Hey RFM admin: I have to post anonymously. (From a regular, known RFM poster.)
On May 8, 2015, RFM poster Carol submitted a post, “Mission President Pushes for Exact Obedience” (link). There’s a link to the weekly blog by Fresno Mission President, Jeffrey D. Clark. (RFM link:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1578771,1578771#msg-1578771) (Blog link to article:
http://fresnomission.blogspot.com/2015/05/presidents-weekly-why-of-exact-obedience.html)
More recent posts on this guy:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1579194http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1579243As I stated anonymously in a prior post, I was President Jeffrey D. Clark’s missionary companion in the Spain Madrid Mission between 1976-1978. Elder Clark aspired to leadership positions back in his mission days as a 19-21 year old missionary in Spain. He pushed for numbers, professed total obedience to the rules, pushed companionships to work extra hours so he could impress the MP and pushed for baptisms. Now TSCC has promoted him to Mission President status. He’s become a very wealthy individual (good for him). I guarantee that he is in-love with himself and truly loves the attention and power position of a wealthy MP. I haven’t thought about him in 37+years until the post on RFM showed up and I recognized him in the blog photo and started doing a bit of research.
After doing some web searches and finding some videos of him speaking, I still think he’s a total asshat and a royal douchebag who thinks his life has been “the rags to riches” tale to tell. He’s probably too afraid to read anything negative about TSCC (i.e. the CES Letter or MormonThink). My time with him in the mission field was revealing. Even the MP in Spain (Sterling G. Nixon) knew he was different, even as a 19-21 year old kid.
To make this post I retrieved my personal mission journal from my filing cabinet. In all these many years (37+), I have never re-read the following passages until now. It’s truly amazing how your mind forgets details from your mission until you read your journal. So I hope you enjoy reading about my miserable time with Elder Jeff Clark.
After reading the blog article on obedience, I truly think that Clark believes he’s next to perfection and is a spiritual statue of elite, pious Mormonism. From what I’ve discovered, it appears that he has done well materialistically and financially. He has his portfolio, his business operations, his possessions, his expensive suits, his starched French cuffed shirts, his fancy shoes, suits and car, and his kids and wife. I’m sure he thinks he is more righteous than the person he’s talking to at any given moment. If he should receive the second anointing at any point in his life then the elitism of ghastly arrogance will ooze prolifically out his pores. I’d rather live in mile-high pile of dripping hot dung than spend another minute with him. I feel for the missionaries in Fresno.
Now, I would normally not have the guts to run someone down, but after reading the blog post about “The Why of Exact Obedience”, I felt RFM would enjoy reading some excerpts from my journal. I’ve changed the dates and left out names to maintain some privacy.
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Here is what I wrote in my mission journal: SPAIN, Jeff Clark was the District Leader during these journal entries.
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MONDAY ― President Nixon [the Mission President] came today and held interviews, all in Spanish. Elder Clark’s attitude is that good DL’s (District Leaders) are made ZL’s (Zone Leaders), so he wants to work and show the president what he can do. It’s going to be tough working so hard. I just hate knocking doors and working extra hours just to impress the President. Numbers mean nothing to me.
TUESDAY ― We had zone conference today with President Nixon. Elder [XXX, my previous favorite companion] was there as the zone leader. I had a good talk with xxx about Elder Clark and the lack of desire to love him. . . I decided I needed a talk with the president, so we had a short interview. The Pres seemed understanding to what I said. I learned a lot about Elder Clark. He (Clark) is exactly what I thought. The Pres said it may be very tough to love him. Probably so. . . Clark tries to make everyone think he’s practically perfect and obedient to all the rules. I can’t wait to get transferred away from him.
FRIDAY ― Tonight I’m in the pits because of so many reasons. This transfer (with Clark) is so difficult and hard. He’s hard to figure out. Darn. I wish the Pres hadn’t made this comp change. My spirits are low this evening.
SATURDAY ― This has been one of the hardest days in [name of city], mainly because I’ve been in the pits most of the day. Literally, I’m about to crack. Clark tells me to persist and use the Lord for help. Hah. I laughed. I don’t have a testimony of it (being persistence) yet. Tonight, I feel very much alone.
SUNDAY ― I’ve been pretty low all day and haven’t said much to anyone. I still can’t seem to memorize the charlas (discussions). Clark has them all memorized and NEVER studies them. He reads other stuff instead. I guess he has a really good memory. Tonight, Elder Clark promised me in our companion inventory that if I would study my charlas every day, that in the short time we’re companions, that we would baptize. He has more faith than I do. I don’t understand how he can make such a promise.
SUNDAY ― I have been a bit unexcited in general today and haven’t felt the spirit in the meetings. Adjusting to Elder Clark is still hard. Clark is hard to love and show concern for. Clark just wants to baptize and show everyone how great he is. I don’t get why he’s so numbers oriented.
TUESDAY― I’ve been doing well studying my charlas – until an incident tonight. Just before Clark and I left to knock doors (which I hate to do) he said, “I’ll just have to memorize them.” Well duh, that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s hard drilling the charlas into my memory when it comes so easily and immediately for Clark. I didn’t talk much tonight, and he, noticing that something was wrong, had a talk with me. Well, it didn’t help too much. My desire to learn the charlas is dwindling. It’s tough with Clark. I want to YELL at him sometimes. He’s so impersonal. Why this transfer? Why?
WEDNESDAY ― Today is my xxx month anniversary on my mission. It has been a soul searching day. I’ve thought a lot about my purpose here and what I’m doing now. Answer – not much!
SUNDAY ― I don’t understand the Holy Ghost. I cannot feel it. I read a hand out given to me by the LTM branch president on the Holy Ghost: “To receive revelation we must be free of sin, we need to repent.” Why is the Lord so demanding? Tonight, Elder Clark said it is bugging him that we have no investigators or anyone progressing towards baptism. I told him numbers don’t mean a thing to me. I could see he didn’t like that comment.
WEDNESDAY ― Today was the opening social/fiesta for the Relief Society put on by the sister missionaries. We’ve been advertising it everywhere we go lately. It flopped! Only two members came, along with the missionaries and one 13 year-old girl investigator. All the preparation for nothing! We had spent the whole day in the piso getting things ready and we didn’t even use one prepared thing. What a wasteful day. Elder Clark is the District Leader and he promised us that the Lord would bring many to the fiesta if we had sufficient faith and prepared ahead of time and did our part. Well, it was a total bust. So much for his promise.
THURSDAY ― I got up and studied my charlas, left the house and blew up with my comp. He is just miserable to be around.
FRIDAY ― I felt rotten this morning. Clark is lost and frustrated with me. He said, “I’m his problem.” Wow. He said, “He doesn’t know what to do with me.” So he called the Pres for help and said I should just pack things up and head for Madrid. What? Throw me out? I think the Pres must know something. The Pres was right when he told me that it would probably be really hard to love him.
FRIDAY ― Elder A***r and I have worked together today while our comps went to [a city to the south]. It’s been very pleasant with A***r. Clark came back tonight. I’m sick of my comp. Now he refuses to speak English with me in the piso [apartment]. Not one word of English. He’s so beato and has to be the perfect, obedient missionary. No fun. So, it will be quiet around here. I can’t stand listening to him speak Spanish. I don’t like his accent or the way he makes those phony smiles. He thinks his memory is so superior to everyone else’s. Ucck! Two weeks until transfers. I hope I leave.
SATURDAY ― It has been a tough day. This morning I refused to have companion study with Elder Clark – his constant speaking Spanish only when we’re in our piso really bugs me. As a consequence I was very quiet towards him today. He ran off by himself to do a few errands since it was rainy and windy and he said it was alright to break the rules since we only had one umbrella. Tonight has been horrible at the doors. One lady said, “Mormons are ignorant and join the church because they’re deceived.” Wow, I can’t believe she was so strong headed about Catholicism! I didn’t talk much at the doors after that because I felt so deflated. We stopped in the hallway of a building and I related my feelings to my comp. For once my comp says he understands why it’s been hard for me to be around him. Really? We came home early. We just aren’t “with it” as comps.
MONDAY ― I’ve been pretty wasted all day and haven’t studied a whole lot. Sinful!
TUESDAY ― We didn’t work lots today. My comp played too much basketball yesterday. He is really sore, so we didn’t go out and knock doors.
WEDNESDAY ― I arose early to catch a train to [city to the south] for a zone/president’s conference. The Pres was in town. I didn’t feel the spirit at the conference and was the only one who did not stand to bear his testimony. I don’t like being forced to say something out of group pressure. Elder xxx (my previous comp) was there and leaned over to me and said, “Won’t you give your testimony of Joseph Smith for me.” I didn’t. I couldn’t. I’m not sure. I felt nothing when the Pres talked about Joseph Smith. It was difficult to be friendly and associate with others after the conference because of my unhappy disposition towards Elder Clark. He’s just nauseating and tries so hard to impress everyone. He knows how to brown nose. I’m just the opposite.
THURSDAY ― My life is wasted totally. At least it feels that way to me tonight. I want to scream bloody murder and jump out a four story window.
FRIDAY ― Another horrible, rotten day. I got upset with Elder Clark and refused to speak Spanish in the piso with him. I nearly poured hot olive oil on him from the fry pan I use to fry my potatoes to make my Spanish tortillas. We spent the morning talking in English and then went to a Catholic church and sat in on a mass. Elder Clark thinks maybe we can find someone there to teach. The zone leaders showed up and Elder Clark and I worked with Elder xxx (miss having someone nice to be around). I was extremely unhappy and refused to get in a little elevator with Clark and Elder xxx. We spent 45 minutes standing in a building stairwell talking – a really tough time. We ended up sitting through a mass in another Catholic church. I’m really lost and nearly dead spiritually.
SUNDAY ― I feel like leaving Spain and running back home.
MONDAY ― Went to [city to the south] with Elder S***h. I’ve been scared all day to return back to my piso and have to work with Elder Clark. And now the time is here. I don’t enjoy it one bit! Elder Clark really said some awful things to me tonight. He said everything I say is a big lie and I’m nothing but a liar. I can’t figure him out. It’s like he just changed overnight. He doesn’t know me – nor do I ever want him to. I will never care about him. He simply bugs me completely. Today while on the train coming back from [city to the south], Elder S***h said there will be changes and I’ll probably be transferred. Well, finally I’m looking forward to leaving here.
WEDNESDAY ― I guess I’m a bad missionary – no desire to work with my comp etc. Is the church true? Do I have a testimony? I’m looking forward to a transfer.
MONDAY ― Rather a dull P-day. Can’t wait until the transfers come. I’m leaving? Super!
WEDNESDAY ― We really had to rush this morning to get to [city to the south] by 12,00 (noon) for the baptism, which never transpired. The day has gone by so slow, but I’m finally on the train to Madrid. No more Elder Clark. No more Spanish only in the piso. No more miserable guy to be around. I hope I never see him again.