Saw the related post...my son was just called to Knoxville...any information? He's not a TBM either. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I lived out that way when I served in the military. I was TBM at the time. Wards are small. Stake I was in covered a large portion of Tennessee and Kentucky. The people are down to earth for the most part. Beautiful country. Awesome storms. He will struggle with the massive evangelical community, but I think he will have a decent time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2016 11:23PM by Elders Quorum Drop-out.

"Stake I was in covered a large portion of Tennessee and Kentucky."

This is the first that I've read that you did your mission down here. What area are you referring to? Clarksville? The Cumberland Stake, which is the north side of Knoxville and parts northwards, extends into southeastern KY and includes cities like Middlesboro and Williamsburg. But (I assume) that parts of KY north of that area are covered by a Lexington stake.

Hey Randy!

So to be clear, I didn't serve a mission. I joined the Marines at 17. Even as a TBM, I never had a desire to serve and never was one to bend under peer pressure in that way!

I served in the Army at Fort Campbell! I lived in Clarksville with my little family. The 3 years I was there I was in the Clarksville 3rd ward and was the YM Pres during that time. I used to give talks at all the youth firesides throughout KY and TN! That's awesome you were around that area. Are you still?

There are some good people there. I still keep in touch with many of them through Facebook.

...being here in the Army. I skimmed over it and assumed that you had done your mission here.

I'm over 200 miles east of Clarksville, so I don't know anybody from that area. The only time I've ever been there was in 2002, when we drove to SLC to attend the ExMormon Foundation conference. East Tennessee is much different from middle and west Tennessee, the primary difference being the mountains.

Just out of curiosity...why's he going if he's not TBM?

His father's side of the family...

Sorry...

One thing I think about this theme, when people talk about the waste of time: Now that I'm in my 70s, the two years I 'wasted' weren't really all the big a waste, compared to some of my other years. But like so many other things, 'attitude is everything.'

"Now that I'm in my 70s, the two years I 'wasted' weren't really all the big a waste, compared to some of my other years."

Dittos. I would never have gotten to spend two years in an awesome place like Queensland, Australia, if not for doing my mission there. Of course, RMs who served in less attractive venues can't say that.

Today will be crazy in Knoxville! The University of Tennessee Volunteers had a beautiful win against Georgia. Football is the religion in Knoxville at this time of year. :)

It is a smallish city with a nice vibe. I was TBM when I lived there briefly over a decade ago. I was in a branch with the same worn-out, reused, and recycled members that had always been there. I was glad to move out of such a small branch a few months later.

Geographically, Knoxville is beautiful. Autumn and spring seasons are postcard perfect. The winters are cold and damp. Summers are hot and humid.

Your son may as well learn Rocky Top before arriving. Best of luck to him as he is exposed to a bit of the South in all its glory (good and bad).

"Geographically, Knoxville is beautiful. Autumn and spring seasons are postcard perfect."

At last---someone who gets it. I've been trying to tell posters on this BB how nice this area is for about 15 years now. We're just now coming into the best part of the year. Low temps around 50 and highs about 80, and the leaves are beginning to turn. We'll be inundated with pumpkins and corn mazes and scarecrows and apple cider and fall festivals for the next six weeks.

Which branch did you live in?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2016 11:57AM by randyj.

Seems like a nice place and people we were working with were friendly. I'm from the midwest; have lived in the midwest and intermountain west. I wouldn't mind transferring or retiring in Knoxville if it came to that.

Too bad it wasn't boise ;)

The word "calling" gives it a certain holy ring to it all. Just saying that he was "assigned" to proselyte in a particular area doesn't sound nearly as special.

I'd like to see the actual process at headquarters of how they choose who goes where.

I hope everything goes well for him. If he's not TBM, I could well imagine that he might feel very conflicted having to proselyte for a church he doesn't really believe in whole-heartedly. For me, being someone with not-so-great sales skills, I can only enthusiastically sell something I personally like or believe in. But some people are skilled enough in salesmanship to be able to sell anything, without having to personally believe in it. They can separate themselves from "the product".



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2016 09:23AM by seekyr.

"Saw the related post...my son was just called to Knoxville...any information?"

I've lived in Knoxville for 32 years. Anything you need to know, just ask me. The admins can give you my e-mail addy or cell number if you like.

The mission home and stake center are on the west side of town, in the "moneyed" town of Farragut, near Fox Den country club. Nearby US Highway 11, which is known locally as Kingston Pike, has miles and miles of shopping centers and malls. The northside stake center is in Clinton, about 20 miles north of Knoxville, just off I-75.

Most likely, your son will serve in areas that have wards or branches. The Knoxville metro population is about 700k. I don't know the mission boundaries, but I know that they extend into southeastern Kentucky. Interstate 40 goes east-west, and I-75 goes north-south, so the area is bisected by major highways. Knoxville is 3 hours east of Nashville, 2 hours northeast of Chattanooga, 2.5 hours south of Lexington, 2 hours west of Asheville, and 4 hours northwest of Atlanta.

The area is beautiful and temperate, with four distinct seasons, including stunningly beautiful springs and autumns. Lots of dogwoods, redbuds, rhododendron, azalea, mountain laurel, etc. Lots of mountains and hills, river valleys, lakes, recreational areas, tourist attractions, historical attractions, etc. It includes the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and several national forests, as well as land, lakes, and rivers which are maintained by TVA. We get snow from about mid-December to about mid-March, usually 2-4 laying snows most winters, with occasional big snows of 4 inches or more every few years. We get 70-80 days per summer of over 90 degrees, from early June to late September. Just last week, we went from a high temp of 90 to a low of 50 over three days' time.

If you wanna know anything else, feel free to ask.

Sounds like a fine place to call home Randy...just as soon as they can teleport more than a whisker...immma teleport my ass right there...till then ill just tolerate my semi arrid desert with seasons as confused and hypocritical as tscc...they say cutting firewood builds character...dont know about that..but a fire this morning was a dam fine way to enjoy the java ...nothing but sorrow for Moms missionary son...thats gotta blow and suck at the same time...hope he just goes into tourist mode and can ride it out...i dont know how else you could survive two years of shoveling horse poop

My SIL & her daughter live in Knoxville.

Before my brother retired, they bought a mobile home and drove all over the USA, checking out places to retire.

They chose Knoxville over all the other cities they visited. It had to do with proximity to relatives, because it's a college town, the weather is "not too hot, not too cold," and the seasons are, as others have said, picture perfect. Oh, and my SIL is a Southerner at heart, although she's lived in many other places during her life.

I've visited there several times. There are some really nice people there. I met with RandyJ and his wife - these are good people with great musical talent.

I really like Knoxville.

Except for the difficult plane connections from LA (no direct flights).

And except for the general homophobia (I went to a gay bar, I've never seen such a bunch of nervous nellies!)

And except for the ubiquitous evangelicalism.

Message to your missionary son: "Bless his heart!"

The Museum of Appalachia is a must-see. Sounds like it would be a bore, but it's fascinating.

That's all I've got.

"The Museum of Appalachia is a must-see. Sounds like it would be a bore, but it's fascinating."

They've been a customer of mine for about 18 years. Their Fall Homecoming event is next weekend, so I'll be restocking my product there this week.

http://www.museumofappalachia.org/

Interestingly, some of "The Work And The Glory" movies' outdoor scenes were filmed at the museum.

The museum is just one of dozens of interesting attractions within an hour or two of Knoxville.

My absolute favorite was The Mammoth Caves. Must see for anyone visiting! Took my YM there. We had a blast.

"My absolute favorite was The Mammoth Caves."

Yep, they're fantastic. I went through them when I was a kid. But they're in Kentucky, and I don't think they're within the Knoxville Mission. However, here in East Tennessee, we have Forbidden Caverns near Sevierville, Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend, the Lost Sea Caverns in Sweetwater, Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, and others.

I lived in Morristown in the 90s. It's about an hour away from Knoxville. We were in the Knoxville stake and I have great memories of all the youth activities there. The area is gorgeous, and I'd move back in a heartbeat if I could. Heavily southern Baptist, but good, friendly, decent people. Some areas worth seeing for a tourist - Rock City, the aquarium in Chattanooga, the Lost Sea in sweet water, and Nashville is fun if you drive a ways- country music hotbed, the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland. Gatlinburg is also a fun little touristy hot spot.

"I lived in Morristown in the 90s. It's about an hour away from Knoxville."

I used to know the bishop there, David something, can't remember his last name. He was made a counselor in the SP when the stake was split in 1996. Were you there when they split the stake and they had the conference in the Tennessee Theater? We quit going shortly after that conference.

"We were in the Knoxville stake and I have great memories of all the youth activities there. The area is gorgeous, and I'd move back in a heartbeat if I could. Heavily southern Baptist, but good, friendly, decent people."

There are a lot of Pentecostals and Church of Christ as well. The longer we were active in the church in north Knoxville, the less we liked it. There's a culture of jerks and rude people in the church there. Most of the *ssholes were TVA employees who moved in from elsewhere and were insufferable know-it-alls and Pharisees. Even before we learned that the church is bogus, we had begun curtailing our activity because we didn't want to be around those people.

"Some areas worth seeing for a tourist - Rock City, the aquarium in Chattanooga, the Lost Sea in sweet water, and Nashville is fun if you drive a ways- country music hotbed, the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland. Gatlinburg is also a fun little touristy hot spot."

There's now a Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg as well. Also, the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area isn't so "little" anymore. The Smokies are the USA's most visited national park, with 13 million visitors per year. Highway 66, which connects I-40 to Sevierville, has just been widened to six lanes all the way to the south end of Pigeon Forge, to accommodate the traffic. Lots of new businesses have taken up just about all the vacant land along the highway. A new Pigeon Forge development called The Island features a Jimmy Buffet restaurant, a Paula Deen restaurant, and lots of shops and amusements:

http://islandinpigeonforge.com/

Nashville is a different mission from Knoxville, so the OP's son won't be going there. The mission boundary is on the Cumberland Plateau just east of Cookeville.

Randyj - I think I know the David you're referring to - the last name is escaping me at the moment. Rides a motorcycle and cut off a rather epic ponytail to serve in the bishopric with my dad. My dad was the Bishop of the Morristown Ward in the 90s - after Bishop moffatt. I wish I had better recall. If you'd asked me the names of the priests in the ward doing those years I'd remember every one. I was only a teen then.

I just couldn't recall his name. It was either Mike or David. I referred youth BB for a couple of years, and the Morristown kids came to our chapel to play. I probably reffed some of the kids you knew. I knew Moffatt from a few stake meetings, as well as the fact that he was made a counselor in the new stake presidency when the stake was split in 1996. We quit attending in April of 1997, so I wouldn't know any Mormons who moved in after that time.

Did you happen to know the SP, Richard R----?

Yes, RandyJ - Pres R's daughter was my good friend. Kept in touch with her during her brief stint at BYU. His other child of the same persuasion, but different gender was my sister's friend.

It would be cool to chat off the board sometime. I bet we know a lot of the same peeps. :)

"Yes, RandyJ - Pres R's daughter was my good friend. Kept in touch with her during her brief stint at BYU. His other child of the same persuasion, but different gender was my sister's friend."

I was a counselor to R for his first two years as bishop. He is one of the people that helped my wife and I to see that the church is false. He was the most boorish and unqualified man to serve as bishop that I ever knew (and that includes another bishop who had an affair with the RS president.) When he was called as bishop, several ward members confided to my wife and me that they were shocked and appalled that he was made a bishop.

After two years of being his counselor, I quit in disgust. Several other ward members went inactive or left the church because of him as well. His attitude was "God called me to this position, and if I screw up, He'd release me." That was his justification for offending people. We endured him for ten years, hoping that he'd get released and we'd get a decent bishop. It was during the conference wherein he was "promoted" to SP that my wife and I concluded that the LDS church could not possibly be led by any God.

That family and ours had four kids---two boys and two girls. They were all about the same ages, and we interacted for about 13 years. We did a lot of things together for years. There's a dark underbelly and some embarrassing secrets in that family.

We knew that the oldest daughter (B) had left BYU around the time we left the church. We've heard that she since has become successful. My wife and I have wondered how her and her brother's (J) parents feel about their "persuasion." In a perverse sort of way, I thought that having two such "rebellious" kids couldn't happen to two more "worthy" parents.

Randyj--

I was in the South Knox branch, with an old Bear Bryant Alabama fan - President Parker. He was nice, had been my parents' bishop when my dad attended UT. We were a tiny unit, somewhat outcast when a ward split.

My calling in the primary presidency was planned for me before I ever even moved in, as I didn't move there until I was married. It was clearly not inspired and was issued out of pure desperation.

I am always curious about one of the likeable families there. A son was clearly gay. I wonder how they have managed their cog dissonance. I wouldn't be surprised if the mom at least had left the church.

"I was in the South Knox branch, with an old Bear Bryant Alabama fan - President Parker."

When did you live there? When we were active from 1984 to 1997, there was no branch in south Knox. Those members attended the old 2nd ward, which met in the old stake center behind West Town Mall. Maybe they created your old branch after we left the church. Did you know a couple who lived in Seymour, and the hubby was German? I don't remember a Parker, but then again, we didn't know many people in those wards. We attended the new chapel that was built in Fountain City in 1985.

"I am always curious about one of the likeable families there. A son was clearly gay."

If you give me a name, I might be able to tell you something about them. There were two prominent families in our ward who had gay kids. My bishop, who later became SP, had two gay kids.

The branch met at that old stake center you described near West Town Mall. My parents were in the same building in the mid 70's. I took my turn in the mid 2000's. I believe some of those families had seen the rise and fall of the church in their area before Farragut and some of the other wealthier wards grew.

My time there was brief. I can't think of the names of the families right now. I always enjoy reading your posts about my home state, though!

Hey I know nothing about Knoxville or thereabouts but I want to say thanks to randyj and everyone else on this thread for greatly edifying me about a region of the U.S. I knew little about.

Yet another reason to like RfM...

"Hey I know nothing about Knoxville or thereabouts but I want to say thanks to randyj and everyone else on this thread for greatly edifying me about a region of the U.S. I knew little about."

You're welcome. Lots of people are moving to this area---not just Knoxville, but all over the mid-south. I rarely go out in public without meeting transplants. When I meet someone with a "Yankee" accent, I ask them where they're from. The most frequent responses are Ohio, Michigan, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida. Some of my best friends here are from Connecticut, Long Island, and Chicago.

Last Saturday, my wife and I browsed some of the shops in the Glades craft community in Gatlinburg.

http://www.gatlinburgcrafts.com/

The majority of shop owners we met moved here from up north. A lot of them are retired, and they moved south because it's warmer, taxes and the cost of living are lower, and they supplement their retirement income by making and selling arts and crafts.

If anybody who's reading this is interested in looking for a better place to live, you should check out the mid-south.

I lived in Knoxville in the mid 70s, before correlation, while attending grad school at UT. Very nice people. I can't count the number of Sunday dinners I was invited to by good hearted LDS folks who could really cook.

I went to high school in Johnson City. Really nice branch there at the time and same deal: before correlation, lots of really nice members, fun activities, and good cooking. But pretty Baptist, and I'm not so sure people there cotton to mormons. I had friends whose dads made moonshine and grew tobacco.

I was just in Knoxville in July. Bigger now, and more traffic. Same goodhearted friendly people. Still lots of Baptists. Temperate climate and absolutely gorgeous. A beautiful place to live, but I wouldn't want to try converting people there.

Yes I can sing Rocky Top. Good idea to learn this essential skill.

Best of luck to your son. I wouldn't ever want to be a non TBM on a mission anywhere. Sounds like a source of a lot of inner turmoil.

"I can't count the number of Sunday dinners I was invited to by good hearted LDS folks who could really cook."

You probably knew some of the people mentioned here:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/07/the-saints-in-knoxville-stake?lang=eng

I know 4-5 of the people mentioned there. Although, when we were active there, a new ward had been created on the north side of town which included pretty much everything east of Oak Ridge Highway, north of I-40, and east to the Jefferson, Grainger, and Sevier County lines. That's the ward we attended. The chapel is in Fountain City.

"I went to high school in Johnson City."

Did you go to Steve Spurrier's school, Science Hill?

"I was just in Knoxville in July. Bigger now, and more traffic."

Yep, we've grown in large part to smart leaders who know how to attract industry and technology---our two senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, Governor Bill Haslam, County Mayor Tim Burchett, and City Mayor Madeline Rogero. We have the Oak Ridge Technology Corridor and a thriving industrial park in Maryville. Reportedly, there's supposed to be a new factory coming that produces the raw plastic material for 3D printing. And another factory headed by cyclist Greg LeMond which produces carbon fiber material.

We'll put up with the increased traffic as long as it increases local business.

You wrote:

"I lived in Knoxville in the mid 70s, before correlation, while attending grad school at UT."

You must have known Glen S., the institute director. He was some piece of work. I could tell some stories about that nutbag too.

I have lived about 30 minutes from Knoxville since 1989. Beautiful area, great little city with tons of festivals, arts, sports, outdoor recreation. Obviously none of which can be enjoyed if on a mission. I am in Sevier County. If he ever needs an out, a ride to the airport, to talk to someone not in the church, let me know.

"Beautiful area, great little city with tons of festivals, arts, sports, outdoor recreation. Obviously none of which can be enjoyed if on a mission."

I daresay that some, if not most missionaries who come to this area, get some church member to take them to fun places. I did on my mission in northeastern Australia. I got to see some of the Great Barrier Reef and other oceanside attractions.

"I am in Sevier County."

Cool. I sell to tourist shops/restaurants all over the mountains. I go to Pigeon Forge and/or Gatlinburg almost every week.

I will add just a bit to the Knoxville discussion. I live 70 miles south of Knoxville. My wife and I spent Sunday afternoon on a small lake on a mountain top 40 minutes from our home. The area is full of outdoor opportunities. Economically this area is growing rapidly. It was recently listed as the 5th fastest growing area of the US. European firms are moving here with massive investments. Our son-in-law is an architect and is heavily booked. Housing projects are sprouting all over with people relocating from other parts of the country with the low cost of living and temperate climate.

Baptists, Church of God and Seventh Day Adventists (to a lesser extent as their university is 20 miles away) do dominate the area. Their influence is waning as we have been able to see the area become more secular, though it seems slow at times. We see the Watchtower far more than Mormons here. Mormon missionary work will be difficult. There are a few of us ex-Mormons in the area. Keep us informed as to where he is located and we can provide a nice meal and a respite from the drudgery of tracting.

I think my daughter is in that mission and she lives in S.W. Virginia. But they are in the Kingsport, TN stake. She's not active but they have to pass their grandmother (my ex-MIL) around and she was there all summer. Grandma insists on being taken to church and my sweet 14-year-old granddaughter would go with her during the summer so grandma didn't have to be there by herself.

It was a gas to hear my granddaughter talk about it (she'd never been to a mormon church before). There is obviously zero chance of granddaughter converting to mormonism, so I was impressed that she'd do that when her parents didn't ask her to.

Anyway, post if your son gets sent to the Powell Valley Ward. My daughter and son-in-law love to feed the missionaries and are nice to them. They know that the mishies can count them as re-activating work and they like to help out in that area too. They'll still be on the re-activation list in 50 years.

"My wife and I spent Sunday afternoon on a small lake on a mountain top 40 minutes from our home."

Eric, are you referring to Nickajack Lake?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1-UqVjfWks

Knoxville, you say? Well, he needs to know the words to this song. Probably more important than learning the discussions. He will hear it ALL.THE.TIME.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPM-M79Lfrw

We stayed near Knoxville in Oakridge when we went to Dollywood. It's also got the University of Tennesse.

...you eat too many Little Debbie cakes?

You turn into Big Deborah:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/548805904564252140/

How do you explain Little Debbie being the named sponsor for Ironman Chattanooga?

Little Debbie cakes -- make you an Ironman!

So many questions...

How on earth does a non-TBM get called to a mission?

Why on earth would a non-TBM submit mission papers in the first place?

Isn't this kid aware that he has a choice?

Has anyone told him that he's not obligated to accept any mission call?

Why doesn't he just do a public service mission and join the Peace Corps instead?

Why would you accept and then pay for and GO on a mission when you don't really believe anyway?

Have you put a mechanism in place so the kid can come home whenever the hell he wants to? So if it sucks after two weeks he can just bounce?

I used to live in Kingsport and attended the Kingsport Ward. It is part of the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. Good people there. I still have friends & family in the Tri-Cities area. Echoing all that others have said, Tennessee is just fantastic! I just loved it there. Your son will do just fine.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2016 02:05PM by Bite Me.

"I used to live in Kingsport and attended the Kingsport Ward."

Beautiful pioneer country up there. I hadn't spent much time there until my wife and I took an anniversary trip there last January. We stayed at that spectacular Marriott resort hotel on the golf course. Being January, it was practically empty, and we had a lovely night and a nice dinner in the restaurant all to ourselves.

"Echoing all that others have said, Tennessee is just fantastic!"

Ya know, it's a funny thing: over the years, I've tried to tell people on this BB how nice it is in these parts. Some people have responded negatively. I remember one genius writing a few years ago "I'd like to move to the south, but I'm afraid of racism, the KKK, and Bible-thumping preachers." Another poster wrote that she'd like to move here, but she's afraid of tornadoes. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. It's nice to see that people who have actually lived here can say how good it is.

Yeah, Tennessee really is a great place in so many ways. My mother's side of the family is from east Tennessee and western North Carolina. She moved back down there after my father died. I only spent about six months there before my mission and then six months after my mission. Made some good friends. Also spent eight months working in Nashville a few years ago. Loved that too! I would move back there in a heartbeat.

I've been meaning to write this for several days, but I kept forgetting. Get your son a coupla pairs of thermal underwear bottoms and tops. If he has to spend any time in the winter outdoors riding a bike or knocking on doors, he will need them. I would ordinarily suggest that he can buy some at Wal-Mart once he gets here, but they tend to sell out of them by Christmastime. If he can't bring them on his flight, you could ship him some before winter. We usually get the first snowfall around mid-December.