Tag: jesus

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Simon

~ barlowsintkm ~ Leave a comment

In 2013, missionaries found Simon pushing buggies, TVs, and other heavy items. The sisters offered to help, and introduced The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Simon for the first time. Simon was at first nervous, but was more open as they talked. The missionaries kept visiting Simon at Walmart until one time they just stop coming.

Fast forward to near the end of September 2023, Simon made the decision to come to church after a member had invited him for nearly two months. That’s when Simon met with missionaries again.

As Simon walked into church each week, he felt a sense of peace. Simon noticed how things started to work out better within his life as he was going to church as when he wasn’t. He really desired to come closer to Jesus Christ and live his life according to God’s will.

Due to his busy work schedule, the Elders would meet at the shop Simon worked at to teach principles of the Plan of Salvation, and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Wakefield and Elder Safsten even helped him move a transmission out of a car!

Many of the missionaries invited Simon to be baptized, but he was just not sure about it. Simon had a lot of questions in regards to the Church of Jesus Christ that he had trouble finding answers to. Many of the members in the Franklin branch shared their love for Simon and helped him feel comfortable at church. One of those members was Brother Sam Carter, who spent a lot of his time answering Simon’s questions. One of those questions was about the temple. He had heard a lot of things about the temple and how special it was, but he couldn’t just take the word of others to know.

One day at church, as Elder Collins and Elder Wakefield were greeting people at church, Brother Carter walked in and said that Simon has set a date to be baptized! The Elders were eager to know what made Simon make the decision. They talked with Simon and he shared what happened the day before.

Simon’s desire to go to the temple, to see for himself, to feel the special Spirit at the temple, and ultimately follow the example of Jesus Christ helped him make his first covenant with his Father in Heaven. Brother Carter and a few other members traveled to Atlanta to see the temple, answering Simon’s questions about the temple along the way. Although Simon wasn’t able to go inside, he shared how he noticed how happy everyone was entering and leaving the temple. Simon stated how he was able to feel uninterrupted peace for an hour, a type of peace he hasn’t truly felt in years. That peace was the Holy Ghost bringing comfort to Simon. He shared how he now knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s true church restored.

Elder Collins and Elder Colunga consistently met with Simon, as well as Brother Carter, to answer the rest of Simon’s questions. After learning more about the Book of Mormon, Simon shared that he perfectly understood how the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon work together to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Simon was baptized and confirmed on September 15th, 2024.

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There has always been a special spirit about him. The Elders noticed how that spirit amplified after this special day. 

A few days after making a covenant and receiving the Holy Ghost, Simon expressed how he was unable to sleep for nearly three long months, but since his baptism, he was able to sleep in peace. He continues to bring joy in the lives of others with his willingness to share the Book of Mormon with everyone. Simon is an example of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Steve

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Steve was referred by his friend Lydia, who is a member of the church in Texas. Years ago Lydia bore her testimony about the Book of Mormon and then slipped one in Steve’s suitcase when he left. A few years later, Steve lost this Book of Mormon and felt curious of what it held that his friend Lydia testified so strongly about. He asked Lydia about it, and she offered to have the missionaries bring him a new copy.

What Lydia thought would be just dropping off a Book of Mormon turned into slow but steady lessons with Steve with the missionaries. At first Steve was hesitant. He didn’t dive right into the Book of Mormon. He said, “I have never read a book in my life!”

Slow persistence and member friendship helped Steve realize he needed to read this book for himself and see what he could learn. In his prayers he prayed for the safety of the missionaries as well as asking for help to understand what he was reading in the Book of Mormon. Steve’s prayers and continued faith helped him progress toward making covenants or special promises with God.

After meeting members during lessons Steve saw the same happiness and joy through trials that he saw with his friend Lydia. After going to church the first week, Steve said, “ I just can’t figure out why everyone is so happy!” But he knew he needed to be part of it.

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Steve became more curious about baptism, but there were a few road blocks along the way. Steve has smoked cigarettes his entire life from the time that he was a child, throughout his service in the military, and into his adult life. He smoked a lot. 3 packs a day was not unusual for him.

Steve wanted to be right with God for his baptism but he knew how hard quitting smoking had been for him in the past. Quitting was difficult. Going from that much smoking to none at all was not an easy task. Through lots of prayers, fasting, the help of God and persistent effort, Steve was able to stop smoking. When we asked him what made the difference, he said, “It must have been this book (The Book of Mormon) and the message that y’all shared.”

The Book of Mormon is what made the difference in Steve’s journey to quit smoking and come unto Jesus Christ. We know the power the Book of Mormon brings, we’ve seen it with Steve. Steve has also seen this power and he wants to share it with others so it can help them.

Steve was baptized on June 1, 2024. This was a huge step in God’s plan for Steve. He continues to grow his testimony by coming to church and preparing to help others by doing their work in the temple.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Nikki

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One day we were walking out of Food City and invited a girl named Milo to church. It was a short interaction, but we invited her to come to our chapel for a church tour. Later that week, we texted her and asked her if she wanted to bring anybody else. She said yes, she wanted to bring her roommate Nikki. Nikki initially came just to support Miilo, but by the end of the church tour, she said she wanted to learn more. Both of them came to church that week. They were surprised at how good they felt at church since they had some bad experiences with churches in the past. They said there were “good vibes” at church. We explained that what they were feeling was the Spirit! We were soon able to begin teaching Nikki.

Our next lesson with Nikki was at a member’s home. We were teaching her about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, using the pamphlet. We taught her about the First Vision and the Spirit was so strong. Nikki mentioned that her friend had been baptized recently and she felt the same feelings. We asked her to turn the page in the pamphlet, and she saw the picture of Joseph getting the priesthood authority from Peter, James, and John. We told her that she can be baptized with the authority and power of God. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes!

Nikki began to progress at lightning speed. She started going to YSA activities on her own (at first we didn’t even know she was going)! She loved church and we were able to teach her several times a week, mostly in members’ homes. We were really worried about teaching her the commandments, but she was immediately willing to keep them, even if it would take sacrifices. She even threw her vape in the dumpster! Her family sent her some misinformation about the church, but she said that she knew that what she was doing was right. As they saw how happy she was, they ended up being supportive and even attended her baptism.

Nikki was baptized on August 17, 2024. She was nervous for her baptism, but she said as soon as she came out of the water, everything in the room seemed so much brighter. As we sang the closing song, she got chills and she knew it was the Spirit confirming she was where she belonged.

Nikki’s light just continues to grow. She has been teaching her family everything that we’ve been teaching her. She’s so excited to go to the temple, and has an end goal of getting sealed in the temple someday.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Mia

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The bishop of the Cleveland Ward asked us to visit a part-member family. The father, Alex, was baptized in Honduras and had been a member for a number of years but with many jobs working to provide for his family, attending church had been difficult. After multiple visits and phone calls that resulted with no responses, there was nothing we could do except wait and pray that somehow we would be able to get in contact with them.

One Saturday afternoon, we had some plans fall through. As we considered what to do next we both felt a prompting that we should stop by Mía and her family’s house. As we arrived at the house, we found Alex and his kids home, which was a tender mercy on its own. We met with him for a bit and he expressed that he wanted his kids to be baptized. We told him we wanted to help him with that and invited them to church the very next day. We also invited them to come to a baptism right after church so his kids could experience what it was like. 

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As we taught Mia, with permission from her parents, we extended the invitation to Mía to be baptized, which she accepted. The next couple of weeks were filled with lessons, coming to church, and participating in Young Womens activities. Every time we would come over and talk about her baptism, Mia would have a smile on her face. 

Mia was baptized on August 4, 2024. Since Mía’s baptism and Alex returning to  church, they’ve expressed seeing many blessings from God and with hope one day to be sealed as a family in the temple. 

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Ashton

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Ashton actually found the missionaries. Elder Tolman and Elder Woodward were walking down his street and Ashton yelled out, “Are yall church people?” He asked if it would be okay if he came to church with them.

Ashton really wanted to go to church along with all his siblings. He went to a sacrament meeting on Mother’s Day with his mom which really got Ashton excited and motivated to come to church.

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After talking with the missionaries, Ashton really wanted to be baptized because he wanted to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, get closer to God, and to get to heaven. Ashton always had the best questions for the topics we were discussing. He liked having the missionaries over because it felt good to talk to them and when he read the Book of Mormon he felt like he was being changed. His favorite part of the Book of Mormon was learning the ten commandments from Abinadi. He loves to recite all ten in order.

Ashton was baptized on June 30, 2024. Now that he is baptized he feels a greater change and a closer connection to God. He is now looking forward to following all the commandments, passing the sacrament, and going to the temple.

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Melissa

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On a February stormy night, Elder Clark and Elder Packard went to visit members in Cleveland, “the Godoys”, and Melissa and Denny were there. They were a little hesitant at first, but the missionaries always kept visiting them with the member’s and they came to really love the missionaries. Over time, they came to love the Gospel and the message that the missionaries shared and were willing to take any steps to come closer to Christ. 

A year later after being found, they took the first big step of getting married in December 2023. Denny had a powerful, spiritual experience watching a virtual tour of the Rome, Italy Temple. While watching that video, he felt the Spirit tell him to be baptized soon after their wedding. Denny was baptized a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints early in January. However, Melissa felt she still needed to wait for her own confirmation to be baptized.

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A few months passed, and her confirmation finally came. 

One night, while Denny and Melissa were sleeping, Melissa was awoken to a vision. In this vision, outside of her bedroom window, she saw a personage standing in the air in a bright light. She was unsure of what exactly was happening and what she was feeling. Making sure she wasn’t imagining anything, she woke up Denny to ask him if he saw what she was seeing. Still half asleep, Denny affirmed that he did see what Melissa was seeing. Melissa asked Denny to describe what he was seeing. Still half asleep, but confidently, he responded that he saw Jesus Christ.

Denny quickly went back to sleep, but Melissa could not sleep. Overwhelmed with peace, she now knew that she needed to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She had received her confirmation and she couldn’t deny it.

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Melissa was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on May 11, 2024. Shortly after, the Romero family was able to attend the temple and be baptized for many of their ancestors. Denny and Melissa look forward to the day when can once again go to the temple and be sealed together to their family for time and all of eternity.

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Celia

~ barlowsintkm ~ 1 Comment

Celia is the most willing and humble disciple of Jesus Christ. She was found by the missionaries knocking on her door! She immediately pulled out chairs for the missionaires to sit down and teach her. Celia was eager to learn more and it has been so clear to see how the Lord has been preparing Celia for a long time to receive this message of the restored gospel.

Ever since that moment she has been consistently meeting with missionaries. She has been through many hardships but has unfailing trust in our Savior. 

When the missionaries extended the invitation for her to be baptized she quickly accepted. Many miracles occured in order to make her baptism happen. The first being that she always had work on Sundays, but the second she made the commitment to be baptized, her boss agreed to give her Sundays off.

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Another miracle is that she speaks a Mexican dialect called Mixteco that is not widely spoken. Spanish is her second language and it’s sometimes hard for her to understand Spanish. However, two recent converts of just a few months also happen to speak this rare dialect. They played a crucial role in her progress towards baptism and her understanding of the gospel. One of them was also able to baptize her.

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Celia was baptized and confirmed on September 8th 2024. She was feeling sick the week leading up to her baptism, but she said that the second she received the Gift of the Holy Ghost she felt completely better. She has continually expressed that since receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost she has felt God at her side. 

Celia is continuing to learn and grow and is also helping her family learn more about the gospel as well. We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for Celia in the future!

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Brandon

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We were having a rough day. But we had about 10 minutes left in the night so we decided to tough it out and go to the Walmart parking to finish the day out strong. We were walking around talking to people and we saw this guy with a “Hot Cheeto” shirt on so we knew we had to talk with him.

We offered Brandon a picture of Jesus with the invite to the Tabernacle Choir Watch Party on the back. We testified of God’s love for him and got his number. We later came to know that his mother had just been diagnosed with cancer. He needed to hear that someone cared for him and loved him at that moment.

We stayed in contact with Brandon over the phone the next couple of days and we set up a church tour with him. Elder and Sister Bennett joined us for the church tour and it was incredible. When we showed up to the church, Brandon and the Bennetts were already talking outside the church. They had a friendship that connected instantly. On the tour, we taught Brandon about the sacrament and what to expect at church. We then made our way to the baptismal font and we taught the doctrine of baptism and the role of the Spirit and how it can comfort and guide in times of need. The Spirit was so strong and Brandon knew that was the next step he needed to take. So he chose a date of September 15th and he said, “That is my day!”

We gave Brandon a Book of Mormon and every single time we met with him he would always show us cool verses he found and he would share what he learned from them. He found so much comfort in the Book of Mormon and he would take it to work and to his mom’s doctor appointments for when he was feeling stressed. His favorite verse that really touched his heart was 2 Nephi 31:20.

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. – 2 Nephi 31:20

His first time at church was fast and testimony meeting and Brandon loved it. He admitted he felt the Spirit so strongly that it brought tears to his eyes, and he found it so cool that every member was able to share their feelings if they liked.

Members played a huge role with helping Brandon. The Bennetts had him over for dinner and invited him to come to President Nelson’s birthday party with them. Another member had a huge impact as well. We invited this member to join us for a lesson with Brandon and it turned out that the member had gone through chemo and cancer treatment and they were able to mourn with each other and share a strong testimony. That gave him what he needed to keep going.

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Brandon was baptized on September 15, 2024. His baptism was a Spirit-filled experience and he loved it so much! At the end of his baptism, he shared his testimony on how Christ has helped him and how he knows that Christ restored His church through Joseph Smith. Brandon has been able to find the peace and joy that comes from this church because it truly is the church of joy!

#TKMTenderMercies

Tender Mercies in the TKM: Josh

~ barlowsintkm ~ 1 Comment

by Josh Wilburn

My name is Josh Wilburn. Let me begin with the fact that I’m not an accomplished literateur, but I’ll write as best I can.

I grew up in a nice family. My grandfather was the pastor of a Pentecostal church. I grew up believing in God, but I wasn’t sure if I believed in Him as the rest of my family, plus I was always an inquisitive child, so I went searching for God. I’ve studied various religions and religious groups/denominations. The ones I really felt drawn to were Buddhism, Shinto, and one or two branches of Christianity. But no matter which one I was focusing on, I always believed in Jesus, that never changed, whether or not I even knew myself how I believed in him or who I thought he was, to be honest.

But one day, a video just randomly showed up on myYouTube dashboard called Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration. I didn’t really think too much of it (I never really looked at Mormonism for some reason), but I decided to watch it and see what it was about.

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When I was watching it, seeing how Joseph Smith was looking for God, didn’t know where to go, and he just got to his knees and prayed with all honesty and humility to God as to how he could worship Him, which church was right, and where he should go. I felt something as I was watching it- I don’t know how to explain it, but I guess it’s like a peace, an awakening inside me. I even started crying tears of joy during it.

After watching it, I started my research. I watched as many videos as I could, read as much as I could, and, most importantly, I started praying more. I was asking God if this was the right way, and so help me to understand it and help to guide me as well. As I was studying, it all was making sense – the Plan of Salvation, the Atonement of Christ, the Godhead, what happens after death (and before mortal life), all of it just felt right.

I know that Heavenly Father was guiding me down the correct path. Yes, there were things that sounded right, but I didn’t completely understand immediately, so I prayed for clarity and understanding, and God listened and answered my prayers.

I attended church for the first time about a week or two after that, and I’m so glad I did. I’m so glad I decided to go, because I felt like I was home when I am there. The people there were some of the nicest people I ever met, and on that first day there I met the missionaries who were to help me learn and grow in the Church. Their names were Sister Leathers and Sister Wilson. I am so grateful to them, for all their work, study, patience, and understanding throughout my conversion.

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I kept meeting with the missionaries after church on Sundays, as well as during the week as well. They taught me so much, and deepened my understanding of what little I had already known. And about two to three months after I first stepped inside of the church I was asked if I felt I was ready to be baptized. My answer was a resounding “Yes!”

I was baptized on September 7, 2024 in the Maryville Ward, and the missionaries who helped me to get to that point were my witnesses. The one who baptized me was one of the first people I met on my first day there, Brother Reher. I was confirmed the next day during church service.

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I’m so grateful to Heavenly Father, my church family, the sister missionaries, and all who have been a part of my journey home to God’s restored church on earth. I admit, I have made mistakes since then, but I know that I have Heavenly Parents who love me and wish the best for me, not a vindictive God who will send me to hell for a mistake. I can trust in Christ’s Atonement, God’s mercy, and the fellowship and support of the church throughout my life, and I can’t express how happy I am for all of this. I found my way home, and I thank Heavenly Father for all He has done for me.

God bless you!

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Tender Mercies in the TKM: Stuart

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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!

– Sister Holladay

#TKMTenderMercies