Families gather from around globe
- posted: 09 Oct. 2007
- scrolllifestyle@byui.edu
Last weekend, Salt Lake City’s Temple Square came alive with the sight and sound of young families enjoying many different events and activities.
Many of these families had often come to general conference. However, there were others who had never known the experience. The Lozanos from Corona, Calif., were one of such families.
“Our family is inactive in the Church, and this is the first time we’ve come here,” said Griselda Lozano, who is a mother of two toddlers. Lozano’s brother, who is an active LDS Church member, invited her and her family to attend conference in the Conference Center. Lozano said she enjoyed the experience.
One family from Chihuahua, Mexico, is willing to make the journey to conference as often as possible. Mario and Venessa Gutierrez and their two small children have gone to Utah three times already.
“We want to make it a tradition to come here,” Venessa said. “The children love the experience.” Erick Gutierrez said his favorite part about Temple Square was the Christus statue in the North Visitors’ Center. He also liked the movies about scripture.
To prepare for conference, the Gutierrez family likes to sing hymns together and talk about temples and the prophet.
The Taylor family from Las Vegas, Nev., also comes to Temple Square for conference because of their children’s love for learning about the gospel. Eight-year-old Cheyenne Taylor, who was baptized in March, liked being at Temple Square so she could learn more about Church history.
“I think I’m going to like the Church history center a lot,” Cheyenne said. “My mom promised me that, after conference, she’d take me to see the original Book of Mormon.”
This was the first time the Taylor family came to Temple Square for conference. They prepared for the occasion by holding Family Home Evenings about conference and reading scriptures every night.
For others, it was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision. Denyce Moyer and her four children were visiting relatives in Alpine, Utah. Denyce’s husband, Ray, had an unexpected layover in Salt Lake City.
“We talked to our kids about conference and how it’s important to hear the words of the living prophet,” Ray said. “The kids have never seen the temple before, so they were really excited to go to Temple Square.” 
