Week 42, in which I pretend to be less happy than I actually am for fear that I might scare away potential investigators

Yeah, it's true, I'm pretty much having the time of my life here. Sure, I may still have my down moments (opposition in all things, it's kind of essential right?), but we just go out, teach some people, work, get rejected a few times, and by the time we get home, I'm just singing! I've had the most random songs going through my head this week: primarily "Princesses on Parade" (from Swan Princess), but I've also been singing "Please Bring Honor to Us All" (Mulan) and "Seventy-Six Trombones in the Big Parade" (which is kind of frustrating because all I know is the first line, so I just say it over and over again). It's pretty great.

Eating out with Sister S

So t-shirt of the week! I think it might be trying to be one of those "I hate the world and proud of it" t-shirts, but it doesn't do it very well. It says, "So what, this is the rude gallery."

Oh, and here's the text message of the week, from some random person in our phone who I've never actually met, but who seems to be a real sweetheart: "Hopeing the weather these days are warm they shine ur days.take care and have a gud day :)"

So sometimes God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. We met a girl a few weeks ago named E, and we haven't been able to contact her since then. We went finding in the rain last week, and had little success, so we were about to go home when we ran into E! We'd only talked to her for about 30 seconds when we first met her, but as we walked past her, her name just popped into my head and I kind of yelled at her (she only looked a little frightened) as she passed haha. But then she recognized us and immediately said that she'd meet us the next day! It was such a miracle that we ran into her, but the even bigger miracle was that God helped me recognize her and remember her name. And then the biggest miracle that happened was this: the next day, she didn't show up. We'd originally planned to meet her at the public square and then take her back to the church to teach. But as we were getting ready to leave, I grabbed two copies of the Book of Mormon in Tagalog. Then I put them down thinking, "No, they're too heavy, and we can just give her one at the church." But then I just picked them up and took them along anyways. And as we stood there in the square waiting for E, we saw two other girls that we'd met a few weeks ago, J and G! They're so cute, I just love them. They're cousins, and together they take care of about 12 dogs! We've never been able to meet with them because they always work, but we keep running into them while they're working, and so we're slowly sharing bits of the gospel with them. They're so sweet, so prepared. And I just happened to have two Book of Mormons for them. It really was so perfect, and they were really excited to each have their own! I told them that this was evidence of how much Heavenly Father knows them, and they said that they really could feel his love for them.

And then we had General Conference this weekend! It really was such a happy weekend for me, and I've learned so much! I loved what Elder Scott said about how the Lord doesn't expect us to learn everything all at once--there's a time and a season for all things. At first I thought, "Okay, perfect, so this is the time for me to learn how to be a missionary, all the spiritual growth I'll need for the near future." But then I realized that the Lord is even more specific than that. My mission is broken into different times and seasons, and each different principle, skill, or lesson has its own time. So I don't have to freak out and try to master everything all at once! I just have to try my best to learn what the Lord expects me to learn in the time I'm to learn it. God knows our mortal weaknesses and limitations; his patience is perfect and his comprehension complete. And I loved President Monson's talk about obedience. And Elder Holland's talk about faith. And wow, I should probably calm down. But honestly, I've never appreciated the blessing of having living prophets and apostles as much as I do now. It just makes so much sense that we need prophets today, and that the Lord would provide them out of love for each of his children.

I think the most ridiculous thing that happened this week was when we did companionship exchanges with the other sisters. People always say that companionship exchanges bring miracles, and I've found this to be true... However, in my experience, they also bring the truly weird and crazy and ridiculous experiences too. Due to poor directions from several different people, Sister Y and I ended up wandering around in the pouring rain under one tiny umbrella about five or six bus stops away from where our appointment was. We were absolutely drenched, and I'm pretty sure we looked anywhere from fairly amusing to quite unsightly due to the looks people were giving us as we wandered back and forth. Fortunately our investigator was okay with us showing up a little late (or maybe an hour late?), and it all worked out just fine. Those kinds of things just happen sometimes, and all you can do is laugh and move on!

Week 41, in which I experience minor electrocution every day or two, and in which I have the BEST SUNDAY ON MY MISSION.

Hello everyone! I'm still in Macau, hallelujah! I love it here, and it's a miracle how quickly I've learned my way around. I feel like I've always lived here and like I'll stay here forever.



Between a rock and a hard place

T-shirt of the week! Well, I saw someone wearing a Utah Jazz shirt, and that was weird. I was about to ask him if he followed the Utah Jazz, but I decided against it because he looked really upset. Unfortunately, it's been quite chilly and rainy recently, so most people are wearing jackets. And I've also noticed that fewer people wear the funny t-shirts... it's probably because more people here understand what they say.
Oh yes, and in regards to my electrocution, the sisters I live with may think that I'm crazy, because no one else ever gets shocked, but it's true! Every time I put my hand on the top of the washing machine, it zaps me! And my whole hand tingles for a few minutes afterwards! It really is an awful feeling, but I still keep doing it. That washing machine is probably my third worst enemy in our apartment, topped only by the mold... and the cockroaches. I've become an expert cockroach slayer in the past few weeks. We've played with the idea of making a tally of how many cockroaches we kill a day, but we decided that might be a little too barbaric, considering we ARE sister missionaries and all. But other than that, I love our apartment and the sisters I live with. We laugh all the time, and turns out Sister L loves Lord of the Rings too! We were trying to remember elvish the other day. The only thing I could remember was, "Nagadagathya!" (Yeah, that's probably spelled really wrong) which means "They're all going to die!" So that's become our new war cry whenever a cockroach appears.

Lunch with Sister S

So yes, yesterday was incredible, the best Sunday of my mission. We've had, at most, one investigator at church since I've been here, and it's been really challenging to schedule people... which means a lot of finding. And I really do love finding, because it brings a ton of miracles (and weird, hilarious stories), but Sunday we were so slammed with miracle lessons that we had no time to even eat! So I accidentally ended up doing a 24-hour fast, but it was worth it. We met with two new investigators in the morning. First we met R, a man from India who told us that we seemed 'like angels.' He said he's a Hindu Sheik, although I'm not really sure what that means. I kind of thought those were two different religions? No idea. Anyways, after him we met with a woman named M, who I contacted a few weeks ago for maybe 15 seconds. It was the shortest contact ever, I just saw her and said, "Hey, we're missionaries, can we call you later?" And she said, "Sure, here's my number!" And she actually met with us! It really was a miracle. We taught her about prophets and the priesthood authority, and then right after that she came to a baptismal service! It was such a good experience, and the ward members were so wonderful to her, treated her like part of the family. Afterwards we had SIX investigators at church! It was a miracle! And right before church we went on splits and taught two lessons, and then again right after church! The people we're blessed to work with are so sweet, so humble, and so prepared. They have so many trials, but they're so optimistic and faithful! I just love it! And the members are wonderful too! On Saturday, Sister F met a girl named I at McDonalds, and they started talking. And by the end of their conversation, they were best friends, and Sister F had invited I and her other friend A to church the next day! And both of them came. A was so sweet too, she said that she felt so at peace as soon as she walked into the church, like all of her trials had just fallen right off her shoulders. Unfortunately, she only has two holidays a month, so we'll have to just keep in touch over texts and calls. She's so great though. So we got home about 9 pm and I just ate a big bowl of oatmeal and crashed. But wow, I wish I could describe how Sister L and I felt last night. Like God really has seen how much work we've been doing. Only he could have arranged things so perfectly, where we were able to meet with so many people and have so many miracles in one day. Seriously, we hardly had time for anymore miracles! So today is a nice, relaxing P-day so that we can rest up for the next miracle day! Because we're not satisfied with just one--we're going to have miracle days every day from now on!

I love you all so much! Thanks for the letters and prayers and love! Salamat! (Thank you in Tagalog)



Week 40, in which it was the best of times, it was the best of times. Dickens would be jealous.

Believe it or not, I, Sister Katie Cutler, have gone 10 weeks without eating chocolate. Are you amazed? I am. And I can still honestly say that this time is the best of times.


Anyways, I'm still in Macau, but in two days I'll have yet another new companion! That's Macau for you, the place with the weirdest schedule and the fastest turnovers. Sister Fernelius is headed back to Hong Kong, so now Sister Lau is coming to serve with me! She has been serving in the Chinese branch here for the past four weeks, so we've gotten to know each other pretty well and I know we're going to have a blast! And she has perfect Cantonese (her parents are from Hong Kong) and perfect English (she grew up in England), so my Chinese is definitely going to survive, even though I'm serving in an English-speaking branch at the moment. WHEW!

Oh yeah, t-shirt of the week! Here's a cute one: "Be proof against all weathers." My new motto I think, except for the only weather we need to be 'proof against' at the moment is RAIN. We have had several light monsoons already, and although we haven't had "black rain" yet, we have definitely reached a dark grey, that's for sure.

So for our P-day, we four sisters went around and took some pictures, goofed off, and ATE DAIRY QUEEN! Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, after more than nine months, I was once again able to taste the sweet, creamy goodness of a DQ blizzard. They even handed it to me upside down! All is right in the world.

We've been struggling a lot to schedule people to teach recently, so we've been doing a lot (the computer editing software just put a scribbly line under 'a lot' and is telling me that it's actually supposed to be one word... I may not be fluent in English anymore, but I'm not dumb!) of finding in the rain. Put nicely, it's a miracle that I don't have the grout at the moment. Okay, now I'm doubting that 'grout' is the word I'm looking for. I might have just made it up. But you know what I'm talking about, right? You know, in World War I, how their feet got that gross disease because they were walking around in water-filled trenches all day? I remember seeing pictures in 6th grade history class; that day that scarred me. Anyways, finding in damp feet isn't too pleasant, but the people we talk to and the miracles we see more than make up for it. And Elder Holland once said, "Nothing is bad enough that whining about it won't make it worse." So no more whining! (And ten points to Gryffindor for whoever can tell me if grout is actually the word I'm looking for. Also, the computer is telling me that Gryffindor is not a word.)

The great thing about finding in Macau is that, unlike in Hong Kong, we're actually allowed to knock on doors here. So the other day, we went door-knocking and a young man answered the door. We explained who we were, and he immediately invited us in to teach him. Of course we didn't go in right then because we can't teach a man without at least one woman there, but we rescheduled him for the next day. We invited the elders and one of our members to come with us, and we had the most spiritual, amazing lesson. It was awesome. The man's name is Mac, and he has been here for a couple of months now. He actually met elders around Christmas time, and he really wanted to go to church with them on Sunday, but he didn't know how to get to the church and the elders never called him back. But the Lord knows what's going on, and so he sent missionaries to go find him at his house. It's amazing to hear stories like that, because it just shows that Heavenly Father is aware of everyone's needs, and he works through us to help meet the needs of others, even if we don't know it. Mac really wants to know if the gospel is true and when we gave him a Hindi Book of Mormon (he's from India), he opened it up and immediately started reading. He really wants to know, and that means he'll know. He'll find out, and I'm so excited for when he does! We turned him over to the elders, because we try to have the elders teach men, but we'll be keeping an eye on him. Mac is definitely the miracle of the week.

In other news, our Relief Society president's name is Sister Cheete Alayon. Get it? Say it out loud. Now do you get it? I guess her parents must have really liked wild cats or something... Anyways, she is awesome, so eager to help the work. And so sassy too, just like you'd expect from a sister named Cheetah Lion.

So in our district meeting last week, Elder Welling (one of the senior missionaries) was asking about some of the data that the mission collects, including the number of lessons we teach with a church member present every week. He said, "So member presents lessons? What does that mean? Do you count it by how many members are at a lesson? What if I had ten members help teach one person?" And I whispered to myself, "That still only counts as one!" And then I giggled uncontrollably for about 30 seconds because I knew that no one in that room would understand such a subtle Lord of the Rings reference. Oh how I miss you all, Bec, Rachel, Rowan. You'd understand me.

So I could say probably a billion more things, but I don't have time. And I could send you all the pictures we've taken so far, but I don't have time. Maybe I should worry more about content and less about trivial things like spelling and punctuation, but a cheetah can't change her spots. Maybe a Cheetah Lion can though? I just had an image of a cheetah with a giant mane pop into my mind, and it's pretty amusing.

Week 39: in which I'm just going through the week as usual, doing my thing, nothing speci--MACAU!

That's right everyone! I'M IN MACAU, BABY!!!!! So last Tuesday morning, the APs called me and told me, "Pack your bags. You're leaving for Macau on Thursday." So now I'm here! And wow is it different from Hong Kong. In case you aren't familiar with Macau (because I'd never heard of it before my mission), it used to be Portuguese colony on an island near Mainland China, and it's filled with people from all over the world! There's English, Portuguese, Chinese written everywhere. I just had a feeling that I'd be coming to Macau--I really did! I told the elders on Sunday night, "I don't know, I just feel like I'm going to Macau..." And a week later, well, here I am!


My junior companion is Sister Fernelius! (That's right, I'm senior! Oh how I miss being junior companion haha, it stinks having to call the shots, especially because my companion has been out longer than me! It's just President Hawks giving me some practice before I start training, so I suppose I appreciate it...) Seriously, she just can't get rid of me, no matter how hard she tries. We both lived in Robison Hall freshman year, we both got called to Hong Kong, we lived together while she was in TKO and I was in Kwun Tong, and now we're companions in Macau! It's so fun to be serving together, although it will only be for two weeks, until all the new sister missionaries come. Then we're all training, crazy!

Katie and Sister Fernelius

So now on to the t-shirts of the week: the first one says, "WHO cat?" and has a giant picture of a bunny rabbit across the back. I don't really get it, but it was actually pretty cute. The next one might be a erroneous quote from Shakespeare or something? I'm not sure. It says, "But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd." I'm still debating whether I'll buy it or not... after all, it is hot pink.

Oh, and here's the store name of the week: "Underwaist Swimsuits." From what I could tell, it seemed like a normal swimsuit store to me. But why did it say underwaist. What does that mean?

And now it's time to discuss the week's adventures! So last Monday in Kwun Tong, Sister Chan and I were crossing the street when we hear a thud and a grunt of pain. And we look around to see the most alarming sight: this old, very hunched-over, grungy old man, bleeding from his mouth because he'd just ran into a handrail on the side of the road. He was panting and looked to be ready to collapse at any second. My heart immediately started to race, and I had no idea what to do, because he needed some serious help, and I couldn't tell what was even wrong with him. There were so many people around just watching him, and no one was doing anything, and he started walking again, but I just knew he was going to fall over right there in the middle of the road. He was grasping the handrail to just stay standing, and then he started crossing the street, and it seemed like the only thing that was keeping him standing was his inertia from walking forward. He ran until he made it to the opposite handrail, and just stood there for a second. And no one was doing anything, so we just booked it over there as he started to walk again, and each one of us grabbed his arm and started running with him. So there I am, trying my best to hold my McDonalds ice cream cone in one hand, this incredibly heavy, nearly fainting man in another, while poor little Sister Chan can hardly him up on the other side. Finally we got to the health clinic that he was headed to, and he flung himself into a chair, scaring the woman next to him half to death. Then he thanked us and shooed us away. And afterwards we just stood there for five minutes or so, resting, eating our ice cream, and trying to wrap our head around what had just happened. What if we hadn't been there? I've learned about the bystander phenomenon (or whatever it's called) in my psychology classes--how people frequently don't do anything to help someone in need if there are too many people around. And I just decided right then to never be a bystander, never debate whether or not to help someone like that. I mean honestly, what was the reason for my hesitation in the first place?

So the APs told me I was moving Tuesday morning, and on Tuesday evening we had ward council. I wasn't sure whether or not to tell them that I was leaving... I kind of wanted to just disappear haha, but I figured it would be better to let them know. Usually the missionaries leave early so that we can get home on time, so I decided to mention it right before I left, because I thought that would be the least disruptive way to do it. CUE awkward-Sister-Cutler theme song. I stand up and start to say, "Oh, and just to let you know, I'll be leaving on Thursday to go to Macau." At the same time, I try to start packing my things so that I don't have to make eye contact with anyone (I was kind of afraid of crying, actually). So right as I say 'leaving on Thursday,' I'm reaching for my water bottle, I knock it over, scramble to save it, knock it over again, while simultaneously trying to grab my backpack on the ground. And everyone is just looking at me, the elders are laughing because I was being so awkward, and then Brother Wong stands up and says, "Let's take a picture!" So without hesitation, everyone stands up, gathers around me, and smiles for the greatest, most awkward group picture ever. My face was bright red and I was just trying not to let any emotion out because I wasn't sure if it would be laughter or tears or what! But wow do I miss Kwun Tong! That is such a special place, nowhere else like it.



Last Ward Council in Kwun Tong

Tuesday was full of flurried preparations so that I could be free on Wednesday to meet with as many investigators as possible. And wow was it a crazy day! So many unexpected miracles, one of them being H. So a couple of months ago, one of our investigators cancelled on us last minute, and it was pretty late, so we were on our way home. I was feeling pretty bummed out because we hadn't done as much missionary work as I'd wanted to that day. And I'm praying so hard for something, when all the sudden, I see this girl walking toward us. I say hello, and we start talking, and turns out she likes to sit outside our church all the time when she's sad. She seemed really interested in meeting with us, and we were super excited for the rest of the night because finding her really was a miracle. But then we could never schedule her, and I was starting to just give up. But then she called us about an hour before English class and said, "I just saw your elders, and they said you have English class tonight. Can I come? Then afterwards we can talk about your church." I was ecstatic! When she got to the church, she told us that she'd actually just dumped her boyfriend, because he kept telling her not to come to the church. She was a little upset, but she seemed happier to just be in the church with all of us. I know that the timing was not coincidence; there's no way. That was Heavenly Father's way of helping me leave the area feeling like I'd done something good, like I'd made a difference.
English class was hilarious, absolutely awesome. I was inspired by a Mutual activity that we had forever ago. The theme of the class was TRAVEL, so we set up the classroom like an airplane, putting all the seats in rows with two aisles on either side. The captain and co-captain (Elders Parry and Brown) sat at the front, facing the whiteboard, and on the whiteboard we drew the control panel, dashboard, steering wheels, and a view of the sky out the "windows." So we taught them all different words about traveling on the plane, we told them to fasten their seatbelts, and we passed out snacks! Then our plane "crashed," so we went outside to see where we were. In the next classroom, we'd drawn pictures to represent France! So we taught them a few new words there, and proceeded on to the next classrooms: Italy, Australia, and the good ol' US of A. It was so fun! Then we went back to the airplane (which we'd magically fixed), and flew for a few more minutes... and then we crashed again! And this time all of us died. CUE the spiritual thought. We taught about the Plan of Salvation, the purpose of this life, and what happens after we die. It was such a fun lesson, and I think people really understood what we were teaching too! It was definitely the best English class we'd had.

But now I'm in Macau! I'm in the international branch, which means all our meetings are in English! And some Tagalog, because most of the members here are from the Philippines. And wow, the Philippinas are such sweethearts! They immediately welcomed me, gave me hugs, fed me food, and made me feel like a member of their family. And they're incredible missionaries. They make new friends so quickly, and then immediately bring them to church and tell us, "You need to teach them right now!" It's so amazing. They actually remind me of when I was a kid. You know, you go to Chick-fil-a, and after eating, you go to the playground, meet some random kid, and they become your new best friend for the next twenty minutes. These sisters are immediately best friends with anyone we bring in the door. It's awesome. Unfortunately, it's a real challenge to actually see people, because they are worked so hard for such long hours. It has been a rollercoaster! One day we'll meet four new people, teach them lessons, reschedule them. Then on Sunday, we had five lessons scheduled around church, and all of them got cancelled. The only lesson we taught was on the street to three sweet women, all of them named Joy. I think Heavenly Father was trying to make up for all the other people cancelling haha, it worked pretty well!

Anyways, we're headed out to do some sightseeing and shopping, but I hope you all know how much I love you! Mom, Dad, Rebecca, Rachel, Rowan, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins (especially Jesse and Drew!), friends, random people, you are all in my prayers! I miss you, but can you believe how fast the time is flying! I'll be home in less than 9 months, yikes! I'd better stop emailing so that I can get out of here and start converting some more people. Time is ticking!

Week 38, in which I don't want to be Cinderella, sitting in a dark cold dusty cellar; and in which we have a couple of those 'I wish everyday was like today' days

If you recognized that song, you're either my sisters, you lived on Paspeheghe Run at some point in your life, or we are/should be best friends forever. Anyways, I have had that Cheetah Girls song stuck in my head ever since I went shopping in a poh-poh store (the place where all the old ladies buy their cheap, frumpy clothes) in Mong Kok last week. 'Why?' you may ask. BECAUSE THEY PLAYED THAT SONG. IN THE POHPOH STORE. IN HONG KONG. I almost died. It brought back so many memories, particularly when we (you know who I'm talking to) made up that dance in the room above the garage. Once a Cheetah Girl, always a Cheetah Girl!


Anyways, I've probably embarrassed myself sufficiently for one email.

And by the way, I ended up buying a couple skirts at that store. Turns out those pohpohs have pretty good taste!

Moving on! T-shirts of the week! (Note: Although it almost killed me, I have retained the original spelling.) Here's a good one: "Gettysburg Address: 267 words. The Ten Commandments: 88 words. FDA regulation on cereal flour (part 137): 10,959 words."

Or this one: "Queen save the God. Younth are the best. Love is everything. Eternity is not a distance but a decision." Younth? Oh dear.

I'm noticing a trend: "Queen savie the Good."

This is my favorite: "I am the overlord. Boast that. Pass the information north." I think "Boast that!" is going to be my new catchphrase. "Boast that!" like saying, "Owned!"

I've never really thought of myself as a terrifying person, but I think I've scared at least 15 people during finding this week. Maybe it's because I'm white and speaking Chinese? I don't know, no matter how nice I try to be, they still act like they want to run away! That's one of my preferred forms of rejection though, people just running away. It's nicer haha. Although I liked this one woman's way of doing it. I walked up to her and said, "Hello! I'm Sister Cutler!" And she says, "I am too! Good bye!" I just stood there for a couple seconds figuring out what had happened, and once my brain had processed it, she was gone.

In other news, we are allowed to email friends now! So exciting! But let me warn you now, I can't guarantee that my responses will be long or interesting! Family emails come first every time, no exceptions!

The past three days or so have been absolutely miraculous, so many IMMEDIATE answers to prayers. Seriously. The other day we were in Wan Chai and we had to get home right away, and as we're running to the bus stop, I'm praying in my head that the bus will come quick (because sometimes we end up waiting for half an hour). And I turn around and the bus is RIGHT THERE. And the next day, that happened again as we were running late for an appointment. We had to RUN to catch the bus, but we got there just in time! And as we were walking home one night, I was feeling kind of low, because no one had really wanted to talk to us that day. And I prayed in my head that God would send someone to us. And no sooner had I said 'Amen' then we ran into a man that I'd met a few weeks ago who's from Miami! Actually the first time I met him he was walking home with his wife, both of them kind of drunk, and I don't know why, but I was just super sassy and just stood there and said, "What are YOU doing here?!" And he said, super loud and with a huge smile, "I live here, what are YOU doing here?!" And I said, "I'm a missionary!" And he said, "A Mormon!" And I said, "Yeah!" And after a minute or two, they went home. But this time he was out with his little girl, and we talked for like 20 minutes, and it was so awesome!

And we've been blessed with so many random people to teach this week. The Tseung Kwan O elders scheduled someone for us, and turns out both her parents are Christian, but they go to different Christian churches, and she has always wanted to know why there are so many different churches and how she can know which one is right. Oh yeah, sounds like Joseph Smith to me! And then one of the girls that our elders found a few weeks ago finally met with us again. We watched the Joseph Smith movie, and afterwards she said she was so touched and that she knew God loved her and wanted her to be baptized! It was such an awesome lesson, the Spirit was so strong and we were all just grinning our faces off the whole time.

Oh, and one night we were out finding, and it was almost time for dinner, so we were just walking towards where we were going to buy dinner, but then I just stopped for no real reason and said, "Hey, let's cross the street." And as soon as we crossed the street, we saw these two girls in a park, and we went over to talk to them--yeah, SO GOOD. They were so prepared, and one of the girls even said that she has been looking for a church and is reading through the whole Bible to find out what is true. It's so wonderful when you realize that Heavenly Father really is guiding you. Often, I just have to trust that he is, because I don't always see the results of my actions. But this week has just been full of gifts from him, and I am so grateful for them. I love my mission! I love it, every minute, even the ones when I'm crammed in the MTR or being rejected by 14-year-old girls! I love the people and the area and I'm just having the time of my life! I can't believe I have less than 9 months left. Time is flying, and I keep reminding myself to live in the moment and bask in the experience. I'm so grateful for my family, and I love you all so much! Have a great week!

Week 37, in which A teaches me about faith, and in which C.S. Lewis makes an excellent point (but let's be real, that happens like every other day or so)

Hello everyone! Excellent news! I'm in Kwun Tong for my fifth move in a row! And with Sister Chan for our third move! I feel so incredibly blessed. I love my companion, I love my area, and I love the people we're meeting here. Oh, and have I told you lately how much I love Cantonese? Seriously, it's the weirdest, sweetest, sassiest language in the world. It's kind of like a puzzle, where all sorts of pieces fit together, and DING! Out pops something awesome. It's hard to explain, but let me tell you, my linguistics classes have really changed the way I think about languages, and that thought process has really helped with picking up the language. But honestly, it's God who has helped me pick it up so fast. There's no other way to explain it!


Missionary in training

T-shirts of the week! This was a good week for weird t-shirts, because it's warm and most people have taken off their jackets (although some people are still bundled up like it's mid-January at BYU... pathetic!). The first t-shirt says, "When you hear the sound of confusion drifting through the door, get away." The second: "The handsome boy in blue was often with a girl." I don't know, but it sounds kind of like a line from an EB Browning poem or a book by that lady who wrote Enchanted April (I can't remember her name for the life of me). But the best one was actually a black leather jacket with white sleeves... yeah, one of those awkward, trying-to-be-tough ones. On the back was embroidered: "Backbone attacker: special parking." I'd never realized the kind of privileges that come with breaking people's backs... I'll keep it in mind.


Traditional Chinese Opera Costumes

We've had a pretty challenging week, where finding is involved. Usually when we go out finding, we at least meet a few people who are willing to listen, and they make all the rejection worthwhile. But yesterday I was pretty sick with a cold and my head just felt really big and heavy, and I was not in the mood for finding. But we didn't have anything else scheduled, so out the door we went! And it was just a rough time. No one had time to talk or even take a pamphlet, and I was getting discouraged. But we started to sing "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today" and that get me a little more pumped, and then as we're walking down the hill, with about 10 minutes before we need to head home, we stopped a young woman pushing a baby stroller and talked with her for a few minutes. Her name is A, and we could tell that she was just so ready to hear about the Plan of Salvation--where we were before this life, why we need to come to earth, and what happens when we die. We talked with her, got her number, and we'll be seeing her this week! And after that, I realized something about faith. I thought to myself, "If I'd known that A would be at the end of that finding time, I would have been so happy to be rejected by all those other people. I wouldn't have cared at all, because I would have known that it would all be worth it." And this might seem really obvious to you, but I feel like at that moment I relearned what faith is.

                                                              

Katie in Wonderland

Faith is not knowing what's at the end, but it's knowing that the end will be good, will be worth it. It's like the first time you hike a mountain. You don't know for sure that the view will be worth the climb, but you have enough hope that you act, you climb the mountain, and you find out for yourself. What's the worst that could happen? Maybe the view won't be quite worth it, but you got some exercise, right? And exercising faith in God is the same way. Maybe you don't know if he's there or not. But you'd better find out for yourself. How to do that? Pray and read the scriptures and just try it out. Just try doing what he says. What's the worst that could happen? You find out that he's not there, but you did some good things. What's the best that could happen? You do what he says, and he keeps his promises and blesses you. You become a better person. You find out your purpose in life. You learn that life doesn't end with death, that because of Jesus Christ, each one of us will be resurrected. You find greater peace, happiness, and light. You know the truth, and the truth sets you free. That's what we do here, we just invite people to try it for themselves. If you haven't tried it already, try it out! What's the worst that could happen? And what's the best that could happen?

One of the things people say to us a lot is, "Your religion is good for you, and Jesus Christ was probably a good person, but I don't need what he has to offer." But the thing is, when Jesus Christ came to earth, he didn't come to just be a "good person." We can't just go around saying that Jesus was good, but maybe not necessary. Because either he was the son of God, the Messiah, or he was a liar. I love what C.S. Lewis says:　“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. … You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. … But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

There's no such thing as middle ground. We each have to decide what side we'll be on. We can't be eternal fence-sitters, plus how uncomfortable is that! A fence is probably the least comfortable place to sit. So get off it! That's what I want to holler from off the highest roof in Hong Kong! (And let me tell you, that's pretty high...) Get off the fence!

                                         

At the Hong Kong Science and History Museum

Little known fact: Dinosaurs like to read the Book of Mormon

                              

The aqueduct from Harry Potter movie!

                                                   

                                                                                

Week 36, in which beat-boxing in elevator 4 is not only permitted, but also encouraged.



Basically, beat-boxing hymns in the elevator is my new favorite hobby. One of the most fun aspects of it is having to stop and act normal whenever the doors open and someone else comes in. We always end up almost dying from holding in laughter, but we haven't cracked yet.



Anyways, another busy week has passed, which means it's time for another t-shirt of the week! This one is a pretty stereotypical Hong Kong t-shirt, nothing out of the ordinary. It's pink with two cutesy animals whose noses are touching. It says, "Love came into my life at the same time I saw you. Please never don't be near, to me dear heart is mine." I think the double negative is my favorite part of it.

I made a goal a couple of weeks ago to read all of the Old Testament! Which was fun (and a little disturbing) until I got to Leviticus... and Numbers... I'll be honest, the Law of Moses is killing me slowly. But here's an interesting little biblical treasure that I picked up in Leviticus 6:21, talking about the different sacrifices they are required to make: "In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the Lord." Now, anyone who has ever spoken English knows that the past participle of bake is baked, not baken, so I argue that this verse is actually referring to one of the most delicious of breakfast foods, BACON. Obviously, the spelling of the word bacon has evolved over time, a natural and common phenomenon. Plus, the verse says that the sacrifice has a 'sweet savour,' and what other sacrifice could smell better than bacon? And we know that the Lord asked the ancient Israelites to sacrifice the best of all that they had, so clearly the Israelites had really great taste if they were sacrificing bacon. (I love personal study.)



A few weeks ago, we were reading scriptures with one of our less-actives, and she is just the cutest thing ever... very special. After we read a few verses, she asked us if we could see it. We said, "See what?" And she said, "The starlight, of course!" We were sitting outside in the early afternoon, so obviously we were having trouble figuring out what she was talking about. It was clear that we were confused, so she pointed at the scriptures and said again, "The starlight between the words! It's not too bright, I don't need sunglasses or anything, but it's just right there, glowing. Can't you see it?" Oh Sister C, how I wish I could.

Well, we're off to the Science and History Museums now, so I've gotta wrap it up! I promise next week's email will be more eventful, but that's all for now! I love you all so much and you are in my thoughts and prayers! Keep the Faith! And if you don't have it yet, find it first and then keep it, because it's the most important thing out there!

Week 35, in which I see into the future, and boy does it look good!

Hello everyone! Can you believe it's week 35?! Yeah, me neither! Time is flying, and we're already facing moves calls again in less than a week. I'm praying to stay in Kwun Tong, but we'll see what the Lord has in store. I know his plan will be the best, so I should probably just pray that he does what he wants to do! That's what prayer's all about, aligning my will with him, giving him an opportunity to educate my desires, and showing my willingness to do what is best.


T-shirts of the week! First one isn't really funny... it's just that I don't really understand why it exists. It says, "Hits the grass beneath a tree, we're having so much fun now. The traveler is sleeping under a tree. Happy now..." The other one is DEFINITELY a t-shirt, although too often people here in Hong Kong get shirts and dresses confused, so that was interesting. Anyways, it says, "SNARL EXTRA. UK." Yeah, I don't know either.

So we taught two girls this week named A and L, and WOW are they awesome! Naturally, they aren't from our area, so we'll be turning them over to the missionaries from that area, but the first lesson was so good. We taught about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and they were just so accepting and it made so much sense to them. And the best part was at the end, when I told them that we'd give them each a Book of Mormon, Alison said, "Really?!!!!" She was so excited! And then they scheduled us for Thursday, two days later, so we met with them and the elders from Alison's home town, and we watched the movie about Joseph Smith. And afterwards, Alison asked if we were baptized and what it means. And after we explained it, I asked them if they wanted to be baptized, and both of them said yes! They said that the way the felt at the church was different from anywhere else, and that the message made so much sense and felt so right. Just like it says in Doctrine and Covenants section 8, God will tell us in our minds and in our hearts what is right. I am so excited for both of them!

We went finding a lot this week, and we met the cutest little boy in the whole world! Most little kids are really shy around foreigners, but this kid was so friendly and outgoing. He was about three or four years old, but he kept running around us and hugging my knees and asking to look at my planner (which has a picture of Jesus on it). And then he started trying to pick up my skirt, which I stopped pretty quick haha. His mom kept telling him, "Tell big sister that you're sorry!" But every time she said that, he'd turn to me and say, "Hello Kitty! Hello Kitty!" It was so adorable!"

So in English class on Wednesday, the word of the day was whoop-dee-doo. It really confused them for a while, but I think eventually they figured out how to use it. And then Elder Parry said, "Here's how you use it. (he walks up to me and looks really upset) Sister Cutler, my mom just died!" And then everyone looks at me, and naturally I'm not going to say, "Whoop-dee-doo," especially because he'd just barely received a Valentine's card from her that very day (his only Valentine, although that's one more Valentine than I got haha, so I guess I shouldn't make fun of him). So I said, "Oh Elder Parry, I'm so sorry!" And he kept trying ("Sister Cutler, I broke my arm" "Sister Cutler, I have an incurable disease") but I was not going to say it haha. So he finally turns to P, our English class regular, and says, "P, I just scratched my finger a little bit" and P says, so naturally, without even looking up, "Whoop-dee-doo."

In other news, I ate snake last week! It was delicious. Oh yeah, and then after that, the snake wrangler (yeah, he catches snakes and cooks them for a living) let me hold a snake. And by hold, I mean it was wrapped around my neck and slithering around and WOW was that a weird feeling!

So last night I was doing math for fun. It's true Dad! But here's what I figured out. So there's about 6.5 billion people in the world, right? And when I was in the MTC, there were 50,000 missionaries in the world (I'm sure there are tons more now, but I don't know the number). So that means there are 13,000 people for every one missionary! But here's the crazy part. Hong Kong has about 7 million people, with only 100 missionaries. That means 70,000 people per missionary! Granted, some of those people are already members of the church, but still, we have a lot of work to do! And we need lots more missionaries to do it! I am so excited to see what happens in the next few years with missionary work, because everything is growing so fast! It's such a blessing to be a missionary at this time, with so much change and progression. I love it!

So we were visiting with a less active member last week, and she was sharing a bunch of scriptures she'd been reading recently, and then she'd ask us our thoughts about them. Well, some of the verses were really great, but some of them... so random. One of them was Helaman 3:36, about the pride of the people of Nephi, and it was so hard to think of anything worthwhile to say, so when she asked me about my thoughts, I said, "Siusam, mhou giungouh. Yuhgwo mhaih, leihge lihngwan wuih hou ngaaihim." Yeah, that's probably not funny to you. It's a quote from the Cantonese version of the Joseph Smith movie, the part where the preacher is talking to Joseph and he says, "Beware of pride. Your soul is in danger" or something like that (clearly I watch it more in Chinese than in English). We quote that part of the movie all the time, and so Sister Chan and I almost died just trying to suppress our laughter. It was so funny. Just trust me. It was funny.

I went to a RS meeting with the General Board last year at BYU, and Sister Staples said something that I've been thinking about so much recently. She said that our calling is to join the rescue, to save souls. And then she said, "You... you will be rescued by your calling." And it's true. I feel like this calling as a missionary has changed me more than anyone else. I still have so many imperfections, obviously, but I feel like a different person. And I'm so glad. I'm not ever going back to how I was before, that's for sure! I know what's most important, I've figured it out. I think the thing that I've learned most about this mission is the importance of eternal families. I can't express how important it is to me, I don't have the time or the eloquence, but nothing else matters if you don't have eternal family. Nothing, not work, not money, not nice clothes, not position or power or anything else. It's all about family! Mom, Dad, Rebecca, Rachel Rowan, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins (SHOUT OUT TO JESSE AND DREW!), I love you all so much! Thanks for the prayers, letters, support, everything. I am so grateful Heavenly Father put us together, and I'm so excited for eternity together!