homeward bound...

Hello friends!!  It has been a while since we posted as we have been Soaring Over California, rumbling throughThunder Mountain, and driving through Autopia...what a transition and what a thrill to be here in California bumping into Mickey Mouse and Chip and Dale.  Disneyland is truly a memorable place to be.  Our kids have worked themselves up from Goofey's Go Coaster all the way up to the California Screamer....even Mom rode the Screamer!!  (and SCREAM I did!!!) 
After spending a night at an amazing mission called Mount of Olives just south of Ensenada we headed to California.  The drive from San Felipe to Urapan where the Mission is located , www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxaw02k71yg  was spectacular!  Driving through the mountains and desert.  We spent an enjoyable night there getting to know the founders Darryl and Maureen and meeting the different house mothers.  The grounds are amazing.  We felt like we were in Italy as we looked over the olive orchards.  I am so glad we took the time to go there and see another possibility for families to go and serve. 

We left Thursday morning for California and decided to take the adventurous route through Tijuana.   This drive was also stunning!  We were driving along the coast and felt almost at home again overlooking the beautiful, rugged, Pacific Ocean beaches with their rolling waves.  It was so beautiful!!  Driving to the border in Tijuana as an experience in itself.  It didn't take as long as we thought it might so that was a blessing.  All along the way there are venders selling their wares...coming to your car showing you what they have to offer and promising you the best price... :) Liam was very happy to find a Mexican soccer jersey and did get a very good deal!!  I was thankful not to be the one bargaining...If it were me I'd probably pay them more then what they are asking...

so, we arrived at our destination in time for the complimentary drinks and snacks time and settled in for the night preparing to get up bright and early the next day.  It has been such a great family time for us this week too!  So often I was in awe just watching our kids share this experience together.  We walked through Disney in two lines of 3...one parent and 2 kids...hand in hand.  It was fun having the different combinations of kids on my hands.... sometimes the 2 oldest, sometimes the girls, sometimes the middle two...we are sooooo blessed!  It was also fun watching the kids interact together.  It's been 3 weeks of full on family and they are still happy and having fun together!  :)

So today is our final day....we plan to go find a beach for a while and then come back to the hotel and pack up.  Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers!  We are so thankful for this time and look forward to sharing stories with you all over the next weeks.  
Blessings to you from all of us!

 

days 10 and eleven

Thoughts from the last couple of days…

Yesterday, Thursday, was a day off as the England teams traded places.  We waved off the first team in the morning from the church.  It was a little hard to say good bye actually.  After just 5 days we grew pretty close to each other!  I guess being in an unfamiliar setting and spending our days walking and praying together lays the foundation for relationships to grow.  I learned so much from being with this group of Jesus lovers.  It was like taking a crash course in street ministry and now part two has begun as we met and welcomed the second team this morning.  This experience is very different from the one the England team had in LA.  There they were busy handing out food and clothing to the most desperate living on skid row.  They had 2 days of heavy rain which increased the amount of people they were helping and also washed all the garbage and human waste down the road.  The hardest part of being there for this team though was the fact that just around the corner is the metropolis of LA in all it's glitz and glamour.  We knew that we were sending the first team into that and are praying for God to cover them with His love, courage and peace.  And so we received the second team that has just come off of that experience.  It is a time for us to be able to pour into them as well as the people of San Felipe.  We enjoyed our day yesterday shopping downtown and having lunch with Dave and Beth at the favourite restaurant by the water.  It was a beautiful warm day.

Today I was up early…I know…it's amazing for me…so I got up and sat outside with my Bible.  The sun was shining warm already and I sat and watched families leave for their days events.   Most of the kids in this neighbourhood go to school.  The kids wear uniforms here.  I have to say, that in a place where there seems to be such disarray, the uniforms bring a sense of healthy pride.  We drive past 2 schools each day we go to the breakfast diner and today we were there as the kids were outside for recess.  I love watching them playing outside.  Kids are kids, no matter how they look or live…they all love to play and these kids were definitely having fun together.  It did my heart good to watch them for a while.  I have a desire to go into the schools and maybe bring the puppets or something.  We'll see where it goes.  The word that spoke to me this morning from a devotion was this…"God loves us as if we were the ONLY one on earth to love."  We talked about this on our way to our meeting place this morning.  We asked God to impress that thought on our hearts so that we would see each person today with His eyes and as if they were each the only person on this earth that God loved.  With that truth in us we prayed that those who saw us felt HIS love pouring out of us and onto them.

We spent the day walking the streets again.  Initially we went to the areas that we were going to minister in and just drove around them praying for openness.  Our family and a few of the Brits went to an area known to be a heavy drug use area.  We drove and declared the light of Jesus into those homes and streets.  When we went back with our invitations, Bibles and balloons in hand we were able to pray for a number of people and families.  Again…we find most people to be open and ready for a new message of hope.  Many people said a prayer receiving Jesus as their personal saviour.  I love how that sounds in Spanish…."Cristo in your corazon"… a beautiful phrase that I recognize while we are walking with our teams  and Spanish/English translators through the streets.   What a privilege to bring the good news!  It's such a simple message.  I have been convicted of over-complicating the message.  We tend to make it difficult on ourselves which then stops us from sharing.  The message we are bringing here is one of hope, love, and access to God through Jesus.  My prayer is that I will take what I am learning here home with me and walk and share with boldness the love the Father has for ALL people.  Give us all YOUR eyes  for YOUR children Jesus!

We spent a bit of time yesterday connecting with the people in our neighbourhood here.  We didn't want to just come and go from our temporary home each day without having any contact with the people here, so yesterday afternoon we made a point of being home on time so we could do that.  Before we knew it a soccer game had started and the girls and I sat with the neighbour lady watching and having a conversation with the little spanish we are picking up.  It is amazing what one can communicate with a few words and hand gestures… :)  Anyway…Duane was talking with the man of the house and why they were renovating the house and adding an addition. He shared that his mother-in-law lives with them and that she is basically bed-ridden due to bad arthritis.  Duane asked if we could come over and pray for her.  He agreed and we decided on a time that would work.  Today after we were done at the breakfast diner we came home with an interpreter and went over to their house.  Havier (the interpreter), Duane, and I went into Martha's (the mother-in-law) room and started talking with her.  The first thing she said was that she had had a vision last night of 3 people coming to see her - one woman and 2 men.  She just kept going on about that saying that she saw us as plain as day as if we were already there, right down to the baseball hat that Duane was wearing.  Thank you God for your confirmation that we were exactly where you wanted us to be at that moment.  Martha has a very strong faith in God.  She also shared that she told her daughter days earlier that she wanted the images/idols that were in her room taken out and thrown away. She didn't need them because she had Jesus in her heart!  You need to remember here that San Felipe (and many Mexicans) have a strong affiliation to Catholicism.  She did that just a few days ago and since then had felt more peace in her room.  She was remembering her own mother and how she told her not to have images but to believe in God alone.  This was very fresh in her memory tonight as she kept talking about it.  I feel like God was preparing her for our time together, reminding her of her belief in Him and how deep those roots go down.  We sat and held her hands and talked and prayed.  Declaring LIFE, commanding illness to LEAVE, speaking words of LOVE and HEALING over her life.  She testified that her pain was easing as we prayed.   We prayed more.  Her faith was beautiful.  Her age, weathered skin and toothless smile did not hinder the depth of her belief and the strength that she lived.  I sat beside this beloved child of God weeping and thanking God for what He was doing in her life-the healing she was receiving and would continue to receive.   At times I felt like the centurion…LORD!  I believe!  Help my unbelief!  Other times I spoke out boldly and with such assurance and I realize that this trip is so much about what God is doing in our own lives.  Her faith did not waver.  Her belief was firm.  By the time we left she had said that that pain in her abdomen was gone and that hew hands had no pain either!

Praise be to the Lord of hosts! 

So, tonight ends with us sitting around our table again, talking about the days events and what God did.  The kids are doing so amazingly!  They are stepping out and laying hands and praying for people, enjoying the community of of new friends, being adventurous in eating, and all sleeping in one room!!  (3 of them in one bed… :)  I continue to marvel at the privilege of being used.  It is humbling.   The fact that we are here as a family is impacting this community.  This will not be the only time we set foot in San Felipe…next time maybe with you!!  

Tomorrow is Breakfast Diner time…we will spend time with the many that arrive to have a meal, and share our crafts, puppet plays, and soccer balls!  

Thank you for your continued prayers and thoughts!  

Love from ALL of us...

DAY nine

Wow!  What a day!  I can hardly believe that it has been just one week since we stepped into San Felipe!  So much has happened, as we have been sharing, and we still have another week here!  Today was the wrap up party for the first week of San Felipe Outreach that we did with the first half of the team from England.  We started our day with some time at the beach…. as Dave Goff says "we're suffering for Jesus…" :)  He says that every time we have Fish Tacos as well…  It was a great time of rest actually after a week of walking the streets.  The sky was brilliant (as the Englanders say… )blue with not a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining in all it's glory.  (which we all are feeling now… )  We spent a few hours there swimming, walking, collecting amazing shells, and dozing on our beach towels.  The kids loved it!  We have quite the collection of shells on our table right now… We then had lunch together one last time with this team.  The lunches we share have been really tasty authentic Mexican dishes.  Something new every day.  I may be asking for some recipes before we leave!  

After lunch we prepared for the Fiesta.  A full sound system and band instruments were brought in, lot's and lots of used clothes, some hair dressers who donated their time for free haircuts, Dr. Miguel came to donate his time for medical help, (seeing a doctor costs money here), and between us and the England team we had beading, face painting, friendship bracelet making, nail polishing, and a few plays and puppet skits.  I think all the people we met over the past week came!  It was amazing to see all the kids come and take part in what we had to offer.   Our craft suitcase will definitely be empty when we leave next week.  These kids LOVE to do crafts!  We had pipe cleaners and piny beads and they had such fun making them into bracelets and ornaments.  I got pretty good at figuring out what they were saying when they would come up to me and ask me for help.  I was called "maestro"  which means teacher… :)  We ended the day with some worship, a short message and a time of healing and prayer for salvation.  Many came forward for prayer and many gave their life to Jesus.  Duane had the privilege of praying for a young boy, Liam's age, and he received Jesus.  He stood there and cried as he prayed.  We met this little guy on Saturday for the first time and could tell right away that he was a ring leader.  A few adults said later tonight that they have been praying for this boy to receive Jesus for a while now, and today was the day!  Thank you God!  He is a born leader and now will use his gifts for Jesus!  :)  

We ended the event with more worship and danced and clapped and sang in Spanish!  It was awesome!  One in spirit and truth despite the different cultures and language.  I really felt that on Sunday in church too.   So cool!

Needless to say, by the time we got home we were a tired bunch.  We sat and had a snack and looked at all our shells and talked about our day before heading off to bed.  Evan was asleep before we finished praying…  :)

Thank you God for the privilege of being your hands and feet in this amazing community.   

Till next time,

Trish

notes to self. 

environmental science lesson:  Mexico is closer to the equator than Canada. The closer to the equator the hotter it gets. 

biology lesson:  From the previous lesson we learn that sun shines in Mexico a lot. When going to the beach, put sunscreen on all of your exposed skin. Exposed skin reacts to sun, often in predictable and preventable ways. 

duane

Day 7-8 (Monday-Tuesday)

The last 2 days we have spent our time walking through the neighbourhoods of San Felipe, knocking on doors and talking with the people.  The local church we are working with here put a plan together to reach all of San Felipe in the 2 weeks that the team from Britain and us are here.  They divided the map of the city into sections and each morning and afternoon we take a couple of hours to go door to door praying, and ministering to the people.  As we prayed tonight before bed, it is a privilege to do this!  It has been our families prayer to be "the hands and feet of Jesus" and when we are walking, talking and laying hands not he people here we really do feel like we are doing just that.  It is amazing really.   The people here are so open.  They come to their door or their fence and allow us to speak into their lives and pray for them.  They share what is on their hearts whether it be a lack of work, illness, fear for their family, their children, and we are able to pray God's blessing over them and their household.  We are being stretched as we are asked to step in and pray or share a scripture that the Lord has shown us for the families we are praying for.  I am learning so much from watching the team from England minister.  They are a beautiful group of believers - young and old - who has spent 2 days a week together since September learning about intersession and ministry.  This trip is part of their schooling and they will continue their studies until June.  They are a mix of ages and maturity but they all gel so well and seem to really love to be together.  We are rally enjoying meeting them and feel very blessed to be working alongside them.  They have been so enfolding of our family and very encouraging as they watch how we operate together.  

We meet around 9:00 in the morning…I say around 9:00 because time is taken very loosely in Mexico.  We don't really mind though because it is somewhat familiar for us… We pray together and then get in our teams ready to go out.  We are armed with balloons, invitations to "la fiesta" and a pamphlet about the different opportunities the church has to offer as well as a prayer of salvation.  The balloons are part of the church's plan to "paint the city red".  We leave a balloon at each house where we have been able to talk with the people that live there.  It is great to see all the red and white balloons hanging on  gates and doors as we walk back to our gathering place.  Today, as a prophetic act, we all wrote messages of hope and scriptures on the soles of our shoes.  As we walked it wore of and was left on the streets we walked down.  We are declaring Jesus over this city wherever we go.  We climbed up a mountain yesterday after lunch.  There is a cross at the top.  At the top we  could see all of San Felipe.  We stood there and declared that Jesus reigns over this city!!  Amen!

After a couple of hours on the streets we meet back at "the breakfast diner" - a building that the church build in the middle of one of the poorer areas, where Saturday morning breakfast is served and kids programs are done. The goal is to have the Diner open every day of the week.  Across the street lives one of the church members and they, along with some other members, are cooking us a warm lunch.  The food has been amazing!  I am so proud of our kids as they try new things and are genuinely thankful for what is placed before them.  They are being very adventurous!  "What's not to like?" Liam says…

We meet together again around 4:00 to go out for another couple of hours.  We tend to see a few more people walking through the streets as they come home from work and school so we will stop and talk with them as well.  Today we prayed for an older gentleman riding his bike.  He was so open!  He just wanted more and more prayer. :)  When I say streets I really mean dusty roads.  Only the main roads are paved.  The rest are made up of sand and dirt.  I am amazed at the state of the homes that people live in.  Today we saw some cement homes - cinder blocks cemented together…but mostly it is wood shack type houses with chain link fences around them.  Some have windows but lots don't.  Most have doors but not all.  Some properties just have a trailer on it.  The poverty is very real here, and yet the people seem content.  Today we saw a couple of little girls that had been to school.  They had a school uniform on and looked so beautiful.  There is a sense of pride in the people here.  I talked with Dave about the general mentality and he did say that there was a general lack of motivation in the people to better their circumstances.  I don't really feel that as I walk through these streets.  They seem to want to care for what little they have for the most part, although the presence of garbage everywhere is staggering. Many people do attend church and there is a strong Jehovah's Witness and Catholic contingent here as well.  One of things we keep in mind as we talk with people is to talk about how they can have access to God through Jesus.  They have been taught differently here so they don't really believe that they can go to God through Jesus.  Teaching them this changes their lives.  It is amazing that as we talk with people and ask them if they have Jesus in their hearts so many say no and that they want to receive Him!  Glory!!

Our evenings are spent at home typically.  It is nice to come home to our own place and have some down time together.   We have a snack, play cards, talk, and pray together before calling it a day.  We are tired after being outside waling and talking all day!

Tomorrow is the big wrap up event with team A from England.  We will be at the Breakfast Diner from 4-7 playing games, doing crafts, nails, hair, playing soccer - soccer or football as it is called here, is very popular and while we are waiting to go out ministering Liam, Evan and others can be found playing and before you know it there is a full 2 teams playing!  :)

We hope you are enjoying our updates!  It is good to write and keep this journal.  Thank you for your prayers!  God is truly at work here in San Felipe!! If you don't want to comment ere, please leave your comments or messages on duane's facebook.

Love from all of us!

Trish

DAY four

Day 4

Today was a day of meeting the San Felipites.  We met at the 'breakfast diner', a church-built building that is located on the outskirts of town. It's a meeting place for locals to come out and have breakfast. Lots of kids, teens and some adults come out to for food and for some learning about the love of Jesus. In a culture built on religion, the local church is building an outreach of teaching that it's not about doing, or about Mother Mary, but a relationship with Jesus Christ and that He is accessible to them!  This community shows God's love by going out and reaching into the lives of the townsfolk by meeting the people where they're at. 

                                 

Today we went out to talk and pray for people. We ask about meeting their needs by offering to fix things in their homes or pray for healing - physical, mental and emotional. We saw people in various kinds of living conditions but all in extreme poverty by our standards, yet they are proud of what they have and care for it.  We were able to pray for a family with a 23 year old paralytic, her mother and family, a man who accepted Christ, a mother and her young girl, her other two young teens, a family with a new 3 week old son, and a young 7 year old girl on her bike following us.  

What a privilege to speak life into the lives of these people!  Gods people!  They are so open to hear about Jesus.  We are constantly reminded of what is important in our lives.  Relationships and our walk with our Father in Heaven!  May God bless you all in your encounters.

                                  

Third Day

Packing for this adventure turned out to be a little tricky. Actually not the packing of the suitcases as much as the creative arrangements we had to make to fit them in the van. We were able to fit all of our own stuff into our luggage as well as a few big suitcases for the kids and people here in Mexico. We were quite pleased with how we fit in all the things we wanted to bring. Packing the van was another matter of course. I didn't want to put on the rooftop carrier because the van we were renting had none, and I wanted to make sure it'd fit!  So as it turned out, I did need to be creative in the van packing. Our bags were just that much too big to fit in the back as I'd hoped. happy to say, thought that the van we rented has deep storage containers and a couple additional storage areas.

The kids had lots of fun making the trip down to San Felipe. Before we left they didn't seem to uptight or nervous and I was wondering how they'd do on the plane, but there was really very little butterfly activity.  

When we arrived in LA, we had to change clothes at the airport to feel more comfortable! Needles to say it was a little warmer than 'sleeting in Seattle'. In El Centro, our second night's stop, it was nice and hot. we had snacks and a small dinner. The kids wanted to go into the outdoor pool, but it was still quite cool (temperature), and so we played 'dutch blitz' instead. 

Day 3 morning we packed up and I picked up the last Starbuck I'd have for  while. Dave and Beth showed up at about 10am, and we zipped down into Calexico (just north of the border) to pick up some groceries for the week. After that, and exchanging some cash for pesos, we zipped through the Mexicali border (and all the detours from roadwork in Mexicali) and drove through lots of new scenery for us.  We literally zipped through the border.  No stopping of answering any questions.  Lots of others were getting the red light but our van and Dave and Beth's car just got waved on through!  Praise the Lord!

San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico!!

Day 2
It all started with #3 commenting this morning on the hotel orange juice: "looks like we're drinking highlighter ink..."
We had a hoot getting to the plane and talking to people like Bob and Butch from Index, WA. Now that I know it exists, it sounds like a place I'd like to visit. Sorry Butch for bringing up LEGOland. (** insert longer story here**). Well then there was Holly from JetBlue Airways that helped us along and a sweet woman and her brother from Guatamala that gave us directions at a viewpoint along the i5.
After driving through San Diego and stomachs started growling, I thought that InandOut burger would be a great American treat. Of course once the navigator saw the place there was a quick alteration to the plans and we were back onto hwy 8 to El Centro (EC)

FRMs (Flatulent Release Moment)s were called frequently as we drove South, and windows were up and down all the way from LA to EC. Needles to say that FRM quickly turned into Flatulent Release Mode!
Day 2 was exciting and boring at the same time. Apparently 2hr driving stints are too long, even after last summers 8hr treks to Terrace. Wow guys...  Chill out.
We should also note that the hot tub here was fairly cool and the outdoor pool even cooler! Apparently from May to August there's absolutely no need for indoor heated when the temp outside is 120F...
Thinking about meeting Dave and Beth tomorrow morning and then heading to San Felipe together!!
de

Quick Note: we're one day behind making these posts. We ARE in San Felipe and will post again a little later... when we can get this wireless again.  

Day 1 "send me on my way" - Rusted Root

Day 1
Victoria- missed the boat.
Vancouver- said good bye to my folks and watched the clouds roll in.
Seattle- beautiful weather at the border crossing followed by clouds then a wee bit o' rain then clouds very low dark clouds, sleeting rain and snow. Then almost blue skies again.
So far its looking kinda like the journey of life eh?

We talked to some folks at the hotel about the weather, checked out the extreme forecast for southern California and thought about life again.

How would YOU look at it? what is it you actually look at? Is it your problem or situation or your future?  You are also creating your own destiny by how you look at these times in your life.
I like to spend some time just putting the problem to rest. You know - drop it and let it go. No reason to hold on to it! I really dont want it. really.

So here's to moving ahead into the unknown, uncomfortable or the crazy.
Yeah.

I'm beginning to understand the crazy.



I might just go live there.
Duane

I'm baaaaaaack... everybody shout hooray!!!!

HOORAY!!!! Okay now that that is done here's a silly video that i made with my some of my siblings,(its at the bottom.)... HOPEFULLY it works. If it doesn't, PLEASE comment and let me know. Thanks! 

Anyhoo, :) I am here to update you on what's happening.

We are going to MEXICO!!! On a missions trip! And if you read my mom's latest blog, you will know that already but you get to hear it from me too and of course thats always fun... right? If you were thinking 'no', (which i'm sure you weren't) then don't answer that. We are leaving  on the 13th of March, and coming back on the 4th of April. We're spending 2 weeks in Mexico, and 1 week in California! 3 days in Disneyland!!! And that's after Mexico so we're all kind of wondering what that's going to feel like... anyways, FUNNY STORY BREAK!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!! 

Once upon a time i was writing a card to my mom for her 43rd birthday which was on February 22nd, (if you didn't say happy birthday then be sure to do that!), and i wrote happy birthday and all that kind of stuff, and then i write, 'God bless you many, many, many,.... ect, more years!' Except for i wrote waaaaaaaaaaaay more 'many's'. And after writing it that many times, it is such a weird word!!! You should try it sometime. Keep writing a word until you think you're spelling it wrong or it just looks incredibly weird. The End. 

Wasn't that a great story?!?! Of course it was you don't have to answer i already know! Now that funny story time is over, we shall move on to more updating time with the JENC! (Jamesa Ensing's news channel) 

Jamesa: "Here we are with 7 and 3/4 year old Evan Luc Ensing! Hello there Evan! What do you think about going to Mexico?" 

Evan: "Um, kind of fun." 

Jamesa: "Great! And how do you feel about going to Disneyland for 3 days?" 

Evan: "I think it will be fun, again." 

Jamesa: "Okay, and do you love me?" 

Evan: "Yes." 

Jamesa: "Good just checking. So do you think it will be hot in Mexico?" 

Evan: "Sometimes, a little bit." 

Jamesa: "Awesome. And how do you feel about driving for 4 hours and on a plane for 2 1/2 hours?" 

Evan: "Kind of boring." 

Jamesa: "Al-righty, thats a wrap for Evan! Thank you Evan, anything you want to say?"

Evan: "Um, not really, no."

Jamesa: "Okay! See you next time on JENC!! Now we have yet another sibling, 10 year old Dominique Renee Ensing! Hello Dominique!" 

Dominique: "Hola! I'm getting ready for Mexico!!!" 

Jamesa: "That's awesome, and how do you feel about going to Mexico?" 

Dominique: "Really, really, really, really, excited!!!" 

Jamesa: "Great, and how do you feel about going to Disneyland for 3 days?"

Dominique: "Again, really, really, really, really, really, exited!!!" 

Jamesa: "Um, okay then... And do you love me?"

Dominique: "Yah, a lot."
Jamesa: "Okay good, just checking. Do you think it will be hot in Mexico?"

Dominique: "Uh, kind of. I hope it will be hot."

Jamesa: "Cool, and last question, how do you feel about driving for 4 hours and in a plane for 2 1/2 hours?"
Dominique: "I'm excited about the plane, but really not driving, we've done it a LOT for a long time." 

Jamesa: "Yes, that is true. Well that's a wrap Dominique! Thank you for being on JENC and i hope you'll come back. Anything you want to say?"

Dominique: "Um, I want to say, I am really, really, really, really, really, excited!!"

Jamesa: "Okay i think we've figured that out. See you next time folks!!" 

Just so you know, that was the real Dominique and Evan Ensing answering those questions. I did not make them up. I hope you believe me and if you don't you can ask them. 

Now its time to break for a recipe! 

Here is a recipe for your kids and you. It gives you energy for when your feeling tuckered out. (Not that your kids ever will. :D) 

Strawberry French Toast

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Butter

2 large eggs

1/2 cup strawberry milk

4 texas bread slices

1. Place the oven rack in the centre position. Turn the oven on to 450 F. Grease the pan with cooking spray or butter. Set aside. Melt the butter in the sauce pan on medium. 

2. Break the eggs into a large bowl. Add the milk and butter. Beat with the whisk until the mixture is bubbly on top.

3. Dip both sides of each bread slice into egg mixture. Arrange the bread slices in the pan to cover the bottom. Bake for about 15 mins until golden. Remove the pan, turn the oven off. Serves 2. 

Bright idea: Instead of strawberry milk, try your favorite flavored milk! (for a special treat, at Christmas, use Egg Nog.) 

I'm sure you might be able to do a different type of bread but i just followed the recipe. Anyways, now we have one last paragraph.

Goodbye!!!!!!!!! Okay so this isn't really a paragraph, but good enough. :) 

Here's the video, again, please comment if it doesn't work. But i think it will. 

Bye bye!!! 
jAmesA eNsiNg

A Family Adventure

It’s February and I am realizing that the first half of this school year is already behind us!  Yikes!  I find the question “are we doing enough” (school wise) keeps rolling through my head.  I don’t like that.  I ask other homeschoolers and hear the same response.  “Oh yeah”, they say, “I ask myself that question all the time!”  Thankfully when I sat down with each of the kids individually, we looked at their subjects and ALL the PLO’s (Prescribed Learning Outcomes) laid out by the government and saw that we did indeed check off a lot of boxes!  Phew! 

Like wow mum that’s so great that your writing whatever this is!!! So hooray and stuff like that and also yahoo so you know yah. I love you!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 teehee toodles!!
LOVE JAMESA

Oh, thanks Jamesa…  This, our oldest daughter, has been the faithful blog writer thus far…

Anyway…I wanted to write to share with you what the next few weeks will entail.  When we felt it was clear to homeschool this year we also were hopeful that we would be able to pursue another dream.  We have talked over the past few years about going on some kind of missions trip as a family and the Lord has provided an opportunity!  I have learned something about trust and surrender in this process.  I had a plan in my head.  We would go in February for a month.  We started to talk with different organizations in November and quickly realized that this was not as simple as we thought it might be.  It wasn’t until I laid it down, surrendering my plans that the door opened up for us!  A friend wisely reminded me that this is sometimes how the Lord works.  He waits for us to fully give it to Him and then He hands it back to us as a gift.  J  This trip does feel like a gift.  We have hooked up with a couple that spent 8 years living in San Filipe, Mexico (a small fishing village) building a church there.  They too have 4 children that spent those 8 years with them.  Now with their children grown and out of the house Dave and Beth travel back to San Filipe twice a year to spend 2 weeks with the people they lived with and served.   When we spoke to Dave and Beth about our hopes, they fully embraced us and welcomed us to join them!  So here we are, just 3 weeks away from going.  We will spend the last 2 weeks of March in San Filipe with Dave and Beth as well as a team from England.  Dave and Beth have encouraged us not to have huge expectation of ourselves, but to see this as a scouting trip to see what the Lord has in store for us, and if more of these kinds of trips are in our future.  We pray as a family to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  That is the only expectation we have, and we are trusting that God will lead!

As we prepare to go we are asking for your prayers.  This is so very new to us.  The travelling outside the country is new, flying is new, the language is new, the people, scenery, lifestyle…it’s all new.   We are excited and nervous at the same time.  We are asking for specific prayer for the following:  safety – driving from San Diego into Mexico; health; opportunities to share the love of Jesus; space and time to connect with the people; time to reflect on God’s call on us as a family; boldness; and that we would honour God with our actions and words.  Oh yeah…and a super natural download of speaking Spanish would be GREAT!!! We would love it if you feel especially led, to let us know that you will commit to praying daily for us during the 2 weeks that we will spend in Mexico. (Mar 15-28)  Thank you!!

We are excited!  As much as we are not expecting anything in particular, we do have a few things we are hoping to do…Liam has asked his Soccer coach for soccer balls and jerseys and he has agreed to send some along with us.  We don’t know how or if we will have the opportunity to hand these out but are praying for God to create the space for that.  Jamesa and Dominique are working on some worship dances and we are bringing fabrics along to dance with and hopefully teach the kids some simple dances to songs about Jesus. (in Spanish!! J)  We also are taking down a Spanish puppet play that was created by a few people at our church that we hope to have the opportunity to share at a breakfast that the church puts on for the community each Saturday.   I hope to take as much crafting supplies down as I can and just be available to set up tables and love on the kids as they come by to do crafts.   We will see what the Lord does.  It’s so hard not to make plans isn’t it?  To just rest in Him and trust that He has a plan.  His hands and feet…that is what I keep reminding myself…just be His hands and feet. 

So that is where we are at these days…thank you for reading and for your thoughts and prayers over the next weeks.  We look forward to sharing stories with you when we return!  We’re stopping into Disneyland too on the way back.  I’m not sure what we’ll feel like, heading away from the village, but we’d love to be able to be ourselves there too, sharing the love right alongside Mickey and Goofy.

Till then,

Dios le bendice (God bless you!)

Duane, Trish

Jamesa, Liam, Dominique, and Evan

Hooooola!!

Hey there everyone! 

Wow no one has posted since Christmas?? Ack!! Well i'm posting now so don't worry! I guess it's just been busy around here. So i'll update you on what's happening! I suppose that's what this is for... but anyhoo;

After Christmas, was New Years Eve, and New Years Day, (they kind of go together like that you know?), and we had um, i think 5 families over? And 1 1/2 families slept over. So it was a full house! But we had tons of fun. After New Years, my grandparents moved to Vancouver, we helped pack. Then Liam had a lego thing in Vancouver so we visited my grandparents while we were there. And then it was my birthday!! And i wasn't planning on having my birthday party until February because we were really busy in January. BUT... 

Duh duh duh.....

My parents planned a surprise party for me!! And boy was it a surprise... Let me tell you about, and if you don't want to hear it, just skip this whole part until the green line at the bottom. :) One day i was innocently reading comics downstairs, (and that day was Jan 21, the day before my birthday), when suddenly, my mom calls me,

 "JAMESA!!!" and i answer, 

"YES?" and she says, 

"Go make you bed! The sheets are done drying!" and i say 

"OK!" but i don't do it until 7 mins later when Liam decides to tell me to do it again, and then i do do it, but i was mad at Liam for telling me. So i very quietly stomp to my room and kick the door open gently, (but i was wondering why it was closed because i had left it open when i was last in it.), and then there's a bright flash! And 4 girls standing in my room yelling, 

"SURPRISE!!!!!!!!" Which of course freaked me out so i screamed and jumped backwards out of the room, and then i realized it was 4 of my closest friends and they're all laughing at me, so i decide it wouldn't be very fun of me to not laugh so i do and it turns into a huge laughing fit from all of us. Turns out they caught it on video... :P But anyways, then i said, 

"Well what now?" and they said, 

"We're sleeping over!" and i said, 

"You are?!?!?!" and they said, 

"Yup!" and i was so happy! So we had dinner, (which consisted of lasagne, garlic bread, and veggies. but i was kind of bummed because my dad said that the second lasagne was for a lady at our church that had just had a baby, but it was really for us, so they lied to me! Not hooray.)

But anyways, after dinner, they blindfolded me, and stuck me in the middle seat of the van squished between two girls, to make sure i didn't peek. (which of course i wouldn't.) And then they drove down to the bowling ally, but didn't know where we were going, and whenever i asked a question, they didn't answer or told the wrong answer. So when we got there, they got me out of the van, and then took me inside and made me guess where we were, I got it on the first guess. :D So we went bowling. 

When we got back home, we had desert, and watched 'Phantom of the Opera'. It was so much fun, we stayed up until 1:20am. :) In the morning we had breakfast and two of my friends went home to go to church, and two of my friends came to my church. When we got home, we had lunch and went to the breakwater. Which was soooo much fun, because it was really windy, so the waves were crashing up on the side of the breakwater, and we all got soaked. Then my other set of grandparents that didn't move to Vancouver came over, and so did my cousin who lives in Vernon but was here for a few weeks on a job. He's getting married on the 29th of January! So excited!! :) But anyhow, then everyone left and we had dinner and went to bed. Well actually my grandparents and cousin stayed for dinner. But then they left too and we all went to bed. That was my birthday weekend!! 

Anyone who didn't want to read about my birthday can read now!

_________________________________________________________________________

So after my birthday, well, my birthday was only 4 days ago. But we are going to Missions Fest this weekend! While we're there we'll visit my grandparents again. 

That's what's happening with the Ensings!

"And that's a wrap! Good job Jamesa." 

"Why thanks! See you next time i write a blog post?"

"You bet!" 

"Um, i think we're still rolling..." 

"Oh, I SAID THAT'S A WRAP BILL! CUT THE CAMERA!"

"Oh sorry boss. I thought you said, 'I dropped the bat'." 

"Why would i say that?"

"Well i don't know i was a little confused." 

"Just cut the camera Bill."

"Right." 

jAmesA eNsiNg