Week 3 - Email 10.8.12

Wow. What a week! I don't know where time is going and I honestly don't even know how someone could be this happy. I cannot believe how much I was missing out on almost my whole life. I regret not being completely obedient, I regret not serving others and I regret being such a selfish jerk most of the time!! To everyone and anyone: I am so sorry for how cocky/prideful/arrogant/mean I ever was. Seriously though. I hope you will all forgive me because I love you all so much.

So, where to begin. What an amazing week. Miracles happening left and right. I am SO blessed to be a missionary, but not just that, I am so blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I love my Savior more than anything else in this world. I want each and everyone of you to know that.

So this week started off great. I can't believe how much Kool Aid there is in Oklahoma. Apparently, it's still in business cause everyone drinks that here haha!! I had no idea Kool Aid still even existed. Yoso.  (you only serve once). But everyone in Oklahoma is so nice. Really, they are just geniune  down to earth people...until you get to their door! :) Man, I have never had so many doors slammed in my face. It is hilarious sometimes!! I feel bad for some of those people. We knocked on one mans door, and we asked if we could say a prayer with him and his family and then be on our way. He responded "I am a Christian, I love Jesus Christ already, I don't want to hear what you have to say ever and I think you guys are going to hell. I only pray with people who believe the exact same thing as me." and then slammed the door in my face. I laughed so hard!! How ironic!! What a christian attitude. Anyways, not everyone is like that, most people are very nice about it at first. But let me tell you, I absolutely love sharing what I know!! I love talking to the weird people you meet in neighborhoods and on the streets. I have some really really weird/creepy stories that I can tell you if you write me personally, other than that, I can't put them on a public place. :) haha.

So because everyone is so wealthy out here and so busy, they don't really have "time" for us usually and so its hard to find investigators while tracting. So Tuesday rolls along and me and Elder Hanes had been working our butts off. We needed to find some people to teach. We knew God would provide and so we simply asked Him. Before we walked out the door, we said a prayer like we always do, but this one was different. I prayed with all my heart and asked Heavenly Father to put someone in our path that needed what we had to share. 5 minutes after walking out the door we were biking on the side of the road and some guy pulled into a parking lot and yelled at us to come over here. We were like "oh great, he;s gonna want to argue". We pulled in and he started asking questions about what we believe and why we believe it. Then all of a sudden, he says "let me give you my number, I want you guys to come and teach me what you believe, I have been looking for this for a long time, what do you want to eat? I'll feed you too and you can come over and teach me"....we were like...wow. What a miracle. God answers prayers. Often not as quickly as that, but he does answer them, ALWAYS.

One other miracle that we thought was pretty cool had to do with that guy we found sitting in church last week randomly. He had hair down to his shoulders and he had a beard and was dressed like some skater. So he committed to baptism and we went back on Wednesday night to teach him wondering if he would still be interested. Sure enough, there he was. We taught him again and were so impressed with how he was coming along. He had actually read alot of the Book of Mormon and he had begun to pray. We invited him to general conference and then on sunday we get there 30 minutes early and this random guy is sitting in church already waiting for us and he has this big smile on his face. It was the same guy we had been teaching except he had cut all of his hair off and shaved and had bought a suit. The Book of Mormon changes lives. Jesus Christ's atonement literally changes people "into knew creatures" as alma says in Mosiah. We couldnt believe what had happened to him. It was so cool. He also asked to move his baptism date up a week earlier. Talk about miracles.

Heavenly Father truly watches over and protects us. He is so full of love and mercy and His tender mercies are upon all of us only if we watch for them. He is a God of miracles because He is the same today, yesterday and forever. He is God. I know there is a God. All you "atheists" out there...if I may be so bold, you are wrong. Flat out wrong. There is a God and you CANNOT deny it. You are living and breathing. Give thanks to Him that created you. There is a God. I know it, I know it, I know it. If you want physical proof that there is a God, look around you. He is everywhere and in all things. if you want spiritual proof and physical proof, get on your knees and pray in the name of Christ and ask if He loves you. You will get an answer. I promise. I dare you to try.

Challenge to all reading this mormon or not mormon, atheist or not atheist...READ THE BOOK OF MORMON again. It will change you and bring you closer to Christ. It truly testifies of Jesus Christ and will make you feel good. "By their fruits ye shall know them" Nothing that is bad can make you feel good. Just like a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Read it and pray about it. I challenge all of you.

Next, I want to bear my testimony to all of you reading this letter. Words will definitely fail me in my attempt to express my feelings right now but it is the best I can do right now. If there is anything you should take from this letter, know this. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior, He loves you and suffered not only for your sins, but for your guilt, sadness, pains, and lonliness. He descended below all in Gethsemane and on the cross and ascended above all in His ressurrection. He experienced EVERYTHING. We can only be saved through faith in Him. As we have faith in Him we will desire to repent and be baptized in His name and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then we must endure to the end. We must take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ and become converted. We must follow Him. I know this to be true just like I know that I am alive. I cannot deny it. When we take upon Jesus Christ's name, we will be happier than we have ever been. I know the Book of Mormon is true. It is my best friend out here. I know that a Prophet is on the earth today and directly speaks to God. I know that prayers are answered as long as we align our will with the Father's. He never withdraws from us, we withdraw from Him. I know with all my heart all of these things are true. "Excersise a particle of faith and experiment upon he words which I have written" pray to know if what I said is true. Experience it for yourselves I beg you!! :) For your own sake!! :) It will change you for the better. I cannot explain to you how much it has changed me. I cannot believe the person I once was and how sad and lost I was. Even if you may not think you need this in your life right now, you're wrong. And please, if you already know this, do it better!! We can always improve. Become converted!! :) It is a lifelong process and I cannot wait to serve my Savior my whole life. It has changed me and I couldn't be happier. I don't even care about soccer anymore...(yeah it shocks me too) I am not worried!! My heavenly father will take care of me no matter what and I will do what He wants me to do and so should you!! :) I say all of this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Well enough preaching for me....sikeeee!! I want to hear from all of you, and not everyday things like who is winnning the world series and stuff. I want to know how your lives are!! I want to know how each day you are serving others!! I want to know how you are coming closer to Jesus Christ!! Tell me!! I love hearing your testimonies!! Thank you to all who have shared, they have helped reaffrim mine even stronger!!

I love you all!! I love Oklahoma and I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. Trust them. They know all. Remember who you are and choose the right. It's worth it. Obedience doesn't restrict you, it blesses you and makes you free :)!!

See you in 23/22 months.

Elder Cutler

p.s, my Companion Elder Hanes is a good lookin guy. He's only got one year left. Just sayin, ;) hit him up. Its my same address, just send it to Elder Hanes. k baiiiii