Tender Mercies in the TKM: Michael

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

Michael just moved and he wanted to find a new church to go to near him. He saw an ad for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Snapchat and decided to fill it out with his information and he sent in a media referral! Sister Bingham and Sister Hodges got this referral and saw Michael was just down the street from the church.

Michael began taking the lessons and it wasn’t long until he said yes to his invitation to be baptized! He said he felt like he needed a fresh start and to renew himself. 

Michael was referred May 14, 2024 and was baptized and confirmed June 16, 2024! Michael said that after he was baptized he felt like all his worries were swept away. 

.

Michael says that he loves coming to church because everyone is so kind and helpful. He says he feel at home. Right after Michael was baptized he wanted to learn more about his family history and started coming Wednesday nights to meet with Family History Consultants to learn more! He is very excited to go to the temple with the ward this next month!

There is a quote that the Sisters love that Michael said once. He said: “God and Christ are like a bomb shelter. The outside may get hurt but he is protecting the most important part, our hearts and our souls.”

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Charles

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

Charles was on YouTube and saw and ad that offered the opportunity to meet with the missionaries. He sent a request to meet the missionaries so that he could feel God’s love for him in his life more fully.

As Charles talked with the missionaries, he prayed and asked God if what he was learning was true. He received the confirmation that Jesus Christ’s gospel has been restored and that he needed to be baptized into His restored church.

Charles immediately made changes in his life so he would be ready for baptism. He told us he had an urgent feeling to be baptized, and he’d do whatever he needed to so that he could be. Without a way to church, Charles was able to get rides from amazing members in the ward. Supporting him on his journey closer to Christ, the members continue to support him in his efforts to come to church and remember his covenants.

.

Charles was baptized on August 31, 2024. There is a new light around him, one which he has recognized as the joy he received from the Holy Ghost. He has told many about his baptism, and the joy he felt from the promises he has now made with God. It was only one month between when Charles saw the ad on YouTube, met with the missionaries, and was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#TKMTender Mercies. 

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Jackie

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

Jackie is a true Southerner and one of the sweetest ladies there’s ever been! Her conversion story starts in 2022 when Elder Stanfield found her when he was in his first area, Lafayette. She was interested but very busy and after a few months stopped meeting with the missionaries.

In a surprise to everyone, Elder Stanfield was transferred back into Lafayette for the last six weeks of his mission. While she hadn’t been visited by the missionaries in a long time, he remembers Jackie and decided to visit her. Jackie expressed interest, so the missionaries started meeting with her again. 

.

The missionaries helped Jackie understand their purpose for meeting with her was to help her to come closer to Jesus Christ through baptism. It took time, but the lessons she had with the missionaries began to align perfectly with what she needed to hear in her life.

She had reservations about going to church, but after building up her confidence and understanding what church services would be like, she was willing and excited to come and attend. Elder Maxfield and Elder Naufahu were able to explain the gospel in ways she understood and loved, and she was especially interested in understanding how she could attend the temple. That day she set a date to be baptized to receive the blessings that come from living covenants.

Leading up to her baptism, she was able to read all of 1 Nephi and is so excited to continue reading. Jackie was baptized on September 14, 2024. She had many of her family members attend her baptism and it was an amazing experience all around! She is now preparing to attend the temple and feels so blessed to have her family history for her relatives and to grow closer to her family.

.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Michelle

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

Michelle’s story started when her boyfriend, Jerson, was assigned to work with Daniel Godoy, a member of the Cleveland Ward, for the day. They had never met before then, but as coworkers, started up a conversation. Brother Godoy explained that he had two children, a daughter and a son who was currently serving a mission for his church. Jerson, having a suspicion in his mind, asked what church the Godoy’s belong to. To which Brother Godoy promptly responded, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”

Jerson had grown up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but since moving to the United States, he had not participated in any church meetings. When Jerson told Brother Godoy that he was a member of the Church, Brother Godoy quickly invited both him and his girlfriend to church.

On Sunday, while we were greeting people as they came in, Brother Godoy came up to us and told us that he was bringing someone to church. We were excited to meet them, but they showed up a little late so we didn’t have time introduce ourselves. After Sacrament Meeting had ended, Jerson and Michelle had to leave but we had enough time to exchange information and set up a return appointment.

.

When we arrived a couple days later for our appointment, we had no idea what to expect going in. With the Spirit’s guidance, we taught the importance of marriage, temples, how families can be together forever, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ fortifies the family. Leaving that first lesson, Michelle wanted those blessings that we shared. She felt the spirit testify to her of what she heard that night.  

We continued teaching them, explaining that the first step before baptism was the need to be married. We left one night inviting them to pray and to ask God when it would be right. The next morning we got a call from Jerson telling us that they wanted to get married that very weekend.

.

Everyone came together and made it a night to remember. The following week, on July 7, 2024, Michelle was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As they keep growing their family in this constantly changing world, they find peace knowing that they have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the hope of one day being sealed together as a family.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Rachel and Paul

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

Rachel and Paul Lam didn’t decide to join the church until after they discovered how much the gospel could bless their growing family.

Rachel has lived in Tennessee her whole life. She was introduced to the gospel in high school by a friend who invited her to church. Paul was raised in California. His grandparents were members and he was around the church often.

.

A few years ago, Paul decided to move to Tennessee and met Rachel. They discovered that they both had experience with the church and decided to reach out to the missionaries. This is what Rachel says about her experience:

“Growing up, I knew nothing about God or Jesus. My mother was a bitter alcoholic that didn’t have room for His love in her heart or home. I didn’t learn of His warmth or care until I was in High School.”

“My closest friend and her family were members of our local church. I spent a lot of my time with them, and it was in their home that I first felt safe and loved. It was with them I attended my first sacrament meeting. I remember feeling  peace and love during the service. That feeling followed me, even when I struck out on my own.”

“It wasn’t until I felt truly lost that I really felt the drive to embrace Him. When I was at my lowest point, two missionaries showed up at my door. They brought me back from the edge with their lessons. It all seemed to fall into place the more I learned.”

“My husband, in his own calling, came into my life and subsequently into my daughter’s life. I’ve learned so much from the church and feel so grateful for the gospel, and for Joseph Smith’s revelation. I know in my heart the church is true, and the day I was baptized marked the day my journey to a better life truly began. It feels like everything in my life has led me to the church.”  

Rachel and Paul were baptized on August 17, 2024.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Elie

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

We first met Elie when she came to church with her brother Jared. As soon as we met her, we immediately knew that we would be great friends. She had moved to the University of Tennessee for school and her brother decided to invite her to come to church with him. Since that day, she never stopped coming! 

Elie was raised learning the doctrine of Jesus Christ and of the Book of Mormon from her parents, but was never baptized. When she attended church for the first time in a long time, it all rang true.

.

Her first lesson, she joined her brother, Elder O’Brien, and Elder Hathaway for a lesson with their friend. She recognized the Spirit strongly in that lesson and started to remember the teachings of her father about the Book of Mormon and the Plan of Salvation. We started to meet with her and go over God’s plan, the restoration and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everything made sense to Elie and she knew it was true. 

.

The turning point for Elie was when she attended the baptism of Cece, the same friend she participated in the lesson with at the very beginning. After the baptism, we all gathered to talk about it. We asked about if she wanted to get baptized and she said, “How about the 13th of October?” We made all the arrangements and Elie was baptized on October 13, 2024.

We were able to attend the temple with her, and as soon as we exited she said, “I want to go back!” Elie now is serving as a ward missionary and sharing her testimony with so many others. Her influence has stretched to everyone in the YSA and all those around her.

#TKMTenderMercies