a blessing to have the supportive families that we have!

Please pray with us for strength, energy and perseverance for BJ in all that he has to do, and for healing for both of us. We would also appreciate your continued prayer for our finances, as we will need $1,800 for BJ’s Lyme treatment in addition to the remaining $600 due for this semester at Moody. We are so blessed by your continued prayers and support, and we are praying for you, as well.

With love for you all,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

Kerstetter Chronicles: Happy New Year

     Happy New Year friends! We realize we’re a bit late with the greeting, but we wanted to give you, and ourselves, a chance to get through the holidays and hopefully find a little more time for reading and writing emails. 2014 has been such an exciting year for us. So much has happened that I hardly know where to begin! First of all, we want to sincerely thank each of you for your prayers, encouragement, love and support for us. Your faithfulness and generosity are so vital to our studies and ministry, and you bless us more than you know! We have learned and grown so much in our faith this year, as we have seen God lead and provide for us. We hope our letters have been testaments to His love and our gratefulness, and have encouraged your hearts as well! Here is a summary of what God has done for us in the past year, and some of the things we are looking forward to for 2015.

recap of 2014:

  • We were accepted into the Jewish Studies program at Moody Bible Institute.

  • In August, we moved to downtown Chicago and BJ started classes at Moody.

  • The community of Devar Emet Messianic Synagogue welcomed us as family and has been an incredible encouragement and blessing to us.

  • We celebrated many of the biblical Jewish holidays for the first time, and learned so much about our rich cultural, historical and scriptural heritage.

  • We talked, prayed, dreamed and planned with our good friend Shmueli (Stephen) Arnold about our possible ministry together with Israeli backpackers in Brasil. Please pray for him, as he is working in Argentina for the next couple months, and will then be headed to Brazil to check out possible ministry locations!

  • In December, BJ was accepted as a student missionary with Chosen People Ministries (CPM; www.chosenpeople.com). This will allow us to get involved in ministry part time with CPM, gain needed experience and understanding of this ministry, and begin to raise support as we prepare for full time ministry.

  • As part of CPM Chicago, we were invited to move into Chosen People’s housing in West Rogers Park, Chicago. This will save us around $4,000 each semester. Woohoo! We made the move before Christmas break and we’re so thankful for this opportunity.

Looking forward to 2015:

  • We’re starting this year off with a bang in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where we’re seeing a Dr. Anthony Smith at Dynamic Health for Lyme treatment. We’ll be back in Chicago on January 10; but please keep praying for us because the detox process after treatment is really intense for at least 6 weeks! It will be a rough road for a while but we trust that God will carry us through it, and He has a plan, whatever the outcome is of this treatment.

  • When we get back to Chicago, BJ will begin his second semester at Moody. 2 years to go now! He is especially excited to study Apologetics and Jewish Life & Communication.

  • We have been accepted to go with Chosen People Ministries on their Outreach Israel trip this summer. (Dates TBA.) This will qualify as BJ’s required internship for Moody, and will provide us with crucial ministry & cultural experience for working with Israeli backpackers. We are also praying about staying in Israel after the Outreach program to take modern Hebrew courses that are not available at Moody. Right now we need to raise $9,000 to go on Outreach Israel, and we are looking into the cost of Hebrew studies. Please pray about helping us meet that goal!

  • Praise the Lord! Our first semester at Moody has been paid in full! Thank you so much for your contributions to help us get there! We are now able to start making payments for the spring semester bill of $1,100.

  • More praises! Several dear friends have committed to monthly contributions totaling $265/month! This is fantastic, and we are so thankful. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us this year in our ministry to the Jewish people?

     Again, thank you for your continued prayer and support for us. We are so thankful for you and we love hearing from you! Know that you are in our prayers as well. May you have a blessed new year.

Because of God’s faithfulness,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

     To contribute toward our school bill or other expenses please continue to make donations through our website, kerstetterconnection.com/donate, or make checks payable to BJ Kerstetter at CPO 2163, 820 N. LaSalle Blvd. Chicago, IL.

     If you would like to make a donation specifically for our trip with Outreach Israel, you may

  1. Mail checks to Chosen People Ministries at 241 E. 51st Street New York, NY 10022. Checks must have the name “BJ Kerstetter” in the memo section.

  2. Donate over the phone by calling Chosen People Ministries, 1 (888) 2-YESHUA. Ask for the receipting department and inform them you would like to give a financial gift to “BJ Kerstetter.”

  3. Click here to donate online. Please be sure to enter the name “BJ Kerstetter” in the section entitled “Special Designation.” Donations can be made via Credit, Debit, or PayPal.

Kerstetter Chronicles: October

     It’s a damp, chilly night in the Windy City, but we’re keeping warm inside with steaming mugs of spiced apple cider. As I contemplate the high points of the past month, BJ is digging into his notes from our Modern Israel class to prepare for the midterm. It is an understatement to say that we are learning a lot, and that God is growing us immensely. Time is passing quickly here, so that it’s hard to believe it has already been a month since our last letter to you. But so much has happened that I am hard pressed to sum it all up. So, here’s the important stuff. 

Over the last month,

  • We celebrated the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Jared & Danika Delello! October 11 was a blessed and joyful day, and we could not have been more happy to be a part of it. We are so excited for Jared & Danika, and can’t wait to see how the Lord will use their life together for His glory.
  • Wedding weekend in Wisconsin was immediately followed by Moody Missions Conference. It was a busy and really exciting week for us, because we had the privilege of spending time with our friends Shmueli and Robynne, staff with Chosen People Ministries, who both work in different ways with the Israeli backpacker community. We got the chance to learn more about Chosen People Ministries at large, as well as get a better idea of Shmueli’s plans for hostel ministry with Israeli backpackers in Brazil. We are extremely excited about this ministry, and would love to be a part of it. Please be praying with us as we continue to seek God’s direction for us in Jewish ministry.
  • In an effort to become more familiar with Chosen People Ministries (CPM), and gain valuable cultural and practical ministry experience, we have applied to go with CPM on their Outreach Israel trip this summer. The trip would also qualify as BJ’s internship, required for graduation from Moody. Total costs for both of us to go amount to about $9,000. For us it seems like an impossible sum, but our God does the impossible every day, so we know He can provide!
  • Following Missions Conference, we returned to Wisconsin for family time, doctor appointments, and a visit to our home assembly, Wauwatosa Bible Chapel. It was such a blessing to spend time with family, and our family in Wauwatosa!
  • Praise! God provided the rest of the money for us to go to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in January for a new and promising treatment for Carissa’s Lyme’s Disease. Several of our friends have seen radical improvement after this treatment, so we are hopeful. Although we know that no treatment works for everyone, and God has not promised physical healing in this life, it is so encouraging to see that He definitely has a plan and this treatment is clearly part of it.
  • Prayer Request – While we were last in Wisconsin, Carissa had some new tests run to check for heavy metal toxicity and detox related issues. The results could possibly affect our plans for treatment in January. Please pray that we will be able to go ahead with the Lyme treatment as planned, and that Carissa’s body will be fully prepared to handle the intense detox that follows.
  • Praise! The Lord has graciously provided for each school payment thus far, according to His perfect timing. Our remaining bill for this semester is $2,100.

Thank you so very much for your continued prayer and support. It is incredible to walk with God and watch Him provide, teach, mold and direct us, day after day. We are honored to be able to share this journey with you. May you have a blessed month – keep looking unto Jesus!

Love,

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

*Featured Image: Visit to Filter Cafe for coffee, praying, dreaming & planning with Shmueli (right), of Chosen People Ministries, Vlad and Rachel (left), friends from Devar Emet Messianic Synagogue