Week 71: December 11, 2017 - Already through December?

It's crazy, everyone keeps emailing and saying that it's only two

weeks until Christmas, and I have to check the date every time. It

still doesn't feel like December has started, and the time just goes

by so quickly! To think we are 11 days into lighting the world, and I

didn't even realize! I know that you are all doing amazing things, and

that your service means the world to those we get to help. My mind is

drawn to one simple quote as I think about this, which goes,

"To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world."

This obviously applies to service, and all the small things we can do

for people, but something I've realized in Japan is that to our Father

in Heaven, to our Savior Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate, whose

example we follow, we are the world. It's beyond my understanding, but

I am everything to them. They would, and have done everything for me,

as an individual. And somehow the reach of Christ's love, of His

atonement, is infinite, and encompasses each and everyone of us on an

individual level. It's the least we can do to give a little of that

back, as I hear all of you doing every week when I read your emails.

With the Christmas season comes the bustle of getting things ready

for the end of the year, and with it, helping our brothers and sisters

prepare to change their lives forever through the covenant waters of

baptism. Elder Arnold and I spent a lot of time this week thinking and

pondering specifically about Harada, an man in his mid 30's who has

fully embraced the gospel. We done know 100% what he is looking for,

but he knows that it's in the gospel, and we know that it's in the

gospel. So he really has the desire to follow Christ, to change his

life, and to grow through it all. The only problem is that he works

killer hours every day of the week except Sunday. Great for church,

hard for lessons. We finally meet with him Friday night and set up

everything that needs to happen before the 24th, his target goal for

Baptism, and things go great. Harada is ready, we have everything set

up! Until the next day, when an emergency with work in Fukuoka calls

him away from the island for a week. Obviously we don't know why, why

we won't be able to meet as scheduled, but what we do know is that God

knows. He doesn't plan to send His children away, but to draw them

unto Him. So we've got more bustling to do, to do our part to help

Harada continue progressing to the peace he so desires.

As an honorable mention, Brother Strickland (former Elder, one of the

previous mission Assistants) came to visit Ishigaki with his dad last

week. Being the best guy he is, he took me and Elder Arnold to a

little park on the north part of the island, and it just added to the

bustle of the season. I think the pictures can speak for themselves.

Love you all, and can't wait to talk at Christmas!

Elder Woodhouse