Here is a short Video from Mission Adventures trip to Estonia this summer!

MA // Estonia from R. Jordan Neil S. on Vimeo.

You can look at www.missionadventures.net to read more about Mission Adventures!

Do you want to join us? You can apply for our DTS untill we start in September.  So, – what are you gonna do next year?

Honduras (english)

The lovely Honduras team came home to Norway last week with lots of stories from an exiting time in the “jungle” of Honduras. The team had been living some weeks in La Mosquitia together with Mosquito indians, and had experienced to live together with families and impacting people through children ministry and having programs in churches. River trips, digging gold in a river, arranging a youth camp at the ywam base, squarell attacks, working in orphanidges, and helping builing a pre school wore also some things they had been involved in. A sunny and various country with lots of warm and kind people is the impression they have after the time. And they got to experience God in a special way too.

Honduras  (norwegian)

Det fantastiske Honduras teamet kom hjem til Norge sist uke med masse historierfra ei spennende tid i “jungelen” i Honduras. Teamet bodde noen uker i La Mosquitia sammen med Mosquito indianere, og hadde opplevd å bo sammen med familier og bety noe for mennesker gjennom barne tjeneste og ha møter i kirker. Elve turer, grave etter gull i en elv, arrangere en ungdoms helg på UiO basen, ekorn angrep, jobbe på barnehjem, og hjelpe og bygge ferdig en barneskole var noe av det de hadde vært involvert i. Et solrikt og variert land med mange varme og snille mennesker er inntrykket de har etter outreachen. Og de fikk oppleve Gud på en spesiell måte også.

A testimony from Torstein Hide, 19 years old from Ålesund (only in english). Member of the Honduras team.

On our outreach to Honduras we visited a family, and the father name was Jose Loise. We were gonna paint their house that they borrowed from a missionary because they wore so poor. We had the privilege of renovating their house inside and outside. Even though they almost didnt have anything to give us, they gave the little they had and even more, and we could see that Gods goodness and love shined in their eyes. And I speak for the whole team when I say that we have a lot to learn from them even, when it comes to relationships and to invest in people. That is something I want to pass on in my own life! People are imprortant!!!!

Brasil (norwegian)

 I de siste 10 ukene har Brasil teamet opplevd en del varierte ting i det eksotiske Brasil. De åtte teammedlemmene har vært involvert med indianere i amazon jungelen, elve turer i kanoer, bo på UiO basen og drive ungdomstjeneste og ha ungdomsmøter og hjelpe missionærer med praktisk arbeid og barnetjeneste. Teamet har hatt en flott tid og hadde fått litt lokale venner og var rørt av kulturen og menneskene de hadde møtt. Her er noen bilder fra hva de har opplevd. Enjoy…  

Brazil (english)

 During the last 10 weeks the Brazil team have experienced various things in the exotic country of Brazil. The eight teammembers have been in part of working with indians in the amazon jungle, river trips in canoos, living at the base and doing youth ministry and having youth meetings and helping missionaries with practical work and children’s ministry. The team have had a great time and had gotten local friends and were truly touched by the culture and the people they had met. Here are some pictures from what they have experienced! Enjoy…

Outreach (english)

 The wonderful south east asian team has finally comed home from outreach now this week and brought us lots of stories and news from their time there. They had been working with a pastor family and an orpahidge and were truly touched by all the kids they had met in the slum in one of the big cities. The girl’s were exited for wearing sari’s and punjabi’s as you can see on the pictures, and dressed themselves in many beautiful colors. They had an experience of a lifetime, as they let God touch their hearts and getting to experience to be used for his kingdom. They also have been on prayertrecking where they prayed for an unreached peoplegroup, and hosting many open air meetings where they got the chance to share the gospel and many of the dramas they had learned during the fall in Norway. It was seven changed and touched youth that came home last monday.

Outreach (norwegian)

Det herlige sør-øst asia teamet har endelig kommet hjem fra outreach nå denne uken og hadde med seg masse historier og nyheter fra deres tid på outreach. De hadde jobbet med en pastorfamilie og et barnehjem den første måneden, og var helt klart rørt av alle barna de hadde jobbet med i en slum i en av storbyene. Jentene var ivrige etter å få lov til å bruke sari og punjabi som du kan se på bildene, og de kledde seg i mange forskjellige vakre farger. De har har hatt en opplevelse for livet, når de lot Gud røre hjertene deres og fikk lov til å oppleve å bli brukt for hans rike. De har også vært med på bønnevandring i en uke hvor de ba for et unådd folkeslag, og arrangere mange open-air møter hvor de fikk sjansen til å dele evangeliet og mange av de drama’ene de hadde på høsten på Skjærgårdsheimen. Det var syv forvandlede og rørte ungdommer som kom hjem sist mandag.

Testimondy by Catharina, 20 years old from Skien. (only in english)

I have been in south-east asia on my outreach, and the last week we got the chance to work in the slum in one of the largest cities there. One of the projects in that city was “the treasure house”. That’s a place where children that are begging on the street is allowed to come everyday from 10.00 am to 15.00pm. There, they first get a shower, then we washed their clothes, they learn how to pray and worship, and then they get their only sure meal in the day. They also have pre-school for children so they have the possibility to learn some english. All these children are kids that have parents who only drinks and their house is a box in the slum. And the children are only allowed home when they bring home money so the parents can buy alcohol, so these are kids that dont receive almost any love at all. So one of the days we met one of the streetchildren when the team where out in the city, and I held the one girl’s hand. And suddenly I couldnt find the rest of my team, and the little girl was gonna help me find them. So we ran to find them, and suddenly I stepped in some mud, so we stopped and it came another streetboy and he gave the girl some paper and she started to clean the mud off my feet. And another day we treated the children for ice cream, and the girl that helped me the other day sat on my lap and insisted on sharing here ice cream with me. That really touched my heart, that the girl that owned almost nothing, gave so much love to me and said she loved me. She showed me Jesus!

Christopher with lots of kids.

Thailand/Cambodia (english)

 The team from Thailand and cambodia came home last monday. They have been working with a ywam base in Thailand and Cambodia and got to try many different things in ministry both in Thailand and in Cambodia. They worked with kids in the slum, living in villages and having meetings where they told the gospel, working in a prison, and with ex prostitutes in Cambodia. They all had a wonderful time, where God has been working in their lifes and impacting them in many ways. And they became a blessing to many people. Thankyou God for showing us your love for these people groups!

Thailand/Kambodsja (norwegian)

Teamet fra Thailand og Kambodsja kom hjem sist mandag. De har jobbet med en UiO skole i Thailand og Kambodsja og fikk prøve mange forskjellige ting i tjeneste i begge landene. De jobbet med barn i slummen, bodde i landsbyer og hadde møter hvor de fikk fortelle evangeliet om Jesus, jobbe i fengsel, og med ex prostituerte i Kambodsja. De hadde alle en fantastisk og lærerik tid, hvor Gud har jobbet i livene deres og preget de på mange ulike måter. Og de har virkelig fått bli en velsignelse til mange mennesker som de har møtt. Takk Gud for at du viser din kjærlighet til disse folkeslagene!

Testimony by Christopher, 20 years old from Arendal Norway. (only in english)

Mission is really exiting! Forget the thought about grandmawork and boring methods. Only in that short time I was in Thailand/Cambodia, God has changed my view on mission.

I like variety when I work, and that we had in Cambodia. I had the possibility of working in the slum with english teaching and friendship evanglism and in a prison/rehab for drug addicts outside the city. In that prison which I really liked to work, we got to express ourselves doing bible devotion, singing and doing drama, english teaching, art and drawing together with the men who were in jail. But last, but not least we made relationships and were able to be a friend for them in a really hard time.

I myself got to see a result of  a former teaching and evangelism in jail. Emanuel had been sitting in jail for 3 months and 3 days because of drug addiction. After he was set free he took his bible that he had gotten i jail, and later receiving christ as his savior. I got to meet him in the jail later and could see his exitement for reaching out to other men who had the same problem as he has had. Now he works as a volunteer in Red cross and are teaching about drug and hygiene. Also after he got out of jail he has gotten a four year university degree for free by the police in Cambodia, all because of his life’s testimony and volunteering in jail and other places.

I really feel that I have gotten a bigger pespective on missions, it is what you do with your calling and it can result in a megacool adventure with God!

A new experience. A new day where God reveals his heart in a new way. His heartbeat pounding proudly for the Karen people. A bigger understanding of who God is through this people. To see how different people praise God in a different, but a wonderful way. To understand more of your own culture and what diversity really means.

Wow! It is hard to sum up an amazing month in just a few words. For a Norwegian girl who just turned twenty it is hard to find just one highlight to talk about, cause I am so stuffed with different experiences! My team and I have visited three different villages, worked a lot with children, done some practical work and had a lot of meetings, drama and singing. We also worked as English teachers at Noh Bo Academy, something that was very challenging but a lot of fun. We will never forget all the beautiful faces of the Karen people and their amazing hospitality.

In the second village we visited we really experienced how God is at work through any situation. We were supposed to have a big open air meeting but had to cancel it because John cut himself in the arm with a machete. It worked slightly different from the Norwegian axe. Hsar Moo Paw, John and Laurel went to the hospital. Back in the village were five Norwegian together with a bunch of Karens full of expectance.

After a while we sat down with the guitar and started to sing; Some in Norwegian, some in English and we also somehow got through the three Karen songs that we know. The family we lived with, their relatives and neighbors came to listen to us. After a while we realized that there was a need of extending our repertoire and God challenged Gunhild and me to dance for them. They laughed and clapped. Later they sang a bit for us before they asked us if we had something more to share. We had some dramas but we were missing some of the players and we had no one to explain the dramas. But then we realized that our cook, Saw Oo, knew all these dramas from his DTS so he could share something about each of them.

We hadn’t prepared anything but still this was the best meeting we had during the whole trip because God really was there with His Spirit and His peace. Even though we couldn’t communicate with each other verbally there was something stronger that bound us together: The love for Jesus and each other. In situations like this we really understand what divine appointments mean. We often think that when we’re going to share the Gospel we need to be good at preaching, have a beautiful singing voice or a catchy drama. “If we are clever God can use us!” But God has said in His word that it is when we are weak that we are strong. When we admit that we don’t have anything to give in our selves, God comes with His plan which is far greater than what we can plan ourselves. When He is Lord we might not have the full control over the situation, but God is really in control and He will work with His power and love that exceeds human understanding.

For me this how I really want to live my life. Every hour, every day, a whole lifetime.

Anita, 20, Trøndelag in Norway

I am from Austria, a small country in the Alps. Last fall I went to Norway, another cold country in Europe, to do a DTS. When I applied I did not know that there would be an outreach to Brazil. After a few weeks we heard of this new destination. I asked God if I should go there and his answer was; “Just take the opportunity, you always wanted to go there. I made it for you.”

That’s why I really know that this is the place God wants me to be now. It’s God’s pleasure to fulfil our dreams. His plans are something we really want to do, as we read in Jeremiah 29:11.

We are living here at the YWAM-base in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia, a state in the North-West of Brazil. We have our own house and many conveniences, like a pool 300 metres from our house, jungle with monkeys in the backyard, very good food 3 times a day…

We are here to serve and to evangelize. We joined the Mission Adventures happening that was taking place here at the base and went together with them on their outreach to a river community, where we helped changing a roof of the school. There we could experience the simple life in the jungle.

On another trip we helped a missionary to build his base in the jungle to serve an Indian tribe. On that trip we could experience frontier mission.

We also joined the carnival in the city and even got the chance to give an interview on the local TV.

The last week we spent in another city. There we stayed with a pastor family. We were amazed by the hospitality they offered us. We were evangelizing at a school, a prison an old people’s home, and sharing at church meetings.

Now we only have a few days left here at the base in Porto Velho and we help wherever it is needed. The last ten days we will spend in Brasilia serving at a farm that offers refuge to Indian(indigenous) families.

I really enjoy my time here in this beautiful country. I am gaining so much personally, more than I can give. I learn to communicate even though we don’t speak the same language. It is not always easy and causes many misunderstandings. However God’s grace is helping us. God is showing me his greater picture and is showing me my heart. I am glad he is working in me and through me.

I can’t tell how grateful I am that my Father in heaven made this dream come through.

Kathrin, 23, Austria.

What an adventure! A few days ago I was sitting in a tiny airplane taking me above Central America’s largest rain forest. I had a bumpy bus experience on my way to an orphanage in Tocoa. Who would expect that an ordinary girl form the west coast of Norway should be able to try out life on outreach among the Misquito Indians in the middle of Honduras – a country I hardly even knew that existed on beforehand?

We are half way through the outreach. Time just flies away! This far we have been able to take part in a youth camp at the YWAM base in Ahuas, preached the Word of God in several churches and lived together with local families in their homes.

Right now the team is separated for a while. The two boys are still in the bush helping to build a primary school – finishing it before the school shall start. Some of the girls are at a girls’ home where they minister among abused girls. For myself I am at an orphanage. Wonderful children are running around and colouring the days, filling them with laughter and games.

To be here at the orphanage is very different from out in the bush. Snakes, cockroaches, mud, spiders, travelling by canoe, outhouse, well, cows, horses and hens running loose, Bonanza style living and aggregate running only three hours a day, is now exchanged with a more western environment here in town. In this way we get to see that being a missionary doesn’t necessarily just have to do with crawling over obstacles in the jungle. We are introduced to the varieties of missions. I feel blessed by the opportunity finally to be able to take a more or less normal shower and have a choice of variation in eating. But still the same I miss La Mosquitia; The warm smiles, the fact of the Law of Jante being absent, the passionate worship, the wonderful children and the simple way of living. But in about a week’s time we get going again. Then we are heading out into the jungle again. This time we’re going together with an American missionary her in Honduras. That will be exciting. My prayer is that we will be a blessing to everyone we meet.

Irmelin, 19 years old, from Rogaland

Photo: YWAM Skjærgårdsheimen
Music: Marcos Witt – Se Oye en las Naciones

Click here to view the embedded video.