58 - Father's day and baptism!

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


This week has been absolutely crazy with slowly moving Sister Bedford into our apartment, managing two area's at the same time, and doing several hour and a half long training's on family history this week for the entire mission. We made it through though and most everyone enjoyed the lessons, and it seemed to adequately work for simplifying family history lessons so that any missionary with good notes will be able to do what we do, possibly more even with their own stakes' family history centers.

We didn't have many actual lessons because they all seemed to fall through or they dropped us since Sister Price and Sister Hinckley left.... so we went around trying to even set return appointments for those people who we didn't have the phone numbers for or wouldn't answer their phone so we could see if they even wanted to meet with us anymore.

Miracle of the week was that Debbie, my recent convert gone less active, came to church! We were told by her husband that she didn't live there anymore and we were told that she was now a do not contact for everyone else living there. We then didn't bother going by and Sister Nau (a member in our ward) felt like she should come by and see how she was doing. We then found out she was sad that we didn't visit anymore and wanted to come to church but still doesn't have a car... and still lives there.

It was an amazing father's day program with children singing and lots of great talks (many were quite informative for ways we can help dad have a better Father's Day). Some examples I can remember were to say, "Sure thing dad, I would love to do [fill in chore here]," or to allow your dad to have 1 channel of the radio that is in his own car he lets his children use, have a desire to try out or enjoy your father's favorite songs, like [name bands and singers here], be nice to your father and his geeky haircut because he is trying to fit in with his fellow coworkers, not your friends.

Lots of other great stores like one of this father who is an engineer and his asking his wife the purpose behind a Wonzie for their baby daughter that had cute lace ruffles on the bottom. The wife said it was purely for looks and design, while the husband said, " Oh I thought it was to make it skid proof." Things like this make up fatherhood and the many fun and funny tales. Also they talked about our Heavenly Father and Abraham and how he had to wait for forever to have a son of his own, even though he showed for his time the best examples of fatherhood despite his own father trying to sacrifice him to idol gods in Egypt. He surpassed his upbringing to become a role model and got close to his Heavenly Father (God) and learned what it means to be a good and true father.

We also got told this same week that Sister Bedford is our official companion now and we are a Trio. We got to pick which car to drive (we picked the Toyota over the Chevy for many reasons) and which district to go to for meetings, and preference of apartment... in the end that wasn't our call unfortunately. we will be moving AGAIN to the more central apartment, but its louder, has a loud parrot squawking next door 24/7 and loud everything. We do get to see Knott's everyday though. The other one had faster travel due to freeway which made up for the fact it was outside our boundaries. So frustrating to move back and forth.

We had a Baptism! It was Sister Price and Sister Miller's one, but they both left so it became ours and at least I got to teach a few lessons for it to feel like I did teach Guillermo. He is just old enough that we could teach him even though his mom is a member and help him get baptized (and get his mom active again coming to church). Everything that could have gone wrong did, but it worked out well and lots of his family that aren't LDS came and even had church tours of the building. That was real fun to do!