Robert’s story began one evening while he was on Facebook. At the time, he felt he was in a dark place in life. As he scrolled, he came across an invitation asking if he wanted to come closer to Christ. In that moment, he said he was overcome by a prompting within, guiding him to take the first step on his journey.
The very next day, missionaries contacted Robert and visited his home. They shared a scripture with him and gave him a Book of Mormon.
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Reflecting on that experience, Robert said:
“After our meeting they prayed with me and made arrangements to come back for more lessons. It was through these lessons that I learned about Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, and the Plan of Salvation. I learned more about our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, and how much they love us! I learned that faith leads to repentance which leads to baptism and the Holy Ghost. By praying, reading scripture, and attending church regularly, I could feel my faith growing stronger every day! It caused me to fall to my knees and repent with all my heart while asking for forgiveness of my past.”
On July 5, 2025, Robert was baptized and confirmed. Since then, he has taken another step forward by being ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood and receiving a calling as a ward missionary.
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Robert shares, “I love my church family, and am joyous to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!”
Not a day goes by that Robert doesn’t bring a smile to those around him. He continues to fill the world with light everywhere he goes.
In May 2025, Aziyah saw an online invitation to learn more about baptism. When the missionaries first reached out, they asked if they were texting with Aziyah, and she replied no. After introducing themselves and explaining why they had contacted her, she confirmed that it was her but said she was nervous. A few texts and phone calls later, she agreed to meet.
When the missionaries met with Aziyah, they immediately felt her light and saw how prepared she was. She expressed a desire to be forgiven of her past mistakes. As the missionaries taught the doctrine of baptism, they invited her to be baptized. A Young Women counselor from the Hixson Ward was present and bore testimony of covenants. She had tears in her eyes as she expressed the love the Savior has for these two girls. The Spirit was powerful, and Aziyah responded with, “Yes! Yes! How can I prepare?”
The next day, when the missionaries returned, Aziyah’s 9-year-old sister Quionna answered the door. They invited her to join the lesson, taught about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and asked if she wanted to be baptized the same day as her sister. She declined at first.
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At a later lesson, the Sisters felt prompted to extend the invitation again. They watched the video of Jesus Christ’s baptism together, and when asked if this was something she wanted to do, Quionna admitted she was very afraid of water, but still wanted to be baptized. Through prayer and encouragement, the missionaries helped her put her trust in God and begin to overcome her fear.
On June 22, 2025, both sisters entered the waters of baptism. Aziyah radiated with joy as she made her covenant with God. When it was Quionna’s turn, fear returned. For nearly 20 minutes she stood at the edge of the font, unable to step in. With patient encouragement from Brother Barrott, quiet support from Sister Barrott, and the prayers of the ward members present, Quionna finally found the courage to enter the water. She overcame her fear and was baptized, surrounded by the love and strength of her new church family.
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It was truly a day to remember. The pure love of Christ was manifest in the faith of these two young sisters. Today, Aziyah and Quionna continue to attend church faithfully and are excited to keep learning the gospel and to share it with their friends.
Elder Porter and Elder Barnett received a referral on a Saturday night, so they called Jerry immediately and invited him to church. The next morning, Jerry came to church for the first time. After church, the elders taught Jerry about the doctrine of baptism and confirmation and invited him to be baptized, and Jerry accepted.
Over the following weeks, Jerry met with the missionaries regularly and had contact with them daily. He had a smoking addiction for over 30 years and he said he needed help being able to quit smoking. The missionaries promised him that if he read the Book of Mormon daily and continued to come to church then he would be able to stop smoking.
My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day. – President Russell M. Nelson
From that point on, Jerry read the Book of Mormon every day and came to church every Sunday. With the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he quit smoking.
At the first lesson the elders had at Jerry’s house, Jerry told the missionaries he was confused because he never sent in a referral so he didn’t know how the missionaries got his address. But he was very grateful for the things he was learning.
#TKMTenderMercies
Jerry was baptized on June 19, 2025 as a member of the Dayton Ward. Jerry’s life has improved greatly after baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. He is a changed man and his countenance has changed due to the covenants he has made.
Curnekia has had great faith her whole life. Through her many trials, Curnekia has depended on God to overcome her hardships. She sought peace through different baptisms in different churches, and in the beginning of 2025, she was baptized again in a different church. However, she still felt there was something more.
Curnekia had sent in several online requests to meet with missionaries dating back to December 2024. But for various reasons, the missionaries were unable to maintain contact with her. Finally, on May 8th, she sent in a referral responding to the invitation, “Would you like to become the best version of yourself? Meet with the missionaries to find out how.” With that invitation, she began to meet with Elder Andrus and Elder O’Brien.
The missionaries invited her to church and she attended with her husband, Tim, and her 18 month old son, Timothy. Though she faced opposition in coming to church and had to leave early, she still stopped to pay her tithing. Curnekia has had great faith and she truly loves the Lord with all of her heart. The Elders ending up passing off Curnekia to the East Ridge Sisters because Curnekia and her family lived in their area.
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Sister Brizzee and Sister Petersen decided while they were on an exchange to go by and visit her. Unfortunately, the door to her apartment complex was locked and there was no way for the sisters to get in. As they were walking away, Curnekia opened her window and yelled at them to come back. They had a very spiritual discussion with her about proper priesthood authority and difference between her previous baptisms and the baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When they asked her if she would be baptized again, but this time with the proper authority, her face broke into a smile and she said yes. Curnekia was more than willing to meet up with the sister missionaries almost daily until her baptism.
Curnekia was baptized on June 28th, 2025 as a member of the Chattanooga Ward. It was a very sweet, spirit filled day. Curnekia continues to be an example to all those around her. She attends church each Sunday, and pays her tithing. She loves God and her family and she is so excited for the next steps of her covenant path.
Minyue was first introduced to the gospel by a couple of her friends online while she still lived in Singapore. For a the last couple of years she had been reading from the Book of Mormon and praying about the things she was learning.
She eventually came to America and married her husband who was a recent convert himself. Her friends encouraged her to continue to pray and gain her testimony of the gospel. She wanted to know more about the things her husband was experiencing, such as receiving the priesthood and his patriarchal blessing. She said she felt prompted by Heavenly Father that she needed to be baptized.
Over time she understood more and more about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and His gospel. For two months she was meeting with the missionaries and coming to church. She knew baptism was something she wanted to do but didn’t yet feel prepared. Something that strengthened her testimony was reading from the Book of Mormon every day.
While she felt nervous to make the commitment to be baptized, she knew this choice would bring eternal blessings, that will last forever. She accepted the invitation to be baptized and was baptized and confirmed on June 28, 2025.
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Minyue is very excited to stay on this path and be able to be sealed to her husband in the temple for eternity. After her baptism, she has felt much happier and more confident. She knows that God cares about us no matter where we come from or what circumstances we’ve experienced. She knows that Heavenly Father knows her, loves her, and has a plan for her.
Luis and Marco had been friends since high school. When Marco started asking about God, Luis knew it was time to invite him to worship with him at church. In April, Marco started attending sacrament meeting and meeting with the missionaries. Marco was filled with honest questions and curiosity. After two months of being taught, his heart and countenance began to change and he said he knew he needed the gospel more deeply in his life.
Grace and Addy also met in high school. Addy invited Grace to come to church, and when she came to church, she started meeting with the missionaries. The missionaries invited Addy to come to two other baptisms. After watching those baptisms, she knew she wanted to be baptized too.
Grace loved the idea that God was a loving God and she didn’t need to fear Him. She learned she could use the power of the Atonement to repent and actually change. She had an aunt who she was very close with who passed away a few years ago, and she felt like she had seen many signs from her aunt leading her in the right direction.
Luis baptized Marco and Grace on June 15, 2025. They felt great joy as they received the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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Marco said that he feels like his life has been easier now that he has the gift of the Holy Ghost. He said that his family has noticed a change in him. Because of the change she has seen in him, Marco’s sister is now interested in learning more about the church. Marco has loved coming to church every week and says he couldn’t see his life without the gospel.
Grace said that she knows the Spirit will help her as she moves to Crossville, Tennessee for the next couple of years to attend college. She doesnt know what she would do if she had never learned about the gospel.
Grace and Marco were able to attend the temple shortly after being baptized. They loved the peace and joy they felt there.
In late April, Luis saw an invitation online to meet with missionaries and filled out a request. When Hermana Brunner and Hermana Briggs reached out, he expressed that he hadn’t gone to church in a while, but was looking to get closer to Jesus Christ. Luis has lived in the United States for 5 years taking care of his dad. He is only 19 years old, yet still he had felt something pulling him to the Savior.
His first week while being in contact with the missionaries, he came to church and enjoyed the peace and refuge he felt there. His second week at church, the sisters showed him the baptismal font and taught him the doctrine of baptism. Later that week they invited him to be baptized, but Luis declined the invitation. Hermana Briggs and Brunner invited him to pray about it and study the scriptures.
After a week and a half with little to no contact, Hermana Brunner and Hernandez were able to reach Luis. He said he had received an answer to his questions and wanted to attend church more. He then attended the Chattanooga Stake Conference and was able to meet the two General Authorities who were presiding and President and Sister Barlow. Later that week, Hermana Brunner and Hernandez once again extended the invitation to be baptized, to which he said “Yes! I meant to tell you before, I really want to get baptized now!”
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Luis was baptized on June 29, 2025 by a recent concert, Ricardo Quintanilla, into the Spring Creek branch. When asked about his experience he explained that as he was receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost he “felt a spark within [his] heart.” He said the experience was indescribable. After his baptism, a member asked him what made him decide to get baptized. He shared, “One night I prayed about my fears and doubts about being baptized, and that night I had a dream, filled with peace and power. When I woke up I knew I needed to be baptized.”
Since being baptized, Luis has received the Aaronic priesthood and has expressed interest in serving a mission of his own! He is excited to help in missionary work and helping others to receive these great blessings from God.
Behold, I will hasten my work in its time. (D&C 88:73)
The Lord is hastening his work across the Tennessee Knoxville Mission! His hand is very evident all across the mission.
In the last six months we have seen this in:
The creation of the Johnson City Stake from the Cumberland and Kingsport Stakes.
The creation of the Cleveland Stake from the Chattanooga Stake.
Our mission complement has increased from 170 missionaries to 190 missionaries.
Elder Quentin L. Cook announced at the June 2025 Mission Leader Seminar that the 12 month period ending in May 2025 was the highest convert baptisms in the history of the church.
The Church News announced that the 12 month period ending in June 2025 set a new record.
June 2025 was the highest baptizing month in the history of the Tennessee Knoxville Mission (in the last 10 years we can see).
July 2025 was a new record in baptism for a four week month.
As we met for our July 2025 zone conference, it gave us an opportunity to reflect on how the Lord is hastening his work and to focus on areas where we can continue to help more people receive the blessings of baptism and confirmation.
We’ve been working on teaching the doctrine of baptism simply and frequently. We want everyone to know how Heavenly Father wants to bless them through making covenants with Him. To do this, we’ve focused on pages 28-29 of Preach My Gospel. Sister Barlow has role played teaching the doctrine of baptism and confirmation with every missionary in the mission. We are focused on sharing this doctrine every time we meet with friends.
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We’ve studied the importance of increasing our faith and acting in great faith. We want to make sure everything we do connects back to our missionary purpose and we see everything through a lens of faith.
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Central to much of the success we are seeing in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission is focusing on inviting everyone to worship the Savior with us and feel His Spirit. Preach My Gospel teaches us, “One of the most valuable experiences you can help people have is attending a Church service. Invite them and explain what it will be like. Tell them how attending a sacrament meeting will bless their lives.” Elder Quentin L. Cook teaches us:
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We have been working to connect these principles in powerful ways. We have faith that if we can stack these habits and keep stacking days, we will have friends at church and friends who desire to be baptized.
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Faith is a principle of action and power. Acting in faith is what brings power to our efforts. It all begins with being willing to invite EVERYONE to church. To help us do this, missionaries are focused on inviting 100 people to church every day. This requires a lot of faith and effort. To accomplish this, missionaries have to overcome every fear of talking to people. We know that if we do this consistently throughout the week we will have friends at church on Sunday. Our missionaries track these invitations every day, then each night they send a picture into their zone chat of how many people they invited to church that day.
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As soon as we find someone who says yes to coming to church, we immediately work to connect them with members. We ask every day, “What can we do today that will help this friend come to church on Sunday?” Meeting members and feeling a connection to them makes a huge difference. We now call Saturday “Sacrament Saturday”. On Saturday, we schedule time to go out with members to visit all these friends in person and commit them to attend with us on Sunday. The members offer to give them rides, meet them at the door, sit by them, answer their questions, and introduce them to other members. We’ve found that this is also a great time to teach our friends the doctrine of baptism. They’ve just participated in an ordnance for the first time in their life with the sacrament, we are in a dedicated building, and we have members with us. This is a great time to show them the baptismal font, teach them the doctrine of baptism and how Heavenly Father wants to bless them, and invite them to act.
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It has been amazing to see these missionaries act in such great faith. Their courage to invite EVERYONE is inspiring. They are making extraordinary efforts to help friends come to church. The members are making an incredible difference with by helping the people we’re teaching feel they have a friend that will support them as they connect to a new church family.
At our July Zone Conference, we continued to work on these principles, including:
“Rewind Time” and how we can find great success in following up with friends who have been taught in the past but stopped progressing.
Creating Lesson Plans before each lesson to be prepared to teach with power.
“The Power Flow” which is a set of Preach My Gospel principles we teach missionaries to use as they invite friends to church. This gives them a process to practice and role play which builds their confidence to talk with EVERYONE.
A highlight of the zone conference was Sister Barlow sharing “Three Promised Blessings That Will Change Your Mission”. 1) Focus on your missionary purpose to successfully find, teach, and baptize. 2) “Your success will be multiplied exponentially as you harness the power of members with whom you serve.” – President Nelson 3) Power comes as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon. Help your friends to do the same.
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Sister Barlow also prepared a powerful video of missionaries sharing their experience and best practices with four areas we’ve been focused on these last few months.
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It is such a privilege to work with these missionaries. Their faith and willingness is remarkable. We are seeing miracles happen across the mission every day. Most importantly, through these efforts and acting in such great faith, they are becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
Chattanooga, Cleveland, Cookeville Zones
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Cumberland, Knoxville, Smoky Mountain Zones
Asheville, Johnson City, Kingsport Zones
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The timing of zone conference created the unusual experience of having MLC on Friday right after zone conferences ended. Our monthly MLC meeting is one of our favorite meetings on the month. We sit in the back of the room as these leaders counsel together about what’s working and what we need to change to help more people receive the blessings of baptism and confirmation. This is the group that sets the goals for the mission each month. They come to the meeting with bottoms-up goals from their zone, and then set goals for the mission. For the month of August, they set a goal of achieving 100. baptisms in the mission. This will require great faith and a lot of work, but everyone across the mission is engaged and working incredibly hard. Please join your faith with ours in praying that we can reach this goal..
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Lastly, it’s exciting to see the progress of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple happening right down the street. As a mission, we feel we are helping to prepare a place and a people for this new temple of God.
George has searched for truth his whole life and he can see how God placed the right people in his path. He began by having a childhood connection with Brother Arnold Jones, one of the happiest, most diligent members of the La Follette Branch. Then, about 3 years ago, George met Brother Gene Muggridge at Walmart, an incredible member missionary who often invites people to learn more about the church. They became great friends and. George agreed to meet with the missionaries then. However, while he progressed for some time, he decided to stop meeting with the missionaries.
George was brought back to the Church because of the passing of his childhood friend, Brother Jones. After Brothr Jones’ funeral, George attended church with Brother Muggridge the next two Sundays. Brother Muggridge gave him a Book of Mormon and the missionaries started meeting with him again.
When the missionaries met with him the next day, George told them, “Yesterday, I asked Brother Muggridge what my next step was, and he told me that I needed to pray about Joseph Smith and ask if he was a prophet. Well, I did, and God witnessed to me that Joseph Smith is God’s chosen prophet in these last days. I believe that this is the true church and I would like to become a part of it.”
The missionaries taught the doctrine of baptism, gave George a baptismal calendar, and invited him to be baptized on April 13th. George said 13 was his lucky number and agreed to be baptized that day.
With every principle we taught, George would think about it, pray, and express how he believed it to be true. He felt another confirmation of the truthfulness of the Church when we taught him about the First Vision, which reminded him of his own “Sacred Grove” experience. He shared a time where he felt the love of God so powerfully in the woods that he couldn’t deny God’s power in his life. The moment he saw a picture of the Sacred Grove he expressed how it looked exactly like where he had had his own experience in Speedwell TN. He had another confirmation as he was taught about the Plan of Salvation and our premortal life, a teaching he said he had been searching for his whole life. He George really enjoyed meeting members of the branch and having members in every lesson made a big difference for him.
#TKMTenderMercies
The day of the George’s baptism was amazing! Over 40 members from the La Follette Branch came to support him. He was baptized by one of his new friends, Brother Bob Bilyeu, and confirmed by Brother Muggridge. George was baptized on April 13, 2025 as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the La Follette Branch.
Two weeks later, George had an incredible experience at the Nashville temple. George was very excited to enter a House of the Lord and he felt very blessed to meet President Cruz, the Temple President. He said he felt so happy and could feel the presence of the Spirit in the temple. George had brought the names of his daughter and mother to be baptized that day and it was a powerful experience
George said he has never been happier. One of his greatest strengths is serving others, something he tries to always do. He hopes that he can continue to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and help others to feel His love.
Sister Critchfield and Sister Bundy were walking into the mission office one day to do some planning. On their way in, they saw an Amazon worker getting back into his Amazon delivery truck after dropping off a package. They invited him to church and he said he was interested! They shared a quick message about how God has a plan for him and how coming to church can help him understand that plan, then let him head out to his next stop of the day. That invitation to church and to grow closer to God was exactly what Sean needed that day.
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Shortly after that first interaction with Sean, the Sisters found out that his Father had passed away just three weeks prior to meeting him that day in the parking lot. Sean was lost, he was mourning, and was seeking peace, direction and purpose again. He was able to find more peace and guidance in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.
A pivotal moment for Sean was learning how to pray. Once he started praying, he was able to start feeling more of God’s love in his life. Sean’s Father loved church and worship and was baptized prior to passing away. The example of his dad gave Sean a desire to come closer to Christ, and as he learned about the gospel of Jesus Christ he felt connected to his dad once again.
#TKMTenderMercies
The missionaries were able to connect Sean to the YSA congregation here in Knoxville. His very first time coming to church he brought a friend who has attended church with him ever since! Just three weeks after meeting the missionaries, Sean was baptized on July 20, 2025 as a member of the Knoxville YSA Branch.
Sean has been a great example of strength and hope, and is helping others come closer to Jesus Christ as well!
Barlows in TKM 