Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Final email from the Philippines- May 17 2015

Everyone, as many of you are aware Elder Cuillard has been having significant back pain from his Jeepney accident about 4 months ago. There are no hospitals in his mission so his mission president flew him to Manila to get an mri. Turns out he has a bulging disc and to vertebra issues so they are sending him home with an honorable release. Depending on how his treatment goes he may have the option to go back out but we are unsure at this point. As you can imagine this was not in his life plan he is struggling trying to understand the Lords will for him but his faith is strong he seems to have found some peace. He arrives home tomorrow afternoon, the email below was sent this morning, thank you for your support and prayers.


Well first things first I just need to thank my Heavenly Father for this experience that I have been given to serve the people here in Iloilo. To be honest this has been the happiest hardest saddest most spiritual experience of my entire life. I never realized before my mission the growth that could take place in the short time I have been here. I realized that it would happen but I think in my head I thought it would be a little like efy or something.. boy was I wrong. The refiners fire is a real thing and I would just like to testify of the power of it and if we let the one who has the hammer and the tools shape us we can become a beautiful piece. To that I can testify as I feel like I went through that process maybe not the same as others but I went through that and it has changed me.

One lesson I also have learned is there are times we need to be willing to accept correction from our father in heaven.. and I know that because I know he has love inspired correction. It’s not for us to become sad or depressed. I love a talk called bearing our burdens with joy. Because how ironic is that with joy? ha how in the world are we suppose to do that? Let me tell you as we are striving and pushing to be the man or woman the lord wants us to be bearing those burdens can become light. Weird as it sounds I Feel that right now even though I feel disappointed and wonder at times why did this happen to me? I remember a talk by pres eyring called mountains to climb which has lifted me through my mission but it says when I at times ask myself why me? I give to myself this rallying cry Remember Him! He is our perfect exemplar of dealing with hard tasks and remember the savior has descended below them all.. art thou greater than he? " this hits me every time. I love that because it’s true. I hope that I never will forget HIM. Because its because of him I have been and will be able to again return to the presence of our father in heaven.. I love him and trust him. 

I want you all to know of my love and to know of my gratitude for all the things you have done for me while I’ve been out and the support, especially my family both grandmas my cousins and uncles and aunts. And my immediate family I love you guys.  I hope you know that I am doing great and am happy besides the situation I know that it’s the lord’s plan and I can’t do anything about it right now so I have faith the lord knows what he is doing and it’s his plan. Well I love you all I’ll be home Tuesday! I would love to hear from you. 

All my love, 
Elder Cuillard 





Monday, May 4, 2015

May 3 2015

Well this week was a great week we were really busy working but I loved it. Sometimes I realize how great the lord really is… and I realize that at some times more than others but I have been trying to have the best attitude about any of the situations that we are in. This week we started off with a Family night at the former branch pres. house and it was really fun and good. We gave a lesson on having a sure foundation and what that means to us if we center our lives on the Savior it doesn’t mean the winds won’t come and that the rains won’t pour on us, but it means we won’t be moved. I love that the gospel just so true, we can’t be moved if we have a sure foundation. Then Tuesday we went to guimbal the opening area with elder ananga from kittabus, I have never laughed so hard in my life, that kid is SO FUNNY. haha We found this family of about 20 and they all have been waiting to find the gospel I guess the grandma had heard the missionaries forever ago and was waiting for the church to start there so she is like my whole family is going to be baptized… I was like WHAT! :) that never happens but I’m not complaining. Yeah so we were tracting and elder and I said our plan is not to teach one lesson but to go tract and build trust with people. So that’s what we did we tracted like a whole area. Then after a while we ran into this nyny (grandma) who was doing laundry so we stopped and said hey we are going to help you and so we started to and she says what wait your missionaries and we said yes and she said come in come in so we did and there were 5 houses so she called them all over and said hey come listen to the missionaries. So we taught about faith, repentance and baptism and endure to the end and she said that’s what we are going to do, when does church open up here so we will come every Sunday and I was like ha WHAT? hahah I was like heck yes you can so we didn’t do anything but talk to her, the lord had prepared her and her family!
Its also starting rainy season thank the heavens its been so blasted hot I thought I was about to die, but now its cooling down. This week we focused on our baptismal candidate Brother April he was baptized on sat. It was way good I cried during his testimony, he also got kicked out of his family. And I was just so touched at the faith he has. But this week I noticed a lot of little miracles, we found this old lady and her husband this week and gave her a book of Mormon and she started crying and said thank you lord for remembering me I have been praying for this. I was also touched and told her that it was no accident and that I knew our savior knows her and loves her. But that’s about all for this week for news except I will be going later this week to manila to get an mri on my back and hopefully we will be able to figure this thing out but that’s about all, I love you and hope you all have a great week:) 




Monday, April 27, 2015

April 26 2015

Well hello family and friends. I wanted to just share my week with you and some of the experinces and impressions I felt this week. This week we had missionary leadership training for two days where we accounted for the last month in which we reached our goal for a lot of things. Our numbers increased in every aspect of the work for the last month which made me really happy. The next day we had a training about time and our how special it is. And it’s all about what we do with the time that we do have here. Not just here on the mission but in our lives. As I have time to contemplate my life from before to now to what I want to become, I have started to honestly realize the importance of time and how I need to try my best to love the time that I do have. Then we heard a training from Pres. Aquino on the Book of Mormon, which was really good.  He has challenged us to give them away everyday which we have been doing. The other privilege I had this week was to be the first one to work in a brand new area called Gimbal. It’s being opened this week. And it was rough but we found a family there that I think has been prepared. The truth is like I can speak the language but I’m not fluent. It's like I can not fully express myself by any means and its sometimes hard. I feel a promting and want to share it and I can’t and sometimes I’m like why in the world ha. But that was good. We also taught our investigator named April who is a boy. And he is going to be baptised this week I’m way pumped for him. He’s like my favorite to teach. But we dropped a ton this week and this week will be focused on finding. In closing I just want to share my testimony with you all that I know that this church is true. With every ounce of my heart. Even though I don’t understand a lot of things about my mission about my situation here right now I know God’s plan is perfect and I want to please him. I know that we have a living prophet and he guides us through the power of revelation. I love our Savior and I know he lives! His atonement is real. it changes us if we let it. I hope you all have a great week! 
Love, Elder Cuillard


Monday, April 20, 2015

April 19, 2015

Hey Family and Friends,
Well first I would love to thank all those who fasted for me today I am so grateful for you all. I talked to my mission pres. about my back and he took me to some gypsy guy and he like felt me and like did some pushing and stuff and it made it hurt so bad later. I am supposed to go back to him tonight but no way! HA! This week consisted of a lot of travel again and not very many lessons. But we had to travel to the farthest area on Wednesday and give a baptismal interview. We also had a meeting with the stake president where I introduced my new idea to help with retention. My idea was that every Wednesday there be an assigned Elders quorum member to work with us and other missionaries and have a 15 min tutorial how to teach a lesson. Then go and visit less actives to help them feel like they have friends and people who care about them. This will help the Elders Quorum members feel less timid to teach and home teach. The problem is most people here just have no idea how to teach or what to do during home teaching so I am trying to help that. That’s a major issue here is the members don’t know how to teach. The stake president said he loved the idea he actually came to our branch and spoke about it and actually made a whole sheet for it. He distributed them to everyone without me even knowing hahah :)

Yesterday we also had a baptism for our investigator Joy Acap it was really good. She actually asked me to baptize her but I asked if my comp would because I am trying to help the tension. I think it helped a little bit. I have been doing little things for him hopefully he will notice. Ha!  We will see. I had a really good lesson the other day with another investigator he's being baptized this week or next. He was gay and has totally switched it's been awesome to see that. We started teaching him like my 2nd week here. And to see the differences is just awesome. 
My advice for the week is that God loves us! Remember that. Remember that if someone ticks you off or maybe you don't see eye to eye the Lord loves that person the same as you so do your best to remember that. I know our Savior lives and its because of him we can have the privileges of eternal life. Have a great week!
Love Elder Cuillard


Monday, April 13, 2015

April 12, 2015






Well this week was a good week. We started this week out with splits with some Elders who were struggling. And I totally understand why. The people in their areas are so stuck and the catholic man has them whipped. We started talking to this lady and her husband came up to me and started screaming at me and saying "leave leave right now or im going to hit you" pretty much was what he was saying and he's like I don't want to listen to you!  And honestly I was like alright. I waited for a second then said to him well listen I respect what you have to say, but I really don't want to leave, I have a message to share. And he got more mad and then he like threatened to like throw a rock at us and so we walked off. His wife was sweet I was like dang it. haha!! But I'm fine he wouldn't have done anything to me. Also that night I had the lovely privilege of sleeping on a cement floor. Literally my back is so sore I sometimes really don't know if I can go another day. And I asked my mission president for a blessing. It was a cool experience but it's really not changed the situation. I use the back pack and the electro things every day. I really think there is something wrong. But lets see this week we got to watch conference. That time is always a time it makes me miss you all. But I know that there were some great talks. I was spiritually filled. I loved the talk about the ground like the sowers but how he used it to the ground and we are the ground I loved that. I  also loved Pres Gibsons talk in priesthood session. By far that was my favorite meeting. Also Elder Hollands talk was amazing I love listening to him he's a stud when it comes to his talks!  He throws down I love it. But thats about it. I hope you have a great week:) I miss you all and love you as well. I know that the work we are all doing for the Lord will be worth it. It doesn't take being a full time missionary to make a difference. Iloved this quote. " teach the gospel and when necessary use words." that's the truth! We need to live what we believe. And remember that that's the best thing we can do!
Love Elder Cuillard
These pictures are from zone conference



Monday, April 6, 2015

April 5 2015

Well this week was good with regards to working with other missionaries and with hours but the work its self wasn’t great. I still am having a hard time understanding and sometimes I feel like I’m never going to get this thing. But lets see this week on Tuesday we went on splits and it was good the elder I was going on splits drove me nuts he is 23 and kept picking up sticks and was like asking me to sword fight and I was like elder how old are you? haha Then we go to get lunch right and there is like this fish tank thing and he puts his face up to it and is like making fish faces and trying to get the fish to follow his face I was like dude sit down. Ha! So that was good but we taught some good lessons I felt comfortable because it was straight karia like my last area. Then we had a meeting the next morning with the stake president and his councilors that was cool he told us we were way prepared and presented the information really well. Our job is to find out all the strengths and the weaknesses of each branch or ward or group and report that. He told us he wants to focus on strengthening the units we have, so we prayed about it on the way home then that night I called every companionship in the zone and told them that they now need to spend every Wednesday with the elders quorum and go visit less actives. Also we have seen great success these last couple weeks. The highest number of baptisms in a month for this zone is 8 in the last year we already have 5 and the goal is 10 we still have three weeks for that so I’m glad to see that happening. Then the next day we rode an hour and a half on a stupid jeepney… not a fan of those things they are made for those little people from willy wonka! We also did comp study with the elders that needed some help it was a surprise visit and so Tuesday we will be going on splits again. Well we have a baptism planned for April 18 and I’m way excited we should have 2 but one might be moving so we don’t know, but that was my week!!
I love you guys!

Love Elder Cuillard

Monday, March 30, 2015

March 29 2015

Well this week has been good I literally have nothing to say but that I am beyond exhausted!  We have been constantly working and the work has been progressing but sometimes I wonder how in the world I wake up another day everyday! hahah We have actually been out past curfew almost every night. President knows Ha! We have had too much to do and not enough time but that’s okay. Let’s see we had a training this week at mlc and I thought it was good afterward my mission president said to me don’t be surprised Elder when you’re a bishop or stake president or something and I started laughing right and he’s like Elder I’m going to be on your tail after the mission!  If I see anything you shouldn’t be doing hahah and I said thank you and so that was good. The training I gave was on diligence I used the example from the Savior when he was at the temple when he was 12 and talked about from the earliest point of the saviors life showed the importance of the work and applied that to how he answered his mother, know ye not that I was on my Father’s business right? And talked about that’s what we are doing right now, we are on his business and then talked about D&C where it says act in all diligence and never being slothful and it was really good I train again tomorrow on obedience and any advice would be great. I am a little scared because I’m not 100% perfect by any means I am trying the best that I can for sure but I fall short at times ya know? And I feel like that’s the topic that no one really likes to talk about because we are all not perfect. Also let’s see so every lesson in this area has members working with us and I’ll be honest I get scared like because Im a zone leader and should be better at the language, but it’s okay. Well my comp and I are good but he’s like the totally blunt 100% of the time like always and I’m not totally like that but I am learning not to be afraid to tell everyone what our message is and say it straight up. But, that’s about it this week I miss you guys so much love you all!
Elder Cuillard


Friday, March 27, 2015

March 22 2015

Hey family and friends how are you guys? Well this week was the hardest working week of my life! We lead the mission in bapt dates handed out and hours. We worked 60.5 hours and we gave 11 bapt dates this week. The Lord has really been helping us out! It's felt way good to work that hard but at the same time I was so tired sat night I fell asleep at a members house on the dirt! hahaha out cold for like a hour me and my comp hahah it was funny! So that was awesome also the coolest thing happened yesterday. Sis sebastion like my fav lady ever, she reminds me of a younger version of mom, like what mom was like when I was a kid hahah but she came from Calinog to visit me yesterday! She has family here and so she reffered her mom and sisters to us then we went and had dinner there yesterday and then after we found out the area is in the sisters area and I was a little upset because I love their family and wanted to teach them and I feel like Elder Silvano and I are on a roll! But I lived with him my comp for 2 months in Calinog so sis sebastion wanted us to teach them! But let's see we had 5 at sacrement meeting! Like this week was good just SO BUSY! But I love it so I am training at the mlc all the zone leaders and mission pres and all the sister training leaders on weds. I am training on dilligence so if you have any ideas that would be great! But I love you guys!
Elder Cuillard

This was something I received from one of the sisters I thought I would add to this post...

Hello Sister Cuillard. This is Sister Quent. I am in the same branch as your son. And I just wanted to let you know how hard working your son his. He has really brought a lot to this branch and is doing a great job. You should be really proud of him. 

Love,
Sister Quent

Monday, March 16, 2015

March 15 2015- Transferred!

Hello everyone! Ok so crazy week I received a call Thursday morning that I was NOT being
transferred, I was like what? So I unpacked everything that I had already
packed. Then I get a call at 12 from the ap's telling me that I am going to
be transferred. They said Elder you are being transferred and you are going
to be a zone leader. I was like okay I will be there so I had to hurry and
re pack EVERYTHING again. So I'm the new zone leader of Oton which is the name of my new area and it is 20 minutes away from the mission home.


and they speak a ton of a different languages and I'll be honest I am totally struggling.
It'ss like I'm a brand new missionary starting all over again. But like I
guess it's what I need.  I feel like this mission has been a never endless
journey of trials. My new companion is Elder Silvano and he was a trainer to
one of my elders that we lived with before I was transferred here.
The good thing about being a zone leader is I have had no time to do anything like
the last 3 days have been 10 hours the first day then two 11 hour work days!
When I left I made my nyny cry and like my other two favorite families I
also cried like sharing my testimony with them and stuff!  I just lost it. I
miss my nyny and she was like you need to stop by before you go home so she
can cook for me and I was like nyny you don't need to do that. She is so
poor they live under candle light and stuff but love them so much:)

So in my new area yeah I have investigators on the ocean like legit the
beach. The branch is nice. I spoke yesterday and the branch president is 21
years old! Crazy but the meeting house is way nice and the members are AWESOME.
Also there are 5 sisters who are best friends who work with us all the time
and they know how to teach like legit know how so they have been with us
which has been a huge help to have people who know what they are doing. Okay
I think I will love this area I'm just stressed about the language (Tagolog)
I feel like the Lord is trying to teach me patience because that's always
been the hardest thing for me and every day there is a new challenge. Hope you all have
a great week.
Love Elder Cuillard


Monday, March 9, 2015

March 8 2015

Hey! Well let's see... This week has been a bittersweet week! I'll be honest I've almost lost it a couple of times saying goodbye to some of the most influential people that I have had in my life this far. I feel like these people have taught me lessons I would have NEVER learned anywhere else. And they were lessons that I have needed to be the man the Savior wants me to be. But I feel like my testimony has been strengthened so much in just this short time. My knowledge of the gospel and our Savior has grown so much. I feel like the one lesson I have learned in my stay here is that it doesn't matter what you have, it doesn't matter what you look like, the message of the gospel is for everyone. I feel like there are times people get shy when I'm in their house because they feel like they have nothing and I have so much more and they do and they get a little shy, but to be honest that means nothing to me. I've learned a lot about Christlike love for someone when you have that desire to share it with anyone and everyone the message we have that will bless their lives for the better. I am so greatful for the opportunity I have had to serve here and know that the Lord has blessed me with the success. I have had thus far and every blessing and little miracles have come from him and I'm so glad that I have been able to feel closer to the Savior then I have ever before. I hope you all have the opportunity to feel what it's like to feel like you are so lost that you have no where to turn but up. I feel like at that point in my life I have realized the blessings from trials because I have become so much closer to the Savior at those moments. But I know that this church is true and the gospel if followed and lived will bless us in ways we could have never imagined. I have seen the literal miracles of that thus far. And it's been amazing. I love you all and hope that you have a great week:) I most likely will be transferred this week. I'm looking forward to that.
Love, Elder Cuillard





Monday, March 2, 2015

March 1 2015

Well this week has been good idk whats going on with the world clock but like the last couple weeks have gone by forever! haha but its good! So the girl in the picture will be baptised this sat. and I will be doing the honors! So the last weekend in my area I will have a baptism. So I am way excited:) Her name is Angel. She's not even in my area but I go on splits every other day because the other two elders CANNOT speak to save their lives!  SoI work in there area as the district leader I have been running two areas this last transfer. So I've been way busy but we always taught this girl so and the first time I taught her I gave her a date and she is just way pumped. She lives with like her friends because her parents work like 4 hours away so she is always alone. So the young woman in the area have totally taken her in and it's been awesome! So there's that. This week I took one day off and studied a lot because my back was killing me. The other picture is me on a Caribou:) There are white ones and black ones and they were joking with me saying hahah its a "cono" like you! That means like an American. So they made me ride the white one!  But let's see, well we dropped a ton of investigators this last well who were not progressing so that was great. NOT. I hate starting over. So this week we will be doing a lot of finding trying to leave my "bata" or my kid in the mission some good investigators before I leave. I have been super blessed in this area for sure and I am super glad to have had the opportunity to serve here. I have learned so many things from these people. I think this is the first time it's actually set in that I am probably never going to see these people ever again. So this week I want to have a couple dinners with some families before I leave! Like my NyNy(grandma) and some others, so that will be nice! But that's about it this week!! I love you all and hope you are all doing great miss you guys!
Love, Elder Cuillard




Tuesday, February 24, 2015

February 22 2015

Well this week was super LONG. I feel like it was a full month crammed into one week. So Monday we played some basketball against these guys I dunked on them which made them go crazy. hahah but like we got whooped, like they killed us. they are these fat dudes too like I think it was the first time on my mission I felt the same feeling hunter and i did after getting whooped by dad and Joe in basketball before the mission. ha to make it worse Joe was in his pants. haha. but whatever it was nice to sweat a little for sure. then Tuesday I went on splits with elder Wright the other elder in my house he is not good at the language and I’m not saying I am but I am better than him for sure. So I went with him one family yelled at us and told us to leave and the guy kind of got in my grill and I was like um dude give me some space haha. like actually i was a little upset but like the weirdest thing is i felt bad for them like legit i felt bad for them.. the people here are not very educated so its hard sometimes because they don’t know how to read and so they believe everything the catholic priest says, its just sad that they have closed their minds so much not even to experiment on what we have to share ya know? But we finished that day off with a great lesson so that was really nice we taught about the importance of baptism. Everyone says elder why do I need to be baptized again I already was, so the first thing I say is bro or sis I have an example from our savior. The savior walked 3 days to the river Jordan to be baptized by john the Baptist why? They always say well he had authority and I am like yes exactly. haaha but how many people in Jerusalem said they could baptize as well? idk it opens them up real nicely for the priesthood stuff like that. But it was a great lesson. So let’s see wends we were at the house all day my comp was sick and so was I we ate something and were out for the count so that day we studied slept and filled out area books. the next day we had a check of the area books and stuff ours was way nice:) I had an interview with president honestly it wasn’t really that great but I talked to him about our branch and how I could help them that’s about it then this week was stake conference. so he spoke right and guess what he invited me up during the priesthood session to give a little training on how to help newly converted members become lasting converts and I’m not going to lie I did well, the spirit was totally helping me. Then the next day Sunday we had like the Sunday meeting and we had 4 investigators there, it was awesome! One started crying because she felt the spirit I was way happy about it. So that’s about all for the week it was good just way long:) I miss you all and hope you have a great week the church is true and the lord loves us, have a great week:) Love Elder Cuillard

The picture is Chase with his mission President.



Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Feb 15, 2015

Hey this week was a good week I felt like it was long but it was good! I started this week with trainers and trainees meeting and it was a great meeting then I slept over there in the office and had DLC meeting for the district leaders and it was way good. As well, we had trainings about how we could be better and I  feel like I have a ton to improve on but I am trying my best! We also had a baptism this week for Emedio so literally I came home Thursday night and Friday prepared the church and stuff for that and then Sat we had the baptism. We were trying to get some investigators to come but they were all gone. So it was suppose to start at 3 and it didn't even start till 4:30. I was a little upset.. I was like hey you guys always get on us for helping the branch grow but when we have a baptism it's late! There is no order and stuff so I was a little upset! I wanted it to be special for him I think it still was but still. Then I spoke yesterday becasue of course they didn't plan ahead again. And so I spoke on fulfilling our callings and I compared it to when Simon Peter gets asked 3 times if he loves the Savior and then he says feed my sheep. and I said how do we feed his sheep? It's by remembering that we love the Savior and when we have a calling its not to President it's to the Lord and it's not a one day thing. I explained that we don't need to go fishing and stuff , we need to help others by our callings and doing them with all our heart might mind and strength. But that's about it. I miss you all and love you all hope you are all doing great:)
Love Elder Cuillard


Monday, February 16, 2015

Feb 11, 2015


So this week has been a great week, the time is flying by this week and I am loving the people that are in my house right now. We have Elder Wright and then Elder Mateale, he is tongan and he is hilarious! We get along so good. HaHa So let's see this Sat we have a baptism for my little homie Emedio Saratao this will be the second family member in this family and the last one that needed to be baptized.  I have been privileged to teach them. It's been awesome. So this Sat we will have his baptism and I am way excited! He asked me to baptize him but I asked if my bata or my "son" could do it for me and I would confirm him, so thats the plan:) I am way excited. It will be way cool. So funny story so the other two elders in this house are not good at the language at all!! So I have been going on splits a little bit to help them out and so we go to this investigator that they have right and they have been teaching these two sisters for like a month, and I go over there right, and teach them with Elder Wright on Sat and well I gave her a date right and she was like yes!!  Then I said sister if you want to be baptized you need to attend church and have us finish teaching you and she was like okay perfect !! And she came to church and when she came yesterday she asked me if I would baptize her!!  haha and I was like well sure so her date is March 7 which is right after my transfer date so we might have it a little early so I will end my area with a baptism. That would be sweet and that would be 10 in my first area!! But let's see what else, we have gotten a couple referrals from some members that are ready to hear the gospel they are totally perfect so we will see how that goes. I also gave two baptismal interviews last week and it was really cool.  One man had been a part of some really messed up things and it was the first time I cried on my mission like spiritually. Like its hard for me to when I am speaking the language idk its weird. I  used to cry a ton but anyways I lost it!  I always ask at the end to have them bare their testimonies for me and I fast that day to hopefully feel the spirit and this man was ready and after all that he had done and stuff it was seriously pure love I had for this man. I hugged him after and said brother,  I know the lord loves and knows you and you are ready. Then he started crying!  It was a super sweet moment. But anyways that is about it. The thing is my language is getting better but my English is getting terrible. I also got your package this week mom:) Thank you so much. Thank you all for all you do for me and I love you all. The church is true. And keep striving to be happy:) Elder Cuillard=



Monday, February 2, 2015

February 1 2015

Hey! So this week has been way long like I don't know why but SO long for me. There is this huge festival for a stupid saint and EVERYONE and there dog has been planning for it and we got punted a ton this week! And we only had 30 members at church, out of about 100! Our branch pres was ticked and the speakers didnt show up so I  was asked to speak so I spoke about the importance of feeling the Holy Ghost and that if we want to feel that EVERYDAY we need to read our scriptures that's the way. If we spend time studying not reading, we will be blessed with the gift of the spirit. Then I got called this morning and I am giving the ZONE training tomorrow on the importance of WEEKLY planning. I'm so nervous but it will be good. I'm going to throw down! I think president is going to be there so i am way excited. Well we also blessed this nyny (grandma) this week who was way sick and she started crying saying that she was so greatful for us. It was way nice! We also have a baptism not this sat but the 14 valentines day:) Well I'm way pumped he's the last one of the family to get baptized He's only 9 but he used to hate the missionaries and now he loves me his dad is NEVER home becasue of work and so every time I am at his house he sits on my lap and makes me put my arms around him. It's awesome! I love the kid!!  But other than that ,one nasty thing, a lady showed me the baby she miscaraged this week and asked me if it was going to be saved and wanted me to bless it. I almost threw up!!  But we talked about Moroni 9 or 8 about babies and baptism and it was awesome! Well thats about all this week!!
Love you all! 

Elder Cuillard

Monday, January 19, 2015

January 18 ,2015

Hey! My week was actually really good!  Honestly we worked so hard it was insane. Honestly I was so tired every night I would come home shower and go straight to bed. And honestly this week was HARD. We got rejected like seriously the first four days of the week Monday Tuesday Weds and Thursday. We just got wrecked!  We had like no lessons and our new investigators were not home or busy and then it kind of picked up the end of the week but still we were having a really hard time teaching. So I decided to fast this Sunday for our investigators that they would just have some desire. And so we go to church this week and three investigators are there that we have been teaching from the time Elder Shaffer was here. They are part of the Valdarama family my NyNy here:) But they came and I was so happy! Then even better, we found this family by the Valdarama family, the Latop family, they are related to the girl with heart problems. And we visited them the other day like Wed. night for like 5 min then had to leave, but I honestly could feel something with them. They are a young family there are two couples that’s it, they are both about 25 and one of them is Catholic and one is Baptist. But they kinda just didn't really practice religion because obviously they were different. But yesterday, Sunday again we got rejected like all 5 lessons were punted and Elder and I were pretty discouraged. I felt a little upset I’ll be honest we sat there on this little bamboo bench thing and just prayed. I honestly think it may have been the most fervent prayer I have said in my life. I just prayed with Elder for our investigators and right after the prayer I just hear Latop. And like it was so clear I couldn’t misunderstand it. So I sat there and Elder goes wait did you hear that? Let’s go to the Latop family. And I was like yes let’s go! So we went and the kid is 25 who like I talked to most of the time and I swear I know the kid like I know him from the other side or something. We just clicked way well I love him. And then he told his wife to come and join for our lesson and it was awesome the power went out so it was over a candle and we talked about family’s and how the gospel is lead by a living prophet and that we know our message will bring you happiness here and he goes Elders you know I’m serious.. I just want to listen to you I feel something when you guys are teaching and I said brother your feeling the Holy Ghost and he said well I want to listen to the rest and his wife was like me too and it was just awesome! So the lesson this week is found in the bible. " Some things can only be done through prayer and fasting as the Savior described to the apostles" so I challenge you all to find some time this week to put everything away and literally talk to our Savior as he knows what’s best for us and of we are sincere he will answer in a way that will help us. It may take a week or two or longer but he knows what the best for us! We also printed off a list of all the less actives in our area there are over 100. so the next month my goal is to visit every single one of them. We have about 300 members but only 80 active so we are going to get this place rolling! I spoke to the branch president yesterday and told him we are going to get this place rolling but we need the help of the members with visiting and home teaching so we are going to try to bring up our activity here! Love you all I know our Savior loves us and helps us if we strive to be like him! Love Elder Cuillard

Monday, January 12, 2015

January 11, 2015

Well this is going to be short the key board I am using is terrible... so this week went by forever.. like seriously we worked so hard and long that I feel like it never ended. We tracted a ton this week we found about 12 new investigators and so we are starting fresh. Our old investigators are not progressing so I'm done wasting time teaching them if they won’t keep the commitments. So we tracted and tracted and tracted some more this week. That's about it. I also found a white guy who is from Florida and we have been teaching him. He came to church and he’s kind of crazy! I feel like he's like seriously nuts. But he had us over the other day for dinner and actually he is like way smart. He believes in so many different ideas. I don't know how I feel about it, but whatever. haha! This week was literally way boring for me I feel like it wasn’t exciting at all just a lot of tracting. But I am so pumped that Marcus is leaving tell him I love him and that he's going to kill it out there and to be patient :) Don't get angry and just love the people. That’s the one thing I have felt like I am getting better at, is loving the people and stuff. Actually believe it or not I am kind of starting to understand the language it’s a miracle!! :) But I love you all!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Happy New Year!!! Jan 5 2015

Well this week has been super crazy! It went by way fast! Honestly we had the hardest time teaching lessons this week though. Here, fireworks are like the thing, but they are not even fireworks they are like weak but they love them. Anyways so New Years is WAY BIGGER than Christmas! So literally every one goes hard for the three days before making food and stuff so here like during holidays everyone makes food and like it doesn’t matter if you know the person or not you just go into there house and eat. And if you can only imagine everyone and there dog wants to talk to the white kid. HAHA so we ate sooo much! That was it for the first part of the week. Then Thursday everyone was hung over big time so like literally we got punted all day. No lessons. Then Friday we finally got back into the groove. So sister Sebastian a recent convert, her cousins are all Baptist and they had a bible study and they were all bagging on her for being Mormon right. So we decided to join! All 4 of us and we schooled all there questions. Like I used the bible all over them. They had nothing to say. Then I said how about tomorrow we meet at Sister Sebastian’s house and I will show you why we know your answers. So yesterday we taught them the restoration and the spirit was so strong!! I loved it! Finally Elder and I are starting to click in our teaching he’s getting a lot better:) we had a talk and it was way cool. I told him it bugs me but if he asks before he takes I will be all right! So it’s been good. Soooo I also killed a chicken the other day and it reminded me when bishop decided to have me help him kill those 20 something chickens!! And it scarred me. HAHAHA but then we ate it. HAHA. Oh so my birthday was wayyyy lame. I didn’t do anything! But its all good! I bought a monkey for myself yesterday. 10 bucks and a baby monkey is mine and we can’t keep it at our house so we are keeping it at pres house. It’s way nice. You can pet it and stuff its sweet! YUP who else can say they have and own a monkey:) but this week was good! That’s about it though!

Love Elder Cuillard