We found Shyra through contacting people on Facebook. Sister Avei added her as a friend and cold called her one afternoon and she picked up. We talked to her about what her biggest challenge in life was right then. She said that she was grieving the loss of one of her friends. We invited her to church and taught her about the Sacrament and how it could help her feel peace. She said she would love to come. She sent us her address and so we set up a time to visit with her the Saturday before church.

Sister Dever and Sister Avei went over that Saturday and we reiterated our purpose as missionaries. She said that she had never been baptized before and that it was something she would like to do. We taught her the Doctrine of Baptism and before we could extend a date she said, “I think I can be baptized in two weeks.” We gave her a baptismal calendar and she used it every single day leading up to her baptism.

Shyra diligently read the Book of Mormon and prayed every single day. She worked so hard to be ready for her baptism. On April 26th 2025 she was baptized and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Knoxville YSA Branch. 

We asked Shyra her experience with being on the other end of the cold call. She said when she talked to us, it made her excited. She had been feeling impressions to get back in church but didn’t know where to go. She wanted to meet new people and start doing better things with her life. She loves the YSA church family and especially loves all the activities.

She said that reading the Book of Mormon and praying always makes her day better. It has brought her a lot of peace. Shyra got a little scared to step into the font and follow through with her decision, but once she did and after she was baptized everything was great. Since being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost she has been less angry and has been able to deal with life’s problems better. She said it is very calming and helps her feel at peace and has changed her completely. Ultimately, Shyra shared that since getting back on this path it has blessed her life and has helped her to reconnect with her sister again. 

Shyra has already started to see the blessings of the gospel in her life and has been sharing her testimony with our friends, her friends and her family. She loves being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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.

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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

One Sunday, as the missionaries were sitting in ward council, the ward council was talking about a returning member and his two boys. They said these two boys hadn’t been baptized yet. Learning this, Elder Harmon and Elder Johnson jumped into the conversation asking all about the family and the boys. They found out that Seth had recently started coming back to church and that his son Brayden really loved the gospel and already knew all about the church.

The missionaries asked the bishop to introduce them to Seth and Brayden after the sacrament meeting. After the meeting, they talked with Seth and Brayden and set up time to visit them in their home. Brayden has just returned from a Primary activity and they taught him about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Brayden is very bright and explained everything they taught back to the Elders. Impressed, the Elders testified that the Lord had prepared him to be baptized. As they asked him, “Will you get baptized?”, Brayden gave a resounding, “Yes!” He then explained how badly he wanted to be baptized. The missionaries then invited Seth to share his testimony on baptism and it was very powerful!

The missionaries met with Brayden over the next three weeks to prepare him for his baptism. His knowledge and desire to learn more and read the Book of Mormon was inspiring. He even told the missionaries he keeps his Book of Mormon on his desk at school. He attended the baptism of one of the youth who had recently turned 8 and he loved it.

As they planned his baptism, Brayden told the missionaries about his desire to be baptized in the river just like his dad. On the day of the baptism, the forecast was for bad weather, but Brayden said nothing was going to stop him from being baptized!

The members of the Cherokee ward could not have been more supportive for Brayden. More than half the ward showed up for him and it was amazing! Brayden was baptized on March 30, 2025. While being confirmed, he was told he would be like Nephi of old and be a missionary to his family.

#TKMTenderMercies

“Well, my story started out with me seeing an invitation on Facebook and asking the missionaries to come meet with me. I was reaching out to find a church home and community. I wanted to find a church I could consider family that wasn’t my family, and it felt like this was the right one.”

“I started meeting with the missionaries every day. In one lesson, the Sisters told me the goal was to get baptized. I accepted and was baptized on April 12, 2025 in the Loudon Ward.”

“After I was baptized I felt more happy and not so worried. I felt more relief about the things I can’t control and more confident in the things I can. Since living the Word of Wisdom I’ve felt better and more energy without those things in my life. Probably God’s energy.”

“Going to the temple was a good important thing. Being able to be baptized for others and helping people who have passed away. It felt totally awesome and more joyful and after I wanted to do even more things. Everyone was so nice, I considered them all family. Ever since going to the temple I’ve felt the Holy Ghost telling me that the people I have baptized are now home! And I also feel like I’m at home going to church and by being baptized and going to the temple.”

“To anyone who is looking for a church home I want to encourage them and tell them what the missionaries really do. I would want to teach them not to worry about the things you can’t control and focus on Him and He will focus on you! He’s helped me to be more forgiving and more patient, more patient than I’ve ever been. I would also tell them to follow your heart and do what the Holy Ghost is telling you to do. I first reached out to the missionaries in 2022 or 2023. The Holy Ghost was telling me to reach out again and now I have a church that I consider family.” 

Sister Peterson and Sister Wall shared their experience in teaching Matt. ““We received Matt’s referral and reached out to him immediately and let him know we were going to call him in 5 minutes. About 10 minutes had passed, we had gotten caught up talking with a member and Matt texted us asking if we were still going to call him. We called him and set up a church tour for that evening. Matt absolutely loved it! He came to church on Sunday and within a few weeks was put on date for baptism!”

“Matt’s testimony and knowledge of the gospel has grown so much, he will repeatedly tell us he has never felt so close to God in his life. Since Matt’s baptism he isn’t afraid to share his love of the gospel. He loves having a church family and he has a happier countenance! His desire to be involved has grown so much too! He even offered to help clean the church!”

“Matt is now a proud holder of the Aaronic priesthood and has grown a desire to share the gospel! We recently took him to the Atlanta temple and he bought just about every single picture of Jesus that the distribution store had and even got a Book of Mormon picture book he could share with his friend!”