Five more missionaries completed their service in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission on January 22nd. We’ve been able to see how much each of these missionaries has changed as they’ve worked to come unto Christ themselves while doing all they can to help others come unto Christ. We love these missionaries and will forever be grateful for the time we’ve had to serve side-by-side with them.
Before the fun of the Olympics, we met as a group to discuss how we can continue to be lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, and met 1:1 with each missionary to give them a blessing.
The competition in the 14th TKM Family Olympics was the closest it has ever been! Because of some really cold temperatures, all of the events were held indoors this time around. Our three events were:
Ping pong
Sequence Board Game
Poster Making Contest
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We only had two team, and it was the closest competition we’ve seen yet, but in the end, only one team can take home the gold medals!
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We love these missionaries and look forward to all of the great things that lie ahead!
Rachel and Paul Lam didn’t decide to join the church until after they discovered how much the gospel could bless their growing family.
Rachel has lived in Tennessee her whole life. She was introduced to the gospel in high school by a friend who invited her to church. Paul was raised in California. His grandparents were members and he was around the church often.
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A few years ago, Paul decided to move to Tennessee and met Rachel. They discovered that they both had experience with the church and decided to reach out to the missionaries. This is what Rachel says about her experience:
“Growing up, I knew nothing about God or Jesus. My mother was a bitter alcoholic that didn’t have room for His love in her heart or home. I didn’t learn of His warmth or care until I was in High School.”
“My closest friend and her family were members of our local church. I spent a lot of my time with them, and it was in their home that I first felt safe and loved. It was with them I attended my first sacrament meeting. I remember feeling peace and love during the service. That feeling followed me, even when I struck out on my own.”
“It wasn’t until I felt truly lost that I really felt the drive to embrace Him. When I was at my lowest point, two missionaries showed up at my door. They brought me back from the edge with their lessons. It all seemed to fall into place the more I learned.”
“My husband, in his own calling, came into my life and subsequently into my daughter’s life. I’ve learned so much from the church and feel so grateful for the gospel, and for Joseph Smith’s revelation. I know in my heart the church is true, and the day I was baptized marked the day my journey to a better life truly began. It feels like everything in my life has led me to the church.”
Aimee’s story began before she even realized. Aimee, a native from “The Selva” of Perú, was living in Perú while her boyfriend, Danny, his brother, Denny, and Denny’s girlfriend, Melissa, began meeting with the missionaries in Cleveland, TN. Danny, Denny, and Melissa began learning the gospel with the support of local family members, but soon after those missionaries were transferred to a new area and lost contact with the missionaries. However, they continued to be supported by their family members.
Fast forward a year, and one of the original missionaries who first taught Aimee’s family was transferred back to Cleveland and swiftly started teaching Danny, Denny, and Melissa again. However, during the past year, Aimee immigrated to the United States to be with Danny, so when the missionaries started teaching Danny again, they met Aimee and invited her to learn more. Aimee quickly embraced the restored gospel.
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Denny, Danny, Melissa, and Aimee all progressed at their own paces. Since moving to Cleveland, Aimee was able to witness the wedding of Denny and Melissa. Later she witnessed the baptism of Denny and months later the baptism of Melissa. Sometime after that moment, Aimee decided that she too wanted to and was ready to make a covenant with her Heavenly Father. The only problem, she wasn’t yet married to her boyfriend Danny–a requirement of baptism for those who are living together. As a surprise to the missionaries, Aimee and Danny informed them that they were getting married on June 10th, and that 6 days later, on June 16th, Aimee would be getting baptized.
Aimee and Danny had a beautiful wedding late on June 10, 2024. She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on June 16, 2024 by her family member Daniel Godoy. Aimee enjoyed being a member of the church and attending the temple. Since her baptism, her husband Danny has also been baptized.
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.
On November 5th, 6th, and 7th, we held zone conferences across the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. This was one of our best zone conferences yet and was a powerful experience for all missionaries in the TKM.
Sister Barlow taught us how to seek and expect miracles as missionaries. She began by talking about our missionary purpose and the authority of our callings as missionaries. She taught that our authority comes with the right, privilege and responsibility to represent the Savior and teach His gospel. Our power as missionaries increases as we repent, stay away from anything crude or vulgar, keep the Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ, and focus on our missionary purpose. When we combine God’s authority with our personal spiritual power, we can seek and expect miracles to happen in this work. She gave all of us a clip to wear to remind us of our missionary purpose. When we see the clip, we should ask ourselves, “Is what I’m doing right now fulfilling my missionary purpose?”
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President Barlow then shared that he and Sister Barlow attended the Mission Leader Seminar in October for all mission leaders in the North America Southeast Area. Mission leaders attend these seminars twice a year. They are a great time of reflection and looking back on how things are going in the mission, but also looking ahead to what we need to do next. President and Sister Barlow went to the seminar seeking revelation on what we needed to do next in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, and returned with strong impressions.
There has never been a better time to serve in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. A temple is being built in Knoxville, and we are serving at a time when we are helping to prepare a place and the people here for a temple of God. At the October 2024 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson taught:
“My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work. Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!
“The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again”, October 2024 General Conference
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As President Nelson said, the Lord is hastening His work. We should not let the probabilities limit the possibilities! Now is the time for us as a mission to increase our faith, and learn to act in greater faith. In preparation for the zone conference, the mission studied President Nelson’s talks “The Power of Spiritual Momentum” and “Christ is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains“. We discussed the ways that we can increase our faith and act in greater faith as missionaries. We then shared with the mission that we felt the Lord wanted us to work towards a goal that would require more faith, and we felt that goal should be 100 friends making the covenant of baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the end of the year. This is far greater than what we have seen previously, but do not let the probabilities limit the possibilities!
In addition to the goal, we also shared that we had received impressions on steps to follow, and that if we would follow these steps as a mission, we would experience the miracles we seek. Those steps fell into two categories:
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Apply the doctrine of Christ more fully in our own lives. As we do that, we will have more power to…
Invite others to come unto Christ by applying the doctrine of Christ in their lives.
The main focus is increasing our own faith, repentance, keeping covenants, following the Holy Ghost, and enduring as missionaries. We then walked through the commitments we would need to make in applying the Doctrine of Christ to build our faith and seek these miracles.
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As a mission, we are focused on five things to help us achieve our goal:
It has been incredible to see the faith of these missionaries over the last two weeks. They are increasing in faith and acting in greater faith, and in the process Heavenly Father is teaching them the great things He can do for them now and in the future as lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. We are excited to see what we can accomplish in the coming months with greater faith.
We ended Zone Conference with “Preach My Gospel Jeopardy” where the districts in each zone competed in our Jeopardy game based on their knowledge of the first six chapters of Preach My Gospel. A champion was crowned in each of the 7 zones and they will compete in a final round of Jeopardy later this month.
Preach My Gospel Jeopardy Champions
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The “Army of Light” of the Tennessee Knoxville Mission
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!
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.
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.
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.
Vic married Sandy Woods, who is a member of the Gray Ward. Sandy’s faith and example played a critical role in helping him in his conversion.
Vic grew up a member of another church and is very grateful he had a Christian upbringing. Sandy would often invite the missionaries into their home and Vic always had great respect for them. He was especially impressed with their willingness to try to share the gospel in the South and the resilience they had when they were faced with rejection.
Vic had been going to church with Sandy for a long time. He was actually given a calling to serve in the nursery before he was a member. When it was announced that he was going to be baptized, a lot of the members of the ward were really surprised because they thought he was a member all along.
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Vic was baptized on July 13, 2024 as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Barlows in TKM 