The laying on of hands is one way to receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost. They also are received by impartation or simply by asking God for them. A good example of the latter is the story of a young minister who trained in my church. She was brought up a staunch Catholic but later gave her life to Christ. At seventeen years old, she joined my church and was concerned about speaking in tongues. She felt it was silly and although she embraced most of the teachings, she could not accept the concept of speaking in tongues.
In all-night prayer meetings, which are a way of life for most of our churches in Africa, she would get frustrated because she covered the prayer topics in less than ten minutes. She did not enjoy praying all night, though she wanted to. However, she observed that those who prayed in tongues could go on for hours. In her frustration, she went into her prayer closet and asked God to give her the gift of the Spirit, if it was really from Him and of Him.
Days turned into weeks, and nothing happened. Then one day, as she was praying at home, she began to speak in tongues. It was so exhilarating that she could not stop.
To keep her Catholic parents, who thought it was madness to speak in tongues, from noticing this gift, she ran into the bathroom and stayed there as long as she
could, speaking in tongues. If her parents had heard her, a trip to the psychiatrist would have been inevitable.
Since then, more than sixteen years have passed, and she has grown into one of the strongest prayer warriors I know, She also walks in a powerful gift of praise and worship.