Sara had been living in Tennessee for a few years with a few of her children, but she felt alone and empty. She was looking for something to fill her life. She didn’t feel satisfied from work or from anything else in her life. Sara grew up going to church, but eventually walked away from it for several reasons. She continued in faith, and saw the hand of God in her life as she faced trials. She grew in determination and faith as she was refined by everything she faced. One day, she saw an invite on Facebook to meet with the missionaries. Sara decided to put in a request to have the missionaries visit her. Just a few minutes after putting in the request, she received a call from Sister Christenson and Sister Lewis.
In the first contact with Sara, the sisters taught her about the sacrament from 3 Nephi 20. A phrase that stood out to Sara was when Jesus says, “He that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled” (3 Nephi 20:8). She wanted to be filled, and that’s what she told the missionaries. They decided to meet in the church two days later, on a Saturday, for a church tour. At that church tour, Sara felt the Spirit and the love of God and accepted the invitation to come to church the next day.
Unfortunately, a family emergency came up and she was unable to come. The missionaries also tried to set up a return appointment during that week, but were unsuccessful until Saturday, when Sara finally answered and confirmed that she would be at church the next day.
Sara came and loved her church experience! The members of the Lakeway Ward were so kind to her. After church, the missionaries along with Sara and Sister Puentes sat in front of the font and talked about baptism. Sara was excited and said she wanted to get baptized. She started sharing stories from her life with them and expressed how blessed she felt from being at church. While at the font, the missionaries didn’t invite her to be baptized. As soon as Sara left, they felt like they should have, so they went to Sara’s house later that evening and invited her to be baptized two weeks from that day. She started crying and happily agreed to the date, especially because she would be leaving for Pennsylvania not too long after that.
It took a lot of planning and focus, but with the help of God and Sara’s faith she was able to learn quickly. She was talking with her oldest son and learned that he had been taught by missionaries and baptized into the Church. When the missionaries taught about temples, she was so excited that she asked if they could go the next day! They had to say that they couldn’t go the next day but they did set a date to be able to go after she was baptized. She had more light and peace with her as she studied and prayed. Sara expressed more than once her love and gratitude to God for bringing the missionaries into her life. As she prepared for her baptism, Sara grew in understanding and felt the mercy of God as well as the miracle of repentance and the blessing of forgiveness. She felt burdens lifted off her shoulders that she had carried for years.
The day of her baptism came and she was so excited to finally be able to start a new life and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. She asked for the same missionaries who had previously given her a blessing to help with her baptism. She asked for Elder Pack to perform the baptism and Elder Weaver to perform the confirmation. Sara was baptized on May 18, 2025.
After her baptism, she bore a sweet testimony of the love of God and her gratitude for the gospel. Just three days later she was able to go to the Columbia, South Carolina temple and be baptized for her mother. Elder Puentes, one of the senior missionaries serving in Lakeway, was able to be baptized for her father. It was a special day and she loved the peace and joy that came from going to the temple.
Just a few weeks later, Sara moved to Pennsylvania. She has had a challenging life, but is full of faith and has learned to rely on God. She continues to face trials but does so now with the gift of the Holy Ghost and a firm commitment to follow Him the rest of her life. She continues to grow in determination and her love for God and the scriptures. Sara truly is a disciple of Jesus Christ and an example of His love.
Barlows in TKM 