Tag: jesus

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Kevin

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

Kevin had many experiences with God before ever meeting with missionaries. He grew up going to church with his dad, who taught him to follow the Lord. Like many of us, Kevin would have to learn for himself if these things were true. 

Kevin would continue to have faith and do what was right, but had difficult experiences in church. He felt others in church would say one thing, and do the opposite. Kevin still continued to have faith in the Lord, and later in life, he met his wife, Heidi. 

Heidi is a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After getting married, Heidi’s father would come to know and love Kevin. They would have many conversations about Jesus Christ, church,… and baptism. Although his father-in-law was a kind and faithful man who set a good example, Kevin was weary of church because some of his past experiences.

Over the years, many missionaries would come to visit Kevin and Heidi. Every time missionaries visited, Kevin would get in his truck and leave and let them visit his wife. In his own words Kevin said:

“I ran away from missionaries for about 20 years. I knew I wanted to get back into church, but I just never connected with anyone there before. That was, until God sent me two of the right missionaries at the right time.”

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Elder Trey Driggs and Elder Asher Lewis met Kevin and Heidi and on that first visit they simply listened to Kevin’s concerns and experiences. For the first time in a long while, Kevin could feel the love of Christ from a member of a church and invited the missionaries back into his home. After sharing more of their personal stories, Kevin and Heidi had a personal testimony that missionaries were the Lord’s representatives on Earth, and were especially sent by Him to share the gospel. Both of them had a very spiritual experience when Elder Driggs shared his old ID photo, which resembled their son who had passed away. They had a witness that their son had sent the right missionaries at the right time to bring Kevin the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kevin would make a lot of changes in his life the next few months, but was concerned about losing a missionary after transfers. Elder Kaden Wilson would come into Kevin’s life and they really connected. Kevin realized that he could trust more and more people from church and began to open up even more. 

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Kevin was baptized July 19th, 2023 by his father-in-law, the day of his son’s birthday. 

Kevin and his wife Heidi continue to walk in faith and prepare themselves to be sealed in the temple as husband and wife, for time and all eternity. Families can together forever!

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Joey

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Joey’s journey began one day when he was watching a YouTube video. An ad came on as he was watching his video, and he felt strangely drawn to it. He clicked on it, and was soon in contact with the missionaries. When Sister Tuala and Sister Terry called him, he felt deeply impressed by the spirit he felt, which reminded him of the feelings he had felt in his grandma’s church. 

As he learned and grew, he diligently studied the Book of Mormon every night. When things were hard, he held strong and steadfast, just the way his grandma taught him. He has lived a life built on the strength and good morals of his grandma who was a very strong spiritual woman.

One month after he clicked on the ad on YouTube, he was baptized on January 18, 2025 as a member of the Hardin Valley Ward. About his baptism, he said, “It felt like I was back in biblical times.” He felt very connected to the story where John baptized Jesus Christ. He felt forgiven of all sins, and when he was confirmed, he felt the presence of the Savior.

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Since his baptism, Joey has had many spiritual experiences where he has been able to feel close to his Savior, and been able to grow closer to his fiancé and received guidance and direction to help him in many areas of his life. He has been able to receive the Aaronic Priesthood, and is excited to receive opportunities to bless others through the priesthood in the future, especially as he has been learning about his family history and is preparing to attend the temple for the first time. 

Joe wanted his conversion story to close with his testimony. He said, “If you believe in Him, you will overcome your challenges no matter how many trials you face!”

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Jerimiah

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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.

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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. 

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Michel

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Michel was born in Nicaragua and grew up constantly facing dangerous situations. One night, two men kidnapped and tried to kill her. She said a prayer and miraculously was able to fend off her attackers and escape. She immediately learned trust in God and to do everything He asked. She learned He would deliver her and not lead her astray. She knew she could trust Him and made the hardest decision of her life, deciding to leave everything behind and move to the United States for a safer future for her and her family.

Elder Barrow and Elder Johns first knocked on Michel’s door in December of 2023, but unfortunately they weren’t able to contact her after their first visit. Shortly after meeting the missionaries, Michel moved to Dallas, Texas. The missionaries in Dallas met Michel on a bus. She loved their message and later attended one of their services. The missionaries continued teaching her until she decided to move back to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Elder Rodriguez and Elder Colling then got a phone call from the Dallas, Texas missionaries about Michel and were able to meet with her immediately. Michel was very grateful to see the missionaries and progressed quickly. 

In the very first lesson Michel accepted the invitation to be baptized. During this lesson they talked about how we can become closer to God, and prepare ourselves for baptism. She readily agreed and started finding joy in daily prayer and studying in the Book Of Mormon. She knew she was being led down the right path.

An important moment in Michel’s conversion is when she made the decision to come to church. Sunday service was very special for her and her kids. They learned so much about Jesus Christ and her daughter loved Primary.

We also could not have done this without the Gilday family who has supported Michel in so many ways! The Gildays have helped her understand the true concept of charity! They have also been a friend to Michel in some of her hardest times and done so much for Michel.

Michel was baptized on January 4, 2025 as a member of the West Hills Ward. One of the most powerful moments at Michel’s baptism is when she bore her testimony about her love of Jesus Christ. You could feel the spirit that entered the room when she bore testimony about the Savior. You could tell that she knew what it meant to come unto Christ! We are so grateful for this decision that Michel has made to be baptized and know she will be a great disciple of Christ.

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Charlie

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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.

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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!

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Ian

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The missionaries first met Ian in the parking lot at TJ Maxx where they were handing out cards to invite people to the Tabernacle Choir Watch Party.

Ian described his experience in his own words:

“When I first met the missionaries I was dealing with a lot of darkness and I didn’t know how to get out of it. The missionaries found me when I was leaving a store walking back to my car and they asked me if I would like a picture of Jesus Christ and I said, “Sure!” Then they asked me if I had a church that I attended. Being new to the area and unsure of my faith, I had no church to go to. They offered me to come and tour their church and join them in worshipping Jesus Christ on Sunday.”

“Looking back, I was unsure of what my brain was telling me in that moment. I again said, “Sure.” I didn’t know it at the time, but that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and a moment I will remember forever.”

“I took a chance with the missionaries when at the time I wasn’t sure how I felt about God. I was lost and confused. I went that Saturday to tour their church and from the moment I walked in I could feel the spirit of God there. It was a feeling I had not felt in years since I went through a dark path and had lost my faith in God.”

“As I continued to meet with the missionaries, they taught me how to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Everything they invited me to do helped to build my faith. I knew it was the missing piece I needed to step out of the darkness and fulfill my life with Christ once again.”

“Elder Wagon and Elder Gardner had put their trust into me that I would be ready for baptism. Since that first lesson I made sure to read a scripture every night and pray to God, which was something I hadn’t done in years. When I did that, it was the best feeling.”

“As the time of my baptism was approaching, I was having my doubts and was scared I wasn’t ready to receive the Holy Ghost. I reached out to Sister Bosh, Sister Rush and Sister Low and they talked me through everything and reassured me I was ready. As I spoke t them, it felt like I was speaking to God and I could feel Him there telling me I was more than ready.”

“That following Sunday, December 22, 2024, Elder Gardner baptized me and Elder Potter helped me receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Since then I feel like a whole new person. While still not perfect, I’m working every day to become the best version of myself. I love helping others with the missionaries to receive the word and love of Jesus Christ. I never would have thought I’d have come this far so quickly, but I couldn’t have done so without the help and love of Elder Gardner, Elder Potter, Elder Wagnon, Sister Rush, Sister Bosh, Sister Low, Brandon, Elder and Sister Bennett, and the rest of the amazing people I’m proud to call my family at the Asheville Central Branch and the Asheville Ward.”

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Jayden

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The missionaries met Jayden as a referral from his girlfriend, Maikya. Jayden was naturally fellowshipped by members and this created the desire to learn more about the things his member friends believed in, especially his girlfriend, Makiya.. Makiya is currently serving a mission in Argentina, and invited Jayden to reach out to missionaries near him.

Here are his words about how that went:

“So to begin with, what got me into the church was my girlfriend Makiya who’s a missionary herself. Before she left for her mission she suggested I come to church with her and I did and I didn’t think much of it. But once she left for her mission she asked me to go to church or at least try and learn something so I texted the missionaries, and soon enough they answered me and within a day I was meeting with them.”

During Jayden’s first lesson, he expressed an interest in being baptized, desiring to change his life forever. We quickly put him on date, and per his request, taught him almost every day leading up to his baptism.

“Let me say after the first lesson I was hooked. My life has changed so much in so many ways from the start I have seen my relationship grow and so many opportunities have opened up. I’m so blessed to call the church my home.”

Since Jayden was so eager to be taught every day, we were able to fellowship him with almost the entire branch before his baptism. The members excitedly answered his questions and encouraged Jayden to study and pray every day, and to understand the importance of partaking of the sacrament each Sunday. Brad and Lynette Jones and Mike and Dawn Baker were especially involved in welcoming Jayden into the church.

A powerful moment in Jayden’s conversion was his first time partaking of the sacrament: “I definitely felt the Spirit move in me the first time I took the sacrament and my whole body felt free and just happy.”

Jayden was baptized and confirmed on November 24th, 2024 as a member of the Brevard branch and has since been able to receive the Aaronic priesthood and perform baptisms for the dead in the Atlanta temple. He has a very bright future and is already a powerful missionary in the Lord’s hands with how willing he is to help within the branch and to share his own testimony with others.

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Logan

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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.

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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.

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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.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Josh

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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.

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Isaac

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Isaac had heard about our church from a friend. He was curious as to what made his friend make such drastic changes in their life just to get baptized into another church. So one day, Isaac wandered into the church about an hour before sacrament meeting started. The times on Google Maps were wrong which led to Isaac meeting the missionaries in Columbia, Tennessee.

Isaac met with the missionaries in Columbia, Tennessee for a month, he had regular discussions with Elder Madsen and Elder Alder about the gospel. He enjoyed getting to know the community and the doctrine of the church through Elder Madsen and Elder Alder. But not too long after he began meeting with them, Isaac moved to the Chattanooga area to start his new job. 

The missionaries from Columbia referred Isaac to the missionaries in the Ooltewah Ward. After about a week, the missionaries in Ooltewah were able to speak with Isaac and start having discussions. Isaac met with Elder Hirst and Elder Staker frequently to study and learn more. Isaac had a feeling that he needed to get baptized but struggled with some uncertainty about whether or not he was ready. One night, the Elders had a lesson with Isaac and Brother Marshman, a member in the Ooltewah ward. During the lesson, they read the promise of Moroni in Moroni 10:3-5. After reading the promise, Brother Marshman extended the invitation to Isaac to pray about whether or not he should get baptized. Isaac prayed and after faithfully asking his Heavenly Father, Isaac stood up and said he felt like he should make his first covenant with God and get baptized.. 

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

Moron 10:3-5

Isaac soon would face strong opposition in his journey along the path to baptism, which led to a few delays in the date of his baptism. But Isaac never once forgot that night when he first felt that he should get baptized. Isaac continued to press forward in his search for truth, he met and discussed with Elder Hirst and Elder Staker, as well as many of the members of the ward. He felt loved and he saw the joy the Gospel brought to their lives. He too desired that joy in his own life. Isaac watched General Conference, went to Stake Conference, and continually received the same impression that he not only needed to get baptized, but also receive the discerning power of the Gift of the Holy Ghost. 

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That following weekend Isaac went with the ward to help in the service efforts of cleaning up after the hurricane in Augusta, Georgia. It was so fascinating to him to see so many people helping and serving others. It testified that not only was the church a worldwide church, but also a church of service and charity. This was a turning moment for Isaac, because he knew that a church of so much joy had to be true! Isaac trusted that receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost would help him to have the guidance and direction that he needed in his life. Isaac made the decision to get baptized and confirmed that Thursday!

Isaac was baptized on October 24, 2024.

Isaac’s baptism was meaningful to him in a lot of ways. It was significant to him to have that clean slate through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and baptism.. It was a comforting experience to receive the constant companionship of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Although still new to the area, lots of people attended and supported Isaac in this choice. Isaac realized he not only found a church, he found a second family.

Isaac continues to press forward strong in the gospel today and has even started attending lessons with the missionaries to share his testimony with other people seeking the truth like him!

#TKMTenderMercies