THE GIFT OF TONGUES

A friend told me the following:

When a young man of 19 years, I was called on a two year LDS mission to Cambodia. Members of the church in that country were sparse back then and to make matters even more challenging, six of us had to open a brand new area. My language skills were meager and yet I did the best I could to convey the Gospel to the Cambodian people. After we had been in the new area a few months, we were told that Ezra Taft Benson of the Twelve Apostles was going to speak with us at a special conference.

He had been recently released as the Secretary of Agriculture under President Eisenhower and had given a Book of Mormon to the Prime Minister of the country, who would be in attendance with his staff. Because of Elder Benson’s political association, the Prime Minister deemed the conference as an official U.S. visit. We were told to get as many of our investigators there as possible and the leadership decided that they wanted me to translate as Elder Benson spoke to the conference.

I was terrified at even the thought of speaking in front of such a large and important gathering and begged my mission president that he choose someone else, but he would not hear of it. I prayed, fasted and then studied the language more intently until the appointed day arrived. I had worked as hard as I could but still felt grossly unprepared. As Elder Benson and I stood before a full house audience of about 30 investigators, missionaries and political dignitaries, he began with, “Good morning and welcome to the conference.”

I was so nervous that I could hardly speak and this simple sentence that he started with seemed complicated and I struggled through it, mumbling and perspiring. At that point, Elder Benson stepped back from the microphone, put his hand on my shoulder and whispered graciously, “Elder be at peace. You can do this and the Spirit will help you.”

An electric feeling coursed through my body and as he spoke the remainder of a talk that lasted over 30 minutes, the translated words flowed and I was calmed and able to speak better Cambodian than before or since. The Spirit truly supported me and gave me the power to speak with confidence and authority. When we do what we can to prepare, and are in God’s service, the Spirit will help us all along the way. Since that time, my wife and I have served in Cambodia as mission president and spouse, and I continue to feel the Lord’s hand in His work. Many leadership callings have come our way since then and I testify that when we work sincerely, He guides us along, despite the obstacles.