Author: barlowsintkm

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Hayden and Jessica

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One Saturday afternoon, Hayden heard a knock on his door. He opened it up and saw two missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Driggs and Elder Bartholomew. They introduced themselves and invited Hayden to church. Hayden wasn’t sure at first, but he felt something inside nudge him to go for it. That night the spirit continued to work on Hayden, and he made up his mind:

“I’m tired of this old life, I am ready to make a change. I want to be brand new.”

The very next day, Hayden had an incredible experience coming to church for the first time. Everyone in the Forest City Ward was very welcoming, and treated him like a long lost friend. He said he saw light around everyone, and that this church was different from ones he went to in the past. He felt the spirit at church, and it nudged him again. He felt the impression that he needed to throw away some bad habits. 

The next day, the missionaries explained that making covenants with God at baptism would help him overcome his challenges and become “a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17) in Jesus Christ. They extended a date for baptism to work towards as a goal, and Hayden accepted. This would be the beginning of a brand new life for him.

The missionaries introduced Hayden to the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and he began reading it every day. It became something he could turn to instead of his bad habits, and it would bring him much needed personal peace. Ever since picking up the Book of Mormon, Hayden would never again return to his old bad habits.

About the Book of Mormon Hayden said, “That book is special. Every time I struggle with anger or temptation, it just fades. I know it’s true.”

Hayden was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints March 9th, 2025.

Since joining, Hayden was able to witness and testify to His wife Jessica who would also join the church three weeks later on March 30, 2025.

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Attending church has brought them closer together and helped them become better people as they follow the example of Jesus Christ. Hayden testifies that his life has more meaning and direction now than ever, and that he is able to experience true joy. He no longer struggles with anger in the same way he did before his baptism.

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Izander

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Izander was first found by Elder Poll and Elder Lindsay. They met Izander’s mother, Lumary, at church. She was a returning member who had been invited to church by another friend they were teaching. Izander immediately loved going to church and youth activities, but eventually stopped meeting with the missionaries.

Six months later, Elder Colling and Elder Richins went to visit Lumary to invite her to a special Christmas sacrament meeting. It was then that they met Tely, Izander’s sister. Elder Colling had noticed her hiding in her room and invited her to join us. She was baptized a month later. The week following her baptism is when they met Izander, her older brother.

They invited Izander to be baptized our first time meeting him. They extended the baptismal date of March 1, but then Izander insisted that they move it up so he could be baptized as soon as possible. He quickly progressed and enjoyed reading his Book of Mormon and showing the his baptismal calendar that was all marked up as he tracked his daily prayers and reading the Book for Mormon.

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After accepting his baptismal invitation, Tely, his sister told the elders “it was her mission to get Izander baptized.” Tely and her mother, Lumary played a critical role in Izander’s conversion. They taught him about the restored gospel, probably as much as the missionaries did and gave Izander incredible support.

Izander immediately started going to youth activities again. He began to love going to church and couldn’t wait to get baptized . Izander quickly prepared for his baptism and was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on February 23, 2025.

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Izander is now very involved with the youth and has made friends of all the young men in the West Hills Ward. He’s now helping bless and pass the sacrament and is a blessing to everyone in his new church family.

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Blake

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Blake had been attending church for over a year with his girlfriend Rachel. He loved attending church. One day after sacrament meeting, Sister Massey and Sister Brock asked Blake if he would be interested in meeting with the missionaries and taking the lessons. He was a bit unsure but accepted the invitation. 

The missionaries began to teach Blake the lessons. It was incredibly helpful to teach him in the Johnston’s home where they had many of the lessons and the Spirit kept powerfully testifying of truth. Blake was able to grow his testimony of Jesus Christ and His Restored gospel. He began to bring friends and family to attend church with him and was sharing the gospel long before he was a member of the church. 

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After a night of being at the Johnston’s home and going over the plans for his baptism, Blake was driving home when he felt a prompting from the Spirit that he needed to pray and ask God if it was true. He decided to do that. Blake said that the feeling that came to him that night was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was so powerful, he began to cry. That surprised him. He knew then that it was all true and that he needed to be baptized.

Blake was baptized on February 15, 2025, and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost as well as the priesthood that next day. He is grateful for the Johnston family and all the members of the Greeneville Ward. He’s grateful to have such a wonderful church family!

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Vincent

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Vincent was first introduced to the gospel while in jail. One of his cellmates was friends with Miss Gloria, a member in the Hardin Valley Ward. Through the cellmate, Miss Gloria and Vincent were able to create a great friendship, and Miss Gloria was able to help out Vincent a lot while he was in jail. It was here where Gloria introduced Vincent to the restored gospel, and afterwards sent his information to the missionaries so that they could get him a copy of the Book of Mormon.

After receiving the referral from the Hardin Valley Sisters, Elder Graham and Elder Griffith were able to drop off a copy of the Book of Mormon. They set up a time to come back and talk about his experience reading. Over the next few weeks they kept stopping by and reading the Book of Mormon with him to help him understand the Book of Mormon better. 

While the missionaries were reading with Vincent, they got to 2 Nephi 31, which brought up the topic of baptism. Vincent expressed that he had never been baptized and that he had a desire to be baptized. So they invited him to be baptized . As Elder Miller entered the area, him and Elder Griffith were able to really help him prepare for baptism.

As the missionaries met with Vincent, he always described that he felt good, he began to truly see the blessings of the gospel in his life. The joy and peace that entered his life was evident. His desire to be baptized came from his desire to be on the right path with God. The missionaries explained this is the covenant path. Vincent had to overcome some struggles with the Word of Wisdom, but with the support of the missionaries and members of the Rockwood Ward, he was successful. As he came to church he was truly able to become a part of the Rockwood family, and was very excited to become an official part of that ward family when he was baptized.

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Vincent was baptized on February 22, 2025. He has since been able to attend the temple and is sharing the gospel in normal and natural ways with everyone he can.

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: James

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James saw some information on Instagram about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and made a request to meet with the missionaries. That’s when he was first taught by Elder Andreasen and Elder Cox. James shared he wanted to surround himself with the right kind of people and had this strong feeling he should start going to church again.

Preach My Gospel teaches us, “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 the case with James. Heavenly Father had been giving him important spiritual impressions that had prepared his heart to “receive the word” (Alma 16:16-17).

16 And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—

17 That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.

Alma 16:16-17

James loved the principles he was taught by Elder Cox and Elder Andreasen. While he was being taught, Elder Johnson was transferred into the Gray Ward. James came to church and felt the love that the members of the Gray Ward had for him. Soon he was invited to be baptized, which he accepted and continued to work towards this goal..

James watching General Conference with the missionaries.

James continued to progress and even watched a session of General Conference with the missionaries. While he knew that baptism was the right thing to do, he wanted to be sure it was a choice he was making for himself. He didn’t want to blindly follow and he wanted to know for himself that the things he was being taught were true. He prayed about it and felt good about it, especially the Book of Mormon, and knew this was the right thing for him to do. 

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James was then baptized October 12, 2024 and confirmed the next day in Sacrament meeting. James has been able to see the joys of the gospel enter his life as he continues to study and come to church and feel the blessings and power that come from making sacred covenants with God.

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Juan

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Sister Massey and Sister Williams decided to invite everyone who had attended sacrament meeting in the last year to join us for a special Christmas sacrament meeting in December 2024 to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Juan had been taught by other missionaries earlier that year, but had lost interest and the missionaries were no longer meeting with him.

When Juan received the invitation, he thanked the missionaries but didn’t say whether he’d come. At the end of the meeting, Sister Massey noticed Juan sitting near the doors and they went to catch him before he left. 

This created the opportunity to start teaching Juan again. As the missionaries started teaching him, he shared many spiritual experiences he’d already had, and often bore his own testimony at the end of lessons. He gave heartfelt prayers and showed a strong desire to grow closer to God. 

Juan was baptized and confirmed on the February 2, 2025 as a member of the Greeneville Ward..

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At His own baptism, Juan was able to offer the opening prayer, and bore his testimony at the end of the service. He continues to attend church services, has received the Aaronic priesthood, and attended the temple to do baptisms for members of his family.

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Johnsen

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Yongxin (Johnsen) was found by Elders Cloward and O’Brien when he newly arrived to the United States from China. Johnsen had gotten a job with a research team at the University of Tennessee. The missionaries met Johnsen as he was taking out the trash at his apartment. He did not have a knowledge of Jesus Christ, or even God. At first, he even thought missionaries were policemen or spies.

However, after noticing the Spirit that came with the kind gestures of introducing the Savior into his life, Johnsen started to read the Book of Mormon and feel the Spirit. As he read the Book of Mormon, his faith in Jesus Christ began to grow. Each time he met with the missionaries, he would keep the commitments they invited him to do, and with each step his faith grew more and more.

Johnsen learned how to pray and even taught his family how to pray. He would call his family in China and share the things he was learning with them.

His faith grew until he felt ready to receive the ordinance of baptism. Johnsen was baptized on January 29, 2025.

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Johnsen’s faith continues to grow stronger. Through the power of prayer, he experienced miracles to get a job where he can permanently reside in the United States. He continues to bless the lives of others in the church today.

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