When Seoul Korea South Stake President Tae Hwi Kwon was called and set apart in 2021, he said he noticed that members of the stake rarely talked about or testified about Jesus Christ in their meetings.
He prayed and pondered about what the Lord would have the stake do.
“I pondered how we could apply in the lives of the Saints what the prophet Nephi taught in the Americas: ‘And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ’ (2 Nephi 25:26).”
He also remembered what President Russell M. Nelson taught in his April 2017 general conference talk “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives.” There he talked about how 15 prophets, seers, and revelators issued and signed their testimony to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the Lord’s birth in an historic testimony titled “The Living Christ.”
Said President Nelson: “Many members have memorized its truths. ... As you seek to learn more about Jesus Christ, I urge you to study ‘The Living Christ.’”
President Kwon was inspired to study and memorize the document, which was issued 25 years ago this year on Jan. 1.
After that, whenever he visited wards and branches in the stake, he encouraged the members to memorize “The Living Christ” and to recall it daily.
The response has been amazing, and the members have been blessed because of their efforts, reported the Church’s Korea Newsroom.
Kyung-jin Park of the Seoul YSA Branch memorized “The Living Christ” as a gift to commemorate Jesus Christ’s birth on Christmas. She shared her thoughts in the Korea Newsroom report, which was published a few days before Easter.
“I was able to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ more deeply. And His Atonement began to touch me for the first time,” she said.
Park prayed over each sentence and reviewed what she had memorized often in her daily life.
“I was able to think of Jesus Christ and look to Him often, not only on Sundays but also on weekdays. As I thought about Jesus Christ more often, I was able to recognize His hand and love more often,” she said.
This strengthened her faith in Him — His role in the plan of happiness, His love for Heavenly Father and His love for everyone.
Hyunsik Joo of Anyang Ward had already memorized “The Living Christ” twice when she served as stake Young Women president. After speaking with a young woman in the Gangnam 1st Ward, she decided to memorize “The Living Christ” in English.
“I saw Him being baptized, walking the roads of Palestine, healing the sick and causing the blind to see, atoning for the sins of all mankind on the cross, His Resurrection and His visit to ancient America,” Joo said.
A phrase that stuck with her was “I am your advocate with the Father” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:4). This gave her a feeling of His love and peace in her heart.
“As I memorized this, I was able to know Christ in more detail and understand better what He did and His mission,” Joo said.
Park and Joo said that like the testimonies of the prophets in the Old and New Testaments and today, they can also testify that Jesus Christ is alive.
One member who was at home for a week on sick leave used the time to memorize the proclamation. A busy mother printed paragraphs and posted them around her kitchen so she could see them and recite them while cooking and washing dishes. A family posted the whole document on the inside of their front door so they could read it whenever they left the house. And a stake member said memorizing “The Living Christ” felt so good that she also memorized “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
President Kwon said, “I can certainly testify that through these experiences, the Seoul South Stake members have come closer to Jesus Christ and have come to live a life that looks to Him.”
