Mary Lightner Interprets Tongues in the Spirit

After moving to Independence, Missouri, Mary Lightner witnessed remarkable spiritual manifestations among the Saints. Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, and Thomas B. Marsh often spoke in tongues while addressing the people on the Sabbath day. Mary was desirous to understand what they said, so she made it a subject of prayer, asking the Lord to give her understanding of the meaning of their words, for they seemed to speak with great power. One evening, the brethren came to her uncle's house to discuss revelations that had not yet been printed. As they talked about these revelations with reverence, they were filled with the spirit and spoke in tongues. Mary was called upon to interpret it, and 'I felt the spirit of it in a moment.' This manifestation of the gift of interpretation of tongues through the Spirit demonstrated the reality of spiritual gifts among the Saints and Mary's own connection to the divine power.