M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E
A Gift of Tongues When I Needed It
By Matthew Dean Barkdull
Elder Marion D. Hanks explained the kind of tools Heavenly Father has to work with:
“The Lord said, speaking of His servants, ‘Their arm shall be my arm' [ D&C 35:14 ]. Have you thought about this? … The Lord says this arm of mine is His arm. This mind, this tongue, these hands, these feet, this purse—these are the only tools He has to work with so far as I am concerned. … So far as you are concerned, your arm, your resources, your intelligence, your tongue, your energy, are the only tools the Lord has to work with” ( Service, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 15 Oct. 1948], p. 3).
The Lord once taught me an amazing lesson. When God's children are truly tools in His hands and we move forward in faith, He takes over and miracles unfold. A missionary experience taught me the reality of this powerful principle!
My Family History Mission
Spanish never came easy to me. I took two years of Spanish in junior high and one year in high school. Sadly, when the courses ended, I could only remember such phrases as Hello, I am American. Do you speak English? or Your hair is pretty. Do you like my hair? I never attempted to converse with anyone in Spanish because I was sure I would say something embarrassing.
Due to my health history, I was unable to serve a formal proselyting mission. Nonetheless, with some persistence, I was excited to be called on a Church Service mission at Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City . One of my assignments was in the Family History Department at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building . As a young 19-year-old service missionary, I became the designated grandson of the older missionaries, but I managed to avoid the cheek pinching and hair tussling. One of my duties was to assist patrons in preparing their genealogy with the Temple Ready computer program, which formats ancestors' names so that temples can process them and make them ready for ordinance work.
Is There a Spanish Speaker in the House?
One busy day, I was assisting some patrons with a computer problem. In the background, I heard some activity at the front desk. Interested, I walked over to see if I could help. A sister missionary asked if I knew anyone who spoke Spanish. A gentleman, who did not speak a word of English, was waving a computer disk, but no one could understand what he wanted to do with it.
I immediately began to search for a Spanish-speaking missionary. I had absolutely zero confidence in my ability to speak Spanish. But I could find no one. I returned to the desk where the man looked at me hopefully—so did the sister missionary. He fidgeted anxiously and kept glancing at the clock. He was obviously under some kind of time constraint. Then I felt a spiritual push that told me that I should do something for this man. I said a silent prayer, took an effectual step into the dark, and told the sister missionary that I knew a little Spanish from school. That's all she needed to hear. Suddenly I was elected!
The Miracle
As the man and I walked toward a computer, I desperately tried to recall every Spanish word I had ever learned. We sat down in front of a computer screen. He stared at me and I stared at him. Forcing a smile, I formed the words: I don't know your language very well. That broke the ice. He chuckled, patted me on the back, and proceeded to speak very slowly about what he wanted to have done with the disk.
As he spoke, a most astonishing thing happened. Although I was unable to understand most of the words that he spoke, I was able to understand his meaning. It was as if a translator was standing between him and me. He talked about his deceased family, his parents, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, and cousins. And I understood! He wanted to prepare the names so that these people and others of his ancestors could receive their temple work. My feelings of inadequacy subsided as my understanding of his desires increased, and, without really thinking, I opened my mouth and began to answer his questions…in Spanish! Sometimes I made mistakes, but he kindly corrected me and taught me the proper phrase. The exchange between us became effortless!
I found that he and his family had come to Salt Lake City from South America for the sole purpose of doing this work. Their return flight was that night. I now understood why this man had seemed so insistent and anxious. As I hurried to submit his names to Temple Ready , we continued to speak in Spanish easily as if we were old friends.
Finally, when our task was completed, he graciously smiled, thanked me and commented on my excellent Spanish. Only then was I struck with the full impact of what had occurred over the last few hours. The Spirit bore a strong witness to me that the Lord had allowed me to experience the gift of tongues to help this wonderful Spanish gentleman. As I stood at the front desk and watched him leave, I pondered the power of God that can provide such a miracle.
Later, I tried to speak in Spanish but have found my skill limited to the few phrases that I could recall from junior high. The gift was gone. It was mine for a few precious hours and had served its purpose.
Invitation
I invite you to share your miracle stories with me. As I write my column for Meridian Magazine, I choose from the inspiring stories of others, allowing them to stand as witnesses. Contact me at barkdullm@lycos.com.Click here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
Copyright 1999-2008 Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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