4th of July Message from President & Sister Marston

Dear Missionaries,

On this 4^th of July Sister Marston and I  wanted to share with you some of our thoughts and impressions about this important celebration.

 Independence Day of the United States, also referred to as the Fourth of July or July Fourth in the U.S., is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress declaring that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and no longer part of the British Empire.^[1] Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States.

 From the Book of Mormon and modern day prophets we learn how the Lord feels about this land:

 As the Lord said to the brother of Jared “And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance;  For it shall be a land choice above all other lands.”  Ether 2

Moroni wrote:

“And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land;

And whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God , or they shall be swept off

When the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them.”…..,

Behold this is a choice land and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage,

And from captivitiy, and from all other nations from under heaven if they will but serve the God

Of the Land, who is Jesus Christ…..

Ether 2 9,12

 Lehi taught his children that they had obtained, “a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands;….”  
“None come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.”

“Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring.”

“And if it shall so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given,

It shall be a land of liberty unto them.”

2 Nephi 1: 5,6,7

“When the day comes in which the kingdom of God bear rule,

The flag of the United States will proudly flutter unsullied on

The flagstaff of liberty and equal rights, without a spot to sully

It’s fair surface; the glorious flag our fathers have bequeathed to us

Will then be unfurled to the breeze by those who have power to hoist

It aloft and defend it’s sanctity”

Brigham Young – Discourses of Brigham Young, pg 360

 

 ”Let us pause and reflect upon the many blessings we as Americans

have received from our Constitution and the debt of gratitude we owe those heroic signers.

As we do so, we might also recognize that freedom is not free.

Sacrifice has been required to protect and to preserve the very freedoms we cherish.”

President Thomas S. Monson

We are so grateful to be able to serve as missionaries in a land that is free and allows religious freedoms.

This is the land of the restoration as divinely appointed from the beginnings of all time.

May we always love and strive to preserve this land through our own personal righteousness.

We love you and pray for you.

Best regards,

President Michael F. Marston

California Roseville Mission

916-847-5595