MICHELLE HOFFMAN / Scroll
A group of BYU-Idaho students poses for pictures on Temple Square in Salt Lake City during the 175th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The students attended the Sunday sessions.

Students share general conference weekend traditions

Amber Warner WAR05005@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Three college girls sat cross-legged in a compact apartment bedroom with no makeup, pajamas on and hair matted sloppily on their heads as they giggled and planned for the eventful weekend.

Three days later they sit in reverence, their hair carefully done and wearing their best church dresses as they carry out their plans to prepare to be spiritually uplifted by the words of Latter-day Saint leaders.

Katelyn Bailey from Belair, Md., Julia Holbien from Lexington, Ky., and Holly LaMont from Boise, all juniors at BYU-Idaho, aren’t the only ones who made plans during general conference weekend.

“I was so excited to be in Salt Lake for conference,” said Katie Storm, a freshman from Cleveland, Ohio. “It’s different when you can actually be in the presence of the prophet. The Spirit there is so strong.”

Along with attending the conference sessions held on Saturday and Sunday, men were able to attend priesthood session held Saturday night.

“I like priesthood session the most,” said Brady Wilcox, a freshman from Atwater, Calif. “I love knowing it’s directed towards me personally as a priesthood holder.”

The women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints kept busy Saturday night as well. Sherise Rawson, a sophomore from Blackfoot, Idaho, has a tradition of making apple pie for her father while he is at priesthood session.

“I’ve been doing it since I was nine years old,” Rawson said. “He comes home and we all sit together for two or three hours talking about conference and eating apple pie.”

Some students not only had the chance to attend conference, but also had plans to meet with old mission friends.

Mathew Funk, a junior from American Fork, Utah, had two mission reunions in Sandy, Utah.

“I have never been to one of my mission reunions,” said Funk. “I [couldn’t] wait to see my old missionary companions and friends; it [was] the highlight of my weekend.”

Justin Wright, a sophomore from Covina, Calif., did more than just reunite with old mission companions. He visited his old mission.

“I’m going to see a family who my companion and I lived with for three months,” Wright said. “The sister there was so good to us. I loved serving in Provo; it was the best mission ever.”