TROPHY CLUB, Texas — A full-capacity congregation and many others watching via live stream participated with the BYU football program in a special devotional on Sunday afternoon in Trophy Club, Texas.
BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake and members of the 2024 football team participated in the devotional following a weekend full of festivities in the Dallas area, including a Fan Fest event on Saturday.
The multi-stake devotional was conducted in Trophy Club and streamed live to other Dallas area stakes. Joining Sitake in sharing inspiring messages about the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the devotional were linebacker Siale Esera, safety Raider Damuni, quarterback Cade Fennegan, defensive lineman Logan Lutui and linebacker Ben Bywater. Other members of the program and athletic department, including associate head coach and defensive coordinator Jay Hill, were also in attendance.
The service was promoted and organized in the area by a stake youth leadership committee, which joined the BYU speakers and stake presiding authorities on the rostrum for the devotional.
As scholar-athletes, we continually seek to be ambassadors for good.
— BYU Cougars (@BYUCougars) May 2, 2024
As part of last week's fan fest, we're grateful for the opportunity to share our testimonies with the people of Dallas. pic.twitter.com/7y39dFHmyJ
During the devotional, Esera shared his testimony that the Lord loves you and knows you personally, while Damuni, who served as a missionary in Oakland, California, spoke on the preparations and blessings of serving a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Fennegan, who is from Dallas, addressed being in the same shoes as the youth in attendance and how recognizing and following the Holy Ghost helped him navigate many important decisions and blesses our lives. Lutui spoke about making Christ the center in our lives to properly balance our many activities, including church, family and football.
Bywater talked about believing in others and in ourselves, sharing messages about how seeing and treating others as their highest self will inspire us to rise to the occasion. Coach Sitake shared several personal experiences as he related how, even through adversity, God loves us and has a plan for us. He encouraged the youth to connect with their parents and grandparents and to always do whatever they choose to do as disciples of Christ.
A local youth choir provided a beautiful musical number during the service. Afterwards, members of the congregation were able to spend time meeting personally with the players, Coach Sitake and others attending from BYU.
This fall, BYU football will make two trips back to Texas during the upcoming 2024 season, facing SMU of the ACC in a nonconference matchup on Friday, Sept. 6 in Dallas before returning for a Big 12 contest in Waco with Baylor on Saturday, Sept. 28.