Favorite Holiday

So being out here on a mission, I have learned a lot about myself. One thing that I have definitely already known about myself is that I am not really decisive on a lot of things. :) (Haha, quick flash-back to a pesonality test I took many years ago: I could not decide whether I was more indecisive or some other characteristic.) Anyway, I was thinking about that yesterday, and realized that I have finally decided my favorite holiday!

image from www.patriciarossi.com

Definitely, one hundred percent, my favorite holiday is the 4th of July! :)

As my companions (the sister missionaries I work with) and I were singing "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" I was reminded of how much I love this country! I am so grateful for the hand of God in establishing this nation. It made me think of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in school, and the line "One nation under God." I also love remembering our family's traditions. (I hope they still did this at home, even though I wasn't there this year!) Each year around this time, my Dad pulls out copies of the Constitution, and our family reads it together. And then on the 4th of July, we get together with family and friends, and then when it is just our family, we
watch Johnny Tremain.

This year our celebration of the 4th was a bit different. My companions and I got to go with a family to a baseball game. After the game there were fireworks, and music. It was neat to be there in the stadium with all the hundreds of other people listening and singing along to the words "I'm proud to be an American, 'cause at least I know I'm free! And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me, and I'll gladly stand up, next to you, and defend her still today, 'cause their ain't no doubt I love this land! GOD BLESS THE USA!" It felt so good to be there with all different kinds of people, from different backgrounds, and with different beliefs, feeling of their love of God and country.

One of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon contains a description of a vision that an ancient prophet Nephi had about this land. He saw in vision the discovery and colonization of America, and one verse that stands out reads "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord;and the power of the Lord was with them. (1 Nephi 13:16)"

I am so grateful that this land is one of religious freedom. This was probably the only country in the world where the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through a modern prophet, could have taken place at that time! Hurray for freedom, and truth, and our God!