Que linda está la mañana

When Rick asked what the biggest holiday in Mexico was, he was told that it's Mother's Day.  Surprised?  I was too, and I completely didn't believe it until Saturday night.  Here in Mexico, they go out and sing mañanitas to the moms on Mother's Day Eve, which is actually Mother's Day, just super early in the morning.  

So Saturday night, May 9, at exactly midnight, we embarked out on our journey to sing.  Rafa had tied the speakers and cerebro (sound board) to the back of the pick-up and we drove from house to house, singing, whooping, and yelling merriment at all the moms we know.  

We had a blast, and it was great to honor the moms in my life.  :)  We even got to call my mom on Monday and sing to her.  We woke her up for her birthday.  

I think I might bring this tradition back to the states with me... all you moms, get ready for some serious serenades!  

Cutting out the Middle-Man

Here in Maneadero, along the highway, there are fields of flowers.  Every time we drive by, we all marvel at how beautiful it looks, and I joke about pulling over and taking a picture amidst all the flowers.  

Especially lately, I have been missing the presence of flowers in our apartment.  Every spring, my mom cuts flowers from her garden, and there are almost always fresh-cut flowers on our table.  We (the three girls and Rafa) sat down to eat together a few nights ago and I missed the flowers.  It felt like something was missing.  

Faustino and Tomasa told us that there was a place yo

u could get bouquets of flowers for 15 pesos (like $1.10 USD).  Sarah and I were certain they'd be dinky little bouquets of the reject flowers, but any flowers would be better than none, right?  So we got directions and went yesterday.  Low and behold, we walk up to a house and all over the property are buckets of fresh-cut flowers--sunflowers, heather, "pretty green fillers", and tons more.  I'm not going to lie, I was a little overwhelmed with the selection.  All over the yard there were also people cutting, and stripping flowers of the leaves on their stems to make better bouquets.  

I quickly realized that by going to this place, we were cutting out the middle man... that's why the flowers were so cheap!  So I asked some one which flowers were for sale and they kind of chuckled and said, "All of them."  I decided not to get a made bouquet, and just grabbed two bunches flowers that caught my eye. The two bunches only cost 20 pesos... amazing.  So now, we have sweet honey-like smelling flowers on our kitchen table, and at half the price of flowers at Produce Junction!  WOOOOO!  

Renewal

Cuán hermoso eres, Jesús How beautiful you are, Jesus

son tus palabras are you words

es tu amor is your love

Cuán glorioso eres, Jesús How glorious you are, Jesus

es tu poder is your power

fue tu cruz was your cross

La que me salvó [Your cross] that saved me

Que me rescató [Your cross] that rescued me

Un momento ahí me dio libertad A moment there gave me freedom

Te doy gloria gloria I give you glory glory

Te doy gloria gloria I give you glory glory

Te doy gloria gloria I give you glory glory

A ti Jesús To you Jesus

I love this song.  I'm really not quite sure if it exists in English, but from the very moment I first heard it, it played with the rhythm of my heart and caused the praise welling up inside me to burst forth.  I have come to deeply appreciate the bridge: Con una corona de espinas, te hiciste Rey por siempre (With a crown of thorns, you made yourself King forever).  For me, it paints such a clear picture of the pain and the triumph that the cross represents; the paradoxical humility and exaltation of Christ for the sacrifice He made.   

I give glory to Jesus.  I give him glory because he deserves it.  Glory belongs to God alone and my soul longs to give him glory because of who He is and what He did.  I give Him glory because He honors His promises.  He is good to His word.  He meets us where we are.  

I give Jesus glory because I can see the work of his hand, the fruit of his work in my life.  I have a confidence in Christ that I have never felt before.  Not to say that I have never felt confidence in Christ before now, but that I have never felt it this deeply and surely.  And this is not a confidence that lets whatever opinion I have fly out of my mouth, or an egotistical confidence that says that my way is the best, but quite the opposite.  It is a confidence that quiets me and keeps me still because I can wait on His timing and His will.  It is a confidence that quiets my heart from worry and allows me to step assuredly into what God has planned for me, knowing it is better than any other thing I could imagine for myself.  

I got to visit a church in Ensenada with Isaí and Mini on Sunday.  During worship, we sang the above song.  My heart soared.  There was something so pure and beautiful about singing that song.  I closed my eyes and I was just before the throne of my King, praising His name, glorifying Him, and thanking Him for the sacrifice He made on the cross.  Every pretense, every self-conscious thought, every person faded away into some far off place, and I entered into worship in a way that I don't think I ever have before.  It's amazing to me that singing praise to God could be such a blessing for me and such a gift for me.  

I love visiting different churches down here, experiencing different styles of worship, and hearing a variety of Mexican preachers.  I love seeing the church at work down here, and seeing the fruit of what God has been doing in them.