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
We finished our last exchange this week with Sister Foster and Apple. We found LOTS of great people to teach and put in the area book for some day later to teach. It was so neat to see the change in people's hearts when we showed the video A Savior is Born. One lady was VERY firm in her beliefs and was adamant she didn't need any more teachings of Christ because she was set. After talking for a while she shared her story of triumph over breast cancer and how we can use those trials to bring others to Christ, and she said she would be willing to watch our video. Then she even agreed to be visited by missionaries in her area. SUCH A CHANGE! I saw this many times as we shared the video and/or talked with them for a while. We also get invited back on occasion to be taught by Jehova's Witnesses, but that won't be happening ANY time soon.
I got to teach quite a few lessons to bilingual families who sadly we had to pass on to the Spanish or YSA wards. I know it's a big help to them finding people, but its sad when you have to pass them on. If things fall though on the Spanish or youth side, we do get them back for the English and family wards, though, but I hope that doesn't happen as fun as it would be to go back to teaching them. It was so neat to see the hope that our message did bring to people that were going through divorced parents or uneven parenting in the home. I love being sort of like Santa, bringing joy to all the world, only we get to do it with the gospel 365 days a year!
Tiffany got a job at Walmart seasonally, so we haven't had a chance to visit her, but other than the stress of a job and juggling child care, she is doing OK, but I know that she misses church and friends at church instead of being stuck at work or home. We did teach her father. He was drunk sadly, but we talked while waiting for Tiffany to come home. He had to be the most miserable person on this planet. He was so deep in drinking long term and sorrow of the world that he refused to see anything good in this world or life in general. He even talked about suicide like crazy till we got him off the subject (though people saying stuff like that aren't going to any time soon generally if at all). Talking with him, it's truly like how the video "A Life Without a Savior" (the sister video to a savior is born). One can't force someone to feel happy or accept the gospel. It's God's gift of free agency, but some days it's discouraging to see that there are people feeling like that every day. Thankfully we weren't there long at all, and the spirit being felt when we testified was the strongest I have ever felt in a lesson. We were loving but VERY bold in declaring the truth as it is. I just hope one day he will snap out of it and fix himself up and believe in God once more.
Good news is that I'm staying in Buena Park!!!! Bad news is that we STILL will be moving due to one obnoxious downstairs neighbor who breaks all the rules and blames us for the darnedest things. She finally stampeded up the stairs (and we knew it was her because NOBODY goes up the stairs that loudly) and tried to get us to listen to her rant on and swear at us late at night. Because we ignored her, she called the police who were winking and almost laughing at the situation as they came to tell us to be quiet, then left us to listen to her rant. Because of that, and the fact that she WILL call till we get removed (or any future sad person who lives there because she is an unhappy person) we are moving. People like her need the gospel and learn to be happy with life and others. I thought this would be my first time without being moved and packing up, but I guess not... At least it's clean to move out. The rest of this week will be spent partly looking for apartments hopefully nearby and moving. Just another interesting story for the mission book I suppose.
Other than that, its been an eventful and spirit filled week.
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