My mom sent me this copy of the Book of Mormon. She helped organize an activity with the congregation at home where members were invited to write their testimonies in copies of the Book of Mormon.
She sent this Book of Mormon to me, and I gave this Book of Mormon to someone we met on a Wednesday at a car wash. He was super excited about it and wanted to read it! We also gave him a restoration pamphlet. He placed them both inside so he could get back to work. Then Sister Stapley and I had a lesson with another one of our friends in the car wash. Before we left I just felt like I should put our number on the pamphlet, so I did.
Saturday morning rolls around and we got a call from Dustin. Dustin said he found this restoration pamphlet and Book of Mormon on the side of the road as he was riding his bike. As he read the verse and testimony in the front of the Book of Mormon, he said he felt something powerful. He said he felt he should try to return this book to its owner..
As he flipped through the book, he found that the pamphlet that had our number on it, so he called us.
We explained our purpose as missionaries to help others come unto Christ by teaching them His restored gospel. As we talked to him on the phone, he described how much the Book of Mormon intrigued him, and how he’s been looking to strengthen his relationship with Christ. As we continued to get to know Dustin, we realized he was over the bridge and about 15 miles from the car wash where we first gave that book away!
We arranged to meet Dustin later that night, and went with the East Ridge Elders to teach him more about the Book of Mormon. It was remarkable how happy he was to learn more, and he share with us a lot more of his life story. He said ‘the Book found him”! He wanted to read the whole book in a week. The Elders really clicked with him and it was a great lesson.
Christine Wilson: she’s the woman who wrote her testimony in the book. My mom found her in the stake and told her about the story and she was so happy! She said the scripture she wrote (Ether 12:27) has absolutely changed her life. .
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
Ether 12:27
There were so many last minute pieces of revelation that happened for Dustin to get that book:
My mom’s idea to have people sign their testimonies was a last minute addition to a different activity…
Christine said she just walked by and took a double take to quickly write her testimony of her life changing scripture…
It was a last minute idea for me to write down our number on the pamphlet…
And then something had to happen for the Book to move from a car wash in Hixson to a street in Chattanooga.
The concept of “the tender mercies of the Lord” is so apparent in this story and its been super special for my parents, me, Christine and hopefully Dustin!
We found Mary, or in reality, Mary found us, and that was the real tender mercy in this story.
Mary found us as we were walking around an apartment complex and doing some inspired knocking. As we were walking around, Mary came up to us and asked us if we were Mormons. We told her yes, that we were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
We then taught Mary about the Book of Mormon and set up a time to come back. When we came back, we taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited her to attend church with us, which she accepted.
Mary ended up coming that Sunday and had an amazing experience. The members of the ward were so welcoming and friendly to her. Over the next 3 months as we taught her, her understanding and testimony of the Gospel grew rapidly. An abundance of faith and joy entered her life.
Mary’s faith is incredible. I remember the first few weeks we were teaching her, she asked about tithing. So we taught her about it and the blessings that come from paying tithing. The very next week at church, she paid tithing! And she hadn’t even been baptized yet! She has so much faith.
About 3 months into our teaching, Mary accepted the invitaion to be baptized. She was baptized on September 2, 2023 in the Oconaluftee River. Her Baptism was so special. The Spirit was so strong as we witnessed her enter into that sacred covenant with our Heavenly Father. There was a peace and warmth that filled the air. The joy that she had as she came out of the water born anew is a moment I will never forget.
This last week, we were so excited to welcome 21 missionaries to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission! In this group are 16 missionaries assigned to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, three sisters who join us after serving six months at church history missions, three waiting for visas to the Peru Lima North Mission, one waiting for a visa to the Brazil Santos Mission, and one waiting for a visa to the Uganda Kampala Mission. We are grateful to have each one as Tennessee Knoxville Missionaries!
We were missing Sister Katelyn Spencer as she was sick and couldn’t travel from the New York and Pennsylvania Historic Sites Mission on transfer day. We will look forward to getting a picture with her at zone conference in two weeks.
We feel the most important decision with each transfer is who should be the trainers for these new missionaries. A trainer is the most important leadership role of the mission because the trainers get these new missionaries started in the right way, they help them understand the culture and expectations, and they help these new missionaries adjust to missionary life…which is a really big adjustment.
We are very grateful for each of these new missionaries, and we are especially grateful for their trainers. Amazing experiences and incredible growth await each of them!
Alma 5:14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
As Written by Mike and Ada Farmer
This story begins on a bright and cold brisk day in Jamestown, TN where Mike and Ada Farber had lived since January 12th of this year. The Farbers had just left Florida, and they were both excited about the new ventures they would have. Before their departure from Florida, Ada told Mike that he would have to seek help for his depression/PTSD, which he has struggled with after 20 years in the Navy. Long sleepless nights, nightmares, and many other symptoms were normal for Mike. This caused Mike to get easily aggravated, high strung, and agitated, and many arguments began to ensue between the Farbers. Mike continued to see a psychologist via telehealth on the computer and although the medication seemed to help a bit, they continued to up his dosage. The arguments continued to get worse, and after a big argument between Mike and Ada’s son the two began to talk about divorce.
It was under these conditions, that on April 6th, Elders Brown and Bluemel stopped by for the first time. As they drove down a dead-end road Elder Brown had an inclination that we needed help, and they ignored the no trespassing sign that was visible at the front of the drive, they ventured down the long driveway to the house. Mike was ready to send them on their way when he saw them coming down the long, gravel driveway but with the circumstances, decided to hear what they had to say, accept a Book of Mormon and allow them to come back on a later date. Ada was calling around and trying to come up with an amicable agreement between her and Mike and how they were going to split the assets and bills they had, once she had a plan together, she gave it to Mike and once he agreed she sought out an attorney to file the paperwork with the court, which she did, they advised her the divorce would be final on 7/7/23, both her and Mike signed the paperwork.
Mike finally told the missionaries the situation between him and Ada, and Elder Bluemel asked if he should speak to Ada, “Mike said no, Ada’s not in the right state of mind right now to speak to you”, he thought it would just make matters worse. The missionaries gave Mike a priesthood blessing out on the front porch and advised Mike they would look for a church in Evansville, Indiana as this is where Mike would live.
Mike was at the lowest part of his life, and deep-down Ada was concerned about what Mike would do, which made it difficult to know what she should do. She cried so many tears, had so much heartache and really had no idea as to what she would do. Mike pleaded with her to give him another chance.
Mike continued to study with the missionaries, but Ada was very skeptical that Mike could change, especially after all they had been through, and all the things he had tried in the past that didn’t work. It was a Sunday afternoon, and Mike had decided that he would go to Evansville so he could seek out a new place to live, as the divorce paperwork was signed by them both, he had 6 months to get all his belongings. So, Mike began to load the truck with some of his stuff and he was on his way to Evansville to stay with his high school friend Joe. As Mike drove away, Ada felt that this wasn’t the right decision, and as she walked into the bedroom she asked, “God what should I do” and she had the strongest feeling that she should call Mike and tell him to come home, which she did.
Once he arrived back at the house, she told him this was only a trial period, as she was still so skeptical that he could change. Mike continued to read the Book of Mormon and his studies with the missionaries and advised Ada he wanted to be baptized. The missionaries were coming to the house twice a week to get Mike ready to be baptized and Mike continued to attend church without Ada. Mike and the missionaries set a date of June 4th for his baptism and asked Ada to come, which she did. Ada couldn’t believe the profound change in Mike since meeting with the missionaries; he was more humble, loving, and caring.
Elder Bluemel, Mike, and Elder Brown.
Ada decided to start sitting in on Mike’s new member lessons. About a month after his baptism, Mike received the Aaronic Priesthood.
While Ada originally had some concerns about joining the church, she read Acts 8:36-38 in the weekly Come, Follow Me study which tells the story of an Ethiopian eunuch who is baptized after he confesses his belief in Christ. This scripture touched Ada and she knew she needed to be baptized because she believed in God. The Farbers and the missionaries set a date for July 26th for Ada’s baptism.
Ada advised her children that she was getting baptized and her daughter Valerie said she wanted to attend. On July 26th, Ada was baptized by her husband Mike. It was a very spiritual and humbling experience. A couple days later, the Farbers attended the Nashville Temple, the day before its closing for 6 months.
Elder Bluemel, Ada, Mike, and Elder McClellan
Valerie attended the baptisms, and she received a priesthood blessing due to some problems she was experiencing, and it had a profound impact on her. Once she returned home, she sought out an LDS church in her area and is now studying the Book of Mormon with the sisters. Valerie had a dream that she would be in the celestial kingdom with God which she knew nothing about and asked the sisters about her dream and they told her yes that was real and explained to her the different levels of heaven. Valerie plans to get baptized in November.
Elder Bluemel’s Perspective
Our day started out pretty normally. We got up, did our normal routine and got out the door. We had decided to try to find more people to teach along a long dirt and gravel road. We knocked a couple houses and had limited success.
At one point we passed a long driveway with a no trespassing sign on our way to the next house. After a little while longer we were on our way back when Elder Brown turned down the driveway. I noted the no trespassing sign in my mind but didn’t say anything. We walked on the porch and heard a bunch of killer dogs inside the house barking like crazy.
We knocked on the door and a guy opened it. He said his name was Mike and we walked through a short introduction of our purpose as missionaries and what the Book of Mormon is. He seemed pretty closed off but did accept a Book of Mormon and Restoration Pamphlet. He said he would read the pamphlet and we set up a time to come by in a week or so.
When we came back we knocked on the door but nobody was there. We started to walk back to the car but I felt like we should try to go down to the other building on the bottom side of the property. We started going over there when we saw Mike down by the chicken coop. We were able to talk to him and he had actually read the pamphlet! We asked if we could teach him about what the pamphlet contained. He said yes and asked how long it would take. We said maybe 15 or 20 minutes. It ended up being around an hour.
I remember wondering if Mike was an undercover member. He so easily accepted the things we were teaching. It astounded me. He continued to show us that attitude until his baptism just a month later. He made changes so rapidly and willingly. I loved teaching Mike.
Eventually Ada began joining Mike’s new member lessons but remained skeptical. The lessons shifted into being focused on her. Eventually she surprised us by saying that she had started listening to the Book of Mormon and after praying about it, knew that it was true.
From that time on the lessons became much easier. She wasn’t yet ready for baptism but after a Come Follow Me class that we had, she told us she was ready to be baptized. I had the privilege of confirming Ada a member of the church and giving her the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The blessing that I gave afterwards was one of the greatest experiences that I’ve had on my mission. I know that the things I said came directly from Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the supreme impact the Farber’s have had on my life and for the trust which my Father in Heaven has placed in me.
Elder McClellan’s Perspective
One of my favorite drives is driving over to the Farber’s house in Allardt, TN. Everytime I drive to their house I think, “How in the world did the Elders find this place?!”
On my first day in Jamestown, I had the pleasure of meeting Mike and Ada Farber. On our way to the teaching appointment that we had with them, Elder Bluemel told me that they found Mike by knocking on doors. As we drove down to their house, I remember asking Elder Bluemel; “you guys knocked into them?” Before I even met them, I knew that the way the Farbers were found by the missionaries was divinely inspired. Meeting Mike and Ada was such a joy.
The Elders had been teaching the new member lessons to Mike when Ada began to sit in on the lessons too. My first lesson with them was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit was so strong, as it always was with Mike and Ada as we discussed and testified of gospel truths. One of the most spiritually powerful experiences of my life happened while teaching the Farbers when they opened up to us about the circumstances that they were going through when found by the missionaries, and the change in Mike’s behavior, attitude, and countenance since meeting with the Elders. It was so powerful, and that was when we extended a baptismal invitation to Ada. She told us there were some things that she had to let go of before she could make that commitment, and she explained that she did not yet have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. But we knew that she had a testimony of the Gospel.
Just a few weeks later, we had another powerful lesson with the Farbers, when our discussion, completely led by the Spirit, turned towards baptism. That was when Ada told us that she had been talking to Mike about getting baptized! She told us she knew the Book of Mormon was divinely inspired and she had decided that she needed to be baptized. We were so excited! Elder Bluemel and I celebrated with a McFlurry that night.
Ada’s baptism was amazing. The Spirit was so strong and it was amazing to see Mike baptize his wife. I will never forget the Farbers and I am so grateful to God for allowing me the privilege to teach the Farbers. They are such a testament to me that God is there, and loves us each individually.
During this last transfer, we said goodbye to an amazing group of missionaries. After 18 or 24 months of serving the people here in Tennessee, 17 missionaries returned home to begin the next phase of their life. We are so grateful for each them and the incredible contributions they’ve made in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission:
Sister Kessly Strong
Sister Ashley Asay
Elder Caleb Cobos
Elder Caleb Dougal
Elder Trevin Hubbard
Elder Jamison Stagg
Elder and Sister Larson
Elder Jakob Bowler
Sister Brinly Stapley
Elder Jarek Burnett
Elder Christian Clark
Sister Lexi Colson
Sister McKenzie Emmett
Elder Randy Hughes
Elder Ethan Lewis
Sister Emily Reyes
Sister Rachel Saul
Half of these missionaries left during the transfer to return home in time to begin the Fall semester at different universities, leaving eight to participate in the 2nd TKM Family Olympics.
For their last day as missionaries, we celebrate these missionaries and their accomplishments. We hold their final interviews and discuss their goals and important ways they can continue to be life-long disciples of Jesus Christ. President Barlow had the opportunity to give each of them a priesthood blessing, which is a very special experience for him. We then bring them all to the mission home for an afternoon of fun that we call the TKM Family Olympics. With 8 missionaries here on the final day, we divided them into four teams and had them compete in four events:
Corn Hole Bocce Kub Chalk Art
The competition was intense as each team battled it out for the gold medal.
In the end Elder Lewis and Elder Clark won silver medal, solely driven by their 1st place finish in the Chalk Art competition. All of the chalk art was impressive, but Elders Lewis and Clark locked in the win for that category. By the way, lots of symbolism in that art.
But the big winners, going undefeated in Corn Hole, Kub, and Bocce, while securing a solid finish in Chalk Art, were Sister Colson and Sister Reyes. Congratulations to our gold medalists for the 2nd TKM Family Olympics!
After the TKM Family Olympics, we gathered for dinner and these 8 missionaries recorded their final “Tender Mercy Video”.
Everyone changed clothes and we had a very special testimony meeting where each of these missionaries shared their feelings about the Savior, their experiences in Tennessee, and the many lessons learned through this service.
We finished the evening at Bruster’s Ice Cream.
We love each of these missionaries and wonder how the TKM will continue on without them. They will definitely be missed and we know Heavenly Father has great things planned for each of them.
During this transfer we had two missionaries transfer to service missions, and we are very proud of Sister Blundell and Elder Morris and feel so grateful for their service in the TKM. We also had Sister Wood return home for health reasons and she will be greatly missed.
Lastly, we had two missionaries, Elder Thurman and Elder Moore, who served one transfer in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission while waiting for their visas to be able to go to the Peru Lima North Mission. We hoped to have them longer, but feel so grateful for our time serving with them.
Our hope is to be connected to each of these missionaries for the rest of their lives. They have sacrificed so much to come and serve the Lord and the people of Tennessee, and in return they have been blessed with amazing experiences and taught so many critical lessons that will be very valuable in the days to come. We will be cheering them on, always willing to help them in any way we can, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of them.
We have a great need for more senior missionaries in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. We need both office missionaries and missionaries who work with the local wards and branches. If you’ve ever thought about serving, please message us so we can share more about the great impact you can make.
We love the senior missionaries in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. It is incredible to see the tremendous difference they are making for the places where they serve and the members and missionaries they serve with. Their experience is extremely valuable and we’ve seen how the Lord magnifies their efforts. The impact they make and importance of their role can’t be overstated. They do incredible work.
When I was 19 serving as a young missionary, there were two couples who served in the office in Honolulu…the Riskas and the Knights. The love and support I felt from these two couples had a significant impact on me. And it was clear it wasn’t just me who felt that way. They touched every missionary in the mission.
In the next few weeks, three of our couples will finish their service and we will be down to four couples in the entire mission. Ideally, we could use another couple in our office and at least one couple in each of the six stakes in the mission. Some of the largest stakes geographically would greatly benefit from two.
Maybe the best way I can describe the impact of senior missionaries is to introduce you to the senior missionaries serving here in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission
Elder and Sister Larson
This is Elder and Sister Larson who just this week finished their six-month mission as Member and Leader Support missionaries. They are from San Bernardino, California and have been serving in the Chattanooga Branch. Their main focus has been to visit all of the members who haven’t been attending regularly and determine if they still live there, and invite them to return. This was a large list. They visited all of these members and ministered to each of them one-by-one, and helped facilitate many miracles along the way.
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Elder and Sister Henningson
This is Elder and Sister Henningson and they are about to finish their six-month mission. They are from Gilbert, Arizona and have been serving in the Hendersonville (NC) Branch with the Micronesian members there. They have done incredible work in facilitating the missionary prep class and helping young men and young women prepare to serve a mission, get their medical and dental check ups completed, and fill out their missionary applications. They have also been teaching the Temple Preparation Class for the branch. The photo below is a great example of their impact where they had four members of their temple preparation class go to the Columbia South Carolina temple, two that are also in their mission prep class. Soon they will have five others going to the temple and leaving on missions. It’s remarkable of what they’ve accomplished in six months.
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Elder and Sister Smith
This is Elder and Sister Smith. They are just about to finish their 23-month mission where they have been serving in the Powell Valley Ward and live in Pennington Gap, Virginia. They have contributed to many miracles in reaching out to members who have not been attending to feel loved, welcomed, and needed, and helped them to return to church. They work with new members to help them continue to progress and get connected to the “community of saints”. Our missionaries absolutely love the Smiths! They are in a far corner of our mission and as mission leaders we’ve relied on them to help missionaries with preparation day activities, doctor visits, or lunches to help encourage discouraged missionaries.
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Elder and Sister Boyer
This is Elder and Sister Boyer. They just started their mission this last month and will be with us for the next year. They are from Taylorsville, Utah and are serving in the Newport Ward and live in Morristown, Tennessee. The Boyers are from our same ward, the Westland 9th Ward, from back home. We feel incredibly grateful that they were willing to join us here and can already see the tremendous difference they are making. You might like this experience they shared recently:
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Elder and Sister Sawyer
This is Elder and Sister Sawyer. They are from Uintah, Utah and are serving a 18-month mission in the Mission Office. We would be lost without these two! Elder Sawyer wears multiple hats at the moment, but is primarily responsible for the 90 apartments across the mission. He works on all the logistics of leases, opening and closing apartments as needed, resolving concerns that inevitably come up with that many apartments, and ensuring that missionaries are taking care of these apartments as expected. Sister Sawyer is our financial secretary. She takes care of all of the financial reporting, paying the bills across the mission (think of all the utility bills for those 90 apartments), and ensuring we stay on budget. As if that isn’t enough, they also help out in the Maryville Ward where they live.
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Elder and Sister Jentzsch
This is Elder and Sister Jentzsch. They are from West Jordan, Utah and are serving a 18-month mission in the Mission Office. The Jentzschs are from our stake back home. Elder Jentzsch and I served closely together while he was the bishop of the Westland 2nd Ward. These two are lifesavers! Sister Jentzsch serves as the office secretary and coordinates all kinds of logistics with meetings, calendars, mission events, transfers, incoming missionaries, departing missionaries, letters to families…the list seems to go on and on. Elder Jentzsch is responsible for all of the mission vehicles. Think for a moment of 80 cars or trucks being driven by 20-year olds across East Tennessee. It’s a big job and he does it so well with heavy doses of love and kindness.
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Sister Young
This is Sister Young. She lives here in Farragut and is serving a full-time mission while living at home as one of our mission nurses. Everyone loves Sister Young! She counsels with missionaries as they have anything happening affecting their physical health. Plus, she helps out in the office and is willing to help these missionaries in any way needed. Sister Young is known as the grandmother of our mission. She has a listening ear and is always ready with kind words of support. One of her many strengths is ministering one by one and she is often found taking missionaries to lunch. She also makes an amazing southern banana pudding!
Sister Reynoldson
Sister Reynoldson is our other mission nurse. She is so good and so kind. Missionaries have called her just about every hour of the day with everything from upset stomachs to tick bites. Her soothing voice and southern accent have a way of bringing calm to any situation. She has a reputation for always answering the phone whether it’s 3:00 pm or 3:00 am. She does so much to care for the physical and emotional needs of our missionaries. Sister Reynoldson also works full-time as a school nurse and we feel so grateful that she continues to serve even with her busy schedule.
We recently had all of the senior missionaries come to the mission home to spend the afternoon together. It was great to catch up, get to know each other better, and share the great things that each are doing in their areas. We shared a nice meal together and hand a really competitive corn hole tournament. Unfortunately, we took the picture after Elder Jentzsch had left to take care of some things back at the office.
We love each of these senior missionaries and this mission wouldn’t run without them. They love the Lord, they love the people here in Tennessee, and they love every missionary in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. If we were missing any one of them, it would create a big impact on our mission. They each are essential to the work being done here.
You are essential too. Your background, experience, talents, and skills are needed and wanted. You will make a tremendous difference as a senior missionary. There are a variety of needs all over the world where you can serve and we promise you will be incredibly grateful for the lessons you learn, the people you meet and serve, and the way this service will change your relationship with our Heavenly Father. If you have any questions, please message us so we can provide any info you need.
Barlows in TKM 