Happy 4 of July!!!! I love America!!!! It was so fun to get to be in the United States for Independence Day! I totally thought that I would be spending this fourth in Brasil. Being in the US for America's birthday was definitely awesome! I love America so much and am so grateful to have been born here and live when I do. It is incredible how God has blessed this great nation. There has never been another country like this since the beginning of time. That may sound a little arrogant, but hey, it's true. Heavenly Father has prepared this land for centuries. It was especially prepared for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Religious liberty offered in our country is so incredible. Our Heavenly Father truly inspired the founding fathers as they drafted the Constitution and led our country. He definitely was on their side as we fought against the British. 1 Nephi 13:12-19, 30.
Even 600 years before Christ's birth, Nephi was shown that the power of God was with us.
The first verse of My Country ‘Tis of Thee starts with “sweet land of liberty” and ends with “let freedom ring”. America the Beautiful contains the line “thy liberty in law”. The Star Spangled Banner ends with “the land of the free, and the home of the brave”. As these great patriotic choruses reflect, America is built on the promise of freedom and liberty. It is what our Independence was declared for. Freedom and liberty is what we have always fought for, our own and that of others. An intrinsic part of God’s great plan for us as His children is our ability to choose and act freely. One of the great teachings God revealed through one of His prophets in the Book of Mormon was “men are free according to the flesh….. they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men". As put forth in God’s holy scriptures, our great Constitution reflects the inspired foundation of our country by guaranteeing these privileges to us. So long as Americans hold up these values of freedom, liberty, and justice, our great nation will stand apart from all others. So long as we remember that it is by and through God, and built upon His principles, the Stars and Stripes will continue to proudly wave.
America. The very name of our country brings sentiments of pride, gratitude, and patriotism. America is a sanctuary and refuge of hope and dream, a place where legacies are made and destinies made possible. America radiates hope for a better tomorrow throughout the most challenging of troubling times. While imperfect, as all things are in this world, the pattern has been well established that this country will continue to progress and move forward to give all people more opportunity than they had yesterday. True patriots are committed to the ideals that the Constitution set forth and to see those values brought to every one of God’s children. America embodies the hope of unity in times of division. Repeatedly in our great history, conflicts of the day have divided and pulled us part, placing temporary rifts in us as a country. Racial, ethnical, ideological, religious, and political differences have generated conflict, injustice, and even civil war. However, throughout every challenging time, America pulls back together to its roots of hope in progress.We work towards a brighter tomorrow each time, always improving in understanding. America has always been a true residence of hope and will continue as such. We are God’s light to the world.
We are a country of patriots. We love this land, and must always do so. We must always remember the incredible sacrifice that so many millions of our fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, and countrymen have paid - not for themselves, but for us. As we celebrate this holiday, let us not forget the burdens others have borne, the challenges they have fought and struggled to overcome, the sacrifices so many have made, and why they have done so much for us. Many have even laid down their lives so that we can celebrate this land. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ taught, “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends'' (John 15:13). America was built and maintained on the backs of well known and celebrated heroes, men like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and so many others. In addition to these great men, unknown and unnamed heroes have done just as much. The farm boy that fought on the frontlines, the firefighters that gave their all in 9/11, the police force that protects us, the school teachers that educate us, and all the other unsung heroes preserve this great nation. We are seeing throughout this current crisis of Covid-19 how many heroes there really are in our country. All the doctors, nurses, and first responders are willing to do so much for the well-being of other Americans. It is our duty to remember all of our heroes and honor them through our actions. We must continue to embody the true American Spirit, even as they have done. America being great depends solely on us. It is our responsibility to sacrifice, to fight for the truth, independent of ourselves.
As we celebrate our great nation on the Fourth of July, thank God for all that he has blessed us with. The cause of this nation always was and should be that of our Father. As we celebrate, look past imperfections, and begin to hope for a brighter future. Seek for improvement and liberty, and forget injustice and hate. There are always those who seek to destroy hope and opress, but we as Americans must always seek to liberate and to raise others up. America is not an inherently hateful country. Our country was founded on our ancestor’s hopes, prayers, dreams, and wishes for us. They sacrificed for us. What are you willing to sacrifice to ensure that what they have done is not sacrificed in vain? What are you willing to do to sacrifice for the future, to preserve liberty, independence, freedom, and equality? Are you willing to put aside bias, hate, and prejudice? Are you willing to serve your neighbor? Are you willing to be a good citizen, to teach your children the blessing it is to live here? Are you willing to forget division and take a step forward with love, gratitude, an open heart, and hope? Are you willing to sacrifice for God and our country? Are you willing to do what it takes to be a true American?
It is our duty to qualify for those blessings of freedom, liberty, peace, equality, justice, and hope. God will bless this great country as we celebrate our great country by showing Him our gratitude through our actions.
I love America so much. There is a reason why my favorite superhero is Captain America. I love my home. I have always been a Patriot, but I even more so now after seeing the stark contrast of all the blessings and privileges I have grown up with to the opportunities that are not quite as accessible in Brasil. Brasil is still a really good country, but America is incredible.
Well, I think that I probably wrote enough about America. I just love the Fourth of July. This week was really good. On Wednesday, we had our zone/district council. I lead the district council for the first time. It went really well. In this mission, they do three parts for district council: accountability, effectiveness, and discipleship. During accountability, we talk about our goals as a district, how our areas are doing, what problems we have, and what miracles we saw in the last week. President or the APs send out a specific topic for the effectiveness portion. It is generally something we can do to improve in the work. Discipleship is then left to the discretion of the district leader. This week, I decided to lead a discussion on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the role of His Atonement in missionary work during the discipleship portion. It went pretty well.
This week we also had MLC (mission leadership council). It was super awesome because we were able to do it in person at a pavilion outside of our stake center. It was so fun to be with everyone in person. President Beardall, the APs, and some other companionships gave some really good trainings. Elder Schelin and I were asked to talk about our English class for Brasilians. We talked to everyone about how we got it started, what the format is, what we are trying to do with it, and how they can implement other classes like this for the other languages that we have in our mission. It was pretty cool to do that.
This week, we started posting ads on Facebook for community service. We have had probably ten or so people respond, so that should be pretty cool for the next week or so. I am excited. Service is one of the biggest ways that we can find people to teach right now.
Scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 1:7
I love representing the Savior in Brasil, I love my companion, I love the Gospel and Atonement of Christ, I love my family, and I love my Redeemer. I am ready and excited to work harder, learn more, and love better this week!
Love,
Elder Warren Matthew Dudley
Photos 1-2 My favorite USA scriptures. There is something kind of funny about reading these scriptures in Portuguese
