In The Book

In the Burning Book: Jason Olson

An aspiring rabbi, Jason Olson was studying at Hebrew High School in Scottsdale, Arizona in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. When talk of the Messiah started circling, Jason brought his questions to the high school lunchroom where he would discuss the topic with his friends. One day, he had a copy of the Book of Mormon in his hands, and unwilling to give it back to his friends or be found with it in his possession at home, he decided the only way to dispose of it would be to burn it… but, something stopped him in his tracks.

Jason first read the Book of Mormon in November of 1999 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 16, 2003

3 Nephi 9:19-20

3 Nephi 15:6-8

Another Jewish Book: Lindsey Perlman

Jerusalem was the place of Lindsey Perlman’s dreams as an observant Jew, but by the time she made it there, she had already come across a church she also wanted to attend on Shabbat, but logistically couldn't. She was led to this church when, while studying Hebrew, the words of the prophets, and rabbinic teachings, she began reading another book; a book about the House of Israel, covenants, and the greatest rabbi who ever lived. 

Lindsey first read the Book of Mormon in 2016 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 29, 2022 

2 Nephi 9:26

2 Nephi 9:53

Dubbing the Book of Mormon: David Taylor

Some of the first people David Taylor met on his mission in Peru were Chinese immigrant restaurant owners, and indigenous Peruvians who barely spoke Spanish. Unable to communicate with them and fueled by the fire of already mastering a foreign language, David started picking up phrases so he could speak with them, planting the seeds for the work he now does dubbing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Book of Mormon videos into indigenous languages. Had it not been for one Thursday morning during his junior year of high school when he read the Book of Mormon for the first time, David wouldn't be where he is today. 

David first read the Book of Mormon on October 30, 2014 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on November 14, 2014

Watch this to see how the Scripture Video Project came to be!

Moroni 10:4-5

An Instrument in the Hands of God: Igor and Vesna Gruppman

When they first met at the Moscow Conservatory in the 1970s, Igor and Vesna Gruppman were both budding violinists absorbed in the world of music. What befell them when they made their way to the western banks of the United States would not only include the opportunities and freedom they were looking for, but also an instrument unlike any they had heard of before. 

Igor and Vesna read the Book of Mormon for the first time around the summer of 1980 and were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shortly after

Alma 29:9

3 Nephi 17:21-24

Clicking Through the Book of Mormon: Judy Brummer

Growing up on a cattle ranch in South Africa, Judy Brummer lived among the indigenous Xhosa people, and their language was her language. The language, and her testimony, would bring her back to them as a missionary, and to translate the text of the book that had brought her to the waters of baptism. 

Judy first read the Book of Mormon early in the year of 1979 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 29, 1979

Moroni 10:7

By (Very) Small and Simple Things: Paul Alan Cox

Despite Paul Alan Cox’s congenital illness, he was sent to Samoa as a young missionary. The service rendered to him by a Samoan man coupled with his love for the Polynesian people, charted the course of his prolific career as an ethnobotanist, and a life practicing the healer's art.

Paul read the Book of Mormon as a youth, and had completed reading it five times before leaving on his mission to Samoa on January 6, 1973

Ether 12:27

Mosiah 18:30

Mosiah 2:17 & 19

Alma 37:6

A Pandemic Miracle: Luke Hart

When the 2020 pandemic swept across northern Europe three years ago, Luke Hart was left without a job in a foreign country. While scrolling on Facebook one lonely day, he came across a video that led him to an unexpected discovery that would change his life.

Luke first read the Book of Mormon in 2020 in Norway, and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 24, 2020

2 Nephi 29:11

Finding God Behind Enemy Lines: Olga Campora

Olga Campora is denied entrance to college in Czechoslovakia because she’s not a communist. After reapplying with a new strategy, she is accepted, and introduced to yoga. One yoga practice after another, a holy book in her hands, and against all odds, Olga comes across God.

Olga first read the Book of Mormon in the fall of 1980 in the Czech Republic and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 11, 1981

Click to access the audio clip of Nicolae Ceausescu's speech about the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 used in this episode. 

2 Nephi 2:25