Elder T. L. Woodbury Speaking in Native Tongue
Published October 12, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
While delivering a sermon on baptism at a conference in Tetamanu, Elder T. L. Woodbury, who intended to speak in English, miraculously found himself speaking in the native language, which he had been learning, to the surprise of himself and the congregation.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 55, No. 44 (30 October 1893), p. 702):
Elder T. L. Woodbury, writing from Tetamanu, Fakarava, under date of August 28, says: 'At our conference held at Tetamanu, I was called upon to speak on the subject of baptism. I intended to speak in English, but when I stood up I found myself speaking in the native tongue, which I have been studying. I was surprised myself, and the people were also surprised, as they understood me perfectly.'
In Their Own Words
“On Friday I was called upon to deliver my say. Brother Damron said he would translate, so I began, but instead of speaking in English, my sermon was in native, on the necessity of baptism. I surprised the whole congregation, but myself the most. God assisted me, and I hope he will continue so in the future. Had not my Father given me His Holy Spirit my sermon would have been a blank. — Millennial Star 55:44”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 30 October 1893 (Vol. 55, No. 44). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1893-10-30_55_44 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 55, No. 44 (30 October 1893), p. 702 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1893-10-30_55_44
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