Sunday, December 21, 2014

Merry Christmas! December 21, 2014


Well this week will definitely be one that I wont forget! So yes I got a new companion. I am training him he is from Bacolod so he is a native Iloingo speaker. He is NOT Elder Schaffer that’s for sure but I am just trying to love him for who he is. He’s one of those kids that just takes and doesn’t ask or anything like that. Like food, my razor, everything. But it’s okay:) It’s good it’s preparing me for when I am a father. I mean I never took Dads tools or anything right:)? But let’s see Wednesday I went down to Iloilo to transfer meeting and trainer’s trainee meeting. It was nice I am way tight with some of the office elders so we stayed up till like 3 talking. I was a bit tired the next day. But after trainer’s trainee meeting then got my new companion. Um I also got this other bit of news that I am the new district leader for our district! It’s been so busy this week. I have to be honest, I feel the Lord is asking a ton of me. But I do know one thing, I have listened to a talk by President Eyring about the scripture how everything will be for our learning and my comp is brand new so I am basically teaching everything and my head hurts so bad, yesterday I fell asleep on the floor with my clothes on and woke up at 3 in the morning. Everyone has baptisms for Christmas and so I had to interview them. But before that so the next day Friday we had the zone leaders come down to Interview the candidates we have for baptism right and I must have ate something bad because I woke up and was throwing up and had the runs way bad. Sorry but it’s true! So we had to fill out the brs that morning before the ZL got here so I was on jeepney and was throwing up out of the side. haha it was terrible but I am fine now and our investigators all passed!  5 for Christmas baby:) So then I went home and just went to bed. I thought I was going to die. I wanted my mom so bad. But let’s see I also spoke yesterday about how Christ is the biggest gift to us and we show our love for him by following his example. I had an interview yesterday as well it was way spiritual, the sister was solid she was from Passi an area from my district I had to write the questions to make sure I remembered how to say them. It was nice. After we had a dinner and the kids loved me haha one of them started crying when I left because he said we were best friends! J Also one of their daughters said I was the most beautiful human she had ever seen hahaha I started laughing. But also its Christmas time so I have been reading the story of the Saviors life with our investigators. Idk how I’m going to feel to be honest. I’m a little worried! But that’s about it I will be able to express more in a couple days. I’m planning on calling you on your Christmas not mine because we have a ton of baptisms!! But that’s it thus far. Oh also Nyny Valdarama my mom here is way sick and she has appendicitis and has no money to get it fixed and I seriously feel so bad I have no idea what to do. Because I love her and she is helping me so much to save her family! But that’s about it! I love you all:) Merry Christmas!
Elder Cuillard


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

December 14 2014


Hey guys! Well this week has been great until yesterday! Thus far yesterday
was the hardest day I have had for sure, because my companion is going
home! Seriously it’s so hard for me because he was like an older brother for
me and besides that, I was literally reliant on him for the lessons and
everything. Yesterday I taught my first two lessons alone with the brand new
Elder, Elder Wight.  We went on splits and they had appointments and the only
members that could work are way out by their appointments. So Elder Silvano
went with him and I went with Elder Wright who is not good at the language
at all. Seriously you want me to be honest it was TERRRIBLE!!! I seriously
made no sense! The first lesson I reviewed the baptism questions so it wasn't
bad, I just read them... then the next lesson was a disaster. There are two recent
converts and then there are 5 new investigators and so I tried to teach
about Joseph Smith and praying to know, it was awful! I left and just lost it!!
Seriously I had NO idea what they were saying, no clue. And the saddest part
is that I study like every day and its still this hard.  But I was so
nervous I was sweating and I don't get like that but here I do!  I don’t know why I am! Just know it was rough and the mission President said I might be training and I don’t know what I will do. I had the strongest prayer I've had in my life last night just pleading for help... well honestly Elder Shaffer and I had dinner appointments everyday this week! That was solid! I was pumped people never have money so we would always eat by ourselves! But we also just had a good last week together like I kind of felt like I lost a brother! I love him! He was the best trainer a kid could ask for! But what I learned from Elder Shaffer.
1. Everything will be fine.
2. That you need to be patient and not get upset at little things and try to
look for little achievements.
3. How to teach.
4. To be a hard missionary but to also have fun to where the investigators
love you and want you over.
5. That the mission is hard! Embrace the hard. He gave me some throw downs
when I needed them and I'm glad he did!
 We had our Christmas party this week.  It was Elder Shaffer and I who
conducted. It was fun and there was a ton of people there!! Then we had a ton of
Christmas parties for families this week because Elder Shaffer was going
home. This week was way busy. Two days were cut out because of the Christmas party!! But that's about it.  Please pray for me it’s going to be a rough
little while I'm sure but I am just praying I can find a way to get the
Lords work done!
Love Elder Cuillard


Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Typhoon?? December 7 2014

Hey so this week has been a pretty nuts week. We started this week with just teaching our soon to be recent converts who will be baptized on christmas! Their names are Jay ee Reese, Joana Mae and Medjio Saratou Reignneir, Sister Josephine and Joaan. so I am way pumped for that.  But i am way sad Elder Schafffer leaves in 9 days. I sometimes feel like I'm just coming right with him hahaha but idk we literally are just reviewing for there baptisms because they are getting so close.  They also made a huge deal out of the typhoon that was suppose to hit us way hard and it was like an average day in Utah and they wouldn't let us work yesterday.  So we had our own sacrament at the house and watched the testaments and some other church movies and stuff all day.   Yesterday it was the longest day of my life!! hahaha I wrote the family a letter though!  But literally this week was way boring, we helped people from Wednesday to Saturday tie down stuff and just little stuff like that, it wasnt to bad though.  We were just moving trying to help people this week prepare!! Other than that, that was our week! It' s our sm day today so I am in illoilo city.  We get to go to the mall thing today to go walk around I'm way pumped:) But also thank you to Tiffinany and Jax! I got their package and thank you to The Lamar Smith Family they are awesome tell them that I love them for all the letters from them!!!  Tell Lamar  I wont bring home a Filipina, I promise:) 
 Love Elder Cuillard 

Monday, December 1, 2014

November 30 2014 Happy Thanksgiving

November 30, 2014
Hey family and friends,
Well this week was a great week with a lot of different experiences. I had my first Thanksgiving away from home so obviously that was hard for me, but I’ll tell you about what we did. We made a big dinner and then sat around the table and talked about what we were grateful for. There is a lot to be grateful for but all I could think about was the fact that I have an amazing family and amazing friends! I started crying as I told the other Elders in the room that I was grateful for you guys and the life I was blessed to have! It was by far the hardest day here. I felt really lonely! But it’s all good! It kind of just passed and we left the house and went to work. There has been a ton of thoughts that have crossed my mind this week. I have been really trying to figure out why I am here in the Philippines. At times I don't feel like I am doing a whole ton to help people and I feel like my talents with people are just not here any more and the things that I was good at I feel like are my biggest weaknesses now and sometimes I wonder why its so hard for me and I get really frustrated. I feel like I just want to help so bad and I don’t feel like I am. But I have been really trying to just focus on the good things but I feel like it’s been hard! But it’s made me realize how grateful I am for the ability I have to communicate with people from home so easily. I thought that the things I would miss the most would be other things, but I literally just miss being able to sit and understand what someone’s saying. There are times I understand then I feel like it goes away very fast. 
 On the other side of things I gave two baptismal dates out it took me like 2 weeks to memorize what to say. But I did that! We have about 5 dates for Christmas baptisms so that will be awesome! We also moved a house this last week by hand we lifted it up and moved it... HAHA! Only in the Philippines would you literally lift a house up by bamboo and lift it to a new location. Also this week went down for the worst food I have eaten yet. It was pig blood and intestines. It was nasty.:) I was shocked they like were playing in the blood then just dumped it all in the food. I thought intestines were bad HAHA nope! HAHA but that was my week this week we taught those investigators who have dates this week that’s about it! They are ready its just reviewing but they live so far from each other its hard to find time. I have been reading Jesus the Christ at the moment it’s a great book! I have been trying to become the kind of person who knows Christ and questions that have been in my mind all week and its this when I leave this earth one day will I know my Savior when I meet him? Will I know him and who he is and his attributes and if I want to be his servant I better know who I’m serving right? So I have been focusing on that and the lessons for study time but that’s about it I love you all and hope you have a great week:) 



Love Elder Cuillard