It was another great week here in the Korea Busan Mission. The time is just flying by it seems like. It just won't slow down. This week was really simple and basic for the most part, not to say I'm complaining! The weather is starting to get a little bit cooler, and it will finally hit about thirty degrees this week. This week we continued to do a lot of tracting, and teaching. We committed another investigator to baptism for the first of January. He's a rapper, and he's definitely struggling a little bit, but his desire and his faith are so strong. He's hoping that he can progress and get to where he needs to be. Our other investigator who is set for Christmas Day has a couple little issues, so we're praying that we'll be able to have that follow through. It's been a great week overall, and the spirit of Christmas is in full swing here.
As a little boy, Christmas was the highlight off the year. The presents, the lights, the food, everything. I loved Christmas. However, as a little boy, I never really understood the importance of Christ in the Christmas season. I knew it was His birthday, and all that surrounded that, but I never took that to heart.
Every Christmas Eve, in anticipation of Santa coming the next day, and not wanting to get coal in my stocking, I would pray for forgiveness for all my entire year's worth of sins and mistakes. Sometimes, because I was such a bad kid, I feared that I would wake up to nothing. However, as I grew up, there were always presents under the tree, and I came to believe that God was forgiving. That was one of the first understandings I had of the Savior and of who He was.
Years later, I stand here as a missionary, His personal witness, and His disciple. I bear His name on my chest. I serve Him, I follow Him, and I hope to be like Him. This Christmas Season my own personal goal has been to come to know Him personally. I've taken it upon myself to start reading the New Testament in hopes to know Him even greater. As I've studied His life, I've come to know Him a lot more fully. As a little boy, I didn't know who He was, why He was important, and how He could apply to my life. As I've taken the time to apply my heart to understanding, and face the effectual struggle of gaining a testimony, I love to bear witness of Him as the Light of the World. It may have started in an attempt to receive those temporary gifts, but how clear it is to me that He is the gift of this time of year.
I leave you with my witness of Jesus Christ. He is the Savior, and Redeemer of the world. He is the Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings. He was born of Mary, and lived a perfect life and Atoned for my own personal mistakes and sins as well as yours. I know that through Him and by Him we can receive all that the Father has. I know that as we open our hearts to Him this time of year, we can strengthen those around us, we can come to know Him more, and we can truly become His witness. I know He's there, in easy and in hard times. I know His love is perfect if we'll only seek it. May we seek it and become His personal witness and disciple during this Christmas Season is my humble and simple prayer.
I love you all and thank you for the love and support. Thanks for everything. I know that at times these letters can be repetitious, and although you may forgot many of the things I say in these, please never forget the love that I have for all of you. Thanks again for everything I'm so grateful talk to ya'll next week!
Elder Roper
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