Back in April, Sister Barlow invited all missionaries in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission to increase in power by reading the Book of Mormon in 65 days. This was the number of days it took Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon by the power of God. Our goal was to read it at the same pace.

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Over the next 9 weeks, everyone worked really hard in keeping up with the schedule. Most missionaries also highlighted this new copy of the Book of Mormon with something they were looking for…things like the Doctrine of Christ, covenants, prophets, or willingness were a few examples.

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It is difficult to put into words the powerful experience we had together as a mission. It was really meaningful to do it together, and anytime you read the Book of Mormon at a faster pace like this, it leads to observations and connections you wouldn’t make otherwise. We began each meeting during this period with two missionaries sharing thoughts about what they were learning from their recent Book of Mormon reading. We discussed their progress and learnings in interviews.

In the introduction of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith is quoted as saying, ““I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

President Ezra Taft Benson once said, “There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path.”

Our current prophet, President Russell M. Nelson taught, “When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.”

We learned in the TKM the power that these prophets are talking about and invite everyone to tap into that power themselves by reading the Book of Mormon.

June 18th was the day on our schedule that we would finish the Book of Mormon. We gathered as a mission on zoom and read together the final chapter of the Book of Mormon, Moroni chapter 10. Anytime you finish the Book of Mormon, it is a meaningful experience. But finishing it together with this amazing group of representatives of Jesus Christ is an experience we will never forget.

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Sister Barlow had promised that we would do something special to celebrate finishing the Book of Mormon together as a mission. And as promised, Sister Barlow “makes no small plans”!

“Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men’s souls. – Spencer W. Kimball

Sister Barlow then announced that to celebrate finishing the Book of Mormon in 65 Days, we had arranged for all missionaries to be able to attend the temple. As there are no temples in our mission boundaries, this was a REALLY big deal. Many of these missionaries had not been to the temple for over a year, so some of their reactions to this announcement was priceless.

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We are grateful for the power of the Book of Mormon. We testify that it can help everyone come closer to Jesus Christ. And we are grateful for these wonderful missionaries. We love them and feel so grateful to see them act in faith and receive the blessings that come with doing so.

#WhatsUpInTKM