He is personally acquainted with us, "one by one".

Being in a trio opens up so many possibilities. We are able to go on splits all the time. We are getting double the work done in the area right now with double the appointments. Each night this week we have double booked our appointments. Pretty soon we are going to be coordinating 3 way splits so that we can all go with a different members and cover three times the amount of work. I love this area. 

I have been reminded this week that God loves us personally and is very sensitive and aware of us. He answers every sincere prayer in His own time, but He is never late. It never ceases to amaze me that He is able to do this. He has children everywhere. Each one of His children is dealing with different circumstances, challenges and trials. We meet these children on a daily basis and as disciples of Christ, we have covenanted to be instruments in the Lord's hands. It can be stressful and demanding as we try to meet the needs of other people at the right time and in the right place with the right words. The fact of the matter is that the circumstances of God's children change on a regular basis and so do their needs and wants, including ours. We cannot meet the needs of God's children without God.

I realize that I am an imperfect human being with a limited capacity to serve, love, and understand other people. I just can't do it alone. God is the only One who knows His children perfectly. He knows what they need when they need it and how they need it.  He lets us know what they need and when they need it through the gentle impressions and thoughts that come to our minds as we listen to the Holy Ghost. This is my favorite quote out of Preach My Gospel. Joseph Smith said, "This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted—by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed”  It is so important to obey the promptings that are revealed to us by God through His Spirit. As we do we will be able to accomplish His purposes and meet the needs of His children at the right time. We will accomplish things over, above and beyond our own limited abilities and understanding.  

I want to share one of the many promptings I received this week because it's still fresh on my mind. Yesterday, all of our appointments fell through right before dinner so we had a feeling to go knock on the door of someone we met a week ago. We knocked and he wasn't there but a feeling came to my mind that we needed to stay in that area. I had noticed a home and a car on our way into the neighborhood about 100 yards away from where we were and had a "slight thought" to go walk down the hill and knock on the door. It was hot and I didn't necessarily want to, but I paid closer attention and we turned around and started walking towards the house. We got to the door and knocked. A young girl who had to be about 16 years old opened the door with tears in her eyes and mascara all over her face. She told us that right now was not a good time. We told her that we had a feeling to come offer and say a prayer with her and her family. Her eyes lit up and she told us that right before we came, she had just received really bad news about her grandpa. We were able to pray with her and her friend. A calm peace came over all of us as we prayed and I knew at that moment that God needed us at that time in that specific place saying that prayer. Only God could've known that one of His 16 year old daughters in Midwest City, Oklahoma was sitting in her home crying because of the bad news that she had just received. I probably will never know what happened after the prayer, but I do know that God was sensitive to her needs at that time. He sent comfort and peace to that 16 year old girl through revelation adapted to her circumstances. Many times we receive these promptings that push us out of our comfort zones and we brush them aside. When we choose not to act on the promptings we receive, we miss out on priceless opportunities to witness for ourselves the intimate love and concern that God has for His children. 

I love you all. Hope you know how much God really does care. If you don't feel like He cares about you, stop thinking about yourself and go answer someone else's prayer today. I promise if you do, you will witness His love.

Elder Dallin Cutler

Not sure if I sent this one before, but this is the wagers. Sister Wagner was baptized a couple months ago too

This is our apartment. The greatest recliner in the world :)

I don't know what this is because I can't see the thumbnail haha

This is what a normal day looks like in our planner

This is our weekly planning. Happens once a week.

This was a couple of months ago during a tornado warning. :)

Elder Santa Maria and I right before some service.

This is the Dalrymples!! Stephanie got baptized a couple months ago

This is out pet cat :)

From left to right. Elder Ott, Elder Carter, Elder Gardner, Me

Wake up for a morning' run. #hardCoreParkour

The last 5 weeks.

The saddest day of a missionary's life. Transfer calls for the last transfer. But, GOOD news nonetheless. I am "dying" in the Midwest City ward. Couldn't be more excited. I did ask President to send me back to Edmond or Stillwater in a bike area for the last transfer so I wouldn't die a zone leader but he laughed at me. I think he thought I was joking. Anyways I love this area so much. I also get to stay with Elder Gardner and we will be training a new Zone Leader again. So we will have another companion. His name is Elder Bushman and he's originally from Arizona. I have served around him since the beginning of his mission and he's a cool cat, so it should be a fun last couple of weeks. Anyways, I am here to stay in a trio. It'll be a good time.

So we had another baptism this past weekend for Amber Kagley. She is such a faithful girl. The first time we met her she was angry at God and did not believe that He loved her. Hearing her share her testimony is so powerful because of the process that she has undergone to get to where she is today. My testimony of the Godhead has been strengthened through this process. I want to share a couple of details from her story with all of you.

Amber grew up in Utah when she was really young. She is native American and had seen missionaries all the time where she lived but never knew what they were or why they were dressed up. She moved to Oklahoma and started working at Braums (a restaurant out here). Well one day, the missionaries walked into Braums and she describes having a "sudden feeling" to just blurt out "who are you guys?" She is a pretty quiet girl so she said that it felt super weird for her to do that. Well the missionaries invited her to church that week and she came! It surprised them. Well I got transferred to Midwest City the week after she came for the first time and we started teaching her. Long story short, she faced a lot of opposition. She wanted her parents approval to be baptized and so she asked and they said "no". So she came back and told us that she would probably have to wait a year until she moved out. There was nothing really we could do about that. We prayed and fasted as to what to say and the story of Nephi going back to get the plates came to mind over and over. Baptism is a commandment and we knew the Lord had already prepared a way for Amber to keep that commandment. We asked her to go back "and get the plates" and to ask her mom one more time. She was denied again. So after that time, we were a little disheartened. All we could do was turn her to God. We invited her to fast and pray with us that her parent's hearts would be softened. She fasted with us for the first time that sunday and then we invited her to set her own baptismal date. She prayed for two weeks and came to a conclusion. We waited for her to talk to her mom the third time and one day she came up to us at church and said that she was ready to do it. It had taken about a month, but she had received an answer from God on His time. She was so excited. She prayed that night that she would have an opportunity to bring it up to her mom again and it was given. Her mom was excited for her this time around and she was baptized unto repentance this weekend. :) She is going to the temple this week with us this Thursday to do baptisms.

What did I learn? The best feeling in the world is when we are able to successfully help others re-connect with their Heavenly Father. He is the guiding hand and He knows better than we do. It took a lot of fasting, prayer, and patient diligence. There was nothing spectacular about it, other than the fact that she overcame opposition through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. She prayed, and received. I know that God speaks, not spake.

We have seen some really cool miracles lately as well. I will share one more. We are teaching another family over here named the Morrells. We went by one night and their neighbor, who is 16 years old was over there. His name is Michael. 4 weeks ago he was hit by a car and shattered his arm. The night we stopped by he was complaining about how bad his arm hurt and how the pain never stopped. We offered to give him a blessing and told him that we would use the same authority that Jesus gave his apostles in the New Testament. We looked him in the eyes and asked him if he believed that Jesus worked miracles. He said yes. We than asked him if he had the faith to be healed. He said yes. We laid our hands upon him and commanded his body to heal. We then left. A week later we came back and heard that the very next morning he was able to move his arm and twist it. He was able to take his brace off and move his fingers too. Not only that, but the pain had completely subsided the very next morning. They were so excited to tell us.

What did I learn? God works according to faith. The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven. The authority of the priesthood has been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The power of the priesthood is restored in us through righteous living and is activated through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As priesthood holders, we have been given authority to act in the name of Christ for the salvation of God's children, but the power is activated through faith in Jesus Christ.

God is a God of miracles. He will not "leave us comfortless, He will come" to you. All He asks is for our willful obedience.

Elder Dallin Cutler

the third one is the kitty that we have as a "pet". She can never come in, even though she wants to. We feed her and pet her and her name is "cat". :)

 the second one is how e. gardner and I ice our feet hahaha :)

 So these two are of the girl we baptized this weekend. Such a COOL girl. She is going to the temple for the first time this Thursday with us.

 The first one is "the letter" ;)

The last one is Kara's wedding announcement. Me and Elder Gardner had WAY too much fun that night hahahahhah :)

"He will direct your paths..."

This week was a great learning experience. It has taught me numerous lessons about God's nature and how He answers our prayers and reveals things to us. I think if I could boil it down to one principle it is that God reveals "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little...." (Isaiah 28:10).

 

I'll be short today, but at the start of the week, I would have never guessed that I would be in the situation I am in now. I can't believe all that has changed so quickly and how involved God is in our lives. I won't go into details but to keep the story short, I will be returning to BYU this year to play soccer instead of the University of San Diego. I don't know all the reasons why and frankly I don't have to. I think that God has given me this experience so that I can understand a little better how the people we are teaching feel. Decision making is difficult because decisions determine destiny. It is so important to make decisions with the help of our Heavenly Father because He sees the end from the beginning and we don't. Our perspective is so limited but God's is limitless. I have a stronger testimony today than I did yesterday that when we strive to make righteous decisions in our lives no matter the cost, life works together for our good. Romans 8:28teaches us this principle.... "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to HIS PURPOSE" If we make decisions out of love and a desire to be obedient to our Heavenly Father, all things will work together for good.

 

Alot of great things are happening out here in Midwest City. We have another baptism this weekend for an 18 year old girl. She is the only member in her family and she has an extremely cool conversion story that I will share with you all some other time. We have known her for about 7-8 months I want to say. She has had a long road to take to baptism, but her faith got her where she is today. Her experience has taught me the importance of having a personal line of communication with our Heavenly Father. All that she is today is a result of her personal relationship with her Heavenly Father. She prays, she dilligently strives to be obedient, and she gets answers. Funny how it works out that way.

 

I am nearing the end of my mission but I feel as if we have never worked harder. I have never felt more focused or at home than I do right now. I made a promise to myself in the MTC that I would return with honor, and that is what I have intended and still intend to do to the very end of my life. I am grateful for a compassionate and loving Savior who understands my weaknesses and forgives me nonetheless. He is the way. There is none other.

 

Elder Dallin Cutler

 Here are a few pics from the OKC!!

Summer begins...

We had some great experiences this week. We had another baptism for Coleton Easton. He is a stud. He feels like a little brother to me. We also put together a fireside for the youth so that they could bring their friends and we could meet them. Brother Merkley came down and spoke and Ashley came with him. It was so good to see them. I have so much respect for that guy. He can connect with the youth so well. Overall the fireside was an awesome spiritual experiences. Both me and Elder Gardner spoke about our personal experiences in coming to know Christ and we showed a couple of videos.

 I have been reflecting on what has been key to our success out here in Midwest City. Success for a missionary is sometimes hard to define because we are dealing with other people's agency. Some missionaries define their success by how many baptisms they are having, how many people they get to church or how many contacts they make. There are so many ways to define "success", but I have come to realize that we are only truly successful when we are able to give God's children spiritual experiences. All the other "kinds of success" stem from this one success and that is what we are experiencing in Midwest City. We are truly successful when we are able reconnect God's children with Him through His Spirit. There is no better feeling knowing that you were an instrument in helping others feel God's love for them. So if that's success, how do we get more of it? How can we help others have spiritual experiences so that they can "reconnect" with their loving, compassionate Father in Heaven?

I believe it starts with us. We must be connected to Him first. The greatest missionary's in the Book of Mormon told of "having many revelations daily" (Hel. 11:23) because they "search(ed) the prophets" (Jacob 4:6). These great missionary's not only had the Spirit with them, but were under it's influence constantly (and I believe there is a difference). They were having spiritual experiences DAILY and that's why they were able to help others have spiritual experiences. They knewwho God was and they were connected with Him on a day by day basis. Are we?

If not, we must be a little more obedient. We must pray a little more sincerely. We must be a little kinder. We must strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and repent. I think we can make the greatest difference in our repentance by simply shifting our focus to the Savior in difference aspects of our lives. Nephi puts it simply,  "after they were bitten He prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look" (1Nephi17:41). True repentance is shifting our focus to the Savior and turning away from sin. I have found in my own life that as I have focused more and more on Christ, my repentance becomes a natural process and my desire to be more like Him is magnified. In that process, I have been healed and sanctified from the effects of sin and reconciled or reconnected with my Father. I have been "at-oned".

It is the greatest joy I have ever felt in my life to feel the Spirit of God and to help others feel it as well. Feeling the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ through the Spirit is unparalleled to an other feeling in this world. The Holy Spirit is a foretaste of what eternal life will be like or as Paul puts it, "the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession..." (Ephesians 1:14). We can feel the Holy Ghost more and more in our lives as we cleanse ourselves through faith and repentance on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look to Christ, by looking to others, "for inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me"(Matt. 25).

Love yall.

Elder Dallin Cutler

Sprint to the finish...

Things are getting insane here in Midwest City. Never have I worked harder on my mission that we are working here in Midwest City. Remember how I told y'all a couple of weeks we dropped about 50 investigators and put forth our focus on members? Well we are about up to 50-60 investigators again and the members are going crazy with referrals and friends. We found 13 more investigators this past week. We set 3 more baptismal dates, had 8 people show up for church and taught 18 member present lessons. In other words, the Midwest City ward is on fire. 

I want to share with you a miracle that we are having out here in Midwest City right now. At the beginning of the transfer me and Elder Gardner counseled about "obtaining and errand" from the Lord or some sort of vision for the ward and area. We set a goal to get to the point of where we could baptize every other week. That is a hefty goal in Oklahoma, the buckle of the "Bible Belt". We felt like it would stretch ourselves and it would be a good goal to work towards. Well, combined with fasting, prayer and diligence, we started our vision with a baptism this past weekend. We also have baptisms scheduled every weekend until the 21st of June. One next week, two on the 31st, two on June 7th, one on the 14th and then one on the 21st. This was made possible through diligent fasting, prayer and work. 

There is no greater work than the work of salvation. It is hastening everywhere. You can either be apart of it or be left behind, but it will move forward!! We are to invite others to come unto Christ, and we do that by helping others live the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel. Those who are not baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ must be baptized by the priesthood authority of God so that they can receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the Gospel. And if they don't, they are not living the Gospel of Jesus Christ fully, and thus they cannot progress towards Christ past a certain point. The Light of Christ, and the Influence of the Holy Ghost can only get someone so far on their At-one-ing with Christ. I don't have to justify anything either because the Book of Mormon does all the justifying for us. If it's true, God has spoken and still speaks, if it's not, then we must continue to search for a restored Church, because Christ taught "a house divided, cannot stand". There is only one Christ, one God and one Kingdom. They have one Church and in that Church is taught Their Gospel. There are no divisions in the Kingdom of God. That is the truth (or sword) that Christ spoke of that will set a "man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother" because Jesus "came not to send peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34-35). It's not about what is "politically correct" anymore, its about what is true and what is not and God will tell us if we sincerely pray with real intent. 

I am a witness of God's miraculous power. He works by faith and faith alone. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. We are commanded to boldly yet soberly declare the truthfulness of His restored Gospel in love. As we bring others to Christ, we find ourselves being brought to Christ in the process. I know that is true because I am experiencing it, and it is a process "most joyous to the soul" (1 Nephi 11:23).

I hope you are excited about this "Family Affair" we are engaged in. We are trying to put the "Family of God" back together the way it was once organized before we agreed to come to this earth. Lets start by following the perfect example of our Elder Brother and bring them back to Him "one, by one".

Love you all.

Elder Dallin Cutler

The influence of a mother.

"My life is goooood, reeeally goooood" -Jack Black-

This week was awesome. It is getting hot out here in Oklahoma and we are in the middle of tornado season. The sun is shining and people are happy when the sun is shining. There is so much to be enjoyed in this life. We are here to have joy and our Heavenly Father is expanding the capacity of our souls to experience joy through trials. I am so much more able to have joy now, then I was when I first left on my mission. An infant is joyful, but think about how that capacity to have joy grows as the infant grows older and older and experiences different challenges in life. That's the beauty of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve could only experience so much joy, but when they "fell", their abilities and possibilities to experience a greater measure of joy came alive. Its a good day to be joyful today even though we may be unhappy!! :)

We have a lot going on these next couple of weeks. We have baptisms scheduled every weekend for the next 4 weeks. It is such a breath of fresh air to be able to work with powerful youth out here that understand their purpose and what the Gospel of Jesus Christ can mean for them. I am so impressed with so many of them because I know how much grief I caused to my parents and leaders growing up. These kids in the Midwest City ward are on fire. They know the potential they have and they're not afraid to rise above the standards of the world. If there was anything I could re-do from my teenage years, I would have stayed more focused on what is most important. I was so distracted with my phone, soccer, Facebook, girls etc. All those things are good, but I never prioritized. I wish I had. 

In honor of mothers day and my mother, I wanted to share my personal testimony and witness of the powerful influence a righteous, covenant keeping mother can have on her children. I can give you my witness because I have had real, personal experiences where I have gained this knowledge for myself. Growing up, I was rebellious, disobedient, disrespectful and full of myself. I never treated my mother the way that I should have and I never gave her the respect that she deserves. It would have been so easy for my mom to give up, because I really gave her hell. It would have been easier for her to walk out and never come back. She could have stopped trying. It would have been easier for her to do the things that she wanted. She could have had more friends. She could have had more "girls night outs". She could have focused on a career and had more time to herself with my dad on weekends. She could have done all those things, but instead my mom chose to "magnify her calling" and keep her covenants. She never gave up. She never stopped trying. She sacrificed what she wanted and instead did what was right. We were her friends. She never had "girls night out" because she was always supporting me on the weekends at my soccer tournaments. She didn't have an "honorable career" in the worlds eyes, but in God's eyes, she has excelled in a "divine career". I don't know for sure but I can believe that most of her time with my dad was spent talking about us kids and on their knees praying for us. Even after all this, I still rebelled, I still was disobedient, I was still disrespectful, and I was still full of myself. She could never change me. She could never take away my ability to choose. She couldn't force me to be good or to do anything because I still had choice. However when the time was right and when God saw fit, I was sufficiently humbled because of my own choices and disobedience. During that time, I felt God's power become so real in my life. I attribute it to the powerful example and prayers of a righteous, covenant keeping mom.There was real, influencing power behind her prayers because she always strived to be faithful to her covenants. She made real personal sacrifices for me constantly and even though it did not have an immediate effect on me, it influenced me when I was ready and when the timing was right. I will forever be grateful for the sacrifices that righteous, covenant-keeping mothers are making everyday, because before there was ever a great person, there was the influence of a mother. 

Love you mom.

Take care everyone.

Elder Dallin Cutler

"So this is what He felt like"

I have some thoughts and an experience at the end that I want to share with y'all. It will be really quick.

"You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need is being given. Nevermind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up and try again. This process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn on the one hand that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and on the other, that we need not despair in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection." (C.S Lewis)

I thought this quote was so insightful. This has been my life. I have often pondered, as do all, why God allows us to fail and experience trials where we have to pick ourselves back up time and time again. Why do trials seem to escalate as we make good decisions? A lot of times we are under the false impression that when we do good and keep God's commandments that trials and opposition will ease or cease completely. I have found the opposite to be true. As I have come closer to God, my trials and temptations seem to increase. I have begun to realize why that is. 

When we covenant with God at baptism we promise to take upon us the name of Christ and to stand as His witness at all times and in all places. Real personal experience is necessary in order to be a witness. In order to be a witness of Christ's healing power, we must be given opportunities to be healed. In order to be a witness of Christ's enabling power of grace, we must be given opportunities to be weak. In order to be a witness of Christ at all times and in all places, we must have real, personal experiences with Christ at all times, and in all places. Those opportunities to "experience Christ" are given in the form of trials, opposition and service. When those opportunities arise we have two choices, we can leave the world behind and go to Christ, or we can leave Christ behind and go to the world. In all of our earthly experiences, God wants to teach us about His Son and what it means to be His witness. 

I can't tell you all how much peace and love I have felt on my mission as I have learned about Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. As I have come to know what it means to be Their witness, I have realized that there is so much good to be done in this world. There are so many promptings we are receiving on a daily basis to do good. Learn to recognize the voice of the Good Shepard and act on those promptings. I want to leave you with one experience from this week.

We were driving home from the city yesterday and as we stopped at a light at a busy intersection, my attention was directed to a family on the side of the street. It was 95 degrees outside and this family was sitting under a 7-Eleven Sign with all their stuff. They had two teenage daughters about 12 and 13 years old. Their dad was on the phone and mom looked really stressed. I couldn't stop looking at them. I felt so much compassion for this family. Elder Garder looked at me and said "man, we really do have amazing lives, we are so unbelievably blessed". I thought about it to myself and the first thoughts that came into my mind were "there is nothing you can do for this family." "you have no money to give them, and you can't give them a ride, you will only embarrass yourself". Then, the prompting to pull over and go talk to them came. I pulled into McDonalds and we parked and got out and walked towards this family. We knelt down and talked to them and had some good laughs. They told us that they had just lost their home and that they were worried because they had nowhere to stay and dad was looking for work. As we listened to their story, I felt so much love for them and wanted to help them so badly, but there was nothing we could really do besides pray. Before we left, we asked if we could pray with them all. We all stood up and for a time, everything around us seemed to go "still" as we all held hands in a circle and prayed to our Father as brothers and sisters.

I learned from this experience that more times than not, we cannot solve people's problems for them, only God can do that. We did not give this family money, a home or some magical solution to their problem, but we were able to comfort those that stood in need of comfort at "that time and in that place". Secondly we were put into a situation that Christ was in many times while He was on the earth. As I walked away from the family a thought popped into my head, "So this is what He felt like…" I knew Him a little better after that experience because as we followed through on that prompting we were able to witness what He must have felt like as He went about His life and ministry. That experience changed our hearts and our desires to become more like Him were strengthened. Through His Spirit, God taught us what it felt like to be a witness of Jesus Christ in that time and in that place.

We can all have those experiences as we look to do good, observe those around us and pray for the courage to act on those promptings. They will change you if you act on them. :)

Love you guys!!

Elder Dallin Cutler

 Hello from Oklahoma.