Elder Ezra Taft Benson breaks ground for the Language Training Mission, July 18, 1974The gift of tongues by the power of the Holy Ghost in the Church is for the benefit of the servants of God to preach to unbelievers, as on the day of Pentecost. When devote men from every nation shall assemble to hear the things of God, let the Elders preach to them in their mother tongue, whether it is German, French, Spanish, or Irish. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1902, Vol. 4:485).
Also, I saw Elder Brigham Young standing in a strange land, in the far south and west, in a desert place, upon a rock in the midst of about a dozen men of color, who appeared hostile. He was preaching to them in their own tongue. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1902], Vol. 2:238).
We believe in the gift of tongues,” and in the interpretation thereof [see Articles of Faith 1:7]. Karl G. Maeser—than whom no more devoted Latter-day Saint ever lived—told me with his own lips of such an incident....He said: “Brother Grant, the night that I was baptized I looked up into heaven and said: ‘Oh, God, I have found, as I believe, the gospel of thy Son Jesus Christ. I have rendered obedience to it by going down into the waters of baptism. Give to me a manifestation, give to me an absolute witness of the spirit that I have found the truth, and I pledge to you if necessary my life for the advancement of this cause.’”
At that time Brother Franklin D. Richards [of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles] was president of the European mission, with headquarters at Liverpool. He went over to Germany to be present at the baptism of the first converts to the gospel in that great empire. Walking from the place where he was baptized to his home, a distance of several miles, Brother Maeser expressed a desire to converse upon different principles of the gospel, through an interpreter. That interpreter was Brother William Budge. … Brother Maeser, who understood no English, asked questions in German, and Brother Richards, who understood no German, answered them in English; Brother Budge interpreting the questions and answers. After a few questions had been asked and answered through the interpreter, Brother Richards said: “Do not interpret those questions, I understand them;” then Brother Maeser said: “Do not interpret those answers, I understand them.” They conversed for miles, the questions in German, the answers in English; neither man understanding the language of the other. They arrived at the River Elbe and while crossing the bridge they were separated; when they reached the other side Brother Maeser asked another question, and Brother Richards said: “Interpret it, Brother Budge.” When the answer came, Brother Maeser said: “Interpret it.” His next question was: “How was it, Apostle Richards, that we understood each other, and now we cannot understand?” Brother Richards told him that one of the fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ was the gift of tongues and the interpretation. Then he said: “God has given to you and to me this night the privilege of partaking of one of the fruits of the gospel by having the interpretation of tongues. Brother Maeser, you have received a witness from God that you have found the truth.”
Brother Maeser told me: “I trembled like a leaf, and I again raised my eyes to heaven and said: ‘Oh, God, I have received the witness that I asked for, and I pledge to you my life, if need be, for this cause.’ ” (Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, April 1927, pp.16–17).
Study a foreign language if you have opportunity to do so. You may never be called to a land where that language is spoken, but the study will have given you a better understanding of your own tongue or of another tongue you may be asked to acquire. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Conference Report, April 1982, p. 63; Ensign, [May 1982]: 42).
Young men and young women should be encouraged to include in their high school and college courses some of these languages. Some important factors to be kept in mind by all Americans who go abroad: (1) To learn another language is to learn that nation's way of thinking. We must have some knowledge of the religious and philosophical thoughts. (2) We must be conversant with the foreign life of its individual, social, and political aspects. (3) One should study and know their best literature. (4) Before you can understand a people you must know how they think. (5) Be respectful to other peoples' beliefs, and forms of worship, as you expect them to be tolerant with you and your teachings. (David O. McKay, Secrets of a Happy Life, comp. by Llewelyn R. McKay. Salt Lake City: Leatherwood Press, 2005, pp. 51-52).
Some may receive the gift of tongues that they will get up and speak in tongues, and speak in many other languages beside their mother tongue, the language that they were brought up in, that they were first taught, and be able to proclaim the Gospel of life and salvation that all men could understand it. (Brigham Young, Paris, Idaho, 31 August 1873).
To our young men I would like to say, prepare themselves, not only financially as you have been urged to do, but also intellectually and morally and spiritually. Study languages. This gospel is not for the people of America only. This gospel is for the people of the earth, and we have incumbent upon us the obligation to learn to speak their tongues. If you be called to a foreign language mission, you will be better equipped if you have studied the language. If called to an English-speaking mission, you will understand your own language better.
Live for the opportunity when you may go out as a servant of the Lord and an ambassador of eternal truth to the people of the world. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). This is our commission, and this is our obligation spoken anciently and reaffirmed in modern revelation. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Conference Report, April 1962, p. 73).
Most secondary schools require learning a second language, and students should work hard to do that. Now, they may learn Spanish and get sent to Taiwan, but that’s all right. It’s the discipline that comes of learning how to learn that is important. Having learned a second language, they will find it easier to learn the language of the people in the mission in which they are called. (M. Russell Ballard, “How to Prepare to Be a Good Missionary,” New Era, [March 2007]: 9).
We should be a people of profound learning pertaining to the things of the world. We should be familiar with the various languages, for we wish to send missionaries to the different nations and to the islands of the sea. We wish missionaries who may go to France to be able to speak the French language fluently, and those who may go to Germany, Italy, Spain, and so on to all nations, to be familiar with the languages of those nations. (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young. sel. John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941, p. 254).
I studied eleven hours every day for several weeks, I read the Book of Mormon in Maori, and my studies were punctuated with fasting and with prayer; and on my twelfth Sunday I delivered my first sermon in the Maori language. They do speak with new tongues, those who accept the call to the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I have seen young missionaries in Samoa and in Tonga and in New Zealand and in Hawaii who, within six months time, could deliver sermons in the languages of the people among whom they were laboring—young men and women who did not have much scholastic training before they were called into the mission fields, but these young men and women, placed in the hands of God, and molded like clay in the hands of the potter, received the gifts which they had been promised.
I had a shoemaker on one occasion down in New Zealand say to me, “Oh, you Mormon missionaries think you are smart. You come out here and learn to speak the Maori language in two or three years.” He said: “I was only here six weeks, and I could say, ‘Kaore au moriorio ki te korio Maori,” which means absolutely nothing in the Maori language. What he was trying to say was that he did not know how to speak the Maori language, and he did not. I saw him three or four years later, and he was still trying to say he did not know how to speak the Maori language. (Matthew Cowley, Conference Report, October 1948, pp. 156-157).
I had an uncle come here, Alonzo A. Hinckley, way back in the early days. He later became a member of the Council of the Twelve. He spoke of the miracle, the great difficulty in learning this language and of his pleas with the Lord to help him, to loosen his tongue so that he could speak to the people words of testimony and truth. Suddenly, just out of the clear blue, he sat in a meeting and understood what was being said and then was called upon to speak and spoke with clarity to the people. A miracle. This is a land of miracles and as has been said, this is a work of miracles. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Netherlands Amsterdam Missionary Meeting, 13 June 1996).
When he [Elder Mark Skidmore] received his call to Norway, he knew not one word of Norwegian—yet he realized that to teach and to testify he would need proficiency in the language of the Norwegian people. To himself he made a private vow: “I will not speak English until I have brought into the waters of baptism my first Norwegian family.” He plodded. He prayed. He pleaded. He worked. After the trial of his faith came the desired blessing. He taught and baptized a choice family. He then spoke English for the first time in six months. I met with him that same week. His expression was one of thanksgiving and gratitude. I thought of the words of Moroni, that courageous captain: “I seek not for power. . .I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God” (Alma 60:36). (Thomas S. Monson, Be Your Best Self, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1979, p. 69).
Seek the gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues. More than anything else, this will help you speak and understand the language of the people in your mission. You will not obtain this gift without effort on your part; you need to actively seek it. Part of seeking the gift of tongues is to labor and struggle and to do all you can to learn the language. Trust that the Spirit will help you as you live the way you should and do your very best. Have faith that you can have the gift of tongues in its true and most comprehensive sense.
When you feel you are struggling to express yourself as clearly as you would like, remember that the Spirit is able to speak to the hearts of all God’s children.
President Thomas S. Monson taught: “There is one language. . .that is common to each missionary—the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart” [“The Spirit Giveth Life,” Ensign,, June 1997, 2]. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 133).
We are not interested merely in numbers, but we have a great task to take the gospel to all the world. Generally the men most capable of teaching the gospel are those native sons. When you give the responsibility to a young native boy, who has the language, who has the customs and who has the acquaintances, oft times they can do a greater work than our own boys. (Spencer W. Kimball, Mission Presidents’ Seminar, 25 June 1976).
Recently I visited the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah, where missionaries who have been called to serve throughout the world are devotedly learning the fundamentals of the languages spoken by the people whom they shall teach and to whom they shall testify.
Vaguely familiar to me were the conversations in Spanish, French, German, and Swedish. Totally foreign to me, and perhaps to most of the missionaries, were the sounds of Japanese, Chinese, and Finnish. One marvels at the devotion and total concentration of these young men and women as they grapple with the unfamiliar and learn the difficult.
I am told that on occasion when a missionary in training feels that the Spanish he is called upon to master appears overwhelming or just too hard to learn, he is placed during the luncheon break next to missionaries studying the complex languages of the Orient. He listens. Suddenly Spanish becomes not too overpowering, and he eagerly returns to his study.
There is one language, however, that is common to each missionary—the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in the this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart. (Thomas S. Monson, Live the Good Life, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1988, pp. 57-58).
I can walk down the street of Salt Lake City and meet people who speak a score or more of languages: Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, Albanian, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Japanese, Chinese—both Mandarin and Cantonese—Mongolian, Estonian, various dialects of the Philippines, and whatever else you wish to have. I think it is a tremendous phenomenon. All have learned these languages while serving as missionaries. And as they have learned the language of the land in which they have served, they have had companions in this service who are natives of those lands and who in turn have learned English from them. This cross-fertilization of languages and cultures is a tremendous thing. Misunderstanding grows out of ignorance and suspicion. As we learn to know those various cultures, we come to appreciate them. The cause of peace is strengthened in a very real sense by this tremendous program.
We now have 333 missions across the world. Each becomes a bridge to better understanding among people, to greater appreciation for other cultures. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Washington D.C. Address to the National Press Club, 8 March 2000 quoted in Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley Volume 2: 2000-2004, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005, pp. 464).
I am at least superficially acquainted with some of the problems encountered by our missionaries incident to our carrying out the program of the Church where there are marked differences between our culture and the cultures of the people of those lands. But I feel these differences are of minor importance in comparison with the great burden of our responsibility to teach the gospel of the Master and that alone. . . .
The Spirit of the Lord will overcome the effect of any differences in culture or other situations between a missionary and those he teaches. The Lord himself made the process clear. . . .
Now even greater challenges lie ahead for the future. One cannot think of . . . China,. . .India, the vast populations of Russia and the Middle East without wondering how it can ever be accomplished. It will be accomplished, for the Lord has given us a mandate. If we put forth our efforts, he will open the way. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Things Are Getting Better,” BYU Devotional Speeches of the Year, 8 April 1976, pp. 87, 90-91).
Traveling from Nauvoo to the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847 is not unlike a young missionary from Idaho traveling to Siberia in late 1993 as one of the first Latter-day Saints to labor in that land. Nearly every day our missionaries arrive in countries where they have little knowledge of the language and where the food, culture, and living conditions are often much different from that which they are accustomed to. And yet they go boldly as modern pioneers, not fearing the journey, walking with faith every footstep to bring people everywhere the good news of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. (M. Russell Ballard, When Thou Art Converted [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2001], p. 86).
Who are our neighbors? The people of the world are our neighbors. We no longer live in a little secluded area. We no longer consider ourselves isolated from the world. It is a marvelous thing that we do in sending out missionaries to the far ends of the earth, where they partake of the culture and the systems of the lands in which they live. It has such a tremendous and dramatic effect. They never get over their experiences. They want to be helpful, they want to be generous, and you are affording them an opportunity to be so. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Washington D.C. Address to the National Press Club, March 8, 2000 in quoted in Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley Volume 2: 2000-2004 Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005, pp. 480).
The Lord declared, “Every man shall hear the fullness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power” (D&C 90:11). Strengthen your personal testimony to bring converting power to your words. First study the doctrines and the lessons in your native tongue. That understanding will strengthen your testimony and your capacity to teach and testify convincingly. You can then learn to express the message of the Restoration in your mission language under the guidance of the Spirit. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 127).
To our young men I would like to say, prepare yourselves, not only financially as you have been urged to do, but also intellectually and morally and spiritually. Study languages. This gospel is not for the people of America only. This gospel is for the people of the earth, and we have incumbent upon us the obligation to learn to speak their tongues. If you be called to a foreign language mission, you will be better equipped if you have studied the language. If called to an English-speaking mission, you will understand your own language better." Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997, p. 345).
Learning to teach effectively in your mission language requires diligent effort. Do not be surprised if the task seems hard at first. Learning a language takes time. Be patient with yourself. Seek the help of your companion, members, investigators, and other missionaries.
Do not stop improving your language skills once people begin to understand you. As your ability to speak the language grows, people will listen more to what you say than to how you say it. You will be less worried about how to communicate the feelings that are in your heart. You will be better able to respond to the needs of investigators and the promptings of the Spirit.
Strive to master the language throughout your mission and after you return. The Lord has invested much in you, and He may have uses for your language abilities later in your life. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained: “We would . . . hope that every missionary learning a new proselyting language would master it in every way possible. . . .And as you do so, your proselyting and testifying skills will improve. You will be better received by and more spiritually impressive to your investigators. . . . Don’t be satisfied with what we call a missionary vocabulary only. Stretch yourself in the language and you will gain greater access to the hearts of the people” (missionary satellite broadcast, Aug. 1998).
You are not alone in learning a mission language. Whenever the Lord gives a commandment, He provides a way to accomplish it (see 1 Nephi 3:7). Seek his help. Be dedicated in your study. In time you will acquire the language skills necessary to fulfill your purpose as a missionary. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 128).
Use your mission language at every opportunity. Speak the language with your companion as much as possible throughout the day. Pray in the language privately and publicly to learn the appropriate language for prayer and to learn to speak what is in your heart.
Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Everyone who learns a new language makes mistakes. People will understand, and they will appreciate your efforts to learn their language. Memorizing phrases and scriptures will help you to avoid mistakes, but you should not use lengthy memorized or prepared scripts as a way to avoid mistakes.
Help your companions experience success and gain confidence in learning the language as rapidly as possible. Sincerely and frequently compliment your companions and other missionaries on their progress. Be sensitive not to say or do anything that might weaken their confidence, but don’t protect them so much that they do not learn. Do not withhold help when it is needed. Give them opportunities to teach and testify successfully. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 131).
Culture and language are closely related. Understanding their culture will help explain why language is used the way it is. Strive to understand the culture of the people so that you can communicate the unique aspects of the message of the Restoration in a way that will be clear to them.
One of the greatest things you can do to gain people’s trust and love is to embrace their culture in appropriate ways. Many great missionaries have done so (see 1 Corinthians 9:20-23). Seek to have the people feel comfortable with you and your language. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 132).
We also wish [missionaries] to understand the geography, habits, customs, and laws of nations and kingdoms...This is recommended in the revelations given to us [see D&C 88:78-80. 93:53]. In them we are taught to study the best books, that we may become as well acquainted with the geography of the world as we are with our gardens, and as families with the people--so far at least as they are portrayed in print--as we are with our families and neighbors. (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941, pp. 254-255).
Where. . .national traditions or customs conflict with the teachings of God, set them aside. Where traditions and customs are in harmony with His teachings, they should be cherished. (Richard G. Scott, “Removing Barriers to Happiness,” Ensign, [May 1998]: 87).
The promise is made that the day shall come when “every man shall hear the fullness of the Gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language through those who are ordained to this power, by the administration of the comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is the plan from the foundation of the earth that every soul shall have the opportunity of hearing the Gospel. . . .
In order that the Gospel might be declared among the nations and kindreds and tongues, the Lord commanded that the elders should study language and with all good books be prepared to carry the message so that people could hear it in their own tongue. This was one great opportunity presented in the school of the prophets. It is a remarkable fact that the elders of the Church going forth to foreign lands have had the gift of tongues by which they have learned to speak these foreign tongues within very brief periods of time. . . .
It is the requirement of the Lord that his servants prepare themselves by study and by faith and become acquainted with peoples. Languages and world conditions so that they may more fully prepare and teach the Gospel. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1953], Vol. 1, p. 390).
In order that the Gospel might be declared among the nations and kindreds and tongues, the Lord commended that the elders should study languages and with all good books be prepared to carry the message so that people could hear it in their own tongue. This was one great opportunity presented in the school of the prophets. It is a remarkable fact that the elders of the Church going forth to foreign lands have had the gift of tongues by which they have learned to speak these foreign tongues within very brief periods of time. Not only is this the case, but there are many instances of record where the missionaries in conversation and when preaching have been understood by others in their native language. These cases have been similar with the gift of tongues as it was manifest on the day of Pentecost, when Peter and the apostles stood up and spoke to the assembled people from all countries who had come to Jerusalem to the celebration of the Pentecost (See Acts 2:1-12).
Elders who have labored in foreign fields who have relied upon the Spirit of the Lord and have been diligent in their labors can testify from all parts of the Church that through the help of the Spirit they were able to speak the languages of the people among whom they were appointed to labor, and this beyond their natural powers (See D&C 46:24-25). It is the requirement of the Lord that his servants prepare themselves by study and by faith and become acquainted with peoples, languages and world conditions so that they may be more fully prepared to preach and teach the Gospel. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1953], Vol. 2, pp. 151-153).
