Robert Clark was born in England to godly parents who dedicated him for God’s service. However, Robert was intent on becoming a rich businessman rejecting God’s call in his life blatantly when he said that “you will not be called upon to make the sacrifice in my case, for that will never be me. I won’t be a parson, much less a missionary”. Years passed by and Robert Clark was on the verge of becoming a rich merchant when he found his life’s true purpose and God’s will became his priority. His mother Mary Clark, en¬couraged him to strengthen his decision when she said, “I hope the Lord has put it in your heart to choose (tho’ late) the most noble service but you must count the cost. It is no light matter to be a servant to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords”. He chose Christian ministry where he knew he could best serve God. Instead of serving God in London, Robert’s focus turned towards reaching the lost in the heathen world. In 1851, he entered Punjab in India and the need for education aided him to start a school in the city of Amritsar. This school housed students across various faiths. Clark’s breakthrough came from a street preaching on February 23, 1853 when a Sikh priest embraced Christianity. A month later a Brahmin, a Sikh and a Hindu pupil from the school heeded to the Gospel. He published commentaries on certain Scriptural passages for the benefit of the local church. In 1854, he began his pioneering work in Afghanistan and with great difficul¬ty translated the Bible in their native language. At this juncture, the Clarks lost their first child, yet this did not deter their mission of evangelizing to the lost. In 1864, Robert and Elizabeth Clark ventured into Kashmir and opened a dispensary. The attempt ended in a violent outburst where 1500 people besieged the house. Inspite of the resistance, they pursued the mission work to initiate the Medical Mission movement in India which led many to the Lord. “Servant of God, well done” was the final testimony of the people about him. From the life of Robert Clark we should be reminded that in our Christian walk it is not how well we begin but how faithful we remain till the end inorder to fulfill God’s will in our life.

Source: Robert Clark of the Panjab – Pioneer & Missionary Statesman by Henry Martyn Clark. Pioneer Missionary Statesman