Elder Clarke Pays Us a Visit

Elder Clarke’s May 15, 2012, Japan Tokyo Mission Conference

Elder Don R. Clarke was sustained a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 1, 2006, and a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 2, 2011. He was serving as a member of the high council of the Buena Vista Virginia Stake prior to his call to the Seventy.  Elder Clarke earned an associate's degree from Ricks College and a bachelor’s degree in business from Brigham Young University. He completed a master’s degree in business administration from Washington State University. His career included senior executive positions in several retailing companies. Elder Clarke has served the Church in various capacities, including full-time missionary in the Argentina Mission, president of the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission (2001-2004), stake president, assistant director of Church Hosting, high councilor, bishop, stake Young Men president, elders quorum president, and Area President of Central America (2007–2011). Don Ray Clarke was born in Rexburg, Idaho, on December 11, 1945. He married Mary Anne Jackson in 1970. They are the parents of six children.

Elder Clarke was in Tokyo to conduct a Mission Presidents' Seminar for all presidents in the North Asia District of the Church.  Although he wasn't scheduled to talk to missionaries, he strongly desired to do so and scheduled a conference.  We are so lucky to be the mission in the heart of Tokyo because it is our location that gives us such wonderful, spiritual opportunities--moreso than many other missions here in the Far East.  On Tuesday, May 15, all 170+ missionaries in the Japan Tokyo Mission met at the Temple Annex for an all-mission conference.  Below are the notes I took at this conference.

After Elder Clarke had shaken the hands of every missionary there, he had all the senior missionary couples come to the front of the chapel.  He then praised us for being there on our own volition and cost as opposed to the younger missionaries who “may have been sent there by their parents.”  He really gave us all a nice compliment and even insisted that we all hold our spouse's hand.  He then had President and Sister Albrecht come to the stand, where he had missionaries call out first President Albrecht’s attributes and good deeds; then he did likewise for Sister Albrecht.  It was very touching since their time here is getting very short—less than six weeks!  They also held hands and gave each other a loving kiss.  Elder Clarke pointed out how important it is for all of us to be close with our spouses.

He then quoted D&C 43:8-10, stating our purpose as missionaries is to instruct, edify, and to show people how to act, thus bringing glory to the Kingdom.  He told of his visit to Panama where he witnessed a young 13-year-old boy kneeling in prayer alone in a room before a stake conference had begun.  He asked him what he was praying for, and the boy told him it was to be able to feel the Spirit during the meeting.  A year later when he was in Panama to dedicate the temple, the same boy was there attending the dedication.  And today, this same young man is a missionary!  His point was that people do STAY active in the Church when they feel the Spirit, and there are thousands here in Japan who need to feel the Spirit!

He stated how Bishops and Stake Presidents do not wear name tags, but missionaries do!  Elder Clarke has served over 22 years in full-time service for the Church and would do anything just to be able to wear the missionary name tag again!  He urged us to take off our tags daily and "report to Him!"  Especially after a temple session, "report to Him before you

leave the Celestial room."

Alma 13:10-11 and D&C 30:19 both talk about DILIGENCE, not intelligence.  Diligence is ten times the worth of intelligence.  Diligence means EXCEPTIONAL action.  By being diligent, you can do anything you want.  Initially, when he was a young missionary at the MTC, he had difficulty with the language.  He then fasted weekly and worked harder and was ultimately blessed to learn the language well. 

D&C 12:8 says to be humble and to LOVE the people.  Nothing will work unless we love the people.  You can’t fake love.  He told of an Elder in Bolivia who hated the country, the food, the beds, etc., and wanted to go home.  President Clarke asked the missionary to stay for 40 days in hope of changing his mind; the Elder gave him two weeks!  Two weeks later he returned to report.  He still hated the country, the food, and the beds.  But he had found a family he loved, and he stayed and finished his mission.  In another story, he asked a Bolivian lady who had been to America what she saw as the difference between our two countries.  She said, “Here we live with our hearts; in America, you live with your minds.”  He spoke of his daughter who was an exceptional track star.  He said what made her great was that first, she ran with her heart; second, with her mind; and third, with her feet.  Learn how to move from your mind to your heart.

He urged all missionaries to be reading daily from PMG (Preach My Gospel).  Apply it!  Live it!  Be converted, and love everyone! “God talks to you when you read PMG

and will expand on what you study.”

Elder Clarke said it was necessary that missionaries have FUN (or joy) on their missions.  When he was a mission president in Bolivia, he told his missionaries they were allowed 5 minutes every transfer to be discouraged.  That’s all!  The rest of the time they were to be actively having fun talking to people wherever they went.  He admonished us, “Care more about the people than yourselves, and you will be happy."  He asked where all these people are on our “lists.”

He interviewed an Elder who, discussing his tennis playing, said it feels great to win.  Elder Clarke said it’s the same in missionary work—we all like to win!  So just like a hardworking athlete, make your missionary work a PASSION!  Love doing what you do!  Work hard to get it just right!  The number one business attribute of successful people is getting things done.  Eighty percent of the people have excuses; the rest have solutions.

“Be like Moses and 'have experiences’ with God.”  Get close enough to HIM that you feel personal revelation regarding what you are called to do.

When “FINDING,” follow D&C 61:3 and “don’t move swiftly upon the waters.”  In other words, when on an escalator, for example, don’t be walking up or down.  Just stay put and force the person ahead of or behind you to stay put as well.  Then you can begin a dialog with them!  Another "finding" suggestion was to use excuses:  for example, he said he was always “lost” in Bolivia; thus, he was always stopping people too busy to stop to talk, but polite enough to help a person who was lost.  He said it was a great tool to get a conversation going!

Also, for “finding,” get references from the BISHOP.  Pray for the Bishop by name every night.  Thank him!  Treat him well!  He is the one who holds the keys to missionary work in the ward.  He joked that it was worse to complain about the Bishop than it was to smoke!

Another “finding” source should be RETURNED MISSIONARIES in your ward.  Remind them of what they felt when on their missions.  Then they should be motivated or prompted by the Holy Ghost enough to provide references. 

Other ACTIVE MEMBERS in the ward should also be called upon for references.  D&C 123:12 says that ALL people will be taught the gospel.  Does it say “all but Buddhists”?  No.  “All but some other religion?”  No.  So, we have to believe it and work in faith that we are to reach out to ALL PEOPLE.  There was an Italian missionary in England (remember that the British don’t like Italians because of WWII).  When he got there, the average baptismal rate per missionary was 2-3 a year.  Despite being an Italian, Elder Ricciardi didn’t know he couldn’t do it, so he did it!  He baptized more than 100 people!  He feared no one, only God!

Decide that you can do whatever you want.  He told of a nonmember who played ball with Church members, and no one ever talked to him about the Gospel.  Later he got married and had 3 kids and still wondered about the Church, but no one ever looked him up.  Finally, one day he saw Elders on his street walking towards his house so he brought his family all together in the living room to be ready to hear their message.  They passed by his door and did not stop!  His family had been prepared, but the Elders were not listening to the Spirit.  Seven years later his wife was sick in the hospital and just happened to be under the care of a Church member, and there, the story finally has a happy ending.  In fact, the rest of the story is that he eventually became a Patriarch and his son, a Stake President!  But look what those Elders had passed up because they were not working under the influence of the Spirit!  “Those who join the Church will do so with or without us, but God lets us do it for ourselves.  It’s to be our blessing!”  We have to FIND with the SPIRIT!

Another way to “find,” as well as an example of missionaries who did finding with the Spirit was two missionaries on a bus in Bolivia, sitting apart so they could visit with people.  The junior companion who had just arrived and could not yet speak the language was seated next to a woman.  So he opened his Book of Mormon and pointed to a picture of Christ, saying, “Jesu Christo, Jesu Christo.”  Before he could say more, however, she was exiting at her stop.  He called out that they wanted to visit her, and she replied that she lived in the house with the red sign.  Later the Elders fasted and took the same bus ride.  They got off at her stop and started looking at the houses.  They did see a house with a red sign, but the young Elder said, “No, it doesn’t feel right.”  Again, they saw a house with a red sign, but he again said, “No, it still doesn’t feel right.”  The third time it did feel right, they entered the home, and they converted the whole family!  The BOOK OF MORMON is divine!  It has power!  Carry the book!  People will ask you about it.  It has more truth in it than any other book!  There are many people from all churches who aren’t yet coming to the true church because they don’t know where to find it. 

Elder Clarke would love to become a mission president again!  He said you will remember your mission for eternity.  It determines your marriage.  It determines your career.  Some of us will become less active, unfortunately.  So, “Don’t go through this mission without it going through you,” he urged.  It’s all about the heart.  It needs to be written in our hearts, not our feet!  He told of a Peruvian missionary, Elder Kunja, whose father predicted his son would last one month as a missionary.  When Elder Kunja was first meeting with an investigator, he couldn’t testify that John the Baptist actually restored the priesthood because he really didn’t know.  Later the Bishop’s wife called for the Elders to give her sick daughter a blessing because the Bishop was out of town.  Elder Kunja said he would do the anointing, but Elder Hollinger would have to do the sealing.  Senior Companion Hollinger told him, “No, you will give her the blessing.”  Twice during the blessing he was prompted to say the words “heal her,” and he finally responded after the third prompting, and she was healed.  Later, they were back at the first house where he had participated earlier but was halted by his doubt.  This time he told the family that not only did John the Baptist restore the Aaronic Priesthood, but Peter, James, and John also came to this earth to restore the Melchizedek Priesthood with its healing power!  Elder Kunja didn’t go home; and he eventually became Elder Clarke’s Assistant in the Mission Home!  

The conference was truly one of the best we have attended!  Elder Clarke was so personable and did most of his speaking with a lapel mike so he could be closer to all the missionaries.  We closed with the standard "Called To Serve" missionary hymn that always energizes us to magnify our callings!  It was a very inspirational day.