In August 2024, Audrey started studying with a local church. She remembers studying about different levels of kingdoms in heaven and other gospel principles that caused her to have questions.
One day, she went to the library with her friend to do more studies together. Audrey was sitting outside of the library when two missionaries, Sister Massey and Sister Talbot, walked up to her right before the library closed. They briefly introduced her to the Book of Mormon. They couldn’t talk for long, so they gave her a Book of Mormon, exchanged numbers and set up a time to talk again.
At that time, a lot of outside influences started to tell Audrey not to study with the missionaries, so she canceled her meet with the sisters. She decided not to attend church with them that Sunday and kept studying with the church she was currently with. Later on, she decided to step away from that church and try something new, and she couldn’t help but remember the two sisters that walked up to her that day at the library.
So, one late Saturday night she decided to text the phone number the missionaries had given her and ask if she could come to church with them. Sister Critchfield and Sister Dever dropped everything to find her a ride! After many phone calls, they found a couple in the ward who were able to pick her up. To this day, this couple have become some of Audrey’s best friends. Her experience at church that Sunday caused her to want to learn more as soon as possible!
Once Audrey started studying with the missionaries, all the questions she had that couldn’t be answered anywhere else were answered. She felt the Spirit telling her that this was the right church. She had been searching for a long time to find the truth.
Audrey had some challenges to overcome on her journey. One night the sisters invited her to pray for an answer to the specific direction she was seeking in her life. They came back a couple days later to follow up and Audrey had received her answer. She didn’t understand why at the time, but the answer she clearly received was that Heavenly Father wanted her to be in the temple. After receiving that answer, she was determined to make that happen. From that day on, everything changed! The power of god was working in her life, her challenges became easier to overcome, and her burdens were easier to bear.
#TKMTenderMercies
This goal pushed her to do whatever it took to be baptized so she could make it to the temple. Audrey was baptized on February 23, 2025, and just one week later she was able to attend the temple for the first time. Audrey has been such an amazing strength and addition to the Lakeway Ward! She loves sharing the gospel, she loves family history, and she doesn’t leave a Sunday without greeting everyone she sees.
One of the greatest blessings of serving a mission is having a companion to share with all of the experiences of missionary work. It’s an adjustment for missionaries to be with a companion 24X7. They are ALWAYS together. These companions are brought together for a short time, but during that time they are inseparable. They share hardships and triumphs. They work to be united in all they do. They have powerful experiences together that will connect them for a lifetime. Some of their very best friends in life will be companions they served with on their mission.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell once taught, “The macro plan of salvation is composed of micro plans. God governs the intersections of our lives, the people that we meet, and when we meet them. These intersections are all watched over by our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and we will not be aware of it. We can look back on these intersections, and the people that God brought into our lives and see how we were changed as a result.”
Monday, February 10th was “Companion Appreciation Day” in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. Missionaries were asked to do something that day to celebrate their companion. We had so much fun expressing gratitude and doing acts of kindness for each other. We saw a lot of pancakes, ice cream, homemade treats, doing dishes, making beds, matching outfits, and messages on mirrors.
We shared pictures all day long across the mission and it brought such a sweet feeling of love and unity. We love and appreciate all of the wonderful missionaries, young and old, who we get to serve side by side with. They are a great joy in our life.
On January 22nd, we welcomed seven new missionaries to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. We are really excited about this group and can already tell they will help to elevate the mission.
We had another great welcoming party at the airport!
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Elder Beer joined us earlier in the transfer, so we only had six to pick up at the airport. After orientation at the stake center in Farragut, these new missionaries had great success in their first experience finding people to teach at the University of Tennessee campus.
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The best part (by far!) of the first day on their mission is getting to assign these new missionaries to their trainers! We are really excited about this group of trainers and know they will get these missionaries off to a great start.
NewMissionary
Trainer
Area
Elder Beer
Elder Safsten
Asheville Spanish
Elder Martin
Elder Johns
Grove Park Spanish
Sister Ericksen
Sister Mair
Maryville
Sister Jonsson
Sister Wittwer
Waynesville
Sister Hughes
Sister Petersen
Poplar Creek
Elder Hartzell
Elder Cox
Dalton
Elder Peterson
Elder O’Brien
Gray
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Welcome to the TKM! We are so excited you are here!
At zone conference last week, we rolled out March Madness 2025 in the TKM. In March Madness, we will be focusing on 1) reading the Book of Mormon together over the next 90 days, and 2) dialing in the “Sweet 16 Daily Essentials” introduced by Sister Barlow.
We invite parents and families to join with us in our Book of Mormon reading. Here is the schedule we will be following over the next 90 days:
Book of Mormon reading schedule
As you talk to your missionary each week, ask them how they are doing with the “Sweet 16 Daily Essentials”.
Sweet 16 Daily Essentials
We know that power comes from the Book of Mormon. President Nelson said, “When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power.” He’s also reminded us that power comes from these daily essentials. Speaking to missionaries, he reminded us, “Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles!” We are excited to apply these principles to gain more power as we work to baptize 100 friends by the end of March.
Once each transfer, we gather together with all of the senior missionaries in the mission. On December 14th, all senior missionaries in the TKM gathered at the mission home for a Christmas Party. We had a wonderful lunch together and shared white elephant gifts. The best part is being together, sharing our experiences, and getting to know each other better. This is a special group with a special connection.
It was Sister Jentzsch’s birthday, so our Christmas party doubled as a birthday celebration! Sister Jentzsch is the heart and soul of the mission. Happy Birthday Sister Jentzsch!
Elder and Sister Hillman brought their Christmas bells, so we created our own bell choir to play some Christmas songs.
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A special shout out to my mom Marilyn and my sister Christie who flew into Tennessee to help us this week and cooked lunch for all of our senior missionaries.
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This is a great opportunity to introduce all of our incredible senior missionaries!
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Elder and Sister Jentzsch
Elder and Sister Jentzsch arrived in the TKM a month before we did, so we can’t imagine the TKM without them! Sister Jentzsch serves as our mission secretary and keeps us all organized, and Elder Jentzsch is our Vehicle Coordinator and is responsible for the 84 vehicles in the mission. Both are really big jobs and the Jentzsch’s do them incredibly well. They also serve in the Loudon Ward where they are having many special experiences as missionaries and ministers.
Sister Young
Sister Young is our Mission Health Advisor. With a background as a nurse, she supports our missionaries with all things related to their physical health. When you are around her, you will notice her phone rings frequently. She is always so kind, generous, and supportive. All of the missionaries love her! I don’t know what we would do without Sister Young (or Sister Ford)! We like to call Sister Young the TKM Ministering Angel because we have watched her drive from Knoxville to Asheville to Chattanooga and then back to Knoxville in the same day ministering to missionaries!
Sister Ford
Sister Ford also serves as a Mission Health Advisor. She lives in Kingsport, TN and like Sister Young is like a guardian angel of the mission. One of Sister Ford’s super powers is being a cheerleader. Along with keeping everyone healthy, she is always encouraging the missionaries in their missionary work. We love Sister Ford and have been so grateful for her service as a missionary.
Elder and Sister Neville
The Nevilles are from St. George, Utah and started in the TKM in September 2023. They have been serving in the Powell Valley Ward and also help to support the Group in Harlan, Kentucky. They are incredible ministers and have helped new and returning members, have taught self-reliance classes, helped families with significant welfare needs, and helped members progress on the covenant path. They have been so willing to do whatever is needed to help support their ward. The missionaries in their district gather each week for district council meetings at the Nevilles’ home and they love to spend time with them.
Elder and Sister Chris
Elder and Sister Chris are from Santa Clara, Utah and have been serving since October 2023. They live in Hendersonville, North Carolina and serve in the Hendersonville 2nd Branch, which is a Pohnpeian branch in the Asheville Stake. They have completely embedded themselves in the branch and adopted the Micronesian culture as their own. The members in that little branch love them and have gifted them many beautiful necklaces and head wreaths as a symbol of their gratitude for all Elder and Sister Chris do. We were especially grateful to have them in the Asheville area during Hurricane Helene where they provided calm and assurance for the missionaries and helping hands for the Asheville community.
Elder and Sister Hillman
Elder and Sister Hillman are from West Jordan, Utah and have been serving since November 2023. They heard Elder Rasband’s talk in the October 2023 General Conference and were here a month later. Sister Hillman has tremendous organizational skills and keeps everything in the office organized. She is in charge of supplies for the missionaries and takes care of the many lunches and dinners that happen with meetings across the mission. Elder Hillman serves as our Technology Specialist and Referral Secretary. They also serve in the Knoxville YSA branch and have had great experiences there. The Hillmans are well loved by the missionaries and have been mentors and examples of Christlike service to all of us.
Elder and Sister Bennett
Elder and Sister Bennett are from Asheville, North Carolina and have been serving since January 2024. They serve in the Asheville Central Branch and the missionaries all love the Bennetts! They are often side-by-side with the missionaries as they teach new friends and recent converts. They also were an incredible blessing during the challenges we had with Hurricane Helene. They didn’t have power or water for a number of days but that didn’t stop them from welcoming the missionaries with open arms to their home. Even in the aftermath of a hurricane, Elder and Sister Bennett didn’t miss a moment of Southern hospitality! Memories of charity and love from the Bennetts will stay with the missionaries for life.
Elder and Sister Markli
Elder and Sister Markli are from Oak Ridge, Tennessee and are serving as Temple Construction Missionaries at the construction site of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple. The missionaries love to take friends to visit the Markli’s at the visitor center set up at the temple site. Their district of missionaries also love to have their district councils there. They recite The Living Christ from memory on their drive to the temple site each day. They know the Savior and it shows in the way they serve. The Marklis will continue to serve until the temple is completed.
Elder and Sister Davis
Elder and Sister Davis are from Farmington, Utah and have been serving since March 2024. They live in Sevierville, Tennessee and serve in the Sevierville Ward and Member and Leader Support missionaries. They’ve been busy working to contact all less active and prospective elders in the ward and inviting them to return. They have a love for family history and set up family history booths and many of the local county fairs this summer. They are also organizing service opportunities for every area in our mission. Elder and Sister Davis have been a great blessing to their ward and every time we see the members, they tell us how much they love and appreciate Elder and Sister Davis. We do too!
Elder and Sister Browning
Elder and Sister Browning are from Smithfield, Utah and have been serving since July 2024. Sister Browning as our Financial Secretary and Elder Browning is our Housing Coordinator. These are two incredibly big jobs. We don’t know what we would do without the Brownings. They are incredible! And everyone loves serving with them. Sister Browning has a gift of eyes to see what is needed and the ability to quickly and kindly take care of things and people. Elder Browning is a man of great humility and faith. They also serve in the Smoky Mountain Ward and help minister there.
Elder and Sister Heslop
Elder and Sister Heslop are from Ogden, Utah and have been serving since October 2024. They live in Crossville, Tennessee and serve and Member and Leader Support missionaries in the Crossville 1st Ward and the Crossville 2nd Branch. In their role, they are helping to minister to less active members, part member families, and prospective elders. The missionaries love to be in their home and spend time with them every chance they get. The Heslops bring incredible experience and we are so grateful they are here serving in the TKM.
Elder and Sister Puentes
Elder and Sister Puentes are from West Jordan, Utah and joined us in the TKM in November 2024. They live in Morristown, Tennessee and serve in the Lakeway Ward supporting the Spanish Group there. The members and missionaries felt an immediate connection with Elder and Sister Puentes! Elder Puentes has a great sense of humor and always gets a laugh. Sister Puentes is humble, warm, and it’s easy to feel her love for the Lord.
Elder and Sister Hendrix
Elder and Sister Hendrix are from Taylorsville, Utah and started their service in November 2024. They live in Chattanooga, Tennessee and are assigned to the Chattanooga Ward. The missionaries love them already! They are the classic grandparents away from home- full of love, kindness, and a great talent for ministering as the Savior does. We have already seen them be His hands as the serve. They are musically talented and their little branch is in for a treat whenever they share their incredible talents. We are so blessed to have them here in the TKM!
Elder and Sister Shumway
Elder and Sister Shumway started in the TKM in December 2024. They are from Mesa, Arizona, live in Lafayette, Georgia, and are serving in the Lafayette Branch. Even though they’ve only been here a few weeks, we’ve already received multiple calls from members of the branch thanking us for sending the Shumways there. They have a great sense of humor, are fun to be around, have incredible experience in serving in the church, and will make a tremendous difference in their missionary service.
Elder and Sister Greaves
Elder and Sister Greaves are from Ogden, Utah and began their service in December 2024. They are living in Abingdon, Virginia and will serve in the Abingdon Ward. The Greaves have a grandson serving here, have joined our weekly zoom call with families called “Knit Together Sunday”. One week while on our zoom call, they felt a strong impression they should come serve in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission…and here they are! We love their faith in answering the call to serve. They are very talented and bring remarkable church experience that will greatly bless the people in Abingdon.
When we first came to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, we had 11 senior missionaries serving, with three couples close to returning home. Today we are so fortunate to have 28 senior missionaries serving. Each of them are making an incredible difference in the TKM. These missionaries make a tremendous difference in the wards and branches where they serve, but they make an even bigger difference with the young missionaries they serve with every day.
And yet, we could still use many more senior missionaries. If you’ve thought about serving, and especially if you would like to join us in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, please reach out to me and Sister Barlow. We would love to share with you the ways that you can serve and the great difference you will make. We promise you will have a life-changing experience. We would love to have you serve here in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, but any mission would be happy to welcome you.
If you’ve ever thought about serving, watch this talk from Elder Ronald A. Rasband titled, “How Great Will Be Your Joy”. Please come!
See these other posts about the impact of senior missionaries:
We had a great welcoming committee at the airport with he welcome posters made by our departing missionaries.
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Because it was wet and cold, we held all of the orientation at the stake center in Farragut, though we did get to go out to Market Square and find people to teach.
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The most exciting part of welcoming new missionaries is assigning them to their trainers and first areas. We know Heavenly Father has great trust and confidence in these trainers. Here are the trainer assignments for these new missionaries.
New Missionary
Trainer
Area
Sister Iongi
Sister Bunderson/Campbell
Brevard
Sister Laulu
Sister Nunn
Marion
Sister Rush
Sister Bosh/Low
Asheville
Sister Diede
Sister Petersen
East Ridge
Sister Lancaster
Sister Bundy
Ringgold
Sister Peterson
Sister Wilson
Pleasant Ridge
Sister Williams
Sister Massey
Greenville
Elder Keeler
Elder Wright
Lafayette
Elder Jarman
Elder Woodward
Cherokee
Elder Hales
Elder Wilson
Jamestown
Elder Gunther
Elder Sommer
Lebanon 2nd
Elder Bronson
Elder Eyre
Lebanon 3rd
Elder Tyler
Elder Carroll
Watauga
Elder Woodruff
Elder McDonald
Powell Valley
Elder Painter
Elder Wickliffe/Farnes
Athens
Elder Christensen
Elder Farr
Sevierville
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Can’t wait to see what this group accomplishes and the disciples of Christ they become during their time in the TKM!
On December 11th, we had 9 fantastic missionaries who finished their service in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. They’ve each made a tremendous difference here and we’ve been very grateful to serve side-by-side with each of them.
The competition in the 13th TKM Family Olympics was very, very close. With it being a rainy day, we competed in three events: Poster Contest, Sequence, and Corn Hole.
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In the end, the poster making contest ending up being the deciding factor!
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In the end, the winners of the gold medal for the 13th TKM Family Olympics were Elder Mecham and Elder Huff (who by the way were also MTC companions!).
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We love these missionaries, and can’t wait to see what big plans Heavenly Father has for each one of them!
Jackie is a true Southerner and one of the sweetest ladies there’s ever been! Her conversion story starts in 2022 when Elder Stanfield found her when he was in his first area, Lafayette. She was interested but very busy and after a few months stopped meeting with the missionaries.
In a surprise to everyone, Elder Stanfield was transferred back into Lafayette for the last six weeks of his mission. While she hadn’t been visited by the missionaries in a long time, he remembers Jackie and decided to visit her. Jackie expressed interest, so the missionaries started meeting with her again.
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The missionaries helped Jackie understand their purpose for meeting with her was to help her to come closer to Jesus Christ through baptism. It took time, but the lessons she had with the missionaries began to align perfectly with what she needed to hear in her life.
She had reservations about going to church, but after building up her confidence and understanding what church services would be like, she was willing and excited to come and attend. Elder Maxfield and Elder Naufahu were able to explain the gospel in ways she understood and loved, and she was especially interested in understanding how she could attend the temple. That day she set a date to be baptized to receive the blessings that come from living covenants.
Leading up to her baptism, she was able to read all of 1 Nephi and is so excited to continue reading. Jackie was baptized on September 14, 2024. She had many of her family members attend her baptism and it was an amazing experience all around! She is now preparing to attend the temple and feels so blessed to have her family history for her relatives and to grow closer to her family.
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.
On the afternoon of August 10th, Sister Biasi and Sister Hodges were walking out of the library when someone shouted, “Hey Sisters!” Quickly turning to see who called to them, they were met with Riley Cowin, who turned out to be a recent convert from the Crossville Ward. Riley had just moved into the area and had not yet met the missionaries. He went on to introduce himself and explained that he and his girlfriend would be attending church the next day. His girlfriend, Jayme, seemed very excited to come and the Sisters set up a lesson with them right after church.
Jayme loved Relief Society and was very interested in learning more. The missionaries set up another appointment with her for later in the week and she was excited to start reading the Book of Mormon.
On the next Sunday, Jayme was unable to make it due to her work schedule, so Riley invited another one of his friends, Michael Martin, to church. Michael loved it as well and he was very open to learning more.
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The Sisters began to meet with Jayme, Michael and Riley quite frequently and in a short amount of time, both Jayme and Michael accepted their baptismal date.
As September 8th came around, Michael and Jayme’s testimonies grew as did their love for their Savior. Jayme loved coming to church and Michael was had already read 100 pages of the Book of Mormon by the third time they met with him.
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September 8, 2024 was a happy day! One of Michael’s good friends in the church baptized them both, and all of Jaymes’ family were able to attend the baptism. Since the day of their baptism, they have been coming to institute on Thursdays, attending church each Sunday, and going out on lessons with the missionaries.
The missionaries were able to go with Michael to the temple on September 18th. He loved it and said he was able to feel peace and love there and he can’t wait to go back with Jayme on October 10th! These two new members were so ready for the gospel, they just needed someone to guide them to it and thanks to their friend, they were led right to the doors.
Barlows in TKM 