In early 1989 a young “Brother” Clark G. Gilbert had received his mission call to the Japan Kobe Mission. His future mission president later recalled that early in 1989 the call of he and his wife to the Japan Kobe Mission was made public. Soon thereafter their telephone rang. On the line was a young man who introduced himself as Clark Gilbert. He said that he had a call to serve in the Japan Kobe Mission. He suggested that because they would be serving together, he hoped that he could come by for a visit. The visit took place, and after a warm and memorable conversation, the soon-to-be “Elder” Gilbert left. As he drove away, the mission president turned to his wife and said, “that young man will be a general authority someday.”
That brief encounter marked the beginning of Elder Clark G. Gilbert’s first call to full-time service to the Lord. His “mission parents” remember his service as exemplary in every respect. He was exuberant, devoted, humble, and full of affection for all he met—missionaries, members, investigators, strangers, and the mission president’s five children. He served with joy, humor, and real personal interest. His kindness and humility were natural and unaffected, and his boldness was always paired with respect and a willingness to laugh at himself. Those who knew him felt he was a young man “in whom there was…” little or no guile. They recall that his love, loyalty, and commitment were sincere and real qualities – qualities that surely came from a personal, deep-rooted, spiritual character. He was truly born of and nurtured by “goodly parents.”
Since those early days of consecrated service, Elder Gilbert’s life has followed a path shaped by his commitment to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. His remarkable capacity for hard work, his keen intellect, and his unquenchable desire for learning and light have taken him to some of the world’s most respected academic institutions. His career path has included unexpected turns—each, in hindsight, marked by the quiet influence of the Spirit and the guiding hand of the Lord.
He and his wife, Christine, have lived the very counsel he recently offered to others:
“To people who worry about whether they can stick to their faith and be committed disciples of Jesus Christ, I would say to them, ‘Christ is always pointing you to something better.’ If you will follow Him, you will find greater joy and happiness. And it is never a sacrifice if you are following what the Saviour would ask you to do.”
Now an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Gilbert carries the sacred mantle of his calling. The Christlike attributes that were evident and further developed during his mission in Japan have matured, yet he continues—together with his “extraordinary” wife, Christine—to seek greater discipleship. Of her influence, Elder Gilbert has said:
“Her confidence [and] conviction anchored me and pushed me to be who the Lord needed me to be.”
In recent days, he has shared additional reflections about his new calling:
“I feel the mantle strengthening me. It is sometimes described as a burden and a weight, but it’s also a protection and a shield and a strength.”
“[The Lord has] planted feelings in my heart already in these last two days, feelings to get up and send a message to someone or to make a call in the middle of such a busy moment. I think the Lord’s telling me to keep reaching out to the one, and especially to the one who struggles.”
“I feel a measure of His love, concern and empathy for those He is worried about, and I have a feeling if the last two days are anything like the future service I’ll be asked to give, that ministering to the one will be a big part of that.”
Reflecting on his work in education, he has said:
“We teach that education is a religious responsibility. And if that’s true, involve the Lord in your learning, and he’ll take you places you never thought possible. God loves us. He loves all His children. And He wants us to serve in the kingdom and grow in our testimonies. And to do that, He needs us to be able to provide for our temporal self-reliance, even as we’re building our spiritual self-reliance.”
Addressing the challenges of modern society, Elder Gilbert teaches:
“Right now, we live in what the Apostle Paul called ‘perilous times.’ The world is in commotion and people are struggling. Good is being called evil and evil being called good. There are anxieties and tumult and polarization. But those are the same things that are creating the most unprecedented opportunities for the Church. It’s much harder in this climate to do things without the Lord. But when you involve Him and make Him your priority, all those things calm. And so, the very tumult that’s surrounding the world right now, impacting young adults and creating anxiety and concern is the same thing that will help the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ stand out with greater clarity and greater impact….”
He continued:
“What an exciting time to be part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I know He loves us. I know He can help us repent and that we can be forgiven when we fall short. I know that because of Him we will live again. And as we are taught in Alma 7 verse 12, that He will comfort us in our afflictions and He will strengthen us in our infirmities, He will succor us when life’s not fair…. I’m grateful that we have a living prophet whose role is to teach the world the messages of the Savior. I bear witness of a living Christ and of a living prophet on the earth….”
In a personal message to the people of Japan, Elder Gilbert shared:
“The well-known Japanese proverb states, ‘Send your beloved child out on a hard journey’. This was true for me when I first left my home and traveled to Japan. I was a young 19-year-old missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The new circumstances, a different culture, the language, and my mission service pushed me to grow and become something more. I will forever be grateful to so many Japanese families and individuals who welcomed me into their lives and homes and let me practice my early Japanese. Some of them joined the church, but whether they did or not, these good people blessed my life in ways that are almost incalculable.
My mission in Japan also taught me to trust the Lord and to lean unto him to help me learn the language. I have always been a hard-working student, but when I came to Japan, I knew the Lord would help me learn the language because I needed to be able to communicate with the Japanese people. For the first time I involved the Lord in my learning, and it made all the difference. The most profound growth of my mission was a testimony of Jesus Christ, but I also grew intellectually, cognitively, and in my ability to study and learn. I believe this growth and development blessed my academic studies after my mission and eventually took me from BYU to Stanford University and later to Harvard University. I will forever be grateful for my mission, for the opportunity to learn the Japanese language, and for the lessons I learned in Okinawa, Kyoto, and Kobe about trusting the Lord. I also learned how much the Lord loves the Japanese people. My life will forever be enriched because of the relationships that were formed all those years ago in Japan.
My wife and I later worked in Tokyo as a young married couple. We have taken our children back to Japan, where we studied the history, language, and culture and tried to help them understand why we love the amazing people of Japan so much.”
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Elder Gilbert continues to hold a deep love for Japan and for his brothers and sisters in that unique land. His heart is full as he—now as an Apostle—renews and expands the work he began as a young full-time missionary in the Japan Kobe Mission 37 years ago. His fervent prayers are that his ever-growing testimony will find “more ears that will hear, eyes that will see, and hearts that will open” in Japan.
He now joins in the apostolic witness and declaration known as “The Living Christ” and especially emphasizes the eternal truth and power of its closing words:
“We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.”
An official biography of Elder Gilbert is available by clicking on Elder Clark G. Gilbert Biography. He also welcomes you to his official Instagram account (click here).