On October 30th, we welcomed 20 (yes, 20!) new missionaries to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. We are so excited about this group of missionaries and know they will make a big impact in the TKM!
Elder Dave WilkinsSister Grace ZoggSister Ruth TualaElder Alec NielsenSister Alayna ThatcherSister Megan MathiasSister Megan KingstonSister Taylie ChristensonSister Madison MairSister M’li BrockSister Rebecca LeeElder Thomas BartholomewElder Aaron CaldwellElder Matthew JaggiSister Hailie FraserElder Isaac EgglestonElder Chase NewmanSister Tai AstonElder Gianfranco RevillaElder Brian Allen
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We had a wonderful “Day 1” with them doing training, interviews, and then finding people to teach at the University of Tennessee and at Market Square in downtown Knoxville.
That afternoon, they were assigned their first areas and trainers.
As missionaries depart from the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, we invite them to share what they’ve learned about being a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ.
As missionaries depart from the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, we invite them to share what they’ve learned about being a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ.
As missionaries depart from the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, we invite them to share what they’ve learned about being a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ.
We had 12 incredible missionaries depart the TKM on October 30th. We’ve felt so fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve side-by-side with them:
Elder Dallin TaylorElder Dixon ClarkElder Rhett HathawayElder McKay BecksteadElder Grant CoxElder Brock PorterElder Christian MatthewsSister Caitlyn WoodSister Syvannah BirdSister Eliana BerrettSister Mara SmithSister Brooklyn Condie
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We drew names to form teams for the 12th TKM Family Olympics. This was probably the most competitive TKM Family Olympics we’ve had yet, especially given how close the judging was in the poster making contest.
Sister Berrett and Elder CoxElder Matthews and Elder BecksteadSister Wood and Elder TaylorSister Smith and Sister BirdSister Condie and Elder PorterElder Clark and Elder Hathaway
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We competed in three other events as well: Bocce, Kub, and Corn Hole.
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Sister Berrett and Elder Cox were the winners of the poster contest.
And the Gold Medal winners of the 12th TKM Family Olympics were Sister Condie and Elder Porter!
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We love these missionaries and can’t wait to see what comes next in their lives!
I can clearly remember the day that Stuart walked into the church building shortly after Sacrament meeting had ended. He told us that he saw on Facebook that it said “Visitors are Welcome,” and it was inviting people to come to church. So, he decided to come!
Stuart had never read the Bible before and didn’t know that much about Jesus Christ, but he knew he wanted to strengthen his relationship with Him. Sister Holladay and I set up an appointment to meet him at Dairy Queen for our first lesson. When we had arrived at Dairy Queen, we talked to him about God, our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. We explained how they are three separate individuals and how they work towards one purpose.
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We then talked about how prophets in the scriptures prophecy of Jesus Christ coming and how prophets speak for God. Stuart then learned that Jesus Christ came to the earth and gained a physical body and atoned for his sins and did this so that He could support Stuart. Stuart also didn’t know how to pray to God, and so we gave him a simple outline. Stuart learned that when he is going through something hard, he can always turn to God in prayer and the Lord will help him.
About three lessons in with Stuart, Sister Holladay and I decided to extend the baptismal invitation, and Stuart was so excited to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. About three days after his baptism, we set up time to go to the Raleigh North Carolina Temple. Stuart told us that the temple felt familiar to him and that he wanted to do everything the temple had to offer. Being able to teach Stuart was an absolute privilege. I truly cannot express in words how humbled and grateful I feel to have been the messenger of the covenant and to share these restored truths with such a beautiful, humbled, prepared son of God. Stuart has so many beautiful things in store for him, and I feel just a fraction of the love that God has for him.
– Sister Wall
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What a blessing it’s been to teach Stuart about Jesus Christ! There were so many miracles along the way like him randomly showing up to church his first day, minimal damage when he hit a deer on his way to church, and his own quickly-developed testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and the restored gospel.
Several days after he was baptized and had been to the temple, he came to us and the Garcia family and told us of the immense family opposition he’s been having as a new member. It really broke our hearts knowing how much his family meant to him, but he testified with conviction “I cannot deny how I feel, I know it’s true.”
Our experience with Stuart has truly opened my eyes to the power that the Spirit can have on an individual. I know Stuart is going to continue strong and receive all the blessings the Lord has in store for him!
At our weekly coordination meeting for the Rockyface Ward, we received a referral for Adrian, who is the son of a recently baptized member of the church.
From the very beginning, we knew that Adrian was a special child. He had a deep desire and a true joy about being baptized. The story starts with after his mother, Maritza, was baptized in 2022 and shortly after was invited to the baptism of the Bishop’s son named Hyrum. Maritza could not make it, but Adrian wanted to be there. Hyrum’s family picked up Adrian, and brought him to the baptism.
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After the baptism, Adrian, without any solicitation, told Hyrum’s parents that one day he would be baptized too. Over a year goes by, and in ward coordination, a member brought up the idea of teaching Adrian to prepare for his baptism.
He loved having us over and teaching him all of the doctrine needed to progress in the Gospel and prepare for his baptism. He had some difficulty because his mother has to work every other weekend. But to show his faith, he attended church without any of his brothers or his mom. He went on to not miss a single day of church from the first visit through his baptism and after.
When he was baptized, he shared with everyone who attended, “I always feel good when I am with Jesus. I know he is real and I am so excited to be baptized.”
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Following his baptism, he inspired another friend the Rockyface Elders were teaching to accept an invitation to be baptized the following week. He also inspired his brothers to follow in his footsteps and helps to teach them about the Book of Mormon. Now, Adrian has been a huge help with helping to teach others around his same age by recording his testimony of his favorite stories from the Book of Mormon.
Sister Angell and Sister Bosh were on an exchange in Signal Mountain. They passed Juan in the Walmart parking lot and decided to invite him to the Tabernacle Choir Watch Party using the TABCAT cards. Juan was so kind and said he would love to come to the Watch Party. He seemed so interested to learn more, they invited him to meet them for a church tour the following Saturday.
That Saturday, July 27, 2024, Juan was heading to meet the sister missionaries for the chapel tour. Previous to the chapel tour, while Juan was driving to work, he found himself in a situation where he could have had a serious or fatal injury. Ending up with no injury, Juan felt the impression that God must really want him to meet with those missionaries that day.
Then on his way to the Signal Mountain building, Juan was running seven minutes late, so he sped up his pace to try to arrive on time to the appointment. He got pulled over for speeding and told the police officer he was trying to find the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The officer pointed to Juan’s right and said, “You’re there!” He let Juan off with a warning and told him that his meeting was important and that he should hurry in. This was another witness to Juan that he needed to be there that night. The sisters invited Juan to church and he attended sacrament meeting the following day.
Over the next few weeks Juan continued to meet with the missionaries regularly at the Burger King. The Spanish missionaries, Elder Lindsay and Elder Youngberg started coming to the lessons and helping Juan get a better understanding of what was being taught. Juan was excited to continue to learn and to come to church and began to come to our church regularly. The ward members were incredible. He made many friends in the ward and started to feel at home.
Juan joined the Tabernacle Choir Watch Party at the Chattanooga Stake Center on Saturday, September 7th. It was a great opportunity for him to meet more members and enjoy uplifting music from the choir. Everyone at the event loved Juan and his enthusiasm. At the Watch Party, Juan met Brother Derek Porter, who is the presenter of Music and the Spoken Word, and talked with him a lot about baptism.
One day Sister Covington and Sister Angell had a lesson with Juan in one of the members’ homes. They were talking about prophets. The missionaries asked Juan if baptism was something he was interested in. He responded that he had been thinking about it a lot and felt that it was something he needed to do. He knew that baptism would change his life. They were able to spend the next two weeks preparing Him for baptism.
During one of their lessons at the Burger King the following week, Juan asked the sisters what was different about our church. After a short discussion the missionaries asked Juan what his thoughts were. He said that our church committed to Jesus Christ in a way that he had never seen before. He loved that level of commitment. That is why he wanted to be baptized, to further commit to his Savior and receive more of his love, strength, mercy, and power in his life.
The morning of his baptism Juan walked into the church building with a big smile on his face. He had the support of many ward members that had become his close friends. Juan was baptized on October 22, 2024. He entered the baptismal font and was baptized by one of his close friends. Juan came out of the water with a big smile on His face. He then shared his powerful testimony and love for the Savior.
Juan shared how he had always wanted to move to the United States. He had an idea of this country being a magical place full of good people. He has lived in the United States for many years now. He said that he never found the America he had always dreamed of until he joined our church. When he found this new church family, he felt at home. He said he now had what he had always dreamed of as a little boy.
Juan is now a proud member of the church. He does not hesitate to engage in missionary work. He connected his cousin in Colombia with the missionaries there. One week after His baptism he was able to attend the Atlanta temple and do proxy baptisms for his parents and grandparents. He wants everyone to find the joy that he has from the gospel.
Juan is a true disciple of Jesus Christ. He has a desire to serve others and help them come closer to our Savior.
Matt was outside his home when a member of the Marion Ward, Brother Van Brederode, was running by his house. As he was passing by, Brother Van Brederode felt like he needed to stop and invite Matt to church. After some conversation, Brother Van Brederode got Matt’s information and called the missionaries.
Sister Dever and Sister Hodges met with Matt and he felt the Spirit when learning about the Book of Mormon and it gave him a real desire to know if it was true. He prayed and received a strong answer that it was true. As Matt got this confirmation, he began coming to church. The Browns welcomed Matt and gave him rides to church every week. The Browns became his friends and really helped with his progression.
Matt had some concerns that held him back from being baptized. But over time, things really began to change and he felt a great desire to make this covenant. As he read, prayed and came to church he decided to press forward despite his concerns. He attended a baptism where he felt the Spirit and could see the change in those individuals. At the baptism, he told the missionaries, “Someday that is going to be me!” That was a turning point.
The missionaries talked to him about temples and that was a powerful lesson as well. As Matt overcame his concerns, he felt happier and ready for his baptism.
Sister Hunt, Brother Brown, Matt, and Sister Bingham
Matt was baptized by Brother Brown on September 1, 2024. He is now preparing for the temple and to receive the priesthood. Matt has joined in lessons with other friends the missionaries are teaching and shared his experience. His faith and testimony is really making a difference for other people.
Could you tell me the names of the three members of the First Presidency and the names of each of those who comprise the Quorum of the Twelve?
Do you sustain the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators?
Could you share with me the counsel given by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from last October’s general conference?
Perhaps more important, could you share with me a recent decision where you changed something in your life because of counsel received from one of these 15 men?
We had a wonderful General Conference earlier this month. We invite you to study the talks given, especially by those who we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators.
As you study their talks, you will find that prophets and apostles are Preach My Gospel Master Inviters! You will see that they follow the pattern we are asked to follow in Chapter 11 of PMG:
Teach Doctrine > Invite with Clear Language > Promise Blessings > Testify
What did the prophets say that you want to remember?
What did they invite you to do?
What blessings did they promise?
We promise that as you record their invitations and promised blessings, you will feel a strong desire to act on their invitations and claim every promised blessing made by prophets.
Use this same pattern as you teach your friends to help them make and keep commitments (as you know, you can learn more about it in PMG: Chapter 11):
Teach Doctrine > Invite with Clear Language > Promise Blessings > Testify > Follow Up
Barlows in TKM 