Sister Gabbitas and Sister Holladay had started visiting an inactive member, Brother Jim Janelle. They briefly met Jerimiah, Brother Janelle’s unbaptized son who didn’t seem interested. However, while on exchanges in Rogersville, Sister Gabbitas and Sister Wall went and visited them. In previous visits, other missionaries said that Jerimiah would hide from the missionaries. All he knew about the missionaries was that they were from church and he previously had some negative experiences there. This time was different, though.

The missionaries talked about how caterpillars change into butterflies. That helped Jerimiah see how past experiences do not have to limit him and that he can change. While they were talking with him, they invited and committed him to come to church.

Jerimiah was nervous on the first day that he came to church, so Sister Wall and Sister Condie FaceTimed him on the way there and on the way back. He began to be more comfortable meeting with the missionaries and attending church. He began to learn and grow more than some people thought he would. 

It was challenging for him when his dad moved to Greeneville, about 45 minutes away, but he kept learning and growing. He was invited to be baptized and accepted a date of August 30th. He was super excited to keep learning more. He had started praying and reading the Book of Mormon daily. 

Transfers happened and Sister Lewis came into Rogersville. Sister Gabbitas and Sister Lewis kept helping him prepare for baptism. Jerimiah was excited and when the sisters asked if he wanted his dad to baptize him, he said yes. He also wanted his mom to be there.

His dad was honored to perform the baptism. His mom is a trucker, so Jerimiah and the sisters realized that they would have to move his date to when his mom could be there, a month away, to September 29th. Jerimiah decided that he wanted to wait for his family to all be there. Even though he was ready to be baptized, and had even been interviewed, he decided to wait.

The sisters kept teaching him and helping him prepare. Sister Wall visited him when exchanges happened again, and helped him see how he had grown so much.

He came to love seeing the sisters and going to church. He found a friend in Anthony, a recent convert when they went to the Tabernacle Choir performance together. Transfers happened again and Sister Petersen came into Rogersville. For a moment he struggled with tithing but in the end he chose to trust God. The sisters explained the power of tithing and the importance of showing gratitude to God through living this principle.

The day of his baptism was special. Jerimiah was baptized on September 29, 2024. His whole family was there and he felt the Spirit so strongly. His dad baptized him and that was such a special experience for both of them. He loved his baptism and was most excited about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. He truly came to see how God wants us to grow and become better than before. 

#TKMTenderMercies

Charlie first met the missionaries after entering a request to meet with them through a media referral in April, 2023. He met with missionaries on and off until the summer of 2024. His faith in Jesus Christ continued to grow, and in August 2024, Elder Brandon Haderlie and Elder Carson Harmon committed him to being baptized.

The week of his baptism, however, Charlie was met with extreme opposition from his fiancé’s family. Because of that opposition, he returned his Book of Mormon to the missionaries and stopped meeting with them. But he began to have experiences with the Spirit that he followed, and a short while later, he reached back out to the Elders. They began to meet with Charlie once again over the phone.

Charlie has a learning disability which makes it difficult for him to focus and process the things he reads. Amazingly, though, as he read the Book of Mormon and learned about the Restoration of the Gospel, Charlie was able to learn well and understand what he was reading, especially as he read the Book of Mormon.

Charlie agreed to be baptized on December 21, 2024. He was so excited to be baptized, he asked to move his baptism to a week sooner, on December 14, 2024. He was baptized and confirmed into the Hixson ward on that day, surrounded by friends and missionaries!

Charlie feels the spirit very strongly through music and loves the hymns! One of the first things Charles will ask you is, “Can I sing you Amazing Grace?”. He says, “Amazing Grace helps me remember Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for me.” Charles is a testament that the Lord speaks to everyone individually in ways they will be able to understand.

The Holy Ghost has worked wonders in Charlie’s life as he continues to strengthen his testimony of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, as well as other gospel truths everyday!

One day the missionaries were public contacting at Walmart. They saw an old man getting out of his car, and decided to go help him. His name was Ronny. He said they could stop by and share a message. Later that week they went to visit Ronny. When they stopped by his house he was not there. So, they decided to use that time to knock on some of his neighbors’ doors. Logan was Ronny’s next door neighbor!

November 5th was the first day that the missionaries met Logan. When they knocked on Logan’s door he expressed that he wanted to get closer to God, but did not have a church to attend. He came out to his porch to talk with the missionaries because his dog was all riled up. They had a pleasant conversation and set up a church tour with him just a few days later.

The spirit was so strong during that church tour. They entered the room with the baptismal font and decided to teach the doctrine of baptism. They had not known Logan for long, but the spirit was strong, and so they invited Logan to be baptized later that month.

The missionaries continued to meet with Logan multiple times a week. He attended church and became fast friends with the members of the Signal Mountain Ward. He was able to keep all his commitments and make changes in his life to prepare for baptism.

We know that God had been preparing Logan. Just a few months prior to meeting the missionaries, Logan was living a completely different lifestyle. He had some friends who were not the best influence. He had an accident that left him with a severely broken leg that required major surgery. This was a turning point for him. He knew he needed to change. He knew that he was not living the kind of life that he wanted to live and he started to make those changes in his life. That’s when he met the missionaries. All of the changes he had already started to make aligned perfectly with the doctrine of the restored gospel.

Logan was baptized on November 30, 2024. He was baptized by a recent convert Juan. He entered the font willing and ready to deepen his relationship with his Father in Heaven. He had the support of many amazing ward members. One week later he was able to attend the temple and do proxy baptisms. He is now an amazing member of the Signal Mountain Ward. Logan even sang in the choir and volunteered in the live Nativity!

The restored gospel has changed Logan’s life and has changed him. He is living the life he wants to live. He is becoming the person that he wants to become. He is a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ.

Josh is the epitome of a miracle! Josh’s wife Sierra was baptized in May 2024. Josh sat in on the lessons as Sierra was taught, but he had a couple setbacks that kept him from being baptized.

Josh continued to be taught by many missionaries and he loved learning the gospel of Jesus Christ. The turning point in his conversion was when members of the ward began to connect with him and became his friend. With their encouragement, he started reading the Book of Mormon every day and everything changed! He was happier, he had a greater resolve to help and support his wife and daughter, and he felt a desire to serve those around him. As Sierra was retaught the lessons after her baptism, Josh would join in with the missionaries. Over time, he recognized the importance of having an eternal family, and this became one of his greatest desires.

Josh decided he was going to put his family first, and the hope of an eternal family became his priority. As he put his family first, he found greater joy.

In the weeks leading up to his baptism, Josh expressed to the missionaries that he was feeling a change in himself as he was consciously making decisions to come closer to God and to his family. The missionaries saw that change in him too. The power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ was truly changing his life.

Josh was baptized on November 23, 2024.

Josh went to the temple for the first time on December 7th, and the next Sunday, with a giant smile on his face he said, “When I was getting baptized in the temple, I felt the power of God working through me!” 

Josh looks forward to being able to be sealed to his family in about a year.

#TKMTenderMercies

Elliott’s family had been members of the church since he could remember, but, despite passing the usual age of eight, he hadn’t yet been baptized. Elliott began to think about spiritual things more as he got older as he realized that he, unlike his family, had not been baptized. He saw how happy the gospel made them, and how it united them with others and he wanted that as well.

“I saw that all my family is baptized, my dad and my mom, and my brothers and sister, and I wanted to be just like them!” he recounted. Elliott’s parents, Robert and Mallory, also felt a responsibility to teach their kids gospel principles, morals, and values. 

When the decision was finally made for Elliott to start taking the missionary discussions, he was ecstatic! He had a lot of questions and he needed answers. The lessons were difficult at first — being only nine years old, Elliott was easily distracted and quick to lose focus — but Elliott began to feel the Spirit working. He felt happy when the missionaries were over because he really enjoyed learning about God and why we do what we do in church.

Although he didn’t always like to read his scriptures and pray, he gradually learned to love it. He began practicing praying, and as he did so he had experiences where his prayers were answered. He remembered one event in particular in which he prayed to be able to help his sister and, shortly thereafter, he had impressions on what he should do. His family and friends note that his disposition began to change after he learned to pray. He became more focused and compassionate as his relationship with Christ grew.

The week leading up to the baptism brought a lot of emotions for Elliott and his family. His parents shared that all he would talk about was his baptism, asking “Is it Saturday yet?” Needless to say he was excited!

Elliott was baptized on August 31, 2024 in the Pleasant Ridge ward. On the day of the baptism, he stated that he felt God’s spirit in the church and he was grateful he finally got to be baptized. He said of the experience “I felt clean and happy after I came out of the water. I felt totally different, way more calm than I usually am!”

In the weeks since his baptism, Elliott has said he feels “100% different” from the way he was before his baptism. His family has also noticed a change in him. He is looking forward to a life of discipleship and participating at church, and is even considering serving a mission when he is older. Elliott is grateful to finally be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#TKMTenderMercies

Lyric had been around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his whole life and always told everyone that he was a member of the church when asked about his religion. His family and friends in the Chattanooga Valley ward helped Lyric to build his faith and love of the gospel throughout his life.

The missionaries met Lyric when Sister Harrop and Sister Webb were invited over to have dinner with Bishop Flynn and his wife. While we were eating, Lyric, their grandson, came in looking for a toy his little brother had left at their house. His grandpa invited him to stay for dinner, so he did and he told the missionaries all about his High School. Then, after dinner he joined them for a lesson about the story of Nephi and Laban. He found it interesting, and and his grandpa invited him to read the Book of Mormon and come to church with his cousin that weekend.

That Sunday, Lyric came to church with his cousin Liam who had recently returned from his own mission. He helped Lyric get excited about the gospel and started bringing him to church every Sunday. The next Sunday Lyric saw the missionaries giving another friend of theirs a tour of the church and decided to come join. As the sisters showed them the baptismal font Lyric told them that he planned on being baptized in that font. And the missionaries set a date right then for Lyric to be baptized!

As he prepared for his baptism he quickly read through the Book of Mormon and always had notes on what he was reading ready for the missionaries when they came over. Everyone could see his excitement; he invited all his friends and family to come to his baptism.

Lyric was baptized by his grandpa on September 14, 2024. At his baptism, Lyric bore the most beautiful testimony of the impact that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Chatt Valley Ward had had on him. We could see the powerful impact his testimony had on so many who were in attendance at his baptism. He was confirmed the following Sunday morning by his grandpa and was given an opportunity to bear his testimony in the sacrament meeting. Again, his testimony was powerful and invited the Spirit into the meeting.

He told us that he now understood what the purpose of a missionary is in helping people come unto Christ through making covenants with Him at baptism, and he wants to serve a mission himself in the future.

#TKMTenderMercies