What Type of Leader Should I Be? | An Interview with Elder Clate Mask

Clate W. Mask Jr. served in the U.S. Army Reserve before attending Brigham Young University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish, then worked in construction sales in Los Angeles, California. He taught early-morning Seminary and loved it so much he chose to leave his job to work full-time for the Church Educational System. He later earned his master’s degree in education from California State University, Northridge. He helped establish Institute classes in Spanish in Arizona and Southern California and loved bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to life for his thousands of “star students” over the years.
Elder Mask was a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Prior to his call, he and his wife, Carol, were mission leaders of the Spain Barcelona Mission. Following his release as a general authority he and Carol served as president and matron of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. He has also served as bishop, branch president, stake Sunday School president, and high councilor. Clate and Carol are the parents of six children and 28 grandchildren and spent much of their married life in Arizona. They both served as missionaries in the Central American Mission and have a life-long love for the people and culture of Central America.
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HIGHLIGHTS
In this podcast episode, Elder Clate Mask, an emeritus general authority, shares insights and experiences from his time as a Seminary and Institute teacher and a mission president in Spain. He reflects on his journey of teaching youth and missionaries, emphasizing the importance of being true to oneself and following the guidance of the Spirit.
Elder Mask discusses his approach to teaching Seminary, focusing on inspiring youth to emulate Christ and develop a desire to serve others. He also shares anecdotes from his time as a mission president, highlighting the challenges faced by missionaries and the strategies he employed to uplift and motivate them.
Through object lessons and storytelling, Elder Mask instilled in his missionaries the importance of perseverance, optimism, and looking for the good in people, drawing parallels to the teachings of Christ and the examples set by prophets like Brigham Young, Spencer W. Kimball, Howard W. Hunter, and Joseph Smith.
By incorporating these principles into their daily lives and interactions, Elder Mask encouraged his missionaries to overcome discouragement, stay focused on their goals, and strive to become more Christlike in their actions and attitudes.
00:05:30 - Becoming More Christlike Through Prophet Examples
00:11:49 - Unexpected Calls to Serve as a Mission President
00:19:41 - Teaching Missionaries to Overcome Discouragement
00:24:42 - Using Object Lessons to Teach Resilience
00:40:16 - Emulating Christlike Attributes of Prophets
00:45:56 - The Pollyanna Principle for Finding Good in People

[@susancook8712]

When I pause a moment to look back at my life every now and again it's easy to identify a handful of key players in shaping me to the person I am now. My ninth grade seminary teacher... Brother Mask was one of those key players. We always felt like we had a superhero for our teacher. We knew he loved us, but more importantly he reminded us that we were loved by loving Heavenly Father.

[@kurtiszobell7799]

Wonderful interview, I may have to pick up the rest later, but it will be worth it. 31:56