rachael.clark@myldsmail.net
Mission address:
Sister Rachael Geniel Clark
California Long Beach Mission
6500 E Atherton St.
Long Beach, CA 90815
I have discovered something quite depressing about California... anything and everything fun we COULD do as a missionary is CLOSED on Mondays only. Even bike shops are closed on Mondays, so no one can get their bike fixed on p-day. We would have gone to the surf museum or the art museum in our area, but no good.
You would think we would have p-day on Friday or some other day when it is highly unproductive, Mondays almost everyone is home around here or can only meet on a Monday. So much for cultural and anything else fun we can do. Shopping and looking at the beach from the concrete is the most fun we can ever do around here sadly. Hopefully we can go on temple Tuesday this transfer. The LA temple is closed for the entire transfer, and so is Newport, but for 2 weeks. We all wonder if everyone will have different temple days and go to Newport, or if they will cancel it since only 2 zones can go usually to Newport. I hope not, I am finally here on a transfer that they have temple p-day.
Other than that disappointment, we spent the whole week meeting members and less actives from the ward list. We are ever so slowly figuring out who is who and even which addresses are UPS stores believe it or not. Lots of people who moved out as well. Short term it isn't fun or productive, long term we have scheduled many appointments for this week so it was worth the effort, especially part member families!
Miracle of the week:
I felt like looking in the book for a Polynesian family (since I know many will let us in despite church status due to culture, or will feed us, or know people who aren't members or less active to teach). I felt like we should visit one in the numbered streets and asked for the mom. They said to come by at 5pm. around 6:30 we suddenly remembered to go back and hurried on over (parking is a good 15 minutes away for free parking (or any parking at all), so we hoped it wasn't too late). Ashe wasn't there, but Titiana was there. In fact, she had just come in from collage for three a week stay just moments earlier. Tatiana and her siblings live with their aunt and uncle and are fostered. She loved church as a young girl and her mother and father had met as missionaries, so the gospel was rooted deep in her family. However, her mother died, and she went to the Samoan ward and was upset from some things they taught that were mixed with Samoan culture. It bothered her, so she went less active for a long time. She was thrilled to have us come back, and we taught a lesson the next day with her nephew coming in and out of the lesson to show us his picture bible and share songs and stories of Jesus. We are excited to see her hopefully at church next week. She said she missed the English ward and had good memories of primary there. She is so cool! she reminds me of friends back home.
While we may not have much in numbers to show our progress in our area, the groundwork we have done this last week should build into many opportunities and friendships we hope will help others bring joy and peace in their lives.
Ken also went to the Youth Conference and almost immediately texted us saying he had so much fun and so many stories and experiences to share. Biggest of all he said he now knows there really is a God, and he loves him. That is so great, and as missionaries it makes us so happy to see that at the very least, we made someone happy from our efforts.
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