Big muscles. That is what Jacob Ernst thought he had until this summer. When Jake decided to join Lantern and Compass Project for 11 weeks he had no clue how much work, and fun it would be. Growing up on a farm, Jake knew what it was like to work hard but having 3 other brothers he also knew what it was like to play hard. Both attributes were needed for a summer of ministry.
Q: Jake, what did you hope to experience this summer as a team member?
A: I wanted to have a better understanding of what it looked like to be in ministry and to serve as a missionary and I never realized how much planning and preparing it took to pull off so many different areas of ministry. It was a lot more work than I had imagined.
Q: So Jake, what is one thing that you will remember about your summer as student team member?
A: The amount of fun with had with the kids. An experience that stood out to me this summer was “Golden Guns” at District Kids Camp. We spray painted water guns gold and turned them into trophies that the campers could win by doing various activities. When Terry was explaining the golden gun trophies to the whole camp, Tanner and I ran up front and said that these were the true golden guns (we flexed our biceps, traps, triceps, etc.). From that point on, campers would randomly chant “Golden Guns” throughout the camp and we would yell out “Golden Guns” and flex. As a result of our goofiness, “Golden Guns” turned into something spontaneous but extremely fun. “Golden Guns” will definitely be one thing I remember from this summer.
Q: How would you describe your experience as a student team member with Lantern and Compass Project?
A: Good. Fun. Cool. Okay. Honestly, I don’t know that I could fully describe what God did in the 11 weeks I served with Lantern and Compass Project.
Jake, you have been a blessing to the ministry, myself and the many kids you impacted this summer. You came with few expectations but left with an abundance of life experiences, friendships and the knowledge of how God uses people in many different ways to build His kingdom.