From the Mission Field
3 Tips for Learning the Language of the Spirit
Learning a new language on my mission was important, but I wouldn’t get very far without learning the language of the Spirit first.
As a missionary serving in Brazil, I’ve found that one of the most difficult challenges has been learning to speak Portuguese. If I want to communicate with others, it’s important to be able to speak their language. But I didn’t realize that I would also need to focus on learning another kind of language as a missionary to be able to communicate with and through the Holy Ghost.
Lately, I have been drawn to 2 Nephi 32:3: “Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost.” The Spirit seems to be reminding me that I should seek to understand how the Holy Ghost speaks rather than being overly concerned with how well I speak Portuguese.
In 2 Nephi 32, we are also reminded that after our confirmation as members of the Church, we gain the privilege of speaking in the “tongue,” or language, of angels. But what is the use of that privilege if we don’t practice and perfect it?
Nephi asks us, “How could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?” (verse 2). This reminds us that in order to practice speaking the language of angels, we must strive to be worthy of the Holy Spirit.
President Russell M. Nelson has told us that we can know truth for ourselves. He said: “You don’t have to wonder about what is true. … Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church.”1
Nothing will make a greater difference in our lives than having our own witness of those things!
To help me understand how to receive personal revelation, I created a study plan for learning the language of the Spirit. This plan has helped me communicate with Heavenly Father and with others as I strive to be an instrument in His hands.
My study plan draws three helpful tips from 2 Nephi 31–32.
1. Feast on the Words of Christ
Just like when we’re learning a foreign language, expanding our vocabulary can help us understand the Spirit. Instead of consulting a dictionary to learn new words, however, we can turn to the scriptures. They will help us understand the words of the Spirit and “show unto [us] all things what [we] should do” (2 Nephi 32:5).
In Preach My Gospel, chapter 7, which is about language learning, we are taught something that has resonated with me daily in my experience as a missionary: “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 of God’s children.”2
Our inability to express ourselves in a foreign language won’t matter as much because our sincere testimony, accompanied by the Spirit, will make clear our desire to help God’s children return to His presence.
2. Knock
In 2 Nephi 32:4, we learn how we can better understand the words of Christ: “If ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock.”
To improve our pronunciation in a new language, it is helpful to ask a native speaker to correct us. Likewise, since Heavenly Father knows the language of the Spirit best, we can ask and knock through prayer to receive guidance and correction.
Through supplicating Heavenly Father for help and trying our best to follow His will, we can improve our spiritual pronunciation and better understand the Lord’s messages.
There are many days when I don’t feel comfortable with my pronunciation in Portuguese and wonder whether people are going to pay more attention to the message itself or how I speak. But in the midst of all my insecurity, I recognize that just as it is important for those we are teaching to be able to understand the language of the Spirit in our lessons, it is also important for me to understand it to receive peace and trust that the Lord will loosen my tongue.
Learning the language of the Spirit is helping me not only to be calm but also to choose the right words, to put together the phrases that will pour out of me when I promise a blessing in the name of Christ.
And in striving to speak with the “tongue of angels,” I have seen the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to Nephi, son of Helaman: “I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will” (Helaman 10:5).
3. Be Resilient
As missionaries, we meet people who, unaware of our efforts, may make fun of our accent and not pay attention to the message we bring. But we must be resilient. No matter how much we try to be a little less imperfect, we will always make mistakes and have ways to improve.
To help us endure, we have this prophetic admonition in 2 Nephi 31:20: “Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”
I testify that the Holy Spirit does speak to us and that He can teach us how to speak to others. We just have to learn to listen to the Holy Ghost. May we remain attentive to and be worthy of the impressions He places in our hearts. President Russell M. Nelson said, “If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small.”3
I testify that the Master’s voice will be there to help us know what to do and say as we strive to bring others to Him.