I did not want to go to a mission were I would need to learn a language. I did not do well in Language Arts in high school due to a learning disability and I was sure I could never learn to speak another tongue. But the Lord still sent me to a foreign, bi-lingual, 2½ year mission where I would learn Afrikaans.
I did not really understand how strong the Holy Ghosts power was until I could look back and see how he provided the ability to lean Afrikaans. I just felt that learning Afrikaans was easy, it sounded like English to me while I was leaning it. When I first got home I would says something in Afrikaans so people could hear what it sounded like and I realized it did not sound anything like English.
But there were times when I really felt the Gift of Tongues. Once was when I was confirming a mother of a family who was an Afrikaner. I had memorized the usual words of the confirming membership and to receive the Holy Ghost so when this good sister asked me to perform the confirmation in Afrikaans I agreed. When the time came I told her I would do part in Afrikaans and part in English since I was not accomplished enough yet to perform the whole prayer in Afrikaans.
The first part went OK but then I changed back to English for the blessing which accompanies the confirmation. I felt many wonderful things to tell her and promises which would come to her if she was faithful. I felt the spirit was there to guild my words. But I did not know just how much.
After the prayer she thanked me and told me she had never heard anyone speak such good Afrikaans. I looked at her somewhat puzzled and it was only later when most of the members also commented on my Afrikaans that I found out every Afrikaans member in the congregation had hear the entire confirmation and blessing in perfect Afrikaans.
There were other times I felt the Afrikaans language flow beyond my own abilities but that one was one of the most memorable. |
