52 - Temple and meetings

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


Temple P-Day. We went with Sister Winestock again which was fun. Ended up almost going through the entire mission after having so much fun talking on the ride home when we realized we were almost in Huntington Beach when we turned around back to Buena Park. Everything worked out fine and we were only half an hour late to starting off our laundry and grocery shopping. Lots of the mission office senior missionaries were there giving rides to the elders and going through for the last time before the next mission president and office senior missionaries come to replace them. So sad to see almost everyone leave these next two transfers.

We had so many meetings this week, we spent a third of our time sitting down and learning. It is tiring business. It was really good though. We talked about the purpose of studies each day, how to prepare for the day; and how Christ's purpose is like ours and how to use his example to further our commitment to our purpose as missionaries (as well as on how Christ is so much like us and how we can turn to him when we are struggling because he understands us so perfectly).

We had our all time low on Family History lessons, and we had quite a few that last minute cancelled. It was disappointing to only have two this week.

We have met so many YSA investigators that are so great, but we have been finding a ridiculous amount lately (when will we get family ward people from them for a change, oh well). They already want to be baptized and have a testimony of how us coming to their door is a blessing from God, and how learning about us made their whole day if not life that they had no words to describe their happiness. It is so thrilling to see those people still exist. One named Joanne even said that she called us her angels from God in disguise because someone from her Catholic church told her that there were other true books other than the bible so to have an open mind, and she did; and found us. Its great, but sad to pass them off to the YSA elders. I know it is meant to be that way, but sad when we can't teach those fun people any more. Also finding lots of Filipinos still, now to get a return appointment or have them live in our area.

Miracles of the week:

1.This week has been going well, we did lots of service this week for Sister Matsen, singing at the nursing home, and helping out a lady named Faith who we talked with before and could never get a lesson set with her. We went by on mother's day and knocked, and she said that she was painting her son's room to look Star Wars themed (their family loves it), and we offered to help with painting, setting up/building furniture, gardening, and re-tiling their bathroom that flooded badly. That was a miracle within itsel, and we had a brief lesson on mother's day and helped her out on Monday since she can't do much without her husband towards progress of construction in her home and its been slow going, so we were a HUGE help to her. We look forward to helping her finish her bathroom some time next week (we hope) and gardening after that!

2. We had a wonderful lesson with a lady named Nancy. We met her a week before with her dog Torro with cancer and this time we got to go over more of the plan of salvation and how animals fit in with that, then it turned to the subject of temples and marriage since she had a co-worker who she was sad she couldn't attend the wedding of years ago, then it went to Joseph Smith and more. It was a fun lesson, and while she isn't looking to convert, she is excited to learn more about our beliefs. It was fun to also hear about her experiences with her parents, culture, and being a foster mother now empty nester.

3. We met Raul who let us back, and we tried out reading straight out of the pamphlet to teach the entire restoration lesson almost, and he loved it. He said that it opened up his eyes to a whole other avenue of belief options that he was excited to learn about. He never knew how our organization is exactly as Christ first established it and now Christ is at it's head. He also didn't know who Joseph Smith was and now has a much clearer idea of who we are.

It's crazy as a missionary to see and hear what other people really think of you when they first see you or think about rumors they have heard (which are usually outrageously outlandish and wrong) and to then take a lesson with us and then have a greater love and respect for us afterwards (usually, not always). He thought we believed in some other Jesus Christ or something strange like that, but then after the lesson, he was so excited for the next time for us to come back. He had been looking at other religions for many many years causally and never ever thought to look into what we believed until he took a chance on us when we knocked on his door.