Synopsis "Changing Tide: California Dream or Nightmare? (in English)"
Changing Tide is a memoir of the teenage years of Victoria Farnsworth, aka Clara the Clown. Faced with all of the normal challenges a typical teenager endures, she also had the added stress of coping with the negative criticism from her mother. After being reminded too many times that she was ugly, and that she could never attract a boy, Vicki set a goal to move to California and live with her biological father. Warren Van Pelt, Vicki's father, was a retired naval officer who then worked in Los Angeles for a large hardware company. He had just joined the Mormon Church prior to Vicki moving in with him. Vicki's Methodist minister had admonished her to stay away from the Mormons because they would be relentless in their pursuit of bringing her into their fold. Her minister told her that the Mormons worshiped the Devil! Vicki had a dream of becoming an actress and her father said that he knew people in the business who could help her achieve her goal. In the innocence of youth, and with the bravery of Don Quixote, Vicki left Bainbridge Island, Washington and moved to California to pursue her dream of becoming an actress and to rescue her father from the Mormons. Instead of the happy, carefree life she envisioned, almost every day was filled with hardship and trials she had never dreamed of. The first two nights in her new home were sheer terror, and Vicki struggled emotionally over the decision to share with her Mormon neighbor, the horror she was facing because of her father. Vicki did tell, and her father had to report daily to his local priesthood leader. Her father's indiscretions ceased immediately, but he never did grasp the seriousness of how his actions had affected Vicki. He also never took financial responsibility for Vicki's needs, and she had to fend for herself. Amidst the turmoil of high school, odd jobs, and pursuing a career in acting, Vicki also was doing her best to keep the Mormon missionaries at bay. Week after week, every Saturday morning, two missionaries would show up at her door. She was always polite, but firm in her resolve to send them away unsuccessful. Then one day, her life was changed forever, when an extremely disabled missionary challenged her to pray to know the truth. Vicki's experience as she prayed was life-changing in and of itself. However, the answer to her prayer was just as significant and the outcome has lasted over 50 years. The hardships and trials continued, as did the joys and sweet peace of the gospel. Vicki was taught many times over, that the good far outweighs the bad, but not without a struggle.
