Thousands of people crowded downtown LDS Church sites Saturday for the opening session of the 179th Semiannual Conference session, each with a reason for being there, and each touched by some element of the meeting.

Among them:

 Garth Rasmussen, Henderson, Nev., who had traveled to Salt Lake City with his wife, Kathy, and a grandson who was recently baptized, making him eligible for the trip for the first time.

"What a privilege to be in the presence of and listen to a prophet of God. I grew up in Provo and we were 'not invited' so there would be room for others. I particularly appreciated Elder (David A.) Bednar's talk. He advised us to live in our homes what we profess from the pulpit."

 Keen F. Arcayan, West Valley City, who translated the conference proceedings into two of the languages of his native Philippines, Cebuano and Tagalog. He also taught Filipinos as a missionary in San Fransisco.

"As a translator, I'm not supposed to be emotional, but I found the tears coming through when President (Dieter F.) Uchtdorf spoke about Heavenly Father's love for us. He said we have to understand that love because it is the source of all love. It was very profound and we need to live it in our lives."

 Megan Lindley, who has recently lived in Melbourne, Australia, where her father is president of the Melbourne East Mission.

"I could have stayed home and watched conference on television, but it was great to be here. It's easier to focus, and there was such a spirit when the prophet walked in. I feel at home. The spirit is stronger here. I loved Elder Bednar sharing a message of love in the family. I'm working on that now, and he shared things I can do not only for my family now, but also for my future family."

 Alex Boye, a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which performed at the morning session. He joined the church in England at 16 and has been in the choir for three years.

"My favorite this morning was 'Come, Come, Ye Saints.' Those words, 'Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard.' The spirit just hit me hard. I almost lost it. The hymns can touch us so much, they can be just like a sermon.

"I was impressed with Elder Bednar's message that we must try and try again."