Joey’s journey began one day when he was watching a YouTube video. An ad came on as he was watching his video, and he felt strangely drawn to it. He clicked on it, and was soon in contact with the missionaries. When Sister Tuala and Sister Terry called him, he felt deeply impressed by the spirit he felt, which reminded him of the feelings he had felt in his grandma’s church.
As he learned and grew, he diligently studied the Book of Mormon every night. When things were hard, he held strong and steadfast, just the way his grandma taught him. He has lived a life built on the strength and good morals of his grandma who was a very strong spiritual woman.
One month after he clicked on the ad on YouTube, he was baptized on January 18, 2025 as a member of the Hardin Valley Ward. About his baptism, he said, “It felt like I was back in biblical times.” He felt very connected to the story where John baptized Jesus Christ. He felt forgiven of all sins, and when he was confirmed, he felt the presence of the Savior.
#TKMTenderMercies
Since his baptism, Joey has had many spiritual experiences where he has been able to feel close to his Savior, and been able to grow closer to his fiancé and received guidance and direction to help him in many areas of his life. He has been able to receive the Aaronic Priesthood, and is excited to receive opportunities to bless others through the priesthood in the future, especially as he has been learning about his family history and is preparing to attend the temple for the first time.
Joe wanted his conversion story to close with his testimony. He said, “If you believe in Him, you will overcome your challenges no matter how many trials you face!”
On March 10-13, we were very excited to welcome Elder David L. Buckner and his wife Jennifer for a mission tour of the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. This was our third mission tour since we’ve arrived in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. Shortly after we arrived, we welcomed Elder and Sister Bowen and Elder and Sister Corbitt. Last year we were blessed to have Elder and Sister Nattress tour the mission.
Prior to the mission tour, we participated in a historic event in the mission. Because of the growth happening in East Tennessee, on Sunday, March 9th, the Kingsport Stake was divided to create the Kingsport and Johnson City Stakes. It is very exciting to see a new stake created because the church growing and thriving in wonderful ways. The Lord is truly hastening His work!
Kingsport Stake Presidency: President David Duffey (1st Counselor), President Jason Pickup (Stake President), and President Michael Peterson (2nd Counselor)Johnson City Stake Presidency: President Ryan Hackett (1st Counselor), President James Boone (Stake President), and President Ryan Youngblood (2nd Counselor)
The units in the Kingsport Stake now include the Greeneville Ward, Kingsport Ward, Powell Valley Ward, Rogersville Branch, Rotherwood Ward, and joining from the Cumberland Stake are the Lakeway Ward and Newport Branch.
The units in the new Johnson City Stake include the Abingdon Ward, Bristol Ward, Gray Ward, Johnson City Ward, Marion Branch, Watauga Ward, and Kingsport YSA Branch.
Our mission tour started on Monday. We first met with Elder and Sister Buckner, and then were off to meet with MLC for most of the day. In MLC, we discussed what is going well and what needs improvement. Sister Buckner noted that the Book of Mormon is bookend by tender mercies in 1 Nephi 1 and Moroni 10. We should look for these tender mercies every day. As we do so, the hand of God will be very evident in our lives. Elder Buckner shared that wherever there is a gap, the adversary will insert fear or darkness. We cannot convert people. It’s the Spirit’s role to convert people. Our focus should be to bless, bear witness, and invite people to act in ways that will build their faith in Jesus Christ. This is the one time in your life that you will get to do this in this unique way as a missionary, so remove any obstacles that are getting in the way and focus on this moment. There are angels around you, some who you know. They aren’t just hear cheering you on. They are here to lift you and help you.
We had zone conferences on both Tuesday and Wednesday. While both had things that were unique, there were many repeated themes.
Sister Buckner shared that her and Elder Buckner set a goal to listen to every talk from General Conference every month for the six months between conferences. So they’ve reviewed every talk at least six times. She noted that 25 of the 34 talks use the word “power”, and that “power” was referenced 103 times. This shows that receiving God’s power in our lives is a prophetic priority. She shared seven ways to access God’s power:
Be willing to go and do. Have a heart that says, “I will go, send me.”
Through covenants and ordinances. Look up Faith in the Topical Guide. the first things it says is “See baptism.”
Wear the garment.
Focus on the message of the restored gospel. This will bring power. Smile as you share it.
Read the Book of Mormon every day. This is the most powerful tool for conversion.
Be obedient to missionary standards. As you use your agency to choose to be obedient, you are promised power.
Power in your purpose. When you live the doctrine of Christ yourself, you will have greater power to invite others.
Elder Buckner talked about finishing his mission, getting on the plane to go home, slipping his shoes off, leaning back in his chair, and as the plane took off he said, “No regrets.” He invited all of us to serve in a way where we would have no regrets. He noted that doesn’t mean “no mistakes.” It doesn’t mean being perfect. It means doing all you can to fulfill your purpose while you are here and have the chance to do so. He used an analogy of a puzzle to help us think about gospel questions we will have in life. As we put together a puzzle, we begin with the edges, because they are easy. These represent primary principles of the gospel. We then start organizing groups of colors. What do you do when a piece doesn’t fit? Do you throw it away? Or course not. Why? Because you know it fits somewhere, you just don’t know where right now. So you keep it, set it aside for later, when you know you will see where it fits. We can look at our questions in similar ways. He then taught us about the doctrine of Christ. We have faith that leads us to repentance. There is power of turning and returning brought about by repentance. We take the sacrament to repair us each week. You can’t repair yourself from sin, you need the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We then take upon us the name of Jesus Christ through covenants, and receive revelation through the Spirit. We endure to the end by lookin forward with faith and continuing to change. He noted the Savior waited until the last minute to say, “It is finished.” We should not declare that we are finished prematurely. Keep enduring and He will help us to improve.
The afternoon of each zone conference was spent counseling together about steps we can take to improve on our three key priorities.
Helping more people attend church.
Helping more friends who are on date get baptized.
Finding through members.
Asheville, Cumberland, Kingsport, and Johnson City Zones
On Tuesday, March 11th, we met at the building in Greeneville, Tennessee with the Asheville, Cumberland, Kingsport, and Johnson City Zones.
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Chattanooga, Cleveland, Cookeville, and Knoxville Zones
On Wednesday, March 11th, we met at the Farragut building with the Chattanooga, Cleveland, Cookeville, and Knoxville Zones.
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After MLC on Monday, we had a devotional with all of the senior missionaries in the mission. We love these missionaries. They each are making a tremendous difference for both the missionaries they work with and the members they serve.
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We also stopped by the Knoxville Tennessee Temple site to visit with Elder and Sister Markli. It’s exciting to see the progress at the temple each time we stop by.
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Lastly, we were grateful to have Samantha join us for MLC, where Elder Buckner put her right to work. We can’t express how grateful we are for Samantha. She LOVES Tennessee and is having a wonderful experience here. She’s a big multiplier when it comes to our service as mission leaders.
On March 5th, we welcomed 12 new missionaries to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. These missionaries will serve for the next 18 or 24 months. We look forward to serving side-by-side with each of them!
We still had cold weather in Knoxville, so we held the orientation meetings at the Farragut building and then these new missionaries headed off to the University of Tennessee campus to find people to teach.
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The most exciting part of every Day 1 in the TKM is assigning our new missionaries to trainers. We have an incredible group of trainers this transfer and feel confident the will help these missionaries get off to a great start.
Sister Gabbitas and Sister Holladay had started visiting an inactive member, Brother Jim Janelle. They briefly met Jerimiah, Brother Janelle’s unbaptized son who didn’t seem interested. However, while on exchanges in Rogersville, Sister Gabbitas and Sister Wall went and visited them. In previous visits, other missionaries said that Jerimiah would hide from the missionaries. All he knew about the missionaries was that they were from church and he previously had some negative experiences there. This time was different, though.
The missionaries talked about how caterpillars change into butterflies. That helped Jerimiah see how past experiences do not have to limit him and that he can change. While they were talking with him, they invited and committed him to come to church.
Jerimiah was nervous on the first day that he came to church, so Sister Wall and Sister Condie FaceTimed him on the way there and on the way back. He began to be more comfortable meeting with the missionaries and attending church. He began to learn and grow more than some people thought he would.
It was challenging for him when his dad moved to Greeneville, about 45 minutes away, but he kept learning and growing. He was invited to be baptized and accepted a date of August 30th. He was super excited to keep learning more. He had started praying and reading the Book of Mormon daily.
Transfers happened and Sister Lewis came into Rogersville. Sister Gabbitas and Sister Lewis kept helping him prepare for baptism. Jerimiah was excited and when the sisters asked if he wanted his dad to baptize him, he said yes. He also wanted his mom to be there.
His dad was honored to perform the baptism. His mom is a trucker, so Jerimiah and the sisters realized that they would have to move his date to when his mom could be there, a month away, to September 29th. Jerimiah decided that he wanted to wait for his family to all be there. Even though he was ready to be baptized, and had even been interviewed, he decided to wait.
The sisters kept teaching him and helping him prepare. Sister Wall visited him when exchanges happened again, and helped him see how he had grown so much.
He came to love seeing the sisters and going to church. He found a friend in Anthony, a recent convert when they went to the Tabernacle Choir performance together. Transfers happened again and Sister Petersen came into Rogersville. For a moment he struggled with tithing but in the end he chose to trust God. The sisters explained the power of tithing and the importance of showing gratitude to God through living this principle.
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The day of his baptism was special. Jerimiah was baptized on September 29, 2024. His whole family was there and he felt the Spirit so strongly. His dad baptized him and that was such a special experience for both of them. He loved his baptism and was most excited about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. He truly came to see how God wants us to grow and become better than before.
On Wednesday, March 5th we had 9 missionaries complete their service in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. As they have focused on their missionary purpose and inviting others to come unto Christ, no one has come closer to Christ than themselves. These missionaries have changed in remarkable ways during their service in Tennessee and leave this experience as lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. We love them, are so proud of them, and feel very grateful for the time we’ve had to serve side-by-side with these wonderful missionaries.
We began the day with a lunch discussion about important lessons they’ve learned as missionaries, and talked about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon daily, partaking the sacrament weekly, and making a sacrifice of time to be in the temple regularly. We also met 1:1 with each missionary and had the opportunity to give them each a blessing.
Sister Ellie SimonsenSister Kayla WittwerSister Beatrice FearSister Lori BirdElder Kade RumseyElder Carter SafstenElder Tyson HurtadoSister London LeathersSister Kamryn Massey
Can you believe we are to the 15th TKM Family Olympics?! This is a competitive bunch! We had a great time competing in four events: Corn Hole, Ping Pong, Kub, and of course, the marquee event of Welcome Posters!
While everyone had a lot of fun, one team dominated the competition. Congratulations to the gold medal winners!
We love these missionaries and feel so proud of the service they’ve given for the last 18 and 24 months. Great things lie ahead! As we like to tell them, life keeps getting better and better.
#WhatsUpInTKM
We had two couples finish their service this month as well. Elder and Sister Neville joined the TKM right after we arrived and have been serving in the Powell Valley Ward and the Harlan group for the last 18 months. They have made a tremendous difference with both the members there and the 25 missionaries who have served in their district over those 18 months.
Elder And Sister Jentzsch came to the TKM in May 2023, a month before we arrived. Sister Jentzsch has been the mission secretary and done incredible work in our office by creating repeatable processes that have helped to keep us all organized. Elder Jentzsch has been our Vehicle Coordinator. It’s hard to describe how challenging this job can be. Just imagine being responsible for a fleet of vehicles driven by 20 year olds. The Jentzsch’s are from our stake at home, so we’ve known them a long time. It’s hard for us to imagine what the TKM will be like without them.
Cesar was found when Elder Poll and Elder Colling tried knocking on a referral, but instead, they met Cesar! We then started teaching him. From the beginning, we knew Cesar had a very special spirit. He was also curious about the Book of Mormon, so he started reading it and pondering its message. This was a key part of his conversion.
Another important part of Cesar’s story is when he accepted a baptismal invitation. At first, he was nervous, but he also knew he could do it. He decided to meet with us more often, which was crucial to his overall baptismal preparation. During this time, he learned about some of the commandments he would need to keep to be baptized, and fortunately, he was already living by all of them. The Lord had been preparing him for this moment.
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Members made a huge impact on Cesar. Hermana Williams was there for Cesar every step of the way. She taught him many things and helped him understand the gospel principles through our church lessons.
One of our favorite experiences with Cesar was on Christmas Day. He was going through a tough time, and we offered to give him a blessing. This was a huge turning point for him. The blessing brought him peace, which he really needed at that moment.
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Cesar was baptized on January 24, 2025 as a member of the West Hills Ward. At Cesar’s baptism, it was clear how much the gospel had changed his life. He came out of the water with a sense of peace and strength we had never seen in him before. We are grateful for Cesar and for the decision he has made to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Michel was born in Nicaragua and grew up constantly facing dangerous situations. One night, two men kidnapped and tried to kill her. She said a prayer and miraculously was able to fend off her attackers and escape. She immediately learned trust in God and to do everything He asked. She learned He would deliver her and not lead her astray. She knew she could trust Him and made the hardest decision of her life, deciding to leave everything behind and move to the United States for a safer future for her and her family.
Elder Barrow and Elder Johns first knocked on Michel’s door in December of 2023, but unfortunately they weren’t able to contact her after their first visit. Shortly after meeting the missionaries, Michel moved to Dallas, Texas. The missionaries in Dallas met Michel on a bus. She loved their message and later attended one of their services. The missionaries continued teaching her until she decided to move back to Knoxville, Tennessee.
Elder Rodriguez and Elder Colling then got a phone call from the Dallas, Texas missionaries about Michel and were able to meet with her immediately. Michel was very grateful to see the missionaries and progressed quickly.
In the very first lesson Michel accepted the invitation to be baptized. During this lesson they talked about how we can become closer to God, and prepare ourselves for baptism. She readily agreed and started finding joy in daily prayer and studying in the Book Of Mormon. She knew she was being led down the right path.
An important moment in Michel’s conversion is when she made the decision to come to church. Sunday service was very special for her and her kids. They learned so much about Jesus Christ and her daughter loved Primary.
We also could not have done this without the Gilday family who has supported Michel in so many ways! The Gildays have helped her understand the true concept of charity! They have also been a friend to Michel in some of her hardest times and done so much for Michel.
Michel was baptized on January 4, 2025 as a member of the West Hills Ward. One of the most powerful moments at Michel’s baptism is when she bore her testimony about her love of Jesus Christ. You could feel the spirit that entered the room when she bore testimony about the Savior. You could tell that she knew what it meant to come unto Christ! We are so grateful for this decision that Michel has made to be baptized and know she will be a great disciple of Christ.
Charlie first met the missionaries after entering a request to meet with them through a media referral in April, 2023. He met with missionaries on and off until the summer of 2024. His faith in Jesus Christ continued to grow, and in August 2024, Elder Brandon Haderlie and Elder Carson Harmon committed him to being baptized.
The week of his baptism, however, Charlie was met with extreme opposition from his fiancé’s family. Because of that opposition, he returned his Book of Mormon to the missionaries and stopped meeting with them. But he began to have experiences with the Spirit that he followed, and a short while later, he reached back out to the Elders. They began to meet with Charlie once again over the phone.
Charlie has a learning disability which makes it difficult for him to focus and process the things he reads. Amazingly, though, as he read the Book of Mormon and learned about the Restoration of the Gospel, Charlie was able to learn well and understand what he was reading, especially as he read the Book of Mormon.
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Charlie agreed to be baptized on December 21, 2024. He was so excited to be baptized, he asked to move his baptism to a week sooner, on December 14, 2024. He was baptized and confirmed into the Hixson ward on that day, surrounded by friends and missionaries!
Charlie feels the spirit very strongly through music and loves the hymns! One of the first things Charles will ask you is, “Can I sing you Amazing Grace?”. He says, “Amazing Grace helps me remember Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for me.” Charles is a testament that the Lord speaks to everyone individually in ways they will be able to understand.
The Holy Ghost has worked wonders in Charlie’s life as he continues to strengthen his testimony of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, as well as other gospel truths everyday!
The missionaries first met Ian in the parking lot at TJ Maxx where they were handing out cards to invite people to the Tabernacle Choir Watch Party.
Ian described his experience in his own words:
“When I first met the missionaries I was dealing with a lot of darkness and I didn’t know how to get out of it. The missionaries found me when I was leaving a store walking back to my car and they asked me if I would like a picture of Jesus Christ and I said, “Sure!” Then they asked me if I had a church that I attended. Being new to the area and unsure of my faith, I had no church to go to. They offered me to come and tour their church and join them in worshipping Jesus Christ on Sunday.”
“Looking back, I was unsure of what my brain was telling me in that moment. I again said, “Sure.” I didn’t know it at the time, but that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and a moment I will remember forever.”
“I took a chance with the missionaries when at the time I wasn’t sure how I felt about God. I was lost and confused. I went that Saturday to tour their church and from the moment I walked in I could feel the spirit of God there. It was a feeling I had not felt in years since I went through a dark path and had lost my faith in God.”
“As I continued to meet with the missionaries, they taught me how to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Everything they invited me to do helped to build my faith. I knew it was the missing piece I needed to step out of the darkness and fulfill my life with Christ once again.”
“Elder Wagon and Elder Gardner had put their trust into me that I would be ready for baptism. Since that first lesson I made sure to read a scripture every night and pray to God, which was something I hadn’t done in years. When I did that, it was the best feeling.”
“As the time of my baptism was approaching, I was having my doubts and was scared I wasn’t ready to receive the Holy Ghost. I reached out to Sister Bosh, Sister Rush and Sister Low and they talked me through everything and reassured me I was ready. As I spoke t them, it felt like I was speaking to God and I could feel Him there telling me I was more than ready.”
“That following Sunday, December 22, 2024, Elder Gardner baptized me and Elder Potter helped me receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Since then I feel like a whole new person. While still not perfect, I’m working every day to become the best version of myself. I love helping others with the missionaries to receive the word and love of Jesus Christ. I never would have thought I’d have come this far so quickly, but I couldn’t have done so without the help and love of Elder Gardner, Elder Potter, Elder Wagnon, Sister Rush, Sister Bosh, Sister Low, Brandon, Elder and Sister Bennett, and the rest of the amazing people I’m proud to call my family at the Asheville Central Branch and the Asheville Ward.”
The missionaries met Jayden as a referral from his girlfriend, Maikya. Jayden was naturally fellowshipped by members and this created the desire to learn more about the things his member friends believed in, especially his girlfriend, Makiya.. Makiya is currently serving a mission in Argentina, and invited Jayden to reach out to missionaries near him.
Here are his words about how that went:
“So to begin with, what got me into the church was my girlfriend Makiya who’s a missionary herself. Before she left for her mission she suggested I come to church with her and I did and I didn’t think much of it. But once she left for her mission she asked me to go to church or at least try and learn something so I texted the missionaries, and soon enough they answered me and within a day I was meeting with them.”
During Jayden’s first lesson, he expressed an interest in being baptized, desiring to change his life forever. We quickly put him on date, and per his request, taught him almost every day leading up to his baptism.
“Let me say after the first lesson I was hooked. My life has changed so much in so many ways from the start I have seen my relationship grow and so many opportunities have opened up. I’m so blessed to call the church my home.”
Since Jayden was so eager to be taught every day, we were able to fellowship him with almost the entire branch before his baptism. The members excitedly answered his questions and encouraged Jayden to study and pray every day, and to understand the importance of partaking of the sacrament each Sunday. Brad and Lynette Jones and Mike and Dawn Baker were especially involved in welcoming Jayden into the church.
A powerful moment in Jayden’s conversion was his first time partaking of the sacrament: “I definitely felt the Spirit move in me the first time I took the sacrament and my whole body felt free and just happy.”
Jayden was baptized and confirmed on November 24th, 2024 as a member of the Brevard branch and has since been able to receive the Aaronic priesthood and perform baptisms for the dead in the Atlanta temple. He has a very bright future and is already a powerful missionary in the Lord’s hands with how willing he is to help within the branch and to share his own testimony with others.
Barlows in TKM 