Arctic Circle and Bodø

We have now crossed into the Arctic Circle!!

Yeah.. isn´t this a funny picture.... Isabel got into some growth hormones and this was the result..... =)

Mosjøen

Mosjøen is approx. right at the center of the ripples...

Well, we have arrived in a small place called Mosjøen. It will be the first place in North Norway that we will have a show.

Crossed into North Norway...

It´s official; we have crossed into North Norway. We are now in a small place called Mosjøen with a population of 13, 000. We will have a show in the local Pentecostal church on Saturday night, and on Sunday we will continue north to Bodø. PLEASE keep us in your prayers.. the spiritual atmosphere is apparently very dark up north.. Thanks!

Trondheim

This is the seagull that tried to impress us by standing on one leg.

Taking a short potty-break between Trondheim and Molde...

We were just visiting a fortress in the hills around Trondheim..

Don´t have an explanation for this one...

Getting "nervous" around the canon...

yeah... it is basically what it looks like...

These were just pics taken while we were having a day off in Trondheim... We were all kind of bummed by the lack of good weather... Back in Skien it was very nice weather... very warm and very sunny...

Tynset-Trondheim...

Having some fun on trail bikes in Tynset...Me and Annis!!! Those are her Pamela lips...

The stage where we had our show in Tynset..

This is me sitting on the biggest ¨kick¨in the world...

Nidarosdomen in Trondheim... amazing detail.. but surely interesting spiritual history....

From Tynset to Trondheim and soon Heimdal and Molde...

First day on the tour to the North...

Well, we have now left on our long tour northward. We will be on tour for one month in northern Norway. We left today with an extremely full-packed bus and high spirits. Before leaving Skien, our base leader(who just got back from having heart surgery) had us over to his house and made us dinner. It was very good.. I hadn´t eaten all day prior to that meal actually... Here are a few pictures from our day..

Me and Julie, with Andreas sneaking into the back... he is not on the team... he was sad to see us leave him alone at the base for a month...

stopping at our favourite petrol station... Statoil!!

Arne re-tightening the lug nuts after he and I changed to summer tires...

Jarle and I trying to amuse ourselves... our actually, Jarle came from behind and just started crawling through my legs and then standing up before I knew what was happening... this was the result... =) Keep us in your prayers!!!!
-Jordan

London town

Hopefully you will enjoy some of my pictures taken whilst I was in London... They aren´t the best pics I have ever taken, but they work... enjoy... by they way, for those of you not accustomed to this blog, you can click the pictures for larger views.. now you can enjoy

The infamous pelicans of St. James´Park.... They´re huge!!! I saw a video of one of these things online where it ATE, I repeat, ATE a pigeon! It grabbed it up in it´s beak and swallowed it whole!!

The sad thing about travelling alone is, all you pictures of yourself are close up and lame... it is too tiring to keep asking people to take your picture.. plus it rarely turns out how you would like it anyway... so... this is the product of my stubberness... enjoy

I could dress like this everyday in London if I wanted to... I love that

In front of Westminster Abbey

In front of Buckingham Palace

Me and Jennifer(my cousin) out on the town

Not too bad of a description... minus the job suggestions...

You Are An ESTJ

The Guardian You're a natural leader and quick, logical decision maker. Goals are important in your life, and you take many steps to acheive them. You enjoy interacting with others, mostly through work related activities. Your high energy level means you are great at getting things done! You would make a great teacher, judge, or police detective.

What's Your Personality Type?

On tour in Sweden...

This weekend has been busy whilst we have been on tour in Sweden. We left from Skien early Friday morning, and arrived at our destination about 4 o´clock that afternoon.. We have had two shows now, both were good, but last night was especially cool.. We had the show in a night club called Cozmoz. It was a very fun time. Here are a few pictures from the show..

Just getting out some energy practicing my balance on the way back from eastern Oregon and Washington.. We took a break at the Biggs exit off I-84...

Just lending a helping hand to Jarle who was needing to get out some energy for the rest of the car ride...

Getting ready to watch Nacho Libre in the sanctuary at my church after our show...
Arne and I just enjoying some Starbucks from the first Starbucks in the world in Seattle..

Seattle....

Terry (our contact) took us to Virginia Inn, a nice little pub in downtown Seattle...
I hate these kinds of pics where the person taking the picture wants everyone to make a funny face... It obviously goes from weirdest in front to more normal in back...
umm... Pike Place Piggy ride... just had to...
ok... so I have no witty remark to make on this one...

In Des Moines, Washington...

Well, I have been pretty bad at this updating business... sorry... but as you may know, I am on Tour in the States with REBOOT. It is going incredibly! God has been totally evident the whole time thus far. God is so good! At the moment... Arne is preaching... =) I have the internet right next to the sound board.. hehe... nice nice.. we have a show in Seattle tomorrow morning... then we will spend some time in Seattle in the afternoon... should be cool... on Tuesday morning, we will head back to Oregon, and have a show on Wednesday at my church in the evening... I will try to keep you more well updated from here on out.. so, keep checking in.. until next time!
Jordan

REBOOT's rockin in Skien...

Well, on Monday, the whole base, with exception of REBOOT, will be off to their various locations for some short outreach trips. The DTS is spreading out through Europe. The base staff are going to Madrid for a week, and REBOOT is working in Skien. I, personally, am working on making our video for the show better... Jarle, Christina, and I are frying our brains to find out the best way of doing it... Wish us luck!
-Jordan

Back in Skien..

Well, I am back in Skien. Work starts up again on Monday. Head out on tour to the south of Norway end of next week. Continue to prepare for the tour to the States in February! The rest of this year should be really busy with touring and such. It will surely fly by quickly. If there are any of you that do now receive my newsletter, and would like to be added to the mailing list, please leave a comment here saying that you would like to receive it. Until next time!
-Jordan

ok....

It is morning... I am at a friend´s place... crashed here last night.... Having a great time in the States with Hans.... We are hungry and about to find some breakfast... Any questions, just e-mail me.... Later

Leaving for Oslo tonight!!!

The time has come! Tonight at 8:25 my train goes from Skien to Oslo! I fly out early tomorrow morning for Portland! pray that the travelling is not too boring... see some of you soon!
-jordan

5 days and counting!

It is getting very close to the day that I make my way back to the northwestern United States. I can´t wait... it has been all too long since I was there for a nice relaxing visit. As for the rest of this week, it is filled with booking and finish up work for the year... Until next time, Jordan

Danmark!!!

hello once again... sorry for the absence... I have been working on a car all week... but anyway, as for what is happening now, REBOOT is off to Denmark tomorrow morning for some days. We have two shows and a day of hanging out in Copenhagen. Should be fun. 5 students from the DTS are joining, and they are a great bunch of people. I look forward to hanging a bit with them. Please pray for us if you think about it! I will write more later!
-Jordan

Denmark!

hello once again... sorry for the absence... I have been working on a car all week... but anyway, as for what is happening now, REBOOT is off to Denmark tomorrow morning for some days. We have two shows and a day of hanging out in Copenhagen. Should be fun. 5 students from the DTS are joining, and they are a great bunch of people. I look forward to hanging a bit with them. Please pray for us if you think about it! I will write more later!
-Jordan

REBOOT in Drammen...

The show last night was so wonderful. We saw a handful of youth respond to the Gospel. I shared my testimony. Runar preached. And I believe many were touched by God. It was very good. Today, a handful of us will join in the local Vineyard church´s worhsip team, and directly following we will find ourselves back on the road to Skien. It has been a nice weekend, and I hope for many more like it. God has encouraged me this weekend. Until next time!
-Jordan

Going to Drammen....

Well, in about 2 hours we will be heading for Drammen for the weekend. Tonight, we will be joining a youth café and speaking a little bit there... tomorrow we have the show... and on Sunday we are preaching in the church service! Should be really cool.. I will let you all know what happens! Until then!
-Jordan

This is not the post that I began originally...

I have now spent the past 20 minutes or so trying to write a really inspiring post, but it failed as I was not able to find the Bible verse that I wanted to use that made the point of the whole thing.... That was frustrating... So the result is now this... In my own words, we should not sit around and wait for God to tell us what to do. God is not in control of our lives...(that may have been controversial..) Do you agree? Do you know why He is not `in control`. Do you think God wants to be in control? I don´t. If He were, would he have bothered to give us free will? What is free will all about? Wouldn´t we be all better off if God just made us do the right thing all the time? Of course God knows what is best for us. Of course He knows which decisions we should make. Why doesn´t He? He gave us free will... Why? So we could be the completion of the most perfect relationship ever. He created us for relationship. THAT, is why He does not dictate our lives. It would not be a relationship if He made all of our decisions for us. We would be puppets. Is it possible to have a relationship with a puppet? Nope... afraid not... The puppet does whatever YOU tell it to do. God does not do the same with us. Puppets have no free will. They can´t decide. They cannot CHOOSE to love anyone or anything. WE, however, have been given the greatest and most dangerous gift of all. Free will. We can choose to love Christ. Therefore, God does not have control over us, nor does He want it. He wants our hearts. He has given us life. He has given us dreams and desires. Don´t wait around for Him to tell you what He wants you to use your life for. You probably already know. And if you are not sure, start going in a direction that seems promising. You cannot steer a ship that is not moving. The ship must be moving first, before you can choose the destination. In everything you do, do it with God. Include God in all that you do. It is as simple as that. Be blessed. God loves you becuase He loves you. That´s it. Enjoy it. Until next time, Jordan

sorry...

sorry about not posting for so long.. I have been kind of lame.. In the past couple weeks I have been on tour on the northwestern coast of Norway. We started up in Ålesund and ended on an island outside of Bergen in a place called Austevoll... It was a good tour. We had lots of cool experiences and also a lot of fun. The team is growing, and getting better known with each other.. For those of you who don´t know yet, I have now been asked to be one of the leaders of REBOOT, so now it is Me and Julie leading the team. Fun fun... Anyway, for now we are in Skien.. we will be doing local shows off and on for the month of November, and will be off to Denmark for a week in December. After that, I am hoping to go home for Christmas for once in my life... it has been some years since I have been able to be home for Christmas, so it would be nice I am able to make it this year... now I just gotta put together 1014.00 usd to buy the ticket.... wish me luck! =) Until next time! Be blessed!
-Jordan K. Ernst

Back from Poland!

Well, as of 7:30 Wednesday morning, REBOOT returned to base from some time in Poland! It was an inspirational trip, and we saw God do many great things. One cool thing I will mention is a story of a 50+ year old Chinese woman that was invited to our show by a friend of her´s. The special thing is; she was a back-slidden Christian of 13 years. Our show was the first Christian environment she had come in contact with in these 13 years, and by God´s grace did she recommit her life to Jesus! It was awesome! Our show is geared towards youth from the ages of 12-18!! God can use anything. That was just one example of what God did in Poland. It was a great time for the team to get to know each other better, and see what life on the road is really like when travelling as a part of REBOOT. Please keep us in your prayers. God bless!
-Jordan

Leaving soon for Poland!

In a matter of 5 hours, we will be driving off to Poland. Arne and I have just finished packing the car and trailer with the equipment, and now we are going to go pack the luggage, and then sleep a little before leaving.. we will be driving through Sweden where we will catch a ferry in the south that will take us to Poland. Pray for us!
-Jordan

The DTS students are invading today!!

Yes, it is official. The DTS students are coming today. No, I am not any longer working directly with the DTS, but it is still a big day in the year of YWAM Skien. I am looking forward to meeting the students anyway... It is always fun. Ok, REBOOT staff meeting now... gotta go!

What is becoming of me??

Well, this weekend has been busy.. we have had a bunch of confirmants from Vennesla, Norway at the base all weekend for a confirmant camp... it was good... I did sound for the thing... I have also been playing computer games with my friend Arne for quite some hours... I needed to do something to relax.. so I thought it would be fun... working on my motor skills and quick thinking... I am ready to get back to work tomorrow I guess... we have so much to do, it is a motivation in itself... just two more weeks until we are taking off.. and boy do we need God's help to get everythiing ready... HELP, GOD!!!

oops...

I haven't been so good for the past 10 days... sorry.... anyway.. things are going well around here.. There is absolutely a ton and a half to do, but it is actually going pretty good i think.. for my part, I have been doing a lot of booking for the tour in Denmark and also the US of A. I have been looking for a new team vehicle a lot as well.. I may have found one yesterday that we will go for. Just have to check some details out, and maybe it will be ours within some days...!! That is a blessing. We have a little less than 3 weeks until we have to be off to Poland. EVERYTHING has to be done by then. A bit stressy at times, but still fun... I like feeling responsible and stuff.. =) If you are curious about where the show will be and when, just drop me a line... We will be in on the west coast in the US in Feb. and March... so... if you are interested in having the show at your church even, let me know.. maybe we can work something out... Until next time!
-Jordan Kenneth Ernst

another post...

Well... on Saturday, I joined a few others in tearing apart some small docks for a farmer that offered us a lot of firewood for the next years if we tear it apart for him. Each dock was approx. 5 m x 2 m... I would guess... it was a lot of work I tell you... we left Skien at 7am and arrived back at midnight... long day... my whole body is sore... But I am also very impressed by how much work we did. We accomplished a lot... There were 16 of those docks and I think about 7 of us.. maybe 8... It is a good feeling to do so much work. Expecially when it was a huge help to that farmer... anyway, I have today and now tomorrow off as well.. so I am going to rest a bit... I am very exhausted.. Be blessed!
-Jordan

Finally back...

What was supposed to be about a 10 hour trip from Stockholm to Skien, ended up being around a 20 hour trip... our bus broke down in the middle of Sweden yesterday afternoon... We arrived back in Skien at 10:30 this morning... long night I tell you.. but we are finally back and safe... good to be back.. we are taking the day off from work... start up again tomorrow... well.. my mind is kind of mush now.. so I will try to write some more interesting stuff later... until then!
-Jordan

Leaving from Poland...

Well, we are at the airport in Gdansk now.. leaving in under an hour... or.. about an hour... We have had a fun weekend... I have experienced a few interesting things actually.. I witnessed a man die on the streets and I watched while the paramedics tried to revive him... he slipped away... Andreas, Einar, Arne, and I all were praying, but he was already gone I think... It was quite heavy to watch... later that night us four got a fine on the train for not buying a ticket in the train station.. we did not know we had to do it at the station.. we though we could just do it on the train... so whatever... it was kind of funny to look back on... they first wanted about 80 bucks from all of us together, but we didn't have that much in cash on us, so we got away with paying like 15 dollars instead... It was an intersting weekend for sure... I will be back here in about a month also. We are bring Reboot to Poland for two weeks in October... Well, we are about to go through customs now... until later!
-Jordan

Leaving for Poland...

Well, in about 50 minutes, we will be driving away from the base... We are driving to Örebro, Sverige (Sweden) where we will sleep for the night, then will continue in the morning to Stockholm where we will catch our plane to Gdansk, Poland. Wish us luck!

It's Monday and all's well....

Monday has began, and we are soon starting work for the day. Another day of planning and scheduling the show. We are in the beginnings of getting a plan for the year, and trying to decide which countries to go to. Our first tour will be in October in Poland. We will be two weeks in Poland. The base will also be going to Poland this weekend for a few days of ministry and relaxation. We leave on Friday afternoon for Stockholm, and will fly from there to Gdansk, Poland on Saturday. I may have forgotten to mention this earlier... but yeah... I am going to Poland this weekend... haha... I will write more later today or tomorrow, but for now, I should get to work...

Day 1

It's official. Today at 12:30, we will begin whatever it is our first day back on the job entails. I am looking forward to see what it will be. This is a nice time of the year for the staff, because it is mainly just practical work around the base. After dinner, it is just time off to relax and hang out with each other. It is very nice to be able to just be the staff and relax with each other for a while before things really start getting busy. Now, most of the staff have arrived and are crammed into the base, and we will be getting underway in a matter of a couple hours. I'll let you know when I know what we are going to be doing. Until then!
-Jordan

The end

Full Support is now offically over, and I will be heading back to Skien tomorrow. It has been a great and informative seminar. I really feel that I have come away with a lot of useful knowledge. I am confident that this year will be more financially sound. Aside from that, I have been enjoying being with some firends. Now, I have just spent some hours at Andreas´ place eating Grandiosa, watching CSI, and playing x-box. It was lovely. He beat me pretty bad, but that´s ok... it just shows that I am not an x-box nerd like he is... haha... I am looking forward to getting back to Skien to see what is in store for us. The DTS this year looks to be rather huge... already we have 32 that have taken their place, and we are waiting on 4 more to accept their place... that is a sick record if we get all 36... unbelievable... a real blessing! We don´t know how to fit them all, but we will figure it out. Most all of the staff will have to move out to make room... that is just how it is... That can be a good thing.. I am hoping and praying that God provides a good solution for us.

Anyway, this could get too long if I continue bantering, so I won´t.. I will leave it as is. Until next time!
-Jordan

Full Support

Well, now the worker´s gathering is over, and we have begun a Full Support Seminar. Full Support is what YWAM Norway is now doing, where all staff in YWAM Norway must acheive a minimum monthly goal of about 4,000 Norwegian Crowns. That is approximately 700 US dollars. During this seminar, we are just learning support raising techniques and also learning how to understand our situation better. We are learning about which perspective we need to view our lives from. It is very inspiring and encouraging. I should get back to listening now because it is starting again.. so I will talk to you all later. Until then!
-Jordan

Worker's Gathering Summer 2006

I am now right in the middle of the YWAM Norway staff conference in Hamar; a place north of Oslo. It is over tomorrow, and after that I will continue to be here for financial support seminar. Hopefully I will learn something... I guess we will see. After all the stuff here is over I will be heading back to Skien to get started working on the base. We have a lot to get fixed up before the students start coming in. I am not going to be working with the students directly this year because I am on this traveling evangelism team, but the base still basucally functions around the DTS schedule... I am looking forward to it though. There will probably be a record amount of DTS students this year. It could be around 35. That would be a nice record. Anyway, I guess I will be on my way now.. Talk to y'all later.
-Jordan

The time has come...

Well, here we are. The first day of the Worker´s Gathering in Hamar... I am now getting ready to leave in about a half hour for Hamar. First, we are going to make a stop in Oslo for some hours, then we will be on to Hamar this afternoon. I am a bit tired right now, so I think I will be sleeping in the car.... =) The joys of not driving.... Anyway, that´s about how my day looks at this point. Until next time!
Cheerio!
-Jordan

Soon og skikkelig soon...

yes, soon shall we be on our way to another YWAM Norway Worker´s Gathering. I leave early Thursday morning, and I don´t believe I will be back in Skien until the 16th or 17th or something like that... The past days I have just been hanging out at the base.. relaxing in the sun... getting much needed sleep before work starts up again... hanging out with a few friends... really nice... oh, and I got a great new devotional in the mail today, My Utmost for His Highest. It is one of the most sold books second to the Bible. It is an awesome devotional. I am really looking forward to getting into it. Anyway, I best be going now.. I have to pick up a new staff from Germany at the bus station in a little over an hour. Be blessed everyone!
-Jordan

random thought for the day...

If it takes the light from the stars thousands of years to reach our sight, did Adam and Eve see stars? If the universe was made in six literal days, they wouldn't have seen them. If the universe was made in a figurative six days where a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day, then they may have. I guess we won't know until we go to Heaven. I thought that was an interesting thing to think about. What do you think? Any thoughts? These are the kinds of things I think about. Is it just me? Anyone else have similar thoughts? Let me know.
-Jordan K. Ernst

yes... well...

I have renewed my visa today... trying to figure out something else to do... sitting on my computer is one option... If I had money, i could go to Oslo or someplace.. but I don't... so that is scratched... If I had creativity, I could figure out something to do in Skien... but I don't.... The weather is not so nice... overcast... so, no sunbathing, or waterbathing for that matter... I could go help old ladies across the street... but they would most likely be more confused and annoyed than anything... my room isn't so dirty, so I don't need to clean it... I don't have enough laundry to do a load of laundry yet... Skien is basically a really boring place to be when there are no people around... hmm... what to do... I've got it.. I can go watch a movie downstairs... that should pass some time at least... Talk to you later!
-Jordan

Is it possible?!

I missed my plane this morning due to two alarms that were not able to wake up Hans and I....... Now, I have had to order a last minute ticket for tonight at ten o'clock which luckily only cost me 418kr/$67.. which was a blessing in the midst of an extremely annoying situation... Aside from all that, I am doing well today... a little bit tired due to lack of sleep... we were at the festival in Stavanger till almost 4 this morning.. very fun.... so yeah... Hans is at work trying to stay awake.. I am at Hans' place just cleaning up a bit... when he gets back we are hopefully going to get some pizza... we'll see... I am praying... =) But yeah... that is me for the time being... Hope you all are well! Me snakkast!
-Jordan

yes, well... sorry...

sorry, I haven't posted anything in a short while... I am in the Stavanger area at present... I have been here for about a week now.. visiting some friends... it has been really nice to be down here.. I like this part of Norway. I fly to Oslo on friday, and will be going from there to Frederikstad for a friend's wedding.. after that, I will either go back to Skien or to Hamar... we will see.. haven't decided.... maybe not Skien.... I dunno... not sure... I will let y'all know when I find out... Until then...
Jordan

Family camp in Hamar...

Yes, I made it to Hamar early Tuesday morning... didn't sleep much... Yesterday was the first day of the camp and it seemed to go rather well. I got to bed late, and now am just waiting for the morning gathering for the group leaders... jippi! haha... I think it should be a fun (tiring) week... i will keep you posted... Until then
Jordan

back in Skien

yes, that's right. I am back in Skien. This is my summer work week at the base, so I am in the office checking DTS Skien and DTS international e-mail, mailing mail that has to go out... listening to wonderful music... chatting with Birgitte while she is at work... it's ok.. not the worst thing I could be doing... The weather is nice.. Should be an ok week... Next week, I will be going some hours north to Hamar where I will be working at a family camp. I will be doing sound for some meetings and also leading a small group. That's basically it for me right now.. Hope you are all doing just super duper! Blessings!
-Jordan

In Tønsberg..

Well, for the next two weeks I will be house-sitting for a friend of mine in Tønsberg. The family is going to California to visit family. I have a house to myself for two weeks! =) Party! haha.. no.. I will be good... of course... it is me we are talking about after all... NO COMMENTS!! =) For those of you who may be wondering, I will be sending out a newsletter here in the near future.. I just have to finish writing it, and get them all sent... so, just keep tight, and hold in there. It is coming. Blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Love you guys!
-Jordan

Last day of work...

Well, today ended the last day of work for me here at the base until August.. Now, I have the summer to relax and do the things that need to be done in the summer. For those of you who maybe do not know, I am not going to the States for the summer. I will be residing in Norway straight through. I will spend my time raising support and just relaxing... It has been a busy and fruitful year, so now it is high time for a little break. I will have a work week here at the base the first week of July, but aside from that I will not be working again until August. very nice... So, I hope all is well with you... Have a great summer!!
In Christ, Jordan

ok... Done with REBOOT for a while...

Back from Denmark.... It was awesome. God is so good. This trip went really well. We saw people touched by God, and our team had a healthy time together for one last tour together. The DTS is finishing this week, and after that I will be on the base doing some practical clean up and some staff meetings and such. After all that is done, I will be off for the summer. I will be staying in Norway, as it is too expensive to fly back in the Summer, and will be spending time raising support and putting together a good support system for my ministry. I hope you all are doing well! Be blessed!
-Jordan

Denmark...

Well, I have arrived safe and sound back in Norway, but don't let that make you think I am done working and able to relax... =) I am now actually leaving for Denmark for one week. I will be doing REBOOT again. We are sending REBOOT to Denmark to see people saved! I will be doing sound, as usual. I am looking forward to what God will do down there. As may seem natural, I am rather tired physically from being on outreach in Thailand for two months, but I am going despit that. =) I will be there until Sunday and then will be back in Norway for the last days of this DTS. Your prayers and support are greatly desired. Thanks for all you have already done! Be blessed!
-Jordan Ernst

Koh Tao! Turtle Island!

Well, today we arrived on Koh Tao, which means Turtle Island. It is beautiful here, and I am definitely enjoying the sun. We will also be balancing debreifing and evaluation alongside our relaxing.We will be going back to Bangkok on the 19th and will sleep one night in YWAM Bangkok before we fly out on the 20th back to Norway. It will be lovely to arrive back home in Norway, but will be literally right off for Denmark the day after my return.... crazy... we will be going with Reboot to Denmark for a week.. Your prayers and support are greatly coveted! Thanks again! Be blessed!
-Jordan K. Ernst

Hello again from Pattaya!

I have now been here a little over two weeks. It has been really good, and we have seen many saved! We have had a bit of prison ministry, and practical work, and a lot of work with the prostitutes in this area. We have personally led several to Jesus, and just the other day one of the prostitutes gave her life to Christ in full surrender. Truly awesome! God is so good! Please continue to pray for us as we are finishing up this week, and then will be off to an island in the southern part of the Thailand gulf. After that, we will be off back to Norway. Thanks for all your prayers and support! Be blessed!

Also, if you feel like supporting ministry ministry financially, you can look to the right of this page and find contact information. Thanks! God bless!

Pattaya....

Well, we have now been in Pattaya for some days working with various things... The girls having been working a lot with the prostitutes and the guys have been working a lot with practical duties... i.e. painting the team houses exterior... really cool actually... some prison ministry where we hand out food and pray for the prisoners... prayer walks through the main part of the city... hanging out with youth in a local youth center focused on skaters.... going very well here... lots to do, and not a lot of time to cool down... it is so hot and humid here... my goodness... Sweat is involved with everything here.. even cooling down makes you sweat.... Pray for us!
-Jordan K. Ernst

ok, back from the jungle...

I have been translating everything into English on our outreach blog, so just go to the link above and you can read about how we ar doing. Personally, I am doing quite well. God is good, and I am enjoying myself. Please feel free to read the outreach page for more info. Be blessed!!
-Jordan

That Jordan is so hot right now... Jordan..

yeah, it is warm... I am always sweating... it is crazy, but I like it... These days in Mae Sot have been really nice and enjoyable. The food here is amazing! I love it! On Monday, we are off to the jungle for two straight weeks, so the living conditions will be quite primative.... we will be working with the Karen people right near the Burmese border. I am really looking forward to it. It should prove to be a little challenging though.... we will be living on their staple food.. rice.... I might lose some weight... but that is ok.. I just weighed in at 88.6 kg today!! I hope that scale was wrong.. I am not fat, but that is heavy! haha... but yeah, we have awesome ministry opportunities here in Thailand, and I am looking forward to each of them. They may prove to be new and chellenging experiences, but I am ready to go for it... plus, I am the leader, so I kind of have to... =) Be blessed everyone!
-Jordan

I arrived!

Well, we have now arrived in Mae Sot,Thailand! Finally! It is so cool to be here! It is a beautiful country, and it is warm as well... that is a good thing.. I just wanted to let you guys know that I arrived.. I will be off to the jungle for two weeks on Monday, so I will try to post again after that. Until then, keep us in your prayers!! We will be working with buddhists and such in the jungle villages. Burmese refugees... God bless!

hours.....

Well, i am off for Thailand in 7 hours from now... but now I must sleep a little..... Blessings upon you all!

Been a while....

Well, I have now for the past week or so been in Oregon enjoying family and friends. I have been very blessed and encouraged, and am now preparing frantically preparing for my two months in Thailand.. I leave on the 22nd of this month.. very soon... I know... I covet your prayers and support!!!!! Please, if you ever feel like you have a word for me or an encouragement or anything, please please please e-mail me!! jordan.ernst@gmail.com I will be going on a team week with my team this next Tuesday and then it is only one week to go when I get back... I have many things to do and lots of money to raise, so if you can help me by giving money and/or praying for me, that would be incredible! I need to raise about 3,000 dollars for this trip. Thank you all for caring! You have played a huge role in my ministry here. Blessings on you all! Until next time!
-Jordan

From Pennsylvania to North Carolina and soon back again...

Well, sorry that I haven't posted until now... been a bit crazy with all the traveling. So far, we have had 3 shows in Pennsylvania that were quite successful. Many youth responded to the gospel and were inspired. Now, we are in North Carolina where we have only seen the same awesome results. Not only have there been youth saved, but youth have been inspired in their Christian lives and also inspired to do something more with their lives. It is truly God working through us here. Tomorrow, we will be leaving back to Pennsylvania for the remainder of our trip. On the 27th of this month, I will be on a plane to Oregon for one week. I hope you all are doing well. No matter how crappy things seem, God is still there.. That is something that I am realizing in my life right now. When I get down and really bummed, I have to come back to the truth that God has not left me and He is still just as much there for me as when I was feeling good. Be blessed!
-Jordan

Lufthansa...

Well, at the very moment I am on my way to JFK. I am sitting in the butt of the plane, and surfing the internet on my laptop. Yes, that is right. I am on the plane. Lufthansa now has wireless. It has a base fee, but it isn't too bad... It is very nice being able to still be connected while mid-flight. It helps with the boredom... =) I am really looking forward to see what God is going to do these next 3 weeks on Tour in the States. I am also looking forward to the week following, where I will be stopping home for a week. That should be nice. I am really enjoying what I do, even though it can be extremely hard and chellenging sometimes, it is sooooo worth it. God is good, and it is so good to know that I am doing what he has asked me to do. That is the best feeling. Being in God's plan is absolutely incredible. Now the screen is telling me we are flying right over Cork, Ireland... and we are at 10,972 meters... that is basically telling me that we have quite a few hours to go.... boring.... I love flying, but I hate it at the same time... I get soooo bored... and I can't sleep on planes... I am fairly tall, so space is a bit of an issue... but for some reason, I continue to do it... =) The ironies in life.... =) Random thought... Has anyone else ever wondered why there are ash trays on planes when smoking is always prohibited?? I mean, even on the new planes... they still put in ash trays, but they don't allow smoking... is there such thing as smoking flights? if there are, i have never heard of them... ok, I need to make one small correction... i discovered just now that there isn't actually an ash tray on this sit I am in... but there was on the last one I was on from Oslo to Frankfurt! Seems like a waste of material and logic to me... oh well... not my problem... just one of those things I guess... it will be so nice to be in the States for a short while because it is sooooooooooo much cheaper than Norway... I can't get over how expensive things are in Norway.... I lived there for a few years now, and still it amazes me... I mean, I just bought a bottle of water and a time magazine and calculated out that it was almost 10 US dollars!! That is insane! Oi..... I don't know how much a time magazine is in the States, but i am sure it is nothing like that... Well... the food is coming down the aisle now, so I am going to finish this up.. I am quite hungry. God Bless!
-Jordan (airborne)

Back from Estonia and Sweden! And still alive!

Well, I arrived back home this morning at 3.... That was a long two weeks of traveling and doing the show... But well worth it. Not only did we see people saved and take steps they have never done before, I also had huge breakthrougs! I feel like a new person! It is soooo cool how god works, and at the most opportune times! He is so good. I am still in a process, but it is going to prove to be the best. I am now getting all my things together to leave for the States in two days. I leave from here on Tuesday afternoon and fly out at 6:40 Wednesday morning. I will be in the Eastern United States for 3 weeks doing the same show I have been working on for the past wo weeks, then I will be off to Oregon for a friend's wedding. I will be in Oregon for only a week and then fly back to Norway only two weeks before I go to Thailand for two months... wow... I have exactly no time of recovering from any of these trips... haha... God is my strength... So yes, that is me for now.. I will write more later. Take care!
-Jordan

snow, snow, and more snow...

Well, as of right now, there is probably over half a meter of snow outside.... it has been snowing constantly for the past couple days.... I love it when it snows like this... I have had to do a lot of snow shoveling though...Anyway, just thought I would let you know.... oh, and when I go to Estonia it will be around -2 farenheit... crazy cold.....

Woot Woot!

Well, we are in the middle of a week of teaching on Spiritual Warefare with Wilkin Van De Kamp from the Netherlands. We always tend to notice a lot of spiritual attacks during these weeks on DTS... It is a subject that Satan reallllllllly does not want us to understand and work on. He starts wetting his pants whenever Christians start working in Spiritual Warefare. So of course he will do whatever he can to confuse us and make us distracted.... but he is a loser, and losers lose... as long as we are aware of him, and ask God for protection and keep our focus on Him, we will be fine! Amen! =)

On another note, Monday I will be heading to Sweden and Estonia for an evangelistic dance, singing, and preaching tour. I am the head sound technician for this little tour... It is a very outgoing evangelistic tool. We have already see hundreds saved in the last year and a half, and we are looking forward to even more in the future. It will be going full time next year, so that should be awesome.

So, that is me at the moment... Hope all is well with y'all!

Jostein and I in the TV Norge studio

It was really cool to be in the studio and then watch tv later and see that I had been standing right there! haha

In the elevator on the Radisson Hotel in Oslo

Jostein and I enjoying one of the tallest buildings in Oslo... Jostein is a friend of Ingvar's, and also a journalist with TV Norge (TV Norway).

Me and Ingvar at the Christmas service in his church

Christmas break in Østfold

Well, I am now in the middle of enjoying the relaxing christmas break. I eat incredibally good food, and don't have to do anything. Just relax. It is a blessing from God I tell you. I was in Oslo last night with some friends of my friend and that was quite nice as well. The friend is a journalist for TV Norge (TV Norway). On Thursday he arrived back from doing a story in Malawi. He is a Christian who wants to help give more accurate news. Norway is famous for having extremely bias and self-centered news. It is good to know Christians who are trying to make a difference. We need to be thinking in that way and not just sitting and pointing fingers. We need to do something.

On a more personal note, I am doing well and will be soon on my way to the States for three weeks. Two of which will be work, and the last one week for Travis' wedding!! Travis Cibolski is a friend of mine for those of you who don't know him... That will be a very nice time. Anyway, I am going to get back to relaxing here. Hope you are all doing the same! Merry Christmas!!
-Jordan

Christmas time again!!

That's correct! It's Christmas time again!! I love this time of year! Especially in Norway, because it is often white. But anyway, last night the base had a Christmas party that went quite well, and was a good time for people to fellowship with each other in a more relaxed setting. Plus great food! =) Aside from that, I will be starting my Christmas break here on Sunday and will be with a friend of mine for the holi-days. He was a staff on my DTS, but is now a missionary in Ethiopia. He is doing an incredible job with a certain people group down there, and on top of that he is alone! He had a team of 5 with him last year, but not he is the only one... a real man of God. I am really looking forward to relaxing with him, and spending time away from the base for a while.. you just have to get away every now and then.... So yeah, you can keep me in your prayers and be blessed! merry Christmas!
-Jordan

The Tour!

Well, early tomorrow morning I will be heading to Bergen on the west coast. There we will perform a few different shows that have an evangelistic approach. We have dances and special songs and preaching. Our goal is to present the gospel in a way that is received by the youth of today. I am in charge of the sound and I very likely will also perform the song, Salvation is Here by Hillsong United... That will be a bit of a stretch for me... Please pray for me to be able to relax and do it for God. I want to have the right focus while I am singing and mixing. This tour is to reach lost souls, and I want to remember that constantly. God is the focus. Please also pray that it is successful. Pray that we reach people. Last year it was really successful, and we hope for it to be even better this year. We will be in the Bergen area for one week performing at various locations. This is only one of six weeks that we will be sending this tour around northern Europe. We will also be in Finland and Sweden on top of all our performances in Norway. Lots of opportunities to preach the gospel. Please be a part in whatever way you can, whether it be in prayer or finances. I will appreciate it and so will the rest of the team. Join me in my ministry here in Norway!

Fall Break!

We are now finishing out or last days of our fall break. I have been staying with my student, Eirik, for the weekend with his family. It has been an incredibally nice time. They have been very welcoming and relaxing to be around. Eirik and I will head back to Skien tomorrow afternoon so we can get ready for the team week that we have this week. I will be staying in Skien with the team there. Right now, at this very moment, I am sitting upstairs on the couch with my laptop and just existing... it is nice.. if I were at the base now, i would not be relaxing... It is a blessing to be able to go to people's homes and to just get away. I think I should take advantage of it more often. I really don't get away enough, and I really should. It is amazing just how much more relaxing it is to be in an actual home. Anyway, I am doing quite well. I am loving life, and God is faithful... Even if I tend to forget that sometimes... Until next time!
-Jordan K. Ernst

First snow of winter!

yes, it is snowing today... I have a feeling it will be a cold winter....

The first team week!!

Well, the teams are made and the destinations are set. There will be one team going to a place called Nærbø in the west of Norway, and another team that will be going only an hour away to a place called Bø. And then, of course, the team that stays here in Skien. I, however, will not be joining the DTS this week. I am just working with my other duty of being handyman for the entire week. It is a good thing, because I have so many things to do, and such little time to do it in otherwise. This is a good opportunity to catch up a bit. I have already had a successful first day of putting up nice and new shelving in the walk-in cooler. A day well spent is a day to be proud of. It is also nice because I don't have to wake up quite so early.... =)

Aside from that, I am doing much better. God has blessed quite a bit over these last days. He truly has not forgotten me here in Norway... =) Until next time, be blessed!
-Jordan

Another week already!

This previous week's teaching was on creative ministry. During this week, the students learned ways of doing dramas and dances and other techniques that they can use. It went surprisingly well. I didn't expect the students to like it as much as they did, but they seemed to get into it. That was cool. Now, the present teaching is on Team life and also Relationships. The first three days are on Team Life and the last two are on Relationships. Both are very interesting topics. It should prove to be a good week for everyone I think.

As far as I am personally, I am doing.... I have had some stressful days this week, and that makes things hard. I have also had some internal things that have been occupying my time that aren't so fun. I know God is good, and I know He is in control, but sometimes things just seem to be so down.... Next week is the first team week where the students split up into 3 teams, two of them being out for a week, and the other being in Skien. They will work with schools and churches and other various things for one week in a hands on setting. The team weeks are awesome. They add so much to a DTS. They really do. I will not be joining this week, however, because we have more than enough staff for that, so I will be focusing on my other duties. I am the handyman here on the base, and I have plenty of things to work on...

Anyway, I hope all is going well with you guys! Until next time!
-Jordan K. Ernst

Two weeks down; 34 to go... =)

Well, we have now finished the first two weeks of DTS! Without disappointment, everyone has gotten through the beginning and are ready to tackle the next step. This week in front of us is a week of creative teaching. Creative teaching isn't just drama and dance and things like that, but it is actually just more ways of presenting the gospel. It is just a way of making you think outside the box. How can I communicate what I want to say in a better way? That is basically what it is. This week tends not to be the favortie among most, but it is a good week just the same.

On a more personal note, I am doing well. I have my up and down moments, but I guess they come with the territory. On days that I am really down I tend to feel that it is more of an attack of the enemy, rather then just being down for no apparent reason. I have to remind myself that Satan doesn't like what I do here, so it is in fact a good sign when I am under attack! =) So yeah, please keep praying for me, and I will keep you updated as best I can! Until next time!
-Jordan K. Ernst

The DTS is now officially started!

The students have come. We have welcomed them in to the base. We leave in the morning for an overnight cabin trip. We get to know each other a bit better. DTS life is good. I am really really excited about these guys. They really seem awesome. I really mean it. They are all cool people. Really onfire group. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that it is official now. Talk to you later!
-Ernst, Jordan Kenneth

Søndag-Sunday

It is Sunday afternoon, and I haven´t really done anything all day.... I am going to church in an hour.... That will be the most excitement I will probably have all day.. We have a student coming today, so that will be cool..... sorry, I am trying to think of things that I can talk about that are interesting to write about often, but I seem to be a very boring person... or I just suck at remembering the things that are interesting to you guys reading this... I am going to be mentoring 3 guys this year, so tomorrow I need to turn in my choices for the guys I want. I am praying that God gives me some guys that I can really work with. I think I know who I want, but I will have to wait and see who I get... I trust that God will give me the guys he wants me to have.... =) Always fun with new challenges! =/ =) So, anyway.... I will get the pictures updated as soon as I finish making the student welcome folder and when I have some time this week... I know I keep promising them, but I will get them up very soon! Thanks for holding in there! Until then! Peace out!
-Ernst, Jordan Kenneth

Lørdag-Saturday

Well, it is another Saturday afternoon, and I am just relaxing a bit to gain some more energy for the coming week. The students are now starting to trickle in one by one... so far it is only one, but there is another one coming tomorrow. By Thursday they will all be here. We are still waiting on the student from India... we don´t know if he even has a plane ticket yet, but we will see I guess... With him it will be 27 students.. if he doesn´t show up, then it is obviously 26... =) still a good number! We are practically ready for the arrival of this DTS. Things are coming together very well practically, and the staff are doing very well emotionally and mentally. I am also very ready for this DTS. It'll be a good one.

It is nice to hear from you all every now and then! Please feel free to e-mail me! jordan.ernst@gmail.com

If you write me, I will write you back... As soon as I can.... I am usually really good at e-mailing...

Also, keep checking the other places on this blog. The pictures, I'm sorry, will be up soon... I haven't had too much time to do that yet... Also, the Prayer Request page is also updated every now and again... I will really try to use it more this year, so please check that one as well. That is a very important part of this page. thanks for reading! Talk to you later!
-Ernst, Jordan Kenneth

Well, I am back from Italia!!

Italy was very very cool. Such an awesome country! I got to see Bergamo and Milano while I was there. I lived in Bergamo, but I took a day trip to Milano, which was very worth it. Milano is an incredible city. I only got to see ONE city block! It was amazing... so much to see, and only one day to see it... At any rate, it was worth it.

Now that I am back in Skien, I will be starting on preparing for the students to come in just over a week.... The school will start on the 21st of this month, so the students should start coming just some days prior to that date. I have received my two positions aside from being DTS staff now. I will continue to be the base handyman and will also now be the guy in charge of worship here on the base. I will pick out the worship teams and make sure all the songs are in a good system and so on.... I´m the boss... =) kind of... It could be a bit of work at first, but I will hopefully make a good system that will work for itself after some time... it should be a good job. I am thankful for it. Oh, and by the way, we now have 27 students coming! That ties the record for YWAM Skien! That is a good number. I am really glad we have so many. They all have really positive applications and I am looking forward to working with them.

Soon I will have new pictures up from Italy and from around the base here, but until then keep checking back and God bless!
-Jordan Ernst

Days of preparation

Well, these past several days have been spent fixing up the base. We have done sooo much now already! It is incredible! I can´t even write down everything we have fixed because it is so much... I now have my own room! Instead of moving out into an apt., I have transformed the old kitchen in to a bedroom! It is awesome! I will try to get a picture up here soon so you can see it. It is a blessing.

I will soon be taking off for Italy! I leave on the 5th and come back on the 8th. I am really looking forward to spending so quality time with my fellow staff. They are a great bunch of people that I am blessed to be working and living with.

As far as I am doing personally, I am in high spirits these days. I am really anticipating this DTS (Discipleship Training School). I know God will do great things. I feel so much more prepared this time. I have learned so much over the past year here, and I know it will pay off. I´ll write again soon when something interesting happens! =)
-Jordan

YWAM Norway Worker's Gathering

Now, for the past days, I have been at a YWAM Norway staff conference at the main base north of Oslo. I will be here until Tuesday and then head back to Skien to begin preparing for the upcoming school. The nice thing about these staff conferences is I get to see friends from all around YWAM Norway... other than that the meetings get kind of boring... =) I was just not built or designed for long meetings... I get too restless. =)

The first days that I have spent in Norway were filled with work on the base cars and getting my visa renewed and so on... The not so fun thing about arriving back to Norway like this is all the things I have to pay for right off the bat... I feel like a bank... Other than all that, I have been greeting people as they arrive back to the base, and reaquainting myself with them. We are all looking forward to the coming year. We have at least 25 students coming, and they look like they will be a great group of people.

The meeting we had last night was powerful. Our speaker, Leif Braathen, had a really good message, and afterwards he had an altercall for those who were feeling like their fire was dwindling. I was one of many that went up, and I had an awesome time with God... I feel I have a renewed flame in my heart now, and I was also convincted of many things that I was able to straighten out. But anyway, I should get going now... I have kitchen duty soon.... =(... not so fun... haha... ok... talk to you all later!

Arrived safe and sound...

Well, after a long time on a plane, I have arrived. I am here, and it feels good. I just found out when i got here, that all the staff here are going to be going on a little staff trip to a vacation-like spot in Europe on the 6th of September... It will cost around $100 pr. person, but I think it is going to be worth it for all the staff. We will only be gone for a couple days, but I think they will be fruitful. I will write more later when I know more of what is going on... Love you all!
-Jordan K. Ernst

Sorry, it's been a little while for these...

Well, I am still alive and well... I am in my last week of my time here in the States. It has been good and replenishing for me. I am really ready and looking forward to getting back to Skien, Norway. It is going to be an awesome year!

Also, go check out my vacation pics! They are from my week on a house boat in Lake Shasta, California with my family and three other families. It is always an awesome time!

Talk to you all again really soon!
-Jordan

Time is really passing....

It still doesn't feel like a month since I have been in the United States of America, but it has been none the less. It hasn't been the most successful as far as making money is concerned, but I have made a little and it has been nice to be with people here. I am hoping to get some sort of work this week, but I am going to have to trust that God will help me find one... I have been trying with no luck... I think should have at least enough money to buy a plane ticket really soon, but I still have to talk to the travel agent... I think I will get that all covered this week. I'm praying I get it all taken care of soon. So yeah, that is a quick update about me... not really a whole lot new here... I will write more when there is something to tell... Until then!
-Jordan