Thank You Orlando

This weekend a terrible tragedy occurred. 50 people were murdered while dancing the night away at a gay club. My heart is breaking. It is breaking for the victims. For their families and their friends. For the survivors who had to witness such a horrific massacre. My heart is breaking for those in the LGBT community who are feeling even more unsafe than they did before...

My heart is also sad for the people who have turned this into an opportunity to turn their backs-simply because these victims are gay. To separate themselves from any association with gay people...

I live in Rexburg Idaho. A Mormon dominant town, full of college students who are opinionated and for the most part republican. I am certain that there are people who identify themselves as homosexual on this campus, and that is definitely the minority here... I am certain that those individuals experience what I call the "black sheep syndrome". They may feel ostracized and depressed simply because of their sexual orientation. A Mormon is raised to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. In order to have a family that lasts forever we must be sealed in the holy temple of God. A man and a man, nor a woman and a woman who are in love can not be married in the temple. So imagine the difficulty it causes in the hearts and souls of these individuals who are gay. They must choose. Choose between living the way they are raised, and for the most part they really do believe and love... or, do they choose love, companionship, and a chance at eartlhy happiness? This is a traumatic daily struggle these individuals go through. It causes emotional, spiritual, and mental strain, and I cant begin to fathom having to choose between love and family and God... which sounds awful, I know. I can promise you though, my faith is just not that strong. That's a hard thing to face!

This blog post isn't about being Mormon and gay though-that's a different discussion all in itself. This is about love and acceptance though...

My whole life I have searched for love and acceptance. As a child I searched for it in my parents. As I got older I sought it out at school. I did what I needed to do to fit in, and find my way. Making friends and finding your place is so important growing up.... I seek ways to make my family, roommates and my significant other happy, all the while seeking their acceptance, friendship and love. I am pretty sure this isn't unique to me though. Everyone wants love and acceptance. It is human nature.

This bar or club was a place these individuals could go to feel accepted. Anyone who has ever been in a room full of people who understand and accept you for who you are knows how good that makes you feel. Add a little bit of alcohol and some music to that feeling, and you are probably on a temporary cloud 9.

As a missionary I experienced something magical. I haven't seen it since, nor do I recall really seeing it before... but as a missionary I saw good. EVERYWHERE. In EVERYONE. Black, white, male, female, gay straight, Christian or Jewish... I saw so many people with hearts the size of Texas. People who wanted to do good. Wanted to make a difference. People who wanted to have a happy family, and make good choices. My eyes were opened to the beauty of the diversity God has created, and yet, I never felt more united with the human race. That is why I loved being a missionary. I saw everyone I met as Heavenly Father sees them-and I never saw them as a color, race, sexual orientation, or otherwise. I loved them, for who they were, and it took hardly any effort on my part to feel that love.

This is a two fold issue, and they are both connected. Not only was this a crime that was in the disgusting hands of ISIS, but this was also a hate crime against men and women who are homosexual.
ISIS is against christianaity, and apparently homosexuality too. Between Christians and gay men and women, don't we make up more than the majority of the United States? All of us have a common enemy found in ISIS. All of us have a common connection with being human, and wanting love and acceptance. When the terrorist attacks occurred in Paris, everyone was immediately in full support. Changing their profile pictures, donating blood, and sending up prayers to heaven on a hourly basis. Why is this any different? This event happened shortly after I returned home from my mission. I had just learned of the horror our country was about to face because both Trump and Hilary were running for president-and winning. My heart broke. I was seeing two different worlds. A world united in prayer, love and support, and a world polarized because of hate, differences of opinions and pure anger. At that moment I made a choice. No, I made a promise.

I am going to stand for love. Brotherly kindness. Peace.

I am not a hippy. I am not going to hand out flowers while I skip around and I am probably no more capable of changing the world then the next person is... but I want to be an advocate for love. I am not using the word love in terms of marriage. I am using the word love like I would to describe the feelings I have for my family, or for the people I met and taught in Wisconsin. Love in the way that God loved us, and Christ gave His life for all of us-gay or not.

Brothers and Sisters, we have a chance to make a difference here; if we stand together. We have a chance to open our hearts and our minds. Open our arms and invite those who need hugs to come and receive the comfort and love they seek. What happened in Orlando early Sunday morning could break us down. We can divide ourselves between gay rights and anti gay. We can turn our backs on people who in all reality, are just like us... We can be angry, hurtful, bigoted and mean. You do not have to support the lifestyle of a person who identifies themselves as gay. You do not have to agree with a Christian who firmly believes that marriage is between a man and a woman. None of that should play a part in the role all of us have been offered.
We are all human. We have heart beats, finger prints, personalities, and smiles. We are all children of God, created by a divine and perfect Father in Heaven who loves us-unconditionally. This knowledge is powerful, and can be used to bring us together in unity and love... It could also be a part of the division. We are stronger if we stand united. A house divided will surely fall, and I don't know anyone who can disagree that we are already on our way there.

I want my love and prayers to go out to those who struggle. Whether it be with sexual orientation, spiritual questions, or mental illness. Those who struggle because they were personally effected on Sunday, or those who are effected from afar. Those who have had a bad day, month or year.
I do not have to know much about you to know that you deserve love and kindness. I don't have to know your name to know that we are more alike than we realize.

I invite all of those who are turning their backs simply because these victims were gay, to take a step back. Repent if you have to.
These are our brothers and sisters. Someone's child, someone's friend. Why do we have to see each other as the enemy?

We are supposed to stand together and stand tall in crisis. We are supposed to love one another.

Please stop using this as an opportunity to continue to hate someone. We are all in this together. We are all being affected. We all have blood running through our veins and we need to be united.

I don't care who you love or have sex with. I don't care what religion you are. That doesn't disqualify you in any way to be loved by God, or by me.

Orlando, you have my love and support. You are in my prayers. You are a motivation for me to seek ways I can make a positive impact in this world. I am grateful for things that open my eyes to find the good and push away the bad. Thank you for reminding me what I am here for.

<3