2013 Coffee County Fair

In June 1983, when the Atlanta, Georgia temple was built, the following quote was read aloud before a written copy was placed in the cornerstone of the temple. It is President Spencer W. Kimball and Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone's vision of the south:

"Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men's souls.

I believe that one day the South will baptize more people into the church than all other English speaking missions in the world together. There are great hosts of marvelous Baptists, member of the Church of Christ, Methodists, and Catholics who are honorable people, and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and love him.

As they see their church veering off to the right or to the left of those basic teachings, they will begin to search for truth and, as pivotal teachers come into the church and have influence, we will see the time when we will baptize hundreds and thousands, tens of thousands. In our day, you will see a million members of the church in the South. There will be temples, plural, in the south states. What a great call you have to serve with these marvelous people....We are making great strides and expect to continue."

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As you know, as part of the Tullahoma Ward's missionary efforts, we hosted a booth at the Coffee County Fair this year. Here are a few pictures of the booth.

This beautiful banner with the Church's name and an image of Christ was made so that all would know who we represent.

This amazing replica of the golden plates was on display.

Information about Lehi and his family's travels from Jerusalem to the promised land, as well as the coming about of the Book of Mormon, was on display on the walls of the booth.

Balloons and pass along cards were given to children who came through.

Many materials, including copies of the Book of Mormon, copies of The Family: A Proclamation to the World, copies of the Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles, DVDs regarding the restoration and temples, brochures on food storage, brochures on family finance, pass along cards with information about genealogy, pass along cards summarizing the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, and pictures of Christ were given to any who wished to have them. Members also gave of their time by baking cookies to hand out. Here is just one of the two tables stacked with materials for those who were interested in learning more.

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Many of you donated your time to the missionary effort by manning the booth; we are so grateful for your support and service. As members of the ward were coming and going throughout the days, all four sets of full time missionaries were also at the booth around the clock.

The following pictures include only a portion of those who volunteered their time.

All of Elder Higgins' hard work wore him out!

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At the end of the fair, there was a drawing for two different prizes. In order to be entered to win one of the two prizes, a person needed only to fill out a survey. Any who filled one out, whether their answers were what we hoped for or not, were entered to win.

One of the prizes was a framed picture of Christ donated by generous members of the ward.

The other prize was a basket of Thrive food donated by Sister Fricke.

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The questions on the survey were as follows:

"1. If you knew that Jesus Christ had been on the Earth, in our day, and had re-established his church, as he promised he would, and it was here today with his authority, his organization, and his pure teachings, would you be interested?  

2. To show the world that He has truly re-established His church, Jesus Christ left us a book which contains God's word to us through the prophets in Ancient America. It also tells of the resurrected Christ as He appears to the people in the Western Hemisphere. This book is a witness that the Bible is true and another witness that Jesus is the Christ. If we gave you a free copy of this sacred scripture, would you read it?

3. Families are forever. Today, negative influences are working to break up families and destroy the youth. Even the best of families are having problems. Christ has given us a plan to keep marriages together, build strong families, and raise righteous children. Do you have any interest in learning additional ways to strengthen your family?

4. Two young people will visit your home and give you the book and information you have requested. Would you be interested in having them teach you more?"

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The first day of the fair, a man named Dave approached those volunteering at the booth and, reading the information about Lehi and his family, asked, "'From Jerusalem to America.' What is that?" The missionaries told Dave about Lehi and his family's journey and about the Book of Mormon. That night, Dave filled out a survey. Later that week, on the last night of the fair, he came back and asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon. He began reading while still at the fair! He said he loved the parts where God was speaking directly to His children and that he could not wait to read and learn more.

Another time, a Hispanic woman wanted to fill out the survey but could not read very well. Hermana Schmit read the questions to her. After each question she adamantly said, "Si!" When the survey had been completed, the woman told Hermana Schmit that she hoped the missionaries would come and see her soon.

Also, a woman approached the booth with her two friends. Hermana Garlitz read them the survey and, after the first question, two of the women started crying and hugged each other. They said yes to all four questions! The woman was excited for the missionaries to visit and teach her more. 

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In total there were 444 referrals. 188 of those answered "yes" to all four questions.

The missionaries have already begun the hard work of sorting through all of those referrals and visiting those who wish to know more. 

One of the first visits was to the couple who won the donated picture of Christ. They were very excited to have won and enthusiastic about the missionaries coming back to speak with them more about Christ. 

It is safe to say that the fair booth was a huge success. Again, thank you so much for your support and service. There is still much to do in order to follow through with all those who wish to know more. Because the full time missionaries cannot do all of the work on their own they will be giving some of you the opportunity to fulfill the Lord's charge to be member missionaries by asking for your continued involvement in their efforts. We thank you, in advance, for your continued support!