On May 16th we welcomed 10 new missionaries to the TKM. It was a little chaotic for these missionaries as storms across Texas created many canceled flights. Only Sister Hernandez, Elder Naufahu, and Elder Vejnar arrived on time. Sister Bingham joins us from the Mormon Battalion site in San Diego, and she didn’t arrive until the following day, so we are missing her picture below, but we will get it this week. The rest of the missionaries were delayed and didn’t arrive until 2am, so it was a very long day for them.

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Because they arrived in the middle of the night, we delayed the start of our orientation the following morning and did an abbreviated orientation with them.

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After the abbreviated orientation, we assigned them to their trainers and new areas. This is always one of the best things we get to do as mission leaders. It’s a wonderful mix of anticipation, excitement, a little anxiety, and the beginning of a very special relationship.

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We love these missionaries! They are a wonderful addition to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission and we look forward to all that we will get to share with them.

On May 16th, we had three fantastic missionaries who completed their two-year missionary service in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. We love these Elders and feel so grateful for their sacrifice and the incredible changes we’ve seen in their lives in the time we’ve served together.

Elder Bonham
Elder Dunn
Elder Pollister

With just three missionaries, we met at the mission home for our discussion, gave them each a blessing, and then started the 8th TKM Olympics.

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And the winners of the 8th TKM Olympics were Elder Dunn and Elder Bonham!

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After the events, we held a testimony meeting. Since we had a small group, we took the three of them to a restaurant for our dinner. We had good food and great conversation as we talked about memorable experiences, favorite areas, and companions who had a big impact on them. And we were so proud…Elder Pollister was working hard right up until the end. He was doing all he could to get our server to agree to come to church. We told him that we would be following up with her.

Great things lie ahead for these three men. While we had the opportunity to serve with them these last 10 months, we’ve seen remarkable changes in each of them.

Elder Bonham has been a missionary that the Lord had a lot of confidence in, and we saw him rise up to tackle many different challenges head on. In the process, the Lord has taught him powerful lessons through those experiences that will bless him for the rest of his life.

When Elder Johnson left the TKM a few transfers ago, he told us, “The Lord loves Elder Dunn!” When I asked him what he meant by that, he told us, “Just watch him. He baptizes everywhere he goes.” We found that to be very true. The Lord loves Elder Dunn.

And I don’t know we’ve seen a missionary change as much as Elder Pollister. We saw his desire and willingness change, and thus the blessings that come with that flowed into his life. Elder Pollister is the definition of “We will fear no man!” He has been 100% committed to talking with everyone. We love his passion and desire to share the gospel.

We now look forward to the next steps for each of them and commit to do all we can to continue to support them in their efforts to be lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.

Every six weeks, a mission experiences what we call transfers. On this six-week cycle, missionaries who have completed their service return home, new missionaries arrive, and many missionaries end up changing locations or changing companions.

On the Friday of transfer week, people are coming and going from the Knoxville Stake Center in Farragut to drop off missionaries and pick up new companions. These moments remind me of the reunion that happened with Alma and the Sons of Mosiah as they were serving their missions:

And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.

Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

Alma 17:1-3

There is a lot of joy as these missionaries have the opportunity to briefly reunite. Their shared experiences are very powerful. It’s a unique combination of being together 24/7, supporting each other through struggles and adversity, overcoming challenges, celebrating success, and most of all, many, many experiences where they have felt the Spirit together.

There is something that happens when we feel the Spirit with someone else…especially as missionary companions. The connection and unity it creates is different than anything else they’ve experienced so far in their life. It is very unique…and very special. It is so powerful that they will now be life-long friends. You see that as they reunite in moments like transfers. It’s a special bond and we are very grateful to get to share that with them.

by Sister Talbot

Lisa Naegle was introduced to the missionaries by members. Lisa had married into a family that is strong in the church, and over time, her heart was prepared to join the church. Her father-in-law reached out and let the missionaries know she might be ready to take the lessons.

Throughout her life, Lisa has had several experiences that have helped her as she has been growing in faith. One beautiful moment was when she visited the temple with her husband and her in-laws prior to meeting with the missionaries. Lisa had felt sick that morning, but as soon as she got to the temple, her stomach settled down. She wished she could’ve gone into the temple, but she felt very happy as she walked on the grounds and took a bunch of pictures.

Lisa was baptized on May 4, 2024. As we met together with Lisa, the temple has been one of her primary motivators. She is so excited to be able to go to the temple this weekend, and she cannot wait to be sealed to her husband Robert in the temple in a year!

Elder Wakefield and Elder Kerksiek were visiting one of their friends in a mobile home park. Vincent’s dog ran outside. He went to get the dog and the elders were standing there…and that is how Vincent met the missionaries. The Elders talked to him and then sent the referral to Sister Lund and Sister Biasi.

Vincent Leake lives alone and he bought a little puppy named Grizzly to keep him company. He was house training his new dog and he let Grizzly outside to go to the bathroom. Vincent said “Grizzly started to jump on the boys (the missionaries) and I noticed they had suits on. I didn’t want them to get dirty so I went and grabbed him.”

Vincent met two Elders that were in the area for the zone blitz, Elder Wakefield and Elder Kerksiek. They asked him if he had ever heard of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints before. Vincent remembered hearing about our church but never had the opportunity to meet any members or missionaries. They asked if it would be okay if they came back sometime and Vincent said of course. That was November 3, 2023.

A few days later, he got a knock on the door and was surprised to see that it was Sister missionaries, instead of the Elders he had met previously. He was excited to get to know Sister Lund and Sister Biasi regardless, and to hear the message they had to share about Jesus Christ. They stopped by his house often, inviting him to church and teaching him doctrine on the spot. At first, he wasn’t sure about keeping commitments. He tried multiple times to come to church but couldn’t drive all the way due to his poor eyesight. The sisters weren’t able to have a lesson with him until after transfers.

Sister Biasi and Sister Spencer came over with Sister Vangie Norton on January 18 and had our first sit-down lesson. We contacted him often and he always loved seeing the missionaries, especially when they would bring members. Sister Norton came to every lesson, and connected instantly with Vincent. She had the inspiration to have us ask the McGee family to bring him to church. That made all the difference! Vincent began coming every week and absolutely loved it. The McGee family took him under their wing and were such great fellowshippers to him.

Along the way, we lost contact with Vincent a couple of times. He was dealing with various health and family issues. We prayed fervently that he would be able to continue progressing. The adversary was strong, but God’s power helped Vincent through every trial.

On March 1, Sister Spencer and Sister Adams got in contact with him over the phone after the sisters hadn’t seen him for two weeks. As it turned out, he was missing our calls, visits, and texts because he took a nap every time he felt like breaking the Word of Wisdom. He had successfully overcome his Word of Wisdom concerns and we set up a time to come over later that day.

We had a lesson with him and Vangie, and re-invited him to be baptized in one week. We all just couldn’t contain our joy. It was truly a miracle from God. Previously we’d had to reschedule the baptism, and then take him off-date when we lost contact. He was back at church that Sunday and the members were so excited to see him.

Elder Symes and Elder Poll did his baptismal interview, and Vincent told us afterwards he could’ve talked with them forever about how much he loves prophets, the Book of Mormon, and how much he learned from the elders. They became great friends to him as well.

On March 9, 2024, Vincent Leake followed the example of our Savior and was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The McGee’s 18-year old son Brady baptized him, and is now preparing to go on his mission. It was a joyous day.

The Spirit was always so strong when we would talk about Jesus Christ and his divine plan for us. Vincent came to love the Asheville Ward, and in his own words he said, “The Gospel changed my life for the better. It gave me hope and let me know God hadn’t forgotten about me.” He said that he was just starting to feel left out and left behind, but through learning about the Restoration and the Prophet Joseph Smith, he gained the confidence to take his questions and uncertainties to God. Vincent said, “The Book of Mormon has shown me what the truth is. Heavenly Father has not forgotten me and will never forget me.” Vincent has the strongest testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, and he continues today to be a strong and faithful member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints.

He loves the Book of Mormon, and 2 Nephi 26:33 really helped him when he found misinformation online about church history. He looks up to Nephi and Joseph Smith, and loves connecting the Book of Mormon and the Bible. He is already a missionary and taught his neighbor about the Plan of Salvation when the neighbor inquired why we sisters always came to see Vincent. His testimony blesses our lives, and each of us are so grateful we met Vincent. None of this would have been possible without our loving Heavenly Father working in each of our lives and preparing Vincent’s heart to receive the glad tidings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Vincent was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood on April 21, and Sister Adams and Sister Foster are going with him and the McGee’s to perform baptisms at the temple for his ancestors in a few weeks!

For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. – 2 Nephi 26:33

The missionaries were out contacting and knocked on Patti’s door. She opened the door, they introduced themselves, and she invited them in. The first thing she said to them as they entered was, “You’re welcome to come in, but my mother was a member of your church and if she couldn’t convert me you can’t either.”

After Elder Hirsche found her, missionaries kept visiting Patti, but they didn’t start making an impact until Elder Greenhalgh and Elder Stanfield started coming over. Their consistency really helped Patti. She felt like she was able to get to know them a lot more than the previous missionaries.

Elder Putt was also a large part of her conversion. He would consistently pose her questions and as she would answer them, he would inform her that we believed that as well. A particular faith building experience for her was when she explained that she didn’t believe in hell, and Elder Putt responded, “That’s good. Neither do we.”

Eventually Patti was put on date for baptism when Elder Lewis and Elder Berg served in the area. Patti faced some opposition before her baptism, but understanding that the commandments are essential and unwavering helped her power through. Patti was baptized on February 17, 2024.

Members of the Kingsport ward played an important part in Patti’s conversion, including Joe and Claire Ewing and Treasure Phillips. She is very grateful for their love and support.

Charlene Hutchison was married to a less active (but now very active) member of the church. Missionaries in New Mexico went to visit her and started teaching them. The Hutchison’s moved to Tennessee, and her progress skyrocketed.

When the Hutchison’s lived in New Mexico, the Sister missionaries there would often try to get in contact with her and her husband because he was a less active member of our church, Charlene was taught some of the lessons and really liked what was being shared, but she had a strong connection to another church she had been attending.

Once they moved to Tennessee, they decided that they needed to make a decision about where they were going. They prayed and asked the Lord if this church was the one that they should go to. After they prayed about it, Charlene described the feeling she got as “when your stomach comes up as you’re on a Rollercoaster and you just have that moment of joy.”

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Soon after, the Hutchison’s attended their first ever sacrament meeting here in Tennessee and Charlene got up and shared her testimony. She said “I know I’m not a member yet, but I plan to be!”

This understandably left a big impression upon the congregation there. Many said it was one of the best testimonies they’ve ever heard.

Charlene had many questions. Most questions were due to her not fully understanding the doctrine and things we believe. Once she was taught everything, she felt more confident. Something that had a big impact on here were the wonderful Come Follow Me studies that her and her husband did together. She said that reading the Book of Mormon every single day with her husband was the highlight of her day, and that the Book of Mormon really uplifted her spiritually.

Charlene was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on February 4th 2024. She has since been extremely active and involved with the local unit. Charlene is truly an example of those who “are looking for the truth, but know not where to find it.”

by Sister Biasi and Sister Avei

Alex is a 18 year senior in high school from Signal Mountain, Tennessee. He grew up in a home that didn’t practice any religion. His mom and dad are both Atheist, he was raised Atheist. He always thought there was more but he didn’t know where to find it. He started dating his girlfriend Leah who is a member and grew up in the church.

Alex started going to activities and meeting more members in the ward. He started to build relationships with more and more people and was entering more members’ homes. Alex said there is a certain light about the members of the church and it is what drew him in. He said there was a distinct difference of the feeling in those members’ homes than there was in his own. He loved being in their houses because he could feel the Spirit there. He loved that the church was centered around family units.

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He started going to early morning seminary, he attended all the youth activities, and he even started coming to Sacrament meeting. On Sunday February 25th, 2024, Sister Biasi and Sister Foster asked Alex if they could start teaching him. He said yes and they had their first lesson with him the next day. On Saturday March 2nd, Sister Biasi and Sister Avei had their second lesson with him and asked if he wanted to be baptized. He had no hesitation and said yes I’d love to.

That night he said he had one of the most spiritual experiences of his life. He just prayed for a straight hour expressing gratitude to his Heavenly Father. He felt impressed to reach out to all the people who helped him gain a testimony and thanked them.

Alex was baptized on Saturday March 23rd 2024. He was baptized by one of his friends in the ward. His friends sang and spoke at his baptism as well. There were 72 people at his baptism. When Alex entered the font he had tears streaming down his face. He requested to be held under the water for a moment longer. When he came out of the water he hugged his friend who baptized him and had his hand over his heart. Tears filled his eyes and he thanked everyone for being there for him. We got to be the two witnesses for his baptism. It was definitely the coolest experience for the both of us and for the ward in Signal Mountain.

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Something so special about our experience with Alex is that we were able to share most of his big events with him. We had the opportunity to see him be baptized and confirmed, we got to see him receive the Aaronic Priesthood, we got to attend the temple with him, where Sister Biasi was baptized by him, and we got to see him bless the Sacrament.

Alex told us another amazing spiritual experience he has had was with his friend Maggie. She came to a lesson of his and was able to share his experiences after being baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She mentioned that she could see the change in him. She could see the light in each of us there and that is what drew her in. Alex said there was nothing quite like that experience being on the opposite end of things.

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Since being baptized and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, Alex has said that the difference between having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and not having it is very heavy. He said that all of his prayers have been answered and it is something that he is eternally grateful for.

He loves being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and he wants everyone he knows to experience the blessings he has received from it. He is already a missionary and trying to help others receive those blessings as well.

Alex has mentioned to us his plans to serve a mission and eventually be married in the temple. We are so grateful for Alex and the example he is to us. He is a great addition to Jesus Christ’s church and he is going to bless the lives of so many individuals. We can’t wait to see him change so many people’s lives.

Sister Biasi & Sister Avei

by Sister Matheny

I am a volleyball player. I have been training and practicing to play college volleyball since I was in 7th grade. I was on the varsity team, the starting setter, and got player of the year award. My biggest dream after high school was to become a college volleyball player at a D1 level.

But focusing on playing volleyball dismissed the thought of me serving a mission. I always had the idea of serving a mission in my mind, but I didn’t really want to because I loved volleyball so much. 

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An event that changed my life happened during my junior year of highschool. My volleyball career was looking pretty good. I was in contact with good colleges and could see a bright future for myself.

In the spring of 2021, I was in club volleyball, high school basketball, preparing for track season, attending two schools, and work. I was very busy, I did not have a lot of time for the gospel of Jesus Christ including church, prayer, and reading the scriptures. My testimony began to fade. 

On February 1st, during club volleyball practice as we were playing 6-on-6, I dove for a ball and hit the back of my head on the brick wall. I blacked out for a second and was helped by some players and my coach to sit me down for the rest of practice. Later when I saw a doctor, they said I had a concussion. I was devastated because I had to sit out of all my activities.

This was something that I really, really loved and I could not understand why God would take it away from me. But I didnt want to give up, so I kept pushing myself even though I was in pain and could not play the same. I asked God over and over again, “Why me?” Although I spent many days and nights feeling lost, I found myself relying more and more on God’s grace.

I had to come to the conclusion that volleyball was not going to lead me where I wanted to be. This is when I decided to serve the Lord. But… I can be stubborn and wanted to give myself one more shot. So I chose to play volleyball at Southern Virginia University before my mission at a D3 level.

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We had a fantastic season. I was the starting setter as a freshman and led my team to win the region championship game. Even though we were successful, I was physically, mentally, and spiritually drained. I continued to pray to God for a miracle. I asked him countless times to heal me so I can be the best player I can be. Playing at a college level before my mission helped me realize that volleyball is not going to bring me forever happiness. But instead lead me down the wrong path. 

Now that I am on my mission I can look back and see where my prayers were answered. I am not healed from my concussion. I still struggle everyday, which has really pushed me to rely on Jesus Christ’s strength and not just my own.

Elder Bednar once said “I knew that having faith—at least in my circumstance—was not necessarily knowing that he would heal me, but that He could heal me. I had to believe that He could, and then whether it happened was up to Him.”

Because of this experience, I can confidently say that God healed my testimony. I have a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and a deeper love for the gospel. It’s not something I saw happening for myself because volleyball was my future, but God had a different plan for me and He definitely made it known by literally hitting me on the head. 

I am so grateful that I learned this lesson before serving my mission, because as a missionary we rely on Jesus Christ for everything. I still struggle every day, I am not healed either, but now I know to what source I can look to for strength, comfort, and healing. A good summary of what I will always remember is from the words of Elder Bednar. “Strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted.”

I want to end with my simple testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He lives! He is my brother and friend. His grace is sufficient for each of us! He is the ultimate healer!