3 - Enter: California

Email address (preferred):
rachael.clark@myldsmail.net

Mission address:
Sister Rachael Geniel Clark
California Long Beach Mission
6500 E Atherton St.
Long Beach, CA 90815

Hi, How are you doing? Things are going well, Sister George my companion and I have been busy visiting less active and a few potential investigators this week. Already we have had two people go to church with us. Amelia, a Philippine woman who went looking for the church who has been going to church for a few weeks now elsewhere. She is super nice and wants to join most likely because of her brothers example. She is looking for happiness and peace in her life as well as someone kind and loving to look after (she is a caregiver and has no family.) The other is Terri, a lady who had a VERY downward spiral past, she grew up here, has been living in park city Utah for awhile, then ended up in jail and homeless and doing other not so good things to herself and others long ago. She has been clean from drug abuse for 9 years now this month and it was her first week at church last Sunday here in California. One would not know her past looking at her and she just got baptized the second of this month!
 I am in the Cyprus ward and am in an apartment somewhere in Norwalk. Not the greatest part of town, but our complex is gated off and pretty safe to be at considering the area. It was so nice to finally do laundry, at the MTC our day was Thursday so I have only done laundry twice the three weeks I have been a missionary.

This is the second transfer that sister missionaries have been in the apartment, before it was only elders. Unfortunately when sister George and sister lafortune (her previous companion) first came, the white walls that cover the entire apartment and white tile, even the fan where BLACK! they had to clean for two whole days to clean it up and even after that the tile grout and the ceiling was still a bit grey and dirty. Those sisters also dealt with Roaches and had the place cleaned before, but sadly they came back and on Thursday sister George and I had to take a day and DEEP cleaned the apartment till everything was super white and clean. We got some cleaning solutions that I used for My hospital and it worked wonders on the tile grout and everywhere else. That apartment was in sad shape and everything felt empty, so we also got a few pictures and posters to brighten and liven things up a bit. So far my daily cockroach kill count is 5-15 a day! But today was the first day I haven't seen a single living one around so I hope this last time got them all. The bug guy said to spray things off real good with bleach and water and leave it there to deter the stinkers from sticking around the kitchen and bathrooms. Sadly they went elsewhere including in my dress while I was sitting on the couch one day!
Other than our little friends who I would like to kick out, the apartment is real nice and clean (most likely the cleanest in the mission now with how well we cleaned it) and is HUGE! Two bathrooms and everything so its never hard to get what you need done in the mornings to get ready for the day.

We helped out the Pontons, who are in charge of the ward mission, and were moving. We got some antique type writers from it that they didn't want as well as a super beautiful and old dresser! I put the typewriter and their neat looking cases and a box sister George got as well and made a nice display in our room. Hopefully I can get some photos from my family and make it our tribute to family and their history with it! Along with those things, they has a pomegranate tree, so I got a fresh picked pomegranate! So cool!!!

We have visited with many of the less active members of the ward and some super nice families, it is a wonderful ward! The only thing they need to work on now is member participation, getting the 2/3 less active members back to church regularly, and to get them to visit teach. So many people just go to church, but don't really do much other than that. Most meeting just have us missionaries and the one person with the calling, no one else. Its kinda sad. But the area is really struggling right now, most of the ward is older and many have either passed away just recently, or have family who has. Its been real sad lately. Many are having financial troubles as well, I hope that my serving now reaches out to those people and can get them back to church, I know that they would be doing so much better if they did.

Here are some photos from my mission. Been so busy I haven't taken many at all. I will work on that this week!
 One of them is of the new extension to the MTC, they had a model in the MTC front desk area. Some other photos of our MTC district and older training district as well.

 Please feel free to email me anytime! I wish you the Best and let me know how you are doing!