As part of BYU-Idaho's Summer Session Devotional Recommendations, we’re featuring “The Sunny Side of the Street” by Elder Quentin L. Cook, which was delivered on January 26, 2021. Elder Quentin L. Cook was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 6, 2007. Called as a General Authority in April 1996, Elder Cook served in the Second Quorum, the First Quorum, and the Presidency of the Seventy. He previously served in th...
Jul 29, 2025
This Devotional address with Jared Boyter was delivered on July 15th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jared Boyter earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and his master’s degree in business administration, along with certificates in supply chain management and project management. He has worked at BYU-Idaho for 14 years. Jared served in the Colorado Denver North Mission. He met his sweetheart, Nichole, at a home evening activity at BYU-Idaho, and they were married in 2005. ...
Jul 15, 2025
This Devotional address with Jodi Robison was delivered on July 8th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jodi Robison loves school and learning and considers herself to be a perpetual student. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. Later, Jodi earned a master’s degree, several certificates, and a doctoral degree, all online, so she could be where her children were. In addition to her Assessment Services Manager role, she occasionally teaches as an adjunct faculty mem...
Jul 08, 2025
This Devotional address with Brian Christensen was delivered on July 1st at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Brian Christensen is the oldest of nine children and served as a missionary in the Chile Santiago South mission. He has lived in various parts of the U.S., including Utah, Maine, Maryland, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Wisconsin, and Idaho. Brian graduated with a degree in economics from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business from Stanford’s Graduate School...
Jul 01, 2025
This Devotional address with Elder I. Raymond Egbo was delivered on June 24th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Elder Egbo was sustained as a General Authority Seventy at the April 2024 general conference. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy in the Africa West Area. Elder Egbo has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Nigeria Lagos Mission, counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, and ...
Jun 24, 2025
This Devotional address with Alicia Willis was delivered on June 17th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. In her address, Sister Willis draws from personal experiences with family scripture study and rich personal insights to show how faith, repentance, covenants, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost form a continuous, Christ-centered pattern for life. Through examples from ancient and modern prophets, she reminds us that this gospel pattern has been taught from Adam to today, and it’s mean...
Jun 17, 2025
This Devotional address with Casey Puzey was delivered on June 10th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Casey was raised in Sugar City, Idaho, and served a mission in Busan, South Korea. He received his associate degree in psychology from Ricks College, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Idaho State University, and a master’s degree in counseling from Idaho State University. Casey has worked in the Student Honor Office for almost 11 years. He married Diana Gee in 1996. They have four ...
Jun 10, 2025
This Devotional address with Jenifer Craner was delivered on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jenifer Craner began working at BYU-Idaho in 2013 as the IT Office Assistant. In 2018, she moved to the Human Resources department and currently fills the position of HR Coordinator for Temporary Employment. Jenifer has been married for almost 31 years to Cary Craner, who also works at BYU-Idaho. Jenifer and her husband enjoy living in the country and raising their famil...
Jun 03, 2025
This Devotional address with Jim Lawrence was delivered on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jim grew up in Tooele, Utah, and served in the Canada Calgary Mission. He attended Utah State University and earned a bachelor of science in civil engineering. Jim worked for Utah Department of Transportation for six years before taking a position as the Director of Engineering for Tooele County. He attended Texas A&M University where he earned a master of science and ...
May 27, 2025
This Devotional address with Sister Nancy Dransfield Homer was delivered on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Sister Homer was born in Seattle, Washington, to Howard Eugene and JoyeAnn Shurtleff Dransfield. Sister Homer met her husband after graduating from Brigham Young University and while working in Salt Lake City and attending the University of Utah. Elder and Sister Homer were married on July 31, 1984, in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of six chil...
May 20, 2025
This Devotional address with Elder David P. Homer was delivered on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 11:45 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Elder Homer was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on March 31, 2018. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy in the Europe Area. He previously served as a member of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Northeast Area from 2013 to 2014. Elder Homer currently serves as a member of the Seventy ...
May 20, 2025
This Devotional address with Elder Kevin G. Brown was delivered on May 13, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Elder Kevin G. Brown was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 5, 2025. At the time of his call, he had been serving as an Area Seventy in the Utah Area. Elder Brown received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Technology, Jamaica, in 2008. He received a master’s degree in governance and public policy from the University of the West Indies in 2012. Since ...
May 13, 2025
This Devotional address with Cindy Goodwill was delivered on May 6, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Cindy Goodwill is the Worldwide Online Curriculum and Instruction Director at BYU-Idaho and also teaches a math class as an adjunct—just for fun. A native Californian and longtime Upstate New Yorker, she moved to Rexburg in 2018 with her husband, Tim, and their six children. Cindy holds a bachelor’s degree in physics teaching from BYU and a master's degree in educational technolog...
May 06, 2025
Elder Ulisses Soares was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on March 31, 2018. Elder Soares was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on October 2, 1958. He married Rosana Fernandes in October 1982. They are the parents of three children and five grandchildren. Elder Soares received a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting and economics from the São Paulo Pontifical Catholic University, School of Economic Science in 1985 and later received a Master of Business Administration degree. ...
Apr 27, 2025
Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today. Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings, including as a full-time missionary in the U...
Apr 22, 2025
Jennifer E. Meredith received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. She worked in Human Resources for Franklin Covey. Sister Meredith served as a mission leader with her husband in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. She has served as a presidency member in multiple church organizations and as a full-time missionary in the Argentina Salta Mission. President and Sister Meredith were married on June 6, 1998, in the Salt Lake Temple, and they are the parents of six...
Apr 22, 2025
This Devotional address with Max Bartschi was delivered on April 1st at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Max Bartschi lives in Moody, Idaho. He has worked at BYU-Idaho for 23 years. Max and his wife, Marinda, have been married for 26 years. They have four children, one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law, and one granddaughter. Max enjoys spending time with family and being outdoors. He especially likes to fish and hunt.
Apr 01, 2025
This Devotional address with Scott Burton was delivered on March 25th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Scott Burton is a computer science faculty member and the program director of the online software development program offered through BYU-Pathway Worldwide. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Brigham Young University, where his research combined machine learning and health science. Scott also earned a master’s degree from Utah State University, a bachelor’s degree from BYU, and...
Mar 25, 2025
This Devotional address with Elder Jorge M. Alvarado was delivered on March 18th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Elder Jorge M. Alvarado was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 6, 2019, at age 48. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a high councilor. He has served as a counselor in the Caribbean Area Presidency and is currently serving at Church Headquarters in various councils and committees. Elder Alvarado has served in a number of Church callings, includin...
Mar 18, 2025
This Devotional address with Elder David A. and Sister Susan K. Bednar was delivered on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 5:00 PM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. David A. Bednar was ordained and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 7, 2004. Prior to his call, Elder Bednar served as an Area Authority Seventy, as an Area Authority, as a Regional Representative, twice as a stake president, and as a bishop. Elder Bednar was born on June 15, 1952, in Oakland, California. He se...
Mar 09, 2025
This University Forum address with Melissa Russell was delivered on March 6, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the Taylor Chapel. Melissa Russell is a dedicated faculty member in the Department of Human Performance and Recreation and an Associate Dean of Student Success in the Office of Academic Support and Interdisciplinary Studies. Melissa currently teaches in the Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation Management, and Interdisciplinary Studies programs. She has previously enjoyed teaching at institutions s...
Mar 06, 2025
This Devotional address with Elder Lance B. Wickman was delivered on March 4, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Elder Lance B. Wickman is the former General Counsel and an Emeritus General Authority of the Church. Elder Wickman served as a General Authority Seventy from April 1994 until October 2010. He served as General Counsel from January 1996 until November 2023. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1...
Mar 04, 2025
Diantha Smith Hopkins teaches English at BYU-Idaho, specializing in rhetoric and composition, rhetorical theory, and children’s literature. She is also fascinated by the history and politics of the Middle East and Asia. She lived and studied in Damascus, Syria and served a mission in Seoul, Korea. Diantha and her husband, Mark, have been married for almost five years. She is a stepmom to five children and biological mom to one. When she's not chasing around a three-year-old boy, playing board an...
Feb 25, 2025
Jenet Jacob Erickson is an associate professor in Religious Education at Brigham Young University, where she teaches the Eternal Family course as well as the Introduction to Family Process course for the School of Family Life. She received a PhD in family social science from the University of Minnesota, after completing a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and master’s degree in linguistics -TESOL at BYU. She is a research fellow of both the BYU Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies...
Feb 11, 2025
Jason Reeder is from Idaho Falls and served in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida mission, speaking in the Spanish language. He graduated from BYU-Idaho in communication with an emphasis in advertising. He also has a master’s degree in integrated marketing communication from West Virginia University. Jason has held various marketing communication positions and has worked at BYU-Idaho for 14 years in Admissions, Alumni, Student Life Communications, University Relations and now as a faculty member in th...
Feb 04, 2025
Sister Kristin M. Yee was born in Sacramento, California, to Ryan R. Yee and Jaydean Fox McKay. Sister Yee received a bachelor’s degree in illustration and a Master of Public Administration from Brigham Young University. Sister Yee currently works as a Publishing Services special projects manager for the Church. Prior to working at the Church, she worked with Disney Interactive Studios for 13 years. Her Church assignments have included the Primary General Advisory Council, stake Relief Society p...
Jan 28, 2025
Joshua Figueira was born to Kevin and Sherry Figueira. His family hails from Kailua, Oahu in Hawaii, but he was raised primarily in Bountiful, Utah. Josh served in the South Korea Seoul West Mission. He holds a B.A in English language from Brigham Young University, a Master of Religion in Contemporary Society from King’s College London, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. Josh worked as BYU-Idaho legal counsel for seven years. Prior to that, he practiced First Amendment law ...
Jan 21, 2025
Jan 14, 2025
Jan 14, 2025
Marc Stewart is from Sugar City, Idaho. He served a mission in the Columbia South Carolina Mission. Brother Stewart received a bachelor’s degree from BYU-Idaho in business finance and an MBA from Western Governor’s University. He worked at the Idaho National Laboratory for six years as a Planning and Financial Controls Specialist, four years at BYU-Idaho in a few financial roles, six years at BYU-Idaho Pathway Worldwide as the Budget Officer, and then at BYU-Idaho as the Budget Officer. Brother ...
Dec 10, 2024
