Latter-day Saints Share Their Favorite Moments from General Conference
Contributed By Sydney Walker and Valerie Johnson, Church News contributors
Latter-day Saints smile as President Russell M. Nelson waves to the audience while leaving the Sunday morning session of the 189th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, October 6, 2019. Photo by Laura Seitz, Deseret News.
Article Highlights
- Receiving personal revelation and witnessing changes within the Church at general conference were special experiences for members.
“It means a lot to be here. . . . I love how the Church brings families together.” —Angie Ibarra, Guanajuato, Mexico
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Angie Ibarra, from Guanajuato, Mexico, was so excited for the chance to be able to attend general conference for the first time.
“It means a lot to be here, because my husband and I have the dream of being sealed in the temple,” Ibarra said. “Also I love how the Church brings families together, and that’s what everyone wants in their lives.”
Ibarra was baptized on November 3, 2018. Her husband was baptized first and then baptized her, she said.
“It’s an experience you can’t explain, but you feel a connection to God, and it’s really cool,” she said. “There’s no other place you can find it or feel it.”
Eva Lokotui, from South Jordan, Utah, has attended conference several times, but this time was “very beautiful,” she said.
“It was a blessing to hear the prophet,” she said after the Sunday afternoon session. “Most of the focus was on Christ and following His example. And just doing service to others. There is always something you can do for others.”
Lokotui said she also enjoyed learning about the changes to the Aaronic Priesthood and Young Women changes announced by President Nelson, Elder Cook, and Sister Cordon.
“I read the new Young Women theme, and it’s really nice,” she said. “It’s so touching.”
Scott Robinson had been wanting to attend general conference in the Conference Center ever since he was baptized three years ago in Mississippi. On Saturday, October 5, his dream came true.
“It was amazing being there with our prophet and our General Authorities,” he said. “The talk that stood out to me the most was the talk that said we haven’t gone to a two-hour Church for less Church but for six more days of Church.”
Robinson said there were several other talks that resonated with him because of his personal circumstances.
“There’s a lot of things I’ve been going through that happened to come up in just about every talk, and I received a lot of answers and revelation from Heavenly Father to help me through my experiences,” he said.
Angie Ibarra, second from left, is pictured with her husband, left, and other family members at general conference on October 6, 2019. Ibarra and her family are from Guanajuato, Mexico. Photo by Sydney Walker.
General Women’s Session Moments
A group of young single adult women shared their thoughts following the women’s session of general conference.
Deborah Colimon of the Orem YSA 18th Stake found Sister Reyna I. Aburto’s talk “open—it was honest, it was real, vulnerable, and relatable.”
While it’s easy for others to think that everyone around them is perfect and doing well, “we all have these silent battles that we’re struggling with,” she said.
Colimon was diagnosed with bipolar disorder this week and felt she didn’t know where she stood and that “no one really gets me.”
However, she learned from Sister Aburto’s remarks that these struggles are not “because I’m weak or I’m a sinner,” she said. “I’m strong.”
Eva Lokotui, left, from South Jordan, Utah, said she felt touched by President Nelson’s message about humanitarian work during the Sunday morning session of general conference on October 6, 2019. Photo by Sydney Walker.
“I really appreciated how [Sister Aburto] spoke about mental illness just to help everyone else understand that they aren’t going through their things alone,” said Laurie Jaimes of the Smithfield YSA Seventh Ward.
“I think it’s really important for the Church to start talking about it more so that it isn’t such a taboo topic and so that people feel more willing and open to share their experiences.”
Once people who are struggling with mental illness feel that they can talk about it without judgment, they’ll be able to get the help they need, she said.
Jaimes also appreciated the worth the speakers put on women. “The fact that the prophet said how important we are and how much value he puts on us, I think that represents the way all men should look at us and how we should feel about ourselves as well.”
Sheri Hladky of the Orem YSA Fifth Ward, appreciated President Oaks’s talk and his call to respect and love other people no matter what. “Whatever choices they make has nothing to do with us. If they don’t want to follow the Church’s values, even if they’re not a part of the Church, it’s not our business to judge them. You have to love them and respect them.”
“The fundamentals aren’t going to change,” Anie Harmon of the Provo YSA Second Stake added.
Briauna Gardner, a young woman from the Farmington Utah South Stake, thought the change to the Young Women theme is a great one, especially the change from “we” to “I.” “It makes it a little more personal,” she said.
As for the class changes next year, she noted how her ward has a large Mia Maid class currently. “Next year they would all be moving to Laurels, so I’m interested to see how that will work out.”
Scott Robinson, from Mississippi, was baptized three years ago and attended general conference for the first time on October 5, 2019. Photo by Sydney Walker.
Sheri Hladky, Anie Harmon, Laurie Jaimes and Deborah Colimon pose for a photo at the Conference Center following the women’s session of the 189th Semiannual General Conference on Saturday, October 5, 2019. Photo by Valerie Johnson.
Briauna Gardner and her mother pose for a photo at the Conference Center following the women’s session of the 189th Semiannual General Conference on Saturday, October 5, 2019. Photo by Valerie Johnson.
