My undergraduate university was a Christian one and this came with a lot of religious activities and rules, but that's not exactly today's tale.
In the second semester of my first year there was a week of spiritual emphasis: no classes, lots of church stuff day and night. Unsurprisingly, a lot of people got converted or reaffirmed their faith in this period, myself included.
At the end of that week, I go to an evening service for all new believers to "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of... speaking in tongues". Of the around 1500 students in my year, maybe 300 - 500 of us showed up.
Service starts and the numbers soon reduce as people catch the wave, speak in tongues and move to the next stage where they get prayed for and then can leave for the day. As this keeps happening the uneasy thought pops up: what if nothing happens to me? I quickly dismiss it and try to focus on praying and opening my mouth for the tongues to come out.
I'm there with two friends who weren't particularly religious before this, so was very surprised to hear one start speaking in tongues when we were about a hundred people left. He gets moved upfront, and then leaves the chapel in due course.
So now it's AJB and I left along with only a handful of others left and enough ministers to pair up with each of us. We focus on holding hands and praying, and more people 'get the tongues'. AJB eventually does too so now from almost 500 people we're down to 3.
My fear became real as the service ends with me still standing, no tongues received or spoken. My partner encourages me to keep at it when I get back to the room. Disappointed, I stop trying and when he tries to check in later, say I'm making progress and soon start avoiding him altogether.
A friend i told this story feels that like in other social settings most people either convinced themselves it was really happening, or faked it anyways to be part of the group.
So are tongues real today, did anyone present actually get the gift? Can I rule out a situation where everyone played along and just pretended the naked emperor had clothes on? Probably not until it happens to me.
17 year later, AJB does not speak in tongues and remembers it as him mumbling stuff so he wouldn't be the last one left behind. Why not do it much earlier then, why stay so long? "You know we were young" he said, "I wanted it to happen. They told us to wait, and the spirit would come - so I waited".