have the privilege of sharing some of John A. Clark's thoughts and experiences with others.

John Alexander Clark was born to a polygamous family in Farmington, Utah in 1871. His father, Ezra T. Clark was a prominent and prosperous man who had known Joseph Smith and come west with the Saints to build the kingdom. John had such a desire to gain an education and go on a mission that he told his father he would relinquish all claim to any inheritance if his father would permit him this wish. Perhaps his father's hesitancy stemmed from his reluctance to part with money (he was known for being a bit tight-fisted) or perhaps it went deeper and he was afraid to want to risk losing another son on a mission. His eldest son died of heatstroke as he was on his way home from serving a mission and his father went to New York to claim his body. But despite the reservations his father consented to his wishes and John received a call from President Wilford Woodruff, to serve in Turkey.

Left teaching job

So John left his teaching job and class of 47 students in Minersville, Utah, and departed from Salt Lake City in February of 1894 . He was excited by the prospect of spending some time in England enroute because his mother had emigrated from England as a young woman.

He enjoyed his travels through Europe and reported faithfully to his parents about his scenic and frugal tours as he traveled to Syria. He arrived in March, where he spent almost five months studying Arabic and German with his companion. He spent $2.50 for twelve lesson in Arabic. He had a companion while in Syria, an Elder Robinson from American Fork. His exposure to the world caused him to write his parents, "The scenes in the world makes the blessings of a Utah boy or girl stand out in bold relief and the gospel to appear, if it never did before, the richest of all riches under heaven, which indeed it is." 

Then John was sent without a companion to Haifa, Palestine in August. He lived in a small German colony in Haifa with his mission headquarters in Switzerland. He describes being in Haifa in a letter home in September of 1894.

The gathering of grapes is the principal business here and Mt. Carmel yet looks beautiful with the side, which is towards me clothed with vineyards and its back hidden in shrubbery still green .....I love to gaze from my open window on these hills where Elijah, also others of