Over the Horizon

Freedom Day!

September 16 is Mexican Independence Day. The celebration starts on September 15, also known as "El Grito" or "The Shout", and leads up to the culminating moment at 12 a.m. on September 16, when from the central plaza in Mexico City, the President rings a bell and yells out, "VIVA MEXICO, VIVA MEXICO, VIVA MEXICO!!!" (="Long live Mexico!"). They are commemorating the rally cry that began the 10-year war for freedom from Spanish rule in the 1800s. If you'd like to read more about it, check out this article that I posted several years ago on my original blog site.

In Mexico, freedom is a very big deal. In fact, I would argue that it's a bigger deal than even here in the USA. From their earliest beginnings this people has fought to be free, and even today they are fighting that battle. No longer are they fighting foreign oppressors, such as the Americans, the Spanish, and the French. Now, they are fighting internal oppressors such as poverty, corruption, prejudice, and hopelessness. While some battles will continue for a lifetime, other battles have already been won in Jesus Christ, a truth which many throughout the country, and espcially in the Cofradía area are proclaiming loudly!

This year the local church in Cofradía decided to celebrate their true Freedom in grand, Mexican style. They came together in their new facility and sang and celebrated and ate together praising the Lord not only for their national freedom but also for the ultimate Freedom He has granted them in their hearts and souls. Sandy wrote a short report about it and sent some pictures, so I am posting them here. Celebrate with them, but do please continue to keep them in your prayers as they continue to fight the good fight in Mexico!

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English Report

September 15 is when we celebrate “Independence” or “freedom” in our country, Mexico. So, we as children of God gathered together in the church that day to celebrate, in addition to our Independence as Mexicans, OUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST. It was a very special day, especially since I don’t remember us ever doing this before.

We had an agenda for the event that was very fun and rich in variety as far as activities and people that were participating. To begin, we had praise and worship music, which always puts us in the mood and submerges us in the presence of the Lord. Then we continued with the participation of Sister Rosa and Brother Magdaleno from Arrayanes singing some folk praise songs, which really got the crowd going and caused them to shout and whistle.

 

After that, Pastor Goyo stood up and invited some of the others to participate in a singing contest that he had already prepared beforehand with a very rich and sweet prize. There were several interested in participating, and although they don’t really know how to sing, they went forward placing their trust in God and their mind on the prize. There were three winners of the singing contest, and each won their own cake. Then, once the contest was over and to cal mus down a bit from the laughter and fun of the competition, we moved into the message which was given by Pastor Luis, our Youth Pastor.

 

(left) Singing contest contestants. Caleb, the youngester in frong, won th contest! (right) One of the winning contestants with her cake!

Pastor Luis preaching

After the message, Pastor Goyo invited the congregation to head for the kitchen and enjoy some wonderful tamales and a rich chocolate drink we call “champurro”, all of which had been prepared by the women of the church. This meal was a typical one for our ancestors and obviously is a very Mexican one.

 

Finally, the youth of the church played some praise and worship and all the rest demonstrated the freedom that Christ has given to each of us by jumping and dancing for joy in praise to the Lord. The Lord has taught us that we are independent WITH Him and dependent ON Him.

 

Spanish Report (ve fotos arriba)

El día 15 de septiembre se celebra la “Independencia” o “La Libertad” en nuestro país, México. Entonces nosotros como hijos del Señor nos reunimos en la iglesia ese día para celebrar, aparte de nuestra independencia como Mexicanos, “NUESTRA LIBERTAD EN CRISTO”. Fue un día muy especial ya que antes no recuerdo que lo hayamos hecho.

En este evento hubo una agenda muy divertida y rica en su variedad de actividades y personas participantes. Para empezar tuvimos las alabanzas, lo cual siempre nos pone en ambiente y nos sumerge en la presencia del Señor. Después continuamos con la participación de la Hermana Rosa y el Hermano Magdaleno de Arrayanes cantando unas alabanzas rancheras lo cual emocionó a la congregación poniéndola a huaquear y chiflar, después el Pastor Gollo pasó al Santuario para invitar a algunos a participar en el concurso de canto que ya tenía preparado de antemano con un premio muy rico y dulce, al cual hubo varios interesados y aunque no saben qué es el canto (porque no cantan) pasaron poniendo su confianza en Dios y su mente en el premio. Entonces de este concurso al final hubo unos ganadores obviamente (3), los cuales ganaron un pastel cada uno. Entonces, ya que se terminó el juego, para calmarnos un poquito por la risa y diversión del concurso, después vino la predica de la cual estuvo a cargo el Pastor Luis, (Pastor del Grupo De Jóvenes).

Después de la Predi, el pastor Gollo invitó a la congregación a pasar a la cocina para disfrutar de unos ricos tamales en compañía de un rico chocolate (champurro) que las mujeres de la iglesia prepararon. Esta comida es una típica de nuestros antepasados y obviamente bien mexicana.

Para finalizar los Jóvenes de la iglesia tocaron unas a alabanzas y todos los demás demostraron la libertad que Cristo ha puesto en ellos saltando y demostrando su gozo alabando a Dios.

El Señor nos ha enseñado que somos independientes con El y dependiente en El.

Me & Lent

So, I've never participated in Lent before. In fact, I didn't even know what it was until after I was out of college! I grew  up in a church that didn't participate in Lent (to my knowledge anyway), or explain it for that matter. But in recent years I've become aware of what it is and what it's for, and I can definitely see it's place in a holistic Evangelical tradition. 

Yet, I never have had the urge to participate myself.... 

Until now.

Just before my trip to Mexico, the thought hit me...and I mean that I felt like it literally hit me in a mental sense...that I should participate in Lent and give up TV. I went to dinner one night with my friend Beth, and I shared this with her, and she blurted out, "No way! I have been thinking the same thing!" So, we threw around the idea of doing it together and encouraging each other through it.

After my trip, I was faced with the fact that Lent was only a few days away so I better make a decision. In the end, I decided to fast from TV AND all sodas! As I prayed about it, I sensed the Lord impressing on my heart that this wasn't just to add Lent to my Christian repetoir because I should do Lent every year. This was in fact about stewardship. I can be a pretty lowsy steward of my life in many ways. This fast was specifically focusing on being a good steward of my time and my body. But now that Lent has started and I'm in the fast, I'm finding that many other issues are coming up as well, most especially surrender and Lordship. It's kind of mind-boggling right now!

Anyway, recently in conversation I heard someone mention that Lent actually lasts 46 days when it should be 40. He said this to explain why he was waiting a week to start his lenten fast. While it didn't really matter to me, it did make me wonder why. I had no idea how to find out, but then the other day I was reading an email newsletter I get regularly and there was a link to an article about Lent. And lo and behold, he talks about why Lent was extended from 40 days to 46!!! I was so extatic! The Lord answered my question! So cool!

Anyway, apart from that information, the article is actually really cool. It gives a good overview of the history of Lent as well as explaining why it is still an observance that can have great significant for us today. So, take a look at it: it's called "Why Fasting Is A Lot Like Surfing".

Check out the article and enjoy Lent and the anticipation of Resurrection Sunday!!!

Tuxedo Strawberries

So, my friend Elana's birthday was February 5, and Amy and I threw her a birthday party! What a blast that was! It was so great to see so many friends all in one place. Must of us used to all go to church together, but as time passes, we move on, and now we are spread around at a bunch of different churches. So, this was quite a treat for me, and most especially for Elena!

As Amy and I were preparing for the party, we decided to have people bring appetizers, desserts and drinks. However, we both contributed some to the food menu as well. My contributions was Tuxedo Strawberries, another yummy item I saw on TLC's show "The Kitchen Boss". Again, it was a little more complicated and time consuming than how it looks on TV, but in the end they came out wonderfully, and I learned an important lesson about not over-cooking/burning chocolate! HAH!

Picture of tuxedo strawberries from The Kitchen Boss website

 

My Tuxedo Strawberries!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELENA!!!!

My Cooking Experiment

So, if you know me, then you know that I am not a cook. I stink at cooking. I bake up a storm, but cooking turns me stupid. I have no idea what to do, and I'm lucky if even a recipe can cause the food I'm trying to prepare to come out edible. If it comes in a box or a bag with no more than 4 steps from "open" to "remove from oven/microwave", then I'm good to go. Anything more complicated than that and you're taking your life in your hands by consuming it.

However, I recently watched a few episodes of the TLC show "Kitchen Boss". It's the same guy from the show "Cake Boss", and as I watched his show, I actually felt like I could conceivably do what he was doing....

Not to self: Do not fall for the ease communicated in cooking shows. They have helpers, lots of amazing equipment, and they're pros. You might be able to do it, but it WON'T be that easy or quick!

So, I went on the show's website and printed out a couple of the recipes I was interested in trying, and the first ones I tried were Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli and Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Breadcrumbs. The only modifications I made were that I used a store-bought marrinara sauce and store-bought Italian breadcrumbs. It didn't make a bit of difference because they were still YUMMY!!! Both meals turned out really well! So, the result of this experiment is that....

...drum roll please...

..........................................I COOKED SUCCESSFULLY!!!!!!

The asparagus dish was quick and easy and oh so yummy! The one bunch of asparagus lasted me two weeks!! Of course if you're feeding a family it won't last as long, but it's so easy you can just keep making it with very little effort!

The Chicken Sorrentino was a little more complicated, especially for me, but it came out so yummy! I had no idea that I liked eggplant until I made this dish. I had left-over eggplant too, so I froze it to fry up later.

I highly recommend both of these recipes. Give them a whirl and ENJOY!!!

Frying up the eggplant while the asparagus roasts in the oven

All the ingredients ready to put together for the Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli

So, I didn't get a finished product picture when I was all done, but I found this online and it looks basically like mine did! Oh so yummy!!

"Sisters Walking Side By Side..."

This past weekend, I went on the women's retreat through my church, New Life Community Church of Stafford. I have to confess something: I had no plans or desire to go on this retreat. They'd been announcing it for months, and regardless of the financial concerns for me (read: I couldn't afford it), I just didn't want to go. But then one day in July I was approached by one of the Women's Ministry Team Leaders and asked to consider leading worship for the retreat, and she offered that if I found the Lord was leading me to say yes, then they would cover the cost of my attendance. So, I committed to seek the Lord...

But I didn't have to seek very long. I already knew.

When she offered her proposition, I was shocked for about 10 seconds, and then I just heard it in my heart: "You do this! The answer is yes!". Of course, I spent a week making sure I was hearing correctly, but the peace was in the "yes" answer, and my motto is always "go with the peace" based on Isaiah 55:12, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.."

So, a week later, I told her yes. And then I embarked on the journey of choosing songs and learning to play them. Of course I had the option to lead worship using CDs or any other method. However, I play guitar, and I wanted freedom for myself and for the women to worship as the Lord led rather than be constrained to a pre-recorded CD. So, I spent months playing and narrowing down and playing some more. By the time the retreat came around, I had the wickedest callouses on my fingers!

Now, you should know. I've never led worship before, and I've never had the incling to do so! However, I've been on worship teams and in worship bands since high school, and I've paid attention to how the leaders have led, and I've attended workshops. So, I just figured I'd listen to the Lord and go with the songs He brought to mind.

In the end I had a list of 16 songs and a theme: ORIENTATION.

The Lord had already been speaking to my own heart for several months about "the gaze of the soul" (from Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer), keeping me fixed in John 15 ("Remain in me, and I will remain in you.") and Hebrews 12:2 ("Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith."). And I knew that the theme for the retreat was about being a mentor to others.

As I prayed over how to focus the song selection for the retreat worship sets, I sensed the Lord impressing upon my heart and mind that worship on that retreat was supposed to be our orienting time. I sensed Him saying,

"Orientation is about getting your center right, getting your bearings, figuring out where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. Worship is how you do that. It reminds you of who you are, where you are headed, and how you get there. It keeps your soul gazing on Me. It keeps your eyes fixed on My Son, your center, source, and destination. It keeps you abiding in Me, which gives you access to all of Me abiding in you. For this retreat, remind them that worship is their ORIENTATION, and they must stay oriented FIRST before they can orient others through mentorship."

So, there you have it! Worship was called "ORIENTATION", and as nervous as I was, I knew it was what the Lord wanted for me, for them. So, we pressed forwad.

The retreat went really well. It was held in Sandbridge, VA at a huge house right on the beach. It was beautiful! I was in love with the set lists for worship. Just about every single one of these songs are my favorites, and you can enjoy the versions we used by just clicking on the title that are actively linked:

Friday Night

 Be the Centre by Michael Frye
"All In All"
Praise the Name of Jesus as sung by Shane Bernard & Shane Everett
Oh Lord You're Beautiful as sung by Jesus Culture
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin

Saturday Morning

Come Let Us Worship as sung by Chris Tomlin
How Deep the Father's Love for Us as sung by Joy Williams
Amazing Love as sung by Bebo Norman
"Jesus, Name Above All Names"
"Father I Adore You"

Saturday Evening
This set was not in the original plans. I found out about it after I arrived, so it was thrown together with songs from the other three sets. We also sang "Create In Me A Clean Heart" at the request of one of the women in attendance.

Sunday Morning

Come Thou Fount as sung by Sara Groves
Sanctuary as sung by Jaci Velazquez
"In The Presence"
Revelation Song by Kim Walker Smith and sung by Jesus Culture on Consume
In Christ Alone (The Solid Rock) as sung by Travis Cottrell

 

The lessons on mentoring were taking from the book Woman to Woman: Preparing Yourself to Mentor by Edna Ellison. Each of the four ministry team leaders took a lesson and then led small group discussions which were really great times of sharing and exploring. Mentoring isn't anything new to me, though I do not claim to be an expert. I fumble my way through it like the next lady, but it was cool to hear the perspectives of some of the other ladies who have not ever mentored and how the Lord was speaking to them. For me, more than anything else, I was blessed by the fellowship.

I'm looking forward to how the next year will shape up as far as Women's Ministry events. They are going to use this book as the guide for the whole next year, and "Mentoring" will be our theme for the year. So, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of events get planned and what sorts of nuggets of insights and teaching the Lord pours out of us through it all! Mentoring/discipleship is definitely close to my heart, so I'm pleased that the Lord is bringing this into focus within my own church. YEA GOD!

And thanks, Lord, for a really great weekend and the three months leading up to it!

 

(left) Our driveway for the house..more like a parking lot! (right) Meal times were a ton of fun!

 

Our Minstry Team Leaders: (left) Mary, Joanne, Mugs and (right) Robyn

 

Our views!

 

(left) Me leading worship. (right) Our final activity...the blessings web!

The End.

Motivational Science...

Our CEO at Alternative Missions asked us to watch a video the other day and discuss on our organizational staff blog. It has drummed up some really interesting conversation among all the staff of Alternative Missions locations in the US, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, and South Africa. I've enjoyed thinking through this stuff and hearing from others. So, I thought I'd share it here! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Back in the USA.... aka MOVING

Yes, I'm back in the US. I can't really believe it yet. I don't think it's really sunk in. I'm exhausted

The last couple of weeks have been full of packing, moving all my furniture and most of my belongings to other peroples' homes, packing up what was left, kicking off the start of our first 2010 STM team, and then flying back to Virginia.

Sandy and Mily did so much to help me in my moving process. They pretty much lived with me for the two weeks leading up to my departure, helping me clean, sort, pack, and then move all my furniture. It took several days to finally empty out the house, but we got it done. Much of my furniture was inherited by Sandy and/or her family member, though I tried to leave something for "everyone" (that I was friends with or who had a need for something that I had in my possession). It was really cool to be able to bless people with my possessions. In a way it felt a lot like the description of the New Testament Church in Acts, where it says that they kept nothing for themselves but shared everything as people had needs. This was the first time I had ever experienced anything remotely close to that, and it was truly amazing.

Anyway, as a result of leaving my printer and desk to Sandy for her photography "business", she was given her own room and Aide took her place sharing a room with Mily. As a result, I left a lot of other things with Sandy so that she could really create a refuge place for herself. She is a bit of an introvert (though a social one), and I wanted to help her create a place where she can recharge as that is something she has felt an extreme lack of when at home with her family. She has promised me pictures, so when she sends them I will post them. :)

The first couple of days after arriving in Virginia were spent sleeping, and finally unpacking and settling in. In the midst of all this, I've also started my first seminary class through Dallas Theological Seminary's online Certificate of Graduate Studies. It's amazing, and I'm LOVING it....but it just makes for a whole lot of transition and adjustment all at the same time. So, I'm staying pretty low and under the radar for right now as I get my bearings about me. Soon I shall emerge from my hermit hole, but for now it is serving me well :)

I'm living with my parents in Richmond, and once I'm settled in and re-oriented to this new stage in my life, I'm sure I'll be spending time up in the Fredericksburg/Stafford area as well, enjoying my church family, small group studies and fellowship, working with my florist friend Amy (Beautiful Flowers By Amy), and reconnecting with friends and "family" in the NOVA area. I'm also looking forward to re-rooting myself in my family! With one sister living at home, one sister and nephew nearby, and my sister-in-law and her three kids a short drive away, there will be plenty of opportunity to invest more directly once again in the well-being of my family. So, be forewarned, be you family or friend: if you live in either of these areas, I fully plan to get back involved in regular life with you again...I hope you're as excited as I am!

Of course, the most common thought on everyone's mind, including my own, is "how long?" and "what are the goals for this time?"

Well, I don't know how long the Lord will have me here, but I know I need a break, and I think my absence is a necessary thing in Cofradia... I need this time to re-orient, recharge, be further trained and equipped and prepared for what's to come, etc. The girls in Cofradia, as well as the staff there, need to not have me there to depend on in certain areas so that others, primarily locals (the girls and other up-and-coming leaders) may have the opportunity to grow in their God-given leadership and gifts and talents, all in roles I was filling before.

So, on that note, I am asking God for:

*Direction
*Growth
*Rest
*And a few other things I prefer not to mention here :)

I truly believe that my seminary class will be a primary tool in the fulfillment of these requests/goals. The class is called "Pastoral Ministries 101: Spiritual Life", and it's all about the disciplines of living the spiritual life individually/personally....This is always a struggle area for me, so I'm looking forward to having my butt kicked! Anyway, I am anticipating that 2010 will be an interesting year!

I do just want to put a plug here for my financial needs. Please know that I am still on staff with Alternative Missions Cofradia as their Short-Term Missions Coordinator. I will also continue to provide administrative support in general, and I will still be actively discipling Sandy and Mily by phone and internet as we continue in our Ladies Discipleship Study ("Discipleship Essentials", by Greg Ogden). Because of this continued missionary role, my seminary studies, and several other priorities I believe the Lord has ordained for me at this time, I believe He has made clear that a "normal" job is not prudent. This means that I am continuing to live off of faith-based financial support.

During this transitional period of moving home and primarily due to economic reasons, my monthly support has dropped by about 30%. Now, I was not at full budget before, so I am certainly nowhere near now. I am praying for the Lord to bring along the financial provision I need in the form of monthly support. If you are already supporting me, would you consider an increase? If you are interested in supporting me, please just drop me an email and let me know. I would love to include you in a more active manner in the ministry and Kingdom growth going on in Cofradia. Thank you for considering this request and for praying over how the Lord might be asking you to respond.

The Quinceañera Dance

Typically, after the ceremonial portion of a quinceañera comes the dance party! The DJ sticks around and everyone just has a good time talking, dancing, eating lots of cake, and just generally living it up until late hours!! Another popular activity that night was taking pictures with the Quinceañera, Aide. When Sandy and I decorated her ramada, we also hung two large pieces of fabric at the back with a two-fold purpose: 1) hide the cluttered yard of their neighbors; and 2) provide a nice backdrop for people to take pictures with the Christmasy bougamvilia tree! Well, #2 is just what they did, and especially with Aide!

   

   

Others just wanted to take have pictures from the event or with their friends and family. And that was our hope..that they not only get lots of pics with Aide, but also with each other!

One fun detail for Aide concerns her dress! She had her dress made, and it was designed from two different dresses she had seen in the seamstress's catalog. Both were 2-piece dresses with corsets, but the dress from which the skirt was taken originally came with TWO skirts...the traditional Cinderella ball gown skirt and another shorter skirt appropriate for the dance party! So, shortly after eating her cake and taking a breath following the ceremony, Aide went in and changed her skirt and re-donned her slippers, which providentially matched the corset of her dress (though they were bought somewhere else entirely!).

The DJ that was contracted for this event was a father/son team from Tuxpan, and they call themselves Revolution Sound. The son's name is Ulises and has become a good friend of the family over the time they have been dealing with him concerning the contract for the event. Anyway, they were contracted until 9 pm. However, they ended up staying an extra hour and a half free! Then someone at the party paid for another half hour, and Revolution Sound continued playing music for yet another half hour beyond even that!! By the time they started packing up it was 11:30 pm, and people were still going strong! But when the music stops, the people go home, and very quickly the place cleared out. All that were left were the family and I taking apart tables, stacking chairs, and picking up trash before turning in for the night!

 

Faith, Ericka, Flavia, and Josefina smiling for the camera and cutting & handing out cake

 

(left) Flavia & Benito sweet on each other; (right) Even the kids were getting into the dance party!

 

(left) More late dancing..these people have ENERGY! (right) Aide & Mily being silly after everyone went home

It was a lot of fun to experience every aspect of this quinceañera event! From planning to purchasing, from setting up to tearing down, from ceremony to dance party, it was one large cultural experience that I'll never forget! I have been to a couple of other quinceañeras in the four years I've been in Mexico, but this was by far the best one. Maybe I'm biased or maybe it's just because I was actually a part of the whole thing, but one way or the other, this was the best one! I learned a lot, and I had a lot of fun in the process (apart from the stress and frustration and drama!).

Best of all, it was an opportunity to celebrate Aide. By the way....we all call her Addy (derived from her middle name...it's easier). When I met her, she was a shy 11-year-old who wasn't much interested in coming out of her shell. She wasn't broody or moody..just quite and content in her own world. She stuck close to home and did was she was told. Then she graduated elementary school and entered the youth group. By that time, she was already coming out of her shell regarding personality and outspokenness. Sandy was in leadership by then and began taking Addy under her wing, and as a result over the last couple of years I have seen this young woman blossom into a beautiful princess inside and out! She is a child of the King, and she knows it but does not flaunt it. She shines from it! She's still quieter and more of a home-body than her sisters, but she has taken every challenge before her and gone head-long into overcoming them! She is sweet, affectionate, kind, compassionate, opinionated but obedient. And she's only just getting started. Now that she is 15, she is allowed to have boyfriends, but she doesn't seem to be boy crazy at all, even though all the boys are crazy for her! She has a good head on her shoulders, and I'm just so proud of her! I get so excited about her, and I can't wait to see where the Lord takes her in this life. Wherever it is, it's going to be out loud, I'm sure of it!

 

(left) October 2006, 11 years (almost 12); (right) May 2007, 12.5 years

 

(left) June 2007, Graduating from Primary School; (right) August 2007, Joining Youth Group

 

(left) November 2007, Getting baptized; (right) March 2008, Winner "New Generation Award"

 

(left) January 2008, age 13, starting our 8-month discipleship course; (right) August 2008, Youth Camp.

  

August 2008, (left) Praising the Lord at Youth Camp; (right) Enjoying the beach after Youth Camp

 

(left) August 2008, Praying during THE CHALLENGE; (right) March 2009, age 14, Completed discipleship course

  

(left) October 2009, age 14; (right) December 2009, age 15, her Quinceañera

Happy Birthday Addy! I love you girl!!

The Quinceañera Ceremony

Of course with all that prep, we didn't actually start the ceremonial portion on time. It took a little while for everyone to be finally ready, but when we did, it was a beautiful event!! It went off smashingly with only a couple of almost unnoticeable hiccups. Praise the Lord!!

I want you to know that all the photos you will see in this post were taken by the official photographer, Sandy, who was also the "madrina" of photography. This meant that she was the one who pays for the printing of the pictures given to the Quinceañera for her memory album as well as for gifting to the rest of the family and "padrinos". She prepared all the photos she printed for these purposes with lovely digital frames and designs, so I'll try to use those whenever possible :)

The event started with the emergence of the Quinceañera to be shown off by her escort.

Aide & her escort, Javier (a close friend of the family)

Once they made the round of the ceremonial area, Aide stood between her mother and father before Steve who proceeded to give a short message of encouragement and challenge to her as she goes forth into this new stage of life as a young lady with greater freedom...and greater responsibility. At the end of his message, Steve prayed for Aide and then came the presentation of the Quinceañera Bible. This was provided by the "madrina" of the Bible, who was my sister, Heather. Since she was unable to attend, I presented it for her.

 

(left) Steve giving the message; (right) The family praying together

 

(left) Hugging Aide after presenting her with her Bible (right)

After this, the DJ, Revolution Sound, played "Las Manañitas", which is the traditional Mexican birthday song. The really cool thing about this is that Aide's family was able to hire a CHRISTIAN DJ!!! So, all the songs that he played throughout the ceremony that are traditionally played for different elements of the event were Christian versions of the traditional songs! It was so nifty!! Once the song had been played, it was announced that everyone should relax and enjoy visiting as dinner was about to be served.

 

(above left & right) Shots of the guests seating area during dinner; (bottom) The Quinceañera's Table

After dinner, the Quinceañera and her Escort were called back to the center of the presentation area for the rest of the ceremony to take place. First, she was seated in a chair for the Changing of the Shoes. Her paternal grandparents, Thomasa & Jose, were the "padrinos" of the high heels, and they came forward to change Aide's shoes from flat slippers to high heels. This is the first symbol of her new womanhood...the ability to wear high heels.

Next was her "crowning". She had decided that she wanted a tiara, so one of her paternal aunts was the "madrina" of the tiara. Once her shoes were changed, this madrina was called forward to "crown" Aide with her tiara, a traditional distinction of a young lady, not a child. The website "My Quince Favors" states this about the meaning of the tiara: "Just as the crown and scepter are symbols of power for royalty, they represent the authority and responsibility gained as you transition into adulthood for the Quinceañera." Other sources say that the tiara also represents the Crown of Life given by Jesus to all of His believers. Personally, I like that meaning better ;)

 

Then came the ring. I was the "madrina" of the ring and was called forward to slip it on her finger. Traditionally, the ring represents the never-ending love of God, as well as the unending circle of life to which she is becoming a more active part as she begins to make more adult contributions to society. It is also, hopefully, a place marker for a future wedding ring, which can serve as a reminder or pledge or purity before the Lord. The ring I gave her was a ruby heart with two diamonds on either side set in a gold band. I later explained to her that the red heart represents Christ's blood shed for her (from his heart) as well as her own heart covered by His blood. Being surrounded by the two diamonds, there represents imagery of the trinity as well as the idea that she is never alone, nor does she go through any activity or decision in her life on her own. The gold band represents God's eternal love for her as well as her commitment to him and her eternal hope of Heaven (streets of gold). And I shared with her that I hoped the ring would serve as a reminder to her of how precious she is to her Lord and Savior, as well as a means of reminder her to whom she belongs as she seeks to please Him first in all she is and does.

She had told me way back in the fall that she loves rubies and gold jewelry, but she really had no idea what I had found for her. I was really worried she might not be thrilled with it, but that was just silly because she was over the roof. She hasn't taken it off since that day!

 

Next was the presentation of the album. This is usually purchased to match the Quinceñera's colors, in this case purple. The "madrina" of the album was Aide's best friend Mary-Cruz. She was also one of Aide's Ladies in Waiting for the Waltz.

 

This was followed by the Presentation and Throwing of the Doll. This is similar to the wedding tradition of throwing the bouquet, only the doll symbolizes the young lady putting away the toys of her childhood and taking on the roles of a young woman. The doll presented to the Quinceañera as a memory of her special day is usually a beautiful porcelain doll commonly dressed in a gown of the same color as the Quinceañera's. In addition to the keepsake porcelain doll, a Barbie doll is provided for the throwing portion of this tradition. The Quinceañera stands on a chair and invites all the girls younger than 15 to come out on the dance floor. They then hold hands and dance around the birthday girl as well as weaving through the guests as the DJ plays a special song just for this rite (in this case a Christian version!). Then they all gather behind the Quinceañera and she throws the Barbie doll to be caught by one of the younger girls who is looking forward to the day when she too will put away her toys and become a young woman.

The "madrina" of the doll was Steve and Gena's daughter Rebecka. They presented Aide with an absolutely breath-taking doll! Another young girl in the town caught the Barbie doll.

 

(left) The girls dancing around Aide as she waves the Barbie in the air; (right) Aide & the girl who caught the Barbie

 

(left) The porcelain keepsake doll; (right) Aide with Steve & Gena and Rebecka (left) and Emma (right)

Then came the toast! Yes, this too was provided by "padrinos": Aide's maternal aunt, Pola, and her husband Juan Luis. The padrinos of the toast not only give the toast at the event, but they also purchase a toast set. This comes with a tray, the number of toast glasses required for the type of event, and a bottle of champagne or wine. This all comes wrapped in cellophane, and you can purchase them with the colors of the Quinceañera! These were placed on Aide's table at the beginning of the evening, so at the time of the toast she was escorted back to her table by Javier where they took their glasses and awaited the toast. Pola, being the primary madrina of the toast, was the one to give the toast.

 

Next comes the Surprise Gift. Yes, there are even a "padrinos" of the Surprise Gift! This gift is entirely up to the padrinos to pick out something they think the the Quinceañera would really like. The padrinos were her paternal aunt and her husband, and their gift was a beautiful gold necklace and earring set similar to the ones she was already wearing. She opened the gift during its presentation, and then her "madrina" put the necklace on her, which she kept on for the rest of the evening.

And then came the waltz!! This was the moment that our 8 Ladies in Waiting had been waiting for!! I was so surprised at how anxious they were to do this dance! We had struggled to get them to really commit in rehearsals, but they were totally jazzed to do it and do it well on the actual night of the event...and they did beautifully, even when the DJ messed up the song! See, we had the song for the Waltz which included the artists singing the lyrics. We also had the track for the part of the ceremony when all the padrinos would be named and have an opportunity to dance with the Quinceañera and her Escort, and the track song was supposed to just be looped until the Padrino Waltz was over. Unfortunately, the DJ accidentally started the track for the official waltz of Aide and her Court. The girls did a good job, but they were upset and requested to do it again with the correct song. So, that's what we did....after the Padrino Waltz. Our MC (Mily) did a great job of not giving away the mistake. It seemed to all be part of the program, and I was proud of the girls as they rallied to do it all again and even better than the first time!

 

 

Aide & her Court (minus one girl who was unavailable at that moment)

And then, as I've mentioned, followed the Padrinos Waltz, which gave an opportunity for ALL of the padrinos to dance with Aide and her Escort, since there were even more than the ones already mentioned in this post!

(L-R) Me & Aide (Ring), Aide & her Grandfather Jose and Javier & Thomasa (High Heels)

(L-R) Aide & her paternal aunt (Tiara), Aide & her paternal aunt and her husband (Surprise Gift)

(L-R) Aide & cousin Chris (Beverages), Aide & maternal aunt Josefina (Cake), Aide & friend Gisela (Cake Knives)

(L-R) Javier & Pola (Toast), Aide & Mary-Cruz (Album), Aide & Karla (Favors)

(L-R) Aide & cousin Clemencia (Table Favors), Aide & Jay (Videography), Aide & aunt Ericka (Furniture Rentals)

 

(left) Aide & Sandy (Photography) and Javier & Faith (Eat-ware); (right) Aide & Javier (Escort)

Not present that evening (and therefore not pictured) were the padrinos of the dress, the Bible, the music (padrinos of the DJ), and food. Also, for the beverages and the cake they had two sets of padrinos instead of one, and only one set was present for each item.

Finally, it was time to cut the cake!!! At this point, though she had already been announced, the "madrina" of the Cake Knives was called forward. She is Mary-Cruz's little sister, Gisela. She presented the Cake Knives to Aide, and then they cut the cake.

 

(left) Cutting one of the cakes; (right) The traditional "mordida" from the other cake

Then to wrap up the traditional/ceremonial portion of the event, Aide was called upon to say a few words of gratitude to her family, Padrinos, and guests. She did a wonderful job giving her short but sweet speech. She thanked the Lord first of all for bringing her to this point in her life and allowing her this opportunity. She thanked her parents for all their support and encouragement and for hosting the event for her. She then thanked her sisters: "Mily, Sandy, and AMBER, who has become a part of the family and just like a sister over the last few years." Then with a short closing statement, she was done..and I was trying to hold back tears. What a sweet girl this one is! It's true, her family has become my own Mexican family, and this event certainly hammered that home for all of us!! What an awesome experience!!

Giving her speech

  

 

 

That was the end of the ceremonial portion of the evening. On to the dance!...

The Quinceañera Preparations

Well, the quinceañera was such a BLAST!!! What an amazing experience to be part of the whole process! I'll post about the whole event in a series of posts, but starting here with a post about the prep we had to do for this event. And in honor of Aide, the birthday girl, I'm going to use purple instead of green, since her colors were purple and black and silver. So, here goes...

Invitations were a huge undertaking, basically because before we could print them up, the family had to find all the sponsors for the different aspects of the event. These sponsors are called "padrinos", and the invitations to the event always detail all the padrinos as a way of honoring them for their financial and material support of the celebration and the quinceañera. It took a couple of months to get that list settled, but once it was then we could undertake the task of printing up the invitations and getting them made. Sandy and I were the "madrinas" of the invitations. We had this great idea for some crafty, hand-made invitations, and Aide really liked the idea. So instead of going with the normal printing on decorated stationary, we undertook the task of bringing our idea to life! It was tedious, but they turned out really nicely. :)

Her colors were purple/lilac and black/silver, so we chose some artsy purple paper and some sparkly purple ribbon along with cellophane envelopes to create the finished invitation.

It basically says that her mom and dad are honored to invite the recipient to the celebration of the 15th birthday of their daughter, Aide Adilene (pronounced "eye-DAY, ah-dee-LEH-ney"), which was to be held on December 23, 2009 at 4:00 pm. The ceremony and party were both to take place at her home, and then the list of Padrinos appears in the rest of the invitation. We went with a snowflake motif because her colors were purple, silver, and black, and also because the event was so close to Christmas. So, we wanted to highlight the Christmas/winter connection.

The Christmas theme was woven into many other aspects of her event as well!! For example, her waltz was choreographed to a Christian Christmas song called "Para Niños Como Yo" ("For Children Like Me") by the group Tercer Cielo (Third Heaven). We spent the whole week leading up to the event rehearsing with her Ladies in Waiting. I stood in for her Escort because he was working in another state and didn't return until the day before the event. So, we made sure the girls all knew their stuff and then spent time helping him get the hang of it the day before her event! Just click on the song title to hear the song, although be aware that it is in Spanish.

04 Para Niños Como Yo

 

(left) The girls start off in a semi-circle kneeling down and rise as the music begins. (right) Then she and her escort join arms and move into the center of the circle where they waltz while the Ladies do movements with wrapped gifts in a circle around them.

 

During the chorus, they continue dancing in the circle (right) as the Ladies do some turns in their circle (left), then move back out of the circle by the end of the chorus.

 

(left) During the second verse, Aide goes around alone exchanging each girls gift for a white rose symbolizing their future hope of being a quinceañera and most importantly of salvation that Christ offers us; (right) The rest of the song is spent dancing in the circle with their roses upraised until they finish kneeling around her along with her escort who kneels while holding her hand.

Sandy and I also wove the Christmas theme into the decorating of the ramada where her table was to be located. This is where she sits during dinner with her escort and usually the primary padrinos of the event. The cake(s) as well as other necessary elements of the event are also kept on the table. The ramada in their yard has a bougainvillea plant that is trained to grow up and over the top of it. SO, we decided to decorate the whole thing with lights and small silver christmas balls, both metallic and sparkly. It turned out so amazing!

We planned for 900 lights, but we ended up having to buy another 400 at the last minute to finish it all...It turned out way better than we could have imagined, and they left it up all through Christmas and New Years. We also made bunches of Christmas balls in groups of 3 and 5 along with individual ones..all of which were hung with sparkly metallic purple pipe cleaners. That ramada sparkled brighter than fire or diamond!! What a fun way to really celebrate Aide and make her feel special. This was definitely a unique way of decorating, and she was more pleased than she could express..that made it all worth it!

 

(left) I spent most of the day up on top of a little metal table tacking up the lights so they would hang just right. Aide helped, and so did Sandy..except when she was taking these pics!

 

(top left) We didn't finish the first day until after dark... (top right) and we barely got half done with the 900 lights we'd already purchases...a trip to town was in order for 400 more! (bottom center) Day 1 was done...

 

These three pics are of the Christmas ornaments we used. The bougainvillea trunk had the most, but the rest were spread out around the rest of the ramada.

The finished product (after the event was over)

It took us 3 days to get the ramada decorated, and we definitely died our hands purple in the process (from the pipe cleaners), but by the day of the event we were ready to move on to the rest of the set-up! So, to keep the words short, I'll treat you to a pictorial tour of the rest of the set-up process!

 

 

They killed the "fatted calf" for the event before dawn. Then the women spent all morning preparing it. The pics are: (top left) Flavia, Aide's mom, posing with the carcass and meat, (top right) the head looking into the mouth with the tongue hanging down, (bottom left) a better shot of the head, (bottom right) the vats of meat cooking along with all the firewood cut for cooking purposes.

   

Setting up the seating areas. The tables and chairs were rented from two different places and delivered that morning along with the ice for the beverage coolers.

 

(left) The palm balloon arches were made by tying together two large palm branches and attaching balloons; (right) The little table with the props for the waltz she would do later in the ceremony together with her Ladies in Waiting and her Escort.

 

 

And of course, last but not least, it was time to get the Quinceañera herself ready for her ball!! Mily was in charge of makeup, her aunt Ericka did her hair, and I helped her mom dress her. And the rest of us were getting all dolled up right along side her!

It was time for the evening to begin....