Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please CLICK HERE
In his latest message to the Church, in April 2017 general conference, President Thomas S. Monson spoke urgently about the Book of Mormon and “the critical need we have as members of the church to study, ponder and apply it’s teachings in our lives.” President Monson is just the latest in a line of latter-day prophets who have counseled us to make a study of the Book of Mormon a routine part of our daily lives.
In the August 2005 Ensign President Gordon B Hinckley promised that as we daily read the Book of Mormon there would come into our lives, “an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.” In the words of President Monson, “The importance of having a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon cannot be overstated.”
I sometimes feel that I was born with a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I never wondered—I just always knew. Having been born of goodly parents, Jacob and Ruth Kapp, I found it easy as a child to believe on their words, as well as on the testimonies of teachers, apostles and prophets. When I was a child growing up on an Oregon farm way back in the 1940’s, my mother taught us children from a simple book called Book of Mormon Stories for Young Latter-day Saints by Emma Marr Petersen. Everything was just in black and white, including a few line drawings, but as my mother read these chapters, her eyes would sometimes fill with tears and she would pause to say to us children, ”I know with all my heart that these things are true!” As she taught and testified through the years, we children came to feel that these things were true also.
When I was in my teens, I fasted, prayed and read the Book of Mormon with real intent to know for myself of its veracity. I read all night and into the next day and night, unwilling to interrupt the powerful flow of spiritual confirmation I was receiving. I have continued to read and reread this marvelous book, drawing strength from its teachings through the eight decades of my life. I testify with certainty that it is indeed the word of God. As I approach the end of my writing career, this is the message I most want to leave behind—in prose, in art, and in music. To that end, we have produced the following Book of Mormon products for adults, teens and for children during the last decade.
In 2011, we published a musical fireside presentation for choir, soloists and narrators titled, “The Book of Mormon Has Come Forth,” with my collaborator Bonnie Hart Murray, in which we likened the scriptures to our day through powerful true, modern-day stories, enhanced by new Book of Mormon music.
In 2015, Covenant Communications published A Songbook for LDS Families, which contains 28 new Book of Mormon hymns, researched and written by Bonnie Hart Murray and me over a period of eight years. Each hymn is accompanied by the artwork of Arnold Friberg and Tom Lovell. A piano accompaniment of the hymns is in the back of the book.
Now, in 2017, we are happy to introduce a new project for children, published by Covenant Communications titled Book of Mormon Heroes. I have researched sixteen Book of Mormon Heroes lives over the past six years and have written a song about each of them, plus a five-minute bedtime story about each hero. Captivating artwork has been added by Jared Beckstrand for each hero. This project has grown from our original vision to now include the main hardbound book (which features a painting, a 5-minute bedtime story, and sheet music for each Hero, plus a CD mounted in the back cover with the story narration read by Johanne Perry and songs sung by children from the One Voice Children’s Choir, arranged by Roger Hoffman), a fun matching card game, a packet of collector cards, and a coloring book.
(Click to listen to the title song “Heroes From the Book of Mormon”)
Heroes From the Book of Mormon
Words & Music by Janice Kapp Perry
Solo: Easton Christiansen
Heroes from the Book of Mormon teach me I must choose the right
If I keep the Lord’s commandments, I will feel His guiding light.
Prophets from the Book of Mormon listened to the voice of God
They were faithful, they did hard things; by the Spirit they were taught
Heroes from the Book of Mormon kept a record of their day.
Stories of their faith and courage teach me how to live today.
Building ships and crossing oceans, fighting battles for the right—
They teach me I can do all things if the Lord is on my side!
Heroes from the book of Mormon help me learn to trust in God
Teach me there is peace and safety holding to the Iron Rod
Prophets from the Book of Mormon testify of Jesus Christ
I will follow their example, I will serve Him all my life
Below is a sample page from our book—a five-minute bedtime story and a painting of The Stripling Warriors. Click below to listen to the song about “The Stripling Warriors.”
Two Thousand Stripling Warriors
Words and Music by Janice Kapp Perry
Solo: Dallas Whitman
The Nephites were at war but the people of Ammon
Had promised God that they would fight no more
But their true and faithful sons who were brave and courageous
Asked Helaman to lead them into war
Two thousand stripling warriors, his fearless little sons
Knew that in the strength of God the battle would be won
Although the battle raged they were firm and undaunted
Performing with exactness each command
For according to the faith that their mothers had taught them
They knew they’d be protected by God’s hand
Two thousand stripling warriors were injured but remained
Faithful to the Lord, their God, and not one soul was slain
I’m so excited to share this book with my grandchildren at Christmas time. Even the old black and white book from which I was taught about the Book of Mormon started me on a lifetime of loving this book. Now, with colorful pictures, short stories and music added, my hope is it will be pleasing and rather exciting to children who experience it. Things just do stay in our memories better when they are set to music, and my hope is that these stories and songs will return to the children’s minds and hearts during their lives when they need to be inspired, strengthened or comforted.
Our initial response to this project has been pretty exciting. Here are two of the many (unsolicited) responses we first received:
Carolyn Bennett (Idaho): I just got my copy of this cool new songbook, with a CD and other fun things. It is spectacular! The songs are simple and beautiful. The words are outstanding. The singers and narrators make listening to it a joy. It makes the Book of Mormon Heroes so much easier to understand for our children—and for me too (I’m thinking Christmas presents!).
Joy Lundberg (Utah): I love this Book of Mormon Heroes collection. We’ve had such fun with the little ones in our lives already and they don’t want to quit playing the games and hearing the stories. And we love the songs! We can’t wait to give these to our loved ones, home teaching families, neighbors and others.
Janice Kapp Perry: Composer, author, lecturer
Book of Mormon Heroes (and other products mentioned in this article) are available in LDS Bookstores or HERE in the New Releases section of www.JaniceKappPerry.
