A Missionary's First German Prayer Answered
Published October 13, 2026 at 5:23 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
A missionary serving in Germany, struggling with the language barrier while trying to pray with a family of Saints, was advised by a 'good old sister' to pray in his native English, with the promise that the Lord would understand. The missionary followed this advice and received comfort.
In Their Own Words
“The writer will never forget the first time he attempted to pray in German. Visiting a family of Saints in the country he was called upon to offer prayer. As his vocabulary consisted of about a dozen words, he could not proceed far. After he had struggled along for a few moments, the good old sister said in all the sincerity of her heart, 'Pray in English, brother, the Lord will understand.' Her advice was gladly followed. The prayer was offered in the language of his childhood, and he felt that the Lord did understand, for a peace and comfort came to his soul that he had not felt before. It was a lesson he never forgot. He learned that the Lord looks at the heart and not at the language in which the petition is offered.”
— Anonymous missionary, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 22 May 1902 (Vol. 64, No. 21). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1902-05-22_64_21 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 64, No. 21, 22 May 1902, p. 328 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1902-05-22_64_21
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