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Janice Kapp Perry and I

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Meet Janice Kapp Perry: Mormon music composer extraordinaire. She has written some of the most well-loved children's songs that I grew up with, including:

  • I Love to See the Temple (this was, ironically, the very first song I ever sang in voice lessons with Erin Guinup)
  • Love is Spoken Here
  • A Child's Prayer
  • I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • I'm Trying to be Like Jesus
  • We'll Bring the World His Truth
  • As Sisters In Zion
Listen to these and many more here. Sister Perry often speaks for church events and firesides. She gave a fireside for my stake 18 months ago, and she loved our stake leaders so much that she agreed to come back and do the same thing again. 

So, Carli and I were asked to sing for our stake fireside. We met Sister Perry at her house to sing a new song she wrote: "I Will Say a Prayer" (listen on Spotify). She has sung with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and of course, written so many songs! It was an honor to meet her and sing for her. She liked our voices- and we were cleared to sing for the fireside.

THEN, yesterday, Carli and I had dinner with Sister Perry, her husband, and some stake leaders. Sister Perry was feeling sick- she had a cold all week, and wouldn't be able to sing another song she wanted to do at the fireside. Could Carli and I do this song too?

OF COURSE! So, we printed off music, learned the piece in 30 minutes, and sang it for the fireside. This song, titled, "Like Jesus" is so special to me. Sister Perry said she wrote this song and sang it many times on her mission (she and her husband went to Chile, and they organized choirs and taught piano lessons). Lately I have been feeling a greater desire to give, share, serve, love, and have the same character of Christ as I had on my mission. This song captured my feelings so perfectly.  Here are the lyrics:

I want to be like Jesus
I want to see as He sees.
I want to look into the hearts of others
And see the best that they can be.

I want to be like Jesus
I want to feel what He feels.
I want to be a person of compassion,
And always speak the word that heals.

I want to be like Jesus
I want to love as He loves.
And when I see someone in need of kindness
I want to care the way He does.

I want to be like Jesus
I want to give as He gives.
I want to try to live my life for others,
And to forgive as He forgives.

And so I'll try in every situation
To let His light come shining through.
When I'm unsure I'll ask myself this question:
What would Jesus do?

He is divine, my Savior, my Redeemer,
And I still walk imperfectly.
But I can live so all the world will notice
A little bit of Jesus in me.

She was so gracious, and appreciative that Carli and I could learn the music so quickly. Majoring in music comes in handy sometimes! ;) After the fireside, she said "Come over to my house anytime- I'm home most days." So Carli and I are planning to "Jam with Janice" in the near future.

I know that Heavenly Father is leading me in the pathways I should go. I am having so many opportunities here in Utah that wouldn't be possible anywhere else. My goals and dreams are being realized in small and simple ways as God teaches me about other talents that I can develop.

I want to be like Jesus, to love as He loves, give as He gives. And I'm a work in progress.

Comments

merilee said…
That is SO awesome! I love her music. What joy she must have felt to hear you sing her songs so beautifully. :)
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
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