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
We’re already at mid transfer- can you believe it? We hope the district accountability that was implemented is going well. I like to think of a district as a little group of siblings working together, cheering each other on, and helping each other when things are tough. When accountability is done with love and support, it will unite the district. Always remember that these things are to better help us fulfill our missionary purpose to invite everyone to come unto Christ and then to help them receive His restored gospel. He is the heart and the center of everything we do.
If you’re struggling in an area of accountability, let the members of your district help. Everyone has been there at one time or another so reach out- I promise you will be wrapped up in love and support and the day will come when you will be able to offer that same kindness to someone else.
We also hope that everyone is deeply invested in reading the Book of Mormon and studying Preach My Gospel every day! Even on P-day! As I have really done a deep study of PMG, I have felt that things you learn through the Spirit will not only bless you as a missionary, it will bless every aspect of your life in the future. Think of the knowledge and skill you will use in future callings, ministering, and most importantly – your own future family. You are learning how to plan, how to interact with others, essential gospel truths that will bless you for the rest of your life, the power of scripture study, how to make and keep commitments, how to build faith in the Savior, and so many other things!
A mission is the perfect time to fully immerse yourself in The Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel. You won’t have another opportunity quite like a mission to be able to deeply study, learn, and grow. There is no downside here! Make the effort and reap the blessings.
The Restoration Proclamation was issued by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the April 2020 General Conference. This proclamation commemorates the 200th anniversary of The First Vision received by the Prophet Joseph Smith that initiated the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and ushered in “the dispensation of the fullness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).
Our efforts to memorize The Restoration Proclamation was based on this promise from President Nelson at the 2021 Mission Leader Seminar:
We live in this unique and exciting time when the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ continues to unfold. I would encourage each of you to study, ponder, and teach from the bicentennial proclamation of the Restoration, introduced at the April 2020 general conference. Teach it often to your missionaries. There is power in its declarations. It proclaims truths concerning the Godhead, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the First Vision, the organization of the Lord’s Church, the restoration of priesthood authority, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and modern-day prophets. The more your missionaries understand about these fundamental gospel truths, the more their own testimonies will grow—which of course will help them teach and testify with greater power.
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Important eternal truths are taught in The Restoration Proclamation that are valuable for missionaries to know and teach:
Heavenly Father loves His children.
God knows you, loves you, and has a plan for your life. He will direct your path.
After the death of His apostles, Christ’s New Testament Church was lost from the earth.
God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith to initiate the restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church.
Heavenly messengers re-established His Church.
The Book of Mormon, like the Bible, is sacred scripture that teaches the Doctrine of Christ.
Priesthood authority has been restored.
Missionaries carry the message of the Restoration to the world.
The Restoration is ongoing.
You can know for yourself of the reality of this Restoration.
This was no easy task for our missionaries. The Restoration Proclamation is 608 words. Similar to when we memorized “The Living Christ”, Sister Barlow created flip cards that would help us memorize the Restoration Proclamation. She also noted that we will record a video of missionaries reciting “The Restoration Proclamation” just like we did with “The Living Christ.”
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Memorizing this proclamation has been a great experience for our mission. Missionaries shared that they often find themselves quoting The Restoration Proclamation as they teach. Combining it with our efforts to memorize The Living Christ has been powerful. Memorizing and pondering these words from living prophets have strengthened our faith and is helping us to testify with greater power.
It all started with Randall. Sister Webb and Sister Harrop got a referral from a man named Randall. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very interested, but where the Sisters asked who else he knew who might be interested, he told the sisters to see his friend Cody. While visiting Cody, they met his sister Angel. Angel was too busy to meet at that time, but she gave them her address so they could visit her later. When they followed up, Angel was nowhere to be found at the given address, but after asking the man there who might be interested in their message, he said to try the lady at the back of the neighborhood. And this is where Sister Harrop and Sister Webb met Lorie!
Lorie was open to talking with the sisters because she remembered her grandfather talking to missionaries when she was a little girl. She liked that the missionaries would come visit her and teach her the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. She has always been a very faithful follower of Jesus Christ and has strove to keep his commandments throughout her life. She enjoyed reading the Book of Mormon because it works so well with the Holy Bible.
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When the sisters presented her with the opportunity to be baptized to show the Lord that she was willing to follow Him and to be bound to Him through Jesus Christ’s priesthood, she wanted to take that step! She said that she couldn’t find anything wrong with the Book of Mormon or with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints so she wanted to be a part of it.
The Chatt Valley Ward was so welcoming as Lorie came to church and prepared to be baptized. Sister Alma Griffey was an amazing fellowshipper and was always willing to help Lorie progress in her goal of being baptized. Lorie was baptized on August 31. 2024. Her baptism was beautiful and the Spirit was powerful. After she was baptized, she said she felt “clean”.
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When Lorie was confirmed on Sunday and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, Sister Webb and Sister Bunderson noted that she was glowing with the Spirit. She had a new light about her and the Spirit she carried was clearly visible. Lorie looked so beautiful and so happy. The sisters could feel the love that Heavenly Father has for Lorie, one of His beloved daughters.
Francisco recently moved to the country and was looking for a church near him. He saw an ad on Facebook for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that’s how he came in contact with the missionaries. The ad was inviting him to join us at a church service, and he sent in his referral on July 20, 2024.
Francisco came to the United States by himself leaving his family behind. He started coming to church every Sunday and quickly became good friends with many of the members. Francisco has a lot of faith and never doubted that this was the path the Lord had for him.
One Sunday, during sacrament meeting a recent convert bore her testimony on how her own baptism had blessed her life. After church that day, the missionaries had a lesson with Francisco. He expressed that he had loved the testimony from the recent convert and had his own desire to fulfill the commandments of God through baptism.
From then on, Francisco started working towards baptism. He has never doubted that this is what the Lord wants for him, even if it means making big changes. When the missionaries taught him about the commandments of God he immediately agreed to live them.
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Francisco was baptized and confirmed on August 25, 2024 in the Lebanon 2nd Branch.
Francisco is a very engaged learner and has already contributed a lot to the branch. He would consistently share his own testimony in Sunday School and in lessons, and has continued to enjoy learning more about the gospel.
Finding the church has truly changed his life and has allowed him to find peace during this difficult time of being away from the rest of his family. He is a great example of someone who is always willing to follow God’s commandments and stay true to what he knows. As a member of Christ’s church he is now excited to continue on this covenant path.
On Thursday, September 27th, the eastern half of the Tennessee Knoxville Mission began to be pounded by storms from Hurricane Helene. Asheville broke the 2-day record for rainfall recording 9.87 inches of rain in a 48 hour period. High winds toppled huge trees and snapped power poles. The French Broad River crested at over 24 feet, 1.5 feet above its previous record, rising over 20 feet in two days, flooding much of Asheville. Most of Asheville became isolated with no power, no water, no cell phone signal, and most roads into the area being closed. The Kingsport area around Johnson City also sustained damage to trees and homes, losing power and cell phone service. In Newport, Tennessee, the Pigeon River rose to over three times the flood stage and set a new record at 26 feet, flooding portions of the town and shutting down power and water to much of the area.
While it was a stressful 24-48 hours in trying to contact our missionaries, many “Tender Mercies in the TKM” happened during this time:
Even with most of the area without cell service, we were able to contact all of our missionaries in under 36 hours.
All missionaries were protected and kept safe and no missionary apartments were damaged or flooded by the storm.
When we re-established contact with our missionaries, most of them were already being supported by our senior missionaries in the Asheville area, Elder and Sister Bennett and Elder and Sister Chris. These two couples made a tremendous difference! Shout out to all senior missionaries!
Two of our biggest apartments in the Asheville area never lost power or water, which created places we could gather many of the missionaries.
A missionary in Hendersonville has diabetes, and that was one of the apartments that never lost power, helping to preserve his medication.
While cell service was out throughout the area, all of our missionaries had cell service restored by Saturday night, which is a small miracle.
After speaking with everyone on Saturday, we loaded up our car with groceries, 12 cases of bottled water, and 25 gallons of gasoline, and along with Samantha set out to find a way to get into Asheville. We hit road after road that was closed, and it was beginning to feel impossible, but we kept trying. We saw a big van that was a disaster recovery truck and stopped to talk to him. We found out he had driven down from Chicago and was trying to get to Asheville too. He said he had heard on his radio that they had just opened up the Old Asheville Highway that had been closed due to mudslides. So we followed him and sure enough, the road was open. There were lots of cars going out and very few going in. I think we had to be one of the first cars going into Asheville through that route. Another tender mercy…
Our first stop was at Elder and Sister Bennett’s home. When we arrived, only Sister Bennett was there. They were without power and water, but had busted open their year supply of food and had been cooking on a camp stove outside. The Weaverville and Marion sisters had stayed at their house the night before, and the Asheville Central elders had been joining them for meals. A short time later, Elder Bennett arrived as well as the Asheville Central elders, Elder Wagnon and Elder Gardner (who had only arrived in the TKM one week earlier). We left the Bennett’s with some water, fuel, and groceries and headed to Hendersonville.
On the way into Asheville and then on to Hendersonville, it was shocking to see the size of trees that had toppled over. While traffic wasn’t too bad and we could get around okay, we would run into roads with long, long lines of cars and found out they were lines for gas. Because the power was out, most gas pumps wouldn’t work. Where they did, many of those gas stations were out of gas. So where there was gas available, there were incredibly long lines.
The Hendersonville Elders were doing great. This was one of the apartments that never lost power and water, so the Micronesian elders, Elder Kaumavae and Elder Cox, had relocated there joining the Spanish elders, Elder Kerksiek and Elder Youngberg, and the English elders, Elder Huff and Elder Bowen. Power and water was out at Elder and Sister Chris’ apartment, so they had been coming there during the day to help the elders. We left them with water, groceries, gas, and some cash.
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Our final stop was the Arden building in Asheville where we would meet the Asheville sisters, Sister Hall and Sister Low, and Asheville Spanish elders, Elder Richins and Elder Safsten. When we arrived, we saw President Gillett, the stake president of the Asheville Stake. He had a Starlink internet satellite receiver set up on his car and was in communication with leaders throughout the stake who were providing reports on members and their needs. Also there were the Weaverville sisters, Sister Avei and Sister Harris, and the Marion sisters, Sister Hunt and Sister Herget. All were in good spirits. It felt so good to lay eyes on all these missionaries in Asheville. We gave them groceries, water, gas, and cash as well.
At each stop, we told the missionaries we could transfer them out of the Asheville Zone to other areas of the mission, but all missionaries (including those in Waynesville – Sister Harrison and Sister Harrop, Franklin – Elder Collins and Elder Columba, and Forest City – Elder Graham and Elder Wren) expressed their desire to stay and help the people in Asheville. Luckily, the Cherokee elders, Elder Woodward and Elder Griffith were not impacted by the storm. They all now had plenty of food, water, and fuel so they could be self-sufficient. We consolidated companionships to where we had power and water. Missionaries were already involved in serving, cleaning up, and helping to contact members and create an inventory of needs. Despite all of the challenges, they were all doing really well…much better than we expected.
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Ironically, we were supposed to be in Asheville that Tuesday for interviews, so we decided to head back to Asheville on Tuesday. Luckily we were able to get back into Asheville on the same route, but it had much more traffic so it took over four hours to get there. We met all of the missionaries at the Arden building where the Asheville Stake was setting up a “Command Center” where they were receiving shipments of emergency supplies from the church and could be distributed. The missionaries were excited to help in unloading the trucks and setting up the Command Center. They were especially excited to break open a box of the yellow “Helping Hands” shirts that all volunteers would receive. The missionaries were the first to get these shirts. We spent the day unloading trucks, setting up the Command Center, and cleaning up all the debris that was around the church. We gave Elder Bowen and Elder Huff groceries, water, gas, and cash for the Waynesville, Franklin, and Forest City missionaries to ensure they had what they needed. It was a great day of service together. We again let every missionary know we could move them to another area, but they all again expressed their desire to stay and help. I’m sure they will have weeks of really memorable service.
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Sister Low arrived in the TKM only one week before the hurricane, and it was her birthday. Sister Hall had asked us to bring a cake and candles so we could all celebrate her birthday with her. I’m sure that will be a very memorable birthday.
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On the way back from Asheville, the road that we had been using was closed, so we found a route that took us back through Newport. Driving through Newport was shocking as well. Our Newport elders, Elder Creech and Elder Ortiz had already been providing service every day at the Newport Water Distribution Center where they helped distribute drinking water. They had power but had been without water like all of Newport.
For the rest of that week, the Cumberland Zone joined Elder Creech and Elder Ortiz in serving at places that were cleaning out businesses and homes. The Knoxville and Cumberland Zones will continue to join that service this next week.
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Other missionaries served at the Water Distribution Center. Because water was out for all of Newport, they had shipped in pallets and pallets of water bottles that people could drive up and get a case of water. The missionaries helped load the cases of water into people’s cars, which made the lines for water way more efficient.
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On Thursday, October 3rd, we were in Johnson City to do interviews. Most of the missionaries in the Kingsport Zone gathered in Johnson City to help unload a truck full of supplies to help people in the area impacted by Hurricane Helene. The supplies were unloaded off a big trailer and loaded into trucks to deliver to different distribution points in Johnson City. Love the members in the Kingsport Stake and love these missionaries!
While it was a stressful week, there were so many miracles. Here are a few things we witnessed this week:
1) The Lord watches out for His missionaries. He knows them and loves them. In the middle of many, many challenges we’ve also seen what we call “Tender Mercies” in the TKM. Our two biggest apartments in Asheville never lost power or water, so we had gathering places for the missionaries. A missionary in Hendersonville has diabetes, and that was one of the apartments that never lost power, helping to preserve his medication. None of the apartments were damaged or flooded. All missionaries were kept safe. While many throughout Asheville struggled with cell service, we were so blessed to reach all our missionaries after 24 hours. So many tender mercies…
2) Senior couples make an incredible difference. We already knew this, but I don’t know what we would do without them. Elder and Sister Bennett and Elder and Sister Chris have been incredible in supporting the missionaries, especially during the 24 hours we couldn’t communicate. If you can serve as a senior missionary, please serve!
3) Members are wonderful. They love the missionaries like their own. While also taking care of their families, they’ve watched out for the missionaries and helped in countless ways. Providing a warm meal, a needed shower, or a place to wash clothes. We love the members in Asheville!
4) The ministering organization in our church is incredible. We can take for granted how quickly we can check on every member, confirm their safety, and determine their needs. It’s been amazing to see the service rendered through ministering.
5) The welfare program of our church that organizes emergency response is remarkable. It makes us so grateful to be members of this church. The ability to bring any resources required is inspiring…water, fuel, generators, chain saws, tools, manpower…and anything else needed. The preparation behind it all is extraordinary. The tithes and offerings and willingness from the members of the church makes this possible.
6) Lastly, these young missionaries are really special. Sometimes we forget they are only 18-21 years old. They want to help and serve. They have great faith. They are all learning powerful lessons through this experience. We love them!
Barlows in TKM 