I have come to believe in the gift of tongues, not a sudden, miraculous ability to speak an unknown language. That would not be well for us nor for the people to whom we go. We are ignorant of their customs and dispositions. Our tempers are too unruly and our tongues too swift. Dumbness at first is a blessing to all concerned. But that God does keep His promise, that He gives strength and patience and to our great surprise even pleasure in studying the language, I know. Little by little our ears are unstopped and the tightly tied strings of our tongues are loosened, till almost before we know it, as a child begins to prattle its mother's tongue, we begin to speak the language of the people about us. I want to say here for the encouragement of any who may be hesitating as I was, that it is not so much a question of special gift in language or of a remarkable memory, as of a fairly good ear and a willingness to work and live among the people.
~ William Blair
The Korean Pentecost & The Sufferings Which Followed
