One of Rebecca's most abiding hopes was that her family, her father in particular, would accept the restored gospel and receive the joyous blessings of the faith. She had, like Lehi, tasted of the love of God and wanted to share it with those closest to her (see 1 Nephi 8:12). With that in mind, Rebecca eagerly wrote to her family about her conversion and testimony and the great joy she felt as a member of the Church.
However, Rebecca's conversion infuriated her father. In his terse response he demanded that she leave the Church. But Rebecca would not be swayed. She responded, as a family historian describes, that "she was more firm than ever in her conviction of the truth of Mormon doctrines" and included her own powerful testimony. 6 To her sorrow this letter did not produce the results she had hoped for. Her father threatened to disown her and vowed to cut off all communication with her if she did not leave the Church.
Still, Rebecca did not yield and continued her efforts to share the gospel. In 1834 she wrote another letter—the only one to survive—to her father, revealing the depth of her faith and the pain she felt that he refused to accept anything of the Mormons.
Her father had read newspaper reports attacking the Church, particularly with regard to the Book of Mormon and the testimony of the Three Witnesses, and tried to dissuade Rebecca on these accounts.
"It gives me pain to hear that your mind is so much disturbed about the Book of Mormon," she wrote. Quoting scripture from the Book of Mormon and from Joseph Smith's new revelations, Rebecca shared her witness of the Book of Mormon. She also explained that the book prophesied of the selection of three witnesses to it. As evidence, she quoted the ancient prophet Ether, who said that "in the mouth of three witnesses" would the truth of the book "be established" (Ether 5:4). 7
Rebecca then described how she had personally seen the Three Witnesses—David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery—and heard them testify of having seen an angel and the gold plates. After defending their testimonies and character, she urged her father to further investigate the work. For, she wrote to her father, should "you and mother know the circumstances as we do in relation to this work, I am persuaded you would believe it." 8
Echoing Moroni's promise at the end of the Book of Mormon, Rebecca pled that her family would ask God if "he would enlighten [their] minds in the way of truth." And then she planned to send a missionary "capable of teaching the Gospel as it is in Jesus," to further help them. 9 In the end her father would have nothing to do with it.
Even her letters to her brother John—to whom Rebecca was particularly close—were returned unopened. On the back of one of the returned letters, John wrote, "Father forbids me read your letter, or to write to you. Goodbye and God bless you always. Your brother, John." 10
However, Rebecca's missionary efforts were successful with her eldest sister, Sarah Swain Clark. Sarah joined the Church in Michigan in 1832. Sarah's daughters also joined the Church and were faithful throughout their lives.