by Isaac Spears, Sister Condie, and Sister Smith
Sister Smith:
Sister Nielson and I met Issac one night after a long day of rejection. It was around 7:30 in the evening and we were getting burned out for the day (it was a long day). We decided to go knock on a few more doors even though it was dark and chilly. We knocked on about four or five doors. Rejection after rejection. We decided to try once more though.
The Spirit was the ultimate guide in finding Issac. It just felt right to go up the stairs, it just felt right to knock on the last door on the left, and it just felt right to knock three times after no answer after the first and second knocks.
After a long while of waiting for the door to open, we started to turn around to leave when the door finally opened. We were definitely caught off guard! Issac answered the door and we asked if he had heard of the Book of Mormon and if he wanted to learn more. “Yeah” he said, which also caught us off guard because we had been rejected all day!
The rest is history. Issac progressed very quickly and he was fellowshipped so well by the Bastian family. Sister Condie came into the picture by the time we were consistently teaching him. The Bastians had us and Issac over for dinner multiple times and we taught some powerful lessons. He was very excited to be baptized and expressed to us that he had been thinking about it for quite a while. Isaac was baptized on January 6, 2024.
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We were later able to go to the temple and perform baptisms for the dead with Issac at the Atlanta Georgia Temple. Issac was able to be baptized on behalf of his brother who had passed away and other ancestors as well.
I have a testimony that God is so involved in missionary work. It is by His design and powerful guidance that we knocked on Issac’s door that night.
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Sister Condie
I met Issac my first week in TN, when I joined for his second lesson with the missionaries. As we taught him, I saw the effort he was putting in to learn more, make changes, and really understand what we were teaching.
I loved seeing the ward reach out. I loved discussing his questions. I loved watching him make the effort to read, pray, and attend church. And I loved watching the power come into his life as he was baptized and confirmed.
Attending the temple with Issac was powerful! As I watched him be baptized for his brother, I felt the Spirit testify to me about just how impactful one baptism can be. When someone is baptized, it opens the door for all of the people in their family tree to also make those covenants: those who came before, and those who haven’t yet been born. Thats amazing! I’m grateful to have a front row seat in this eternal work.
Issac Spears:
I met the missionaries when they knocked on my door. I almost didn’t open the door. I usually don’t open it for someone I don’t know, but I had a feeling like I should. I had been baptized before when I was younger – probably about 8 or 9 – but that thought about being baptized again had been on my mind for the last year..
The missionaries invited me to church, so I started going to church with them. I hadn’t talked to anyone about my thoughts on being baptized again, and I thought maybe it wasn’t the right time for me. But then the missionaries asked me if I would be baptized. I knew I wanted to and I knew it was time.
I decided to join the church because I believe the Book of Mormon is true, even though I haven’t fully read the entire book yet. Also, I decided to join because when I first attended church, I had a different feeling than when I would go to my previous church. I’m not sure how to describe the feeling I had. The people at my previous church asked me the same question about what made me decide to start going and I told them the same thing that I felt differently when I attended my new church.
Barlows in TKM 