Following the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 3-4, BYU–Hawaii students take on the hurdles of school life with renewed faith and spiritual strength. In the days following the event, students were asked what they thought about the talks that were given, and this is what they said:
For Jenly Tirazona, a freshman from the Philippines majoring in (Blank), he recalls general conference as something they “just had to watch” when he was younger. However, as a college student at BYU–Hawaii, Tirazona now clearly sees its purpose and importance.
“Watching General Conference and thinking about the messages given helps me have a clearer path in life,” he said. “It’s given me a way to uplift myself spiritually, especially while I’m studying here at BYU–Hawaii.”
One of the talks that stood out to Tirazona was a message given by Tamara W. Runia, “The Sculpting of our Souls.”
Before watching the talks, Tirazona had taken a question to the Lord, and received his answer while listening to Sister Runia’s message.
“We didn’t come to this life to be perfect, but we came to be perfected. I feel like that really gave a straight-to-the-point answer to my question,” he shared. “Rather than being an umbrella shielding us from challenges, temptations and obstacles, the gospel is the foundation that helps us become who we are meant to be. Even though we get drained, we are still standing on the gospel and still going on that path.”
Adding to that sentiment, Daniel A. Rodriguez, a sophomore from Texas majoring in finance, also found answers to his questions during Sister Runia’s talk. “I really liked Sister Runia’s talk about the sculptor. She talked about this guy who was sculpting clay into a head, but he couldn’t get it right,” he explained. “Then the teacher came by and made dramatic changes to it. At first, he was stubborn and didn’t want the teacher’s help. But when he finally humbled himself and got help, it turned out great.”
Rodriguez concluded that he needs the Lord’s help more than ever and that he needs to allow Him to sculpt his life rather than trying to do it himself.
“I can’t do this on my own,” he said.
For Laine Pukahi, a senior from California majoring in English, general conference is a time to unplug, not to escape the real world, but to escape its distractions. It’s a time when she can unwind and listen to the Lord’s mouthpieces.
After hearing President D. Todd Christofferson speak, Pukahi immediately took his message to heart: “If we hunger and thirst after righteousness, there are many good things we will pursue and other things that, because they are incompatible with righteousness, we will put out of our lives entirely.”
She explained that it’s about being very intentional with choosing which things to put your time and energy into, because we only have so much time.
“My biggest goal has been to focus on what matters most and to find something that will bring me joy and bring me closer to my Savior,” she shared.
For BYU–Hawaii students, general conference provided an opportunity to pause from the demands of school and daily life and turn their attention toward the messages of Church leaders. Whether through a specific answer to a personal question, a reminder to rely on the Lord, or renewed focus on what matters most, students found guidance they hope to carry with them beyond conference weekend.