On April 3rd, 2025, Deaveo saw an invitation on Facebook to learn more about baptism. He had been feeling a strong desire to be baptized, so he felt the timing this invitation was message from God.
When Sister Diede and Sister Brizzee met with him, he expressed his desire to be baptized. Deaveo had never been baptized before and he decided he wanted to take that next step to bind himself with his Heavenly Father. They invited him to church and he contacted his boss to get work off so he could partake of the sacrament.
Deaveo quickly fell in love with reading the Book of Mormon. He reads it every day, marking anything that sticks out to him. Deaveo had no concerns with the Word of Wisdom because he had always felt that doing those things were not good for him. Preach My Gospel says, “Heavenly Father may have blessed the people you find with valuable spiritual preparation. The steps they have already taken may have prepared them to make covenants with God through baptism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” This was definitely true with Deaveo. He had been prepared to be baptized beforehand and was ready to take his first covenant step.
.
Just a couple weeks later, Deaveo was baptized on April 27, 2025 in the Chattanooga Ward. There has been a visible difference in Deaveo since his baptism. When Sister Diede and Sister Brizzee would ask him how he was doing before his baptism, he always said, “Okay.” But since his baptism, whenever they ask how he’s doing, he enthusiastically says, “I’m great!” Deaveo has expressed that he just feels so much lighter since he came out of the waters of baptism.
Deaveo is a very sweet and shy person. He was always nervous to say a prayer out loud. After his baptism, however, he said his first aloud prayer. Deaveo recently made the comment, “I know this is the right church for me.” He is very excited to attend the temple and continue progressing along the covenant path.
#TKMTenderMercies
Barlows in TKM 