Freedom Of Speech

One of the special things I enjoy here in the USA is my freedom of speech. I think sometimes we citizens (myself included) take for granted our freedom to express our opinions. No matter what political platform we belong to, no matter what religion we practice, we still have the right to voice our opinions without fear of persecution. I want to say thank you to all of the soldiers past and present for their sacrifice so I may have that right.

Perhaps on this 4th. of July I will refresh my memory a bit and read a document I have not looked at since high school. The Declaration of Independence in my opinion, is probably the most important document ever to be written taking second only to the Holy Bible. Here is a link, http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/dofi.html if you wish to join me in reading this on our most patriotic holiday.

John Hancock has always been somewhat of hero of mine. We learned in school that his signature was the largest on the document, while some other signatures were small. John Hancock was proud to be a signer, stood up for what he thought was right, and I feel he is what represents the soul and grit of our nation. If you wish to read more on John Hancock and other signers, here is a link http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/hancock.htm

Remember, stand up for yourself and what is right in the eyes of God, voice your opinions, freedom of speech is one of those things people have given sons, daughters, husbands and wives for. It’s a wonderful gift.


Have a happy 4th.
Bill

4th. of July Fireworks

Well, we worked on the fireworks stand last night unloading the product we'll be selling within the next few days. Our Missions group for the next few days will be working like crazy selling fireworks. All profits generated by the sales go toward mission trips our church sponsors. This will be our second year to have a stand and we're expecting to do pretty well. It's amazing to see how much money people spend on fireworks, but hey, it's for a good cause.

Our group has been to Rio Bravo 3 or 4 times and we've been to Guatemala once. I suggest if you ever have a chance to go on a mission trip, by all means go! You will have a life changing experience no matter if it's international or domestic. We are truly blessed by God to be living in the United States. Some of the places I've seen, the people there don't even have a toilet, let alone toilet paper. Food to eat is a rarity. I've seen a dump in Guatemala where there are thousands of adults and children living and scavenging for food and items to sell on the street. In this dump there is even a social class or pecking order. These are the reasons I go on mission trips. If I can help one person it's all worth it, but ultimately the person who is really getting the help is me. This picture is the gateway into the dump in Guatemala. Although this looks bad, it's only the beginning of a different place where people live, literally in the most dangerous place in the world.

Photo by: M. Peterson

Today

Today is the first day of my new blog, so be patient.