YSA CONFERENCE 2025

Ok, before we begin this blog, we must address some questions that I am sure many of you have:

One, what is a YSA Conference? Well, YSA stands for Young Single Adult. So, a YSA Conference is a two-day event where young, single members for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get together to learn, grow, socialize, and have some fun.

Two, did I meet a guy while I was there? Let’s be real, this was everyone’s first question. The answer is no, unless you count this cutie:

As a collective group, we decided his name was Dillion the Armadillo, and that he is incredibly photogenic.

And three, did I want to go to a YSA Conference? The answer is no. A hard no. I was looking for every and any reason to get out of going.

However, I have always been an annoying goody two shoes, as we all know. So, when a trusted leader suggested I go, and the Spirit confirmed that such was a good idea, I forced myself to go.

Forced being a very correct term. As incentive, I ordered a book to be delivered to my home while I was gone, gifting me a prize for my efforts when I returned.

And…turns out the book wasn’t totally necessary 😂 I am forever glad I went. I needed to go, though I didn’t know it when I was begrudgingly packing my bag.

But the Lord knew it, and He showed me why I needed to be there, countless times, throughout my 48 hours in Dallas.

One: To build my testimony that the Lord hears and answers prayers.

A big reason for my not wanting to attend the event was because I knew I would be going alone. It wasn’t the seven hour car trip that scared me, it was the eating alone, and the attending classes alone, and the feeling alone.

With that perpetual doom hanging over me like a cloud, I prayed to the Lord, often, leading up to my departure. I prayed for friends, and I prayed for the ability to have a good attitude while I was there.

He answered both of those pleas.

Immediately, my hotel roommate and I hit it off. We were friends almost instantly, bonding over our shared love of all things dogs. She is an incredibly welcoming person, and I hope she knows she was answer to prayer.

However, there were so many other answers to prayer in the form of people that the Lord placed in my path. Meeting these girls was one of the biggest highlights of my trip. I needed their excitement and understanding and friendship more than they could ever know, and part of the reason it all came about is because the Lord helped me to have a good attitude. To be brave. To walk up to the people He was guiding me to and introduce myself.

I don’t know that I’ve ever bonded so quickly with so many great people. Those girls made the conference what it was, and I can never repay a single one of them for taking in the Girl From NM Who Came Alone.

Two: The Lord Loves Me

That, was the underlying message the Lord wanted me to cling to during my days in Dallas, and beyond. Every lesson, every interaction, every devotional, every tender mercy, the reason I was there was so the Lord could bestow His love upon me.

I’m not entirely sure why, but I’d lost that feeling over the past six months. The one where I was sure of His love. Here, in the quiet moments and the truths spoken and the beautiful music sung, I heard quietly whispered over and over again, “I love you.”

Three: I am not alone.

A secondary, but prominent reason I did not want to pack up my things and haul myself to Texas was because I was so, so embarrassed. Of who I am, of where I’m at in life. In my tight circle, everyone is already aware of the circumstances that surround me, but out in the real world? To my peers? I was going to have to try to explain it to them?

No thanks.

Turns out, I had no reason to be embarrassed. Because, guess what? So many are in the exact same situation as me. So many are a little scared to get married. So many can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet. So many still live at home to save money. So many fear that if one more person tells them they are going to be the next Wendy Watson Nelson, they will have to resort to punching them in the face.

So many feel they are not measuring up. And it is just not true.

Not once did I ever think any of them were failing at life. In my eyes, they seemed to be thriving! And that was what many of the classes taught us, too. The title of one was literally, “You Are Not Behind.” We are right where the Lord wants us to be. The world might try to make us believe otherwise, but it is just not true.

We are not failing, we are succeeding. And we are not doing it alone.

Four: He is Aware of Me

I can’t begin to explain the fear and anxiousness that wreaked havoc on my body as I prepared to leave. My mind was a swirl of chaos, and I feared that it would only get worse as I attended the conference, not better.

Boy, was I wrong. Again. Shocker.

The peace that surpasses all understanding is real. The hope that comes in Jesus Christ is real. The promise that He will work it all for our good is real. The strength He lends us to do hard things is real. His love for us is real.

I saw it in the lessons that were meant just for me. I found it in the fun I had dancing to songs from my youth with girls who made me feel right at home. I found it on the drive on the way back to NM, where I prided myself on the fact that with His help, I had conquered something hard.

He knew. He knew I needed all of that.

So, would I recommend attending a YSA Confernece. 1000% yes. Will you find the love of your life there? The odds aren’t exactly great 😂

But, you will come to know Him. You will feel His love. And you will feel less alone.

So, yes. Go.