An Open Letter to Mr. Trump

Dear President Trump,

My heart is broken. Truly broken. In comparison to the ache and sadness I have felt as a 20-something after lost relationships and academic failures, nothing comes close to the pain my heart feels for those people you have now refused to provide refuge to.

Before you roll your eyes and call me naive and brush these frustrated, angry-tear written words aside, I'll be the first to admit that I am not as educated with our political system or your policies as I should be. This blog post is definitely wordy but my mind is spinning and I can no longer stay silent. I am one voice among millions, billions if we count those worldwide, and I don't know what difference I will make. But it makes a difference to me to ask why you have done what you have done to our immigrant brothers and sisters in banning them from our country, and why you have ripped babes from the arms of their mothers. I am angry, I am disgusted, and I am appalled.

I am a woman of faith, a woman of great faith. I believe in miracles. I believe in hope. I believe that goodness will always prevail. I believe in a merciful, loving, tender God who weeps at the suffering of His children on earth. I believe in a God who has granted His children the gift of agency in this life so that we may learn. God is a God of intelligence, and one obtains intelligence through learning. As an incredibly successful businessman (and now the president of the United States) you President Trump can assuredly attest to the fact that one learns through mistakes and trial and error. God would not be God if He didn't allow us to learn and grow, for His ultimate purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of each and every one of His children. More simply said, He will grant us the opportunity to be as He is: all-knowing, all-powerful, and something I can't yet fathom, all-loving with a perfect, whole love.

As an LDS missionary in Europe I saw first hand the vast amounts of Syrians, Nigerians, Congolese, and peoples of other war and conflict torn countries seek asylum and freedom within European borders, and I am grateful for the opportunity I had then to reach out and serve. To you readers I say that the time to serve our suffering brothers and sisters is not over. I plead each of you to ask yourself what you can do, whether you be student or mother or CEO or teacher; your actions DO make a difference. I know because I have SEEN: by small and simple things are GREAT things brought to pass. As we reach out I know we CAN and WILL make a difference.

And with great fervor I ask, in a land of privilege and safety and freedoms, are we ALL not refugees in some form or another??!! Do we not come from immigrant forefathers who risked their comforts of home and financial securities of their jobs and even their very LIVES in pursuit of a better, happier, safer life in the God-blessed land of the United States? I stand firm in the belief that every individual who as ever felt persecuted for their beliefs and who were terrified for the wellbeing of themselves and their children and their loved ones DESERVE peace and security, and for many that only comes if we - a privileged and blessed people - reach out and HELP. Be they Christian, be they Islam, be they Hindi, be they black, be they CHILDREN, be they disabled or homeless or bald or poor, every living and breathing soul on this planet is a child of the Almighty and is entitled to - at the very least - a peace of mind and heart knowing they, for a short while, are safe and must not need anticipate when they must next flee. The pain in my chest throbs with sorrow at the thought of CHILDREN being TORN from their families: although not yet a mother, this is a pain I pray I will never have to experience, and yet you allow this to happen to OUR brothers and sisters?!

In the book of Matthew (Matthew 25:40) in the New Testament we are taught by Christ Himself, "Verily I saw unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." For the sake of our eternal welfare, LET US REACH OUT. For the sake of the pain and the fear of the little children from Aleppo who no longer have a place to call home, REACH OUT. For the sake of mothers and fathers who lost their children in a bombing of their city, REACH OUT. For the youth who has sought "refuge" in a land such as Germany, but does not eat because he cannot pay for it because he cannot work because he cannot speak their language, REACH OUT. For the very power given to the human heart to love unconditionally, REACH OUT.

And to be frank, letting these people in is not enough. What joy is there to be found in a country of freedom and privilege, if the loss of one's loved ones keeps them no more bound than metal bars would?

There is only so much I can do and say. I've got a few weeks left of college and right now I'm only paid part-time at a decent college student wage. I've got enough in the bank to pay for rent and groceries and monthly utilities. But someone like you, Mr. Trump, who is seen by the entire world as a leader and man of incredible power, WHY would you smother and obliterate the dreams of those who need you the very most?

I get it. For the safety and in putting America first, I'll say that I get it. But honestly, I don't. I don't get it. I don't get that in this land that was built through the sweat and tears and hopes of our refugee forefathers we would turn away those who deserve to be here most.

Elder Patrick Kearon, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said this:

"Being a refugee may be a defining moment in the lives of those who are refugees, but being a refugee does not define them...this moment does not define them, but 

our response will help define us."

Let there be reconsideration. Provide loopholes. Be a hypocrite. And I plead, from all the way here in Provo Utah, let them in. If my angry tears and broken, aching heart isn't enough, I hope that the importance of the lives of men, women and children in need would be somewhat enough for you to reconsider. Let them in. Let them find rest. Let them find love and acceptance. Let them find peace and comfort of their lives in the greatest nation in the world with those that mean more to them than life itself. Let us make America great again by showing the world who we are: two outstretched hands to those in need as a token of peace and love to a hurting, darkening, chaotic world.

The world is watching us, President Trump. The world has been watching you. America has plenty of problems, and they aren't going to resolve themselves in a short 4 years, especially with the all messes you've been making. But because of my faith in grace, I know people can change, so I ask you: be the president to show mercy. Be the president to provide hope. Be the president to mend broken bridges. Be the president to prove to the world one of America's greatest strengths: the blessings of her safety, the promises of her freedoms, and the growing potential of growth and prosperity. 

And to think it all began because of the faith of immigrants.

Protect the children. Protect their families. Protect our future. And let them in.

- Natalie Motto