We were asked by the Africa Central Area Presidency if we would help them to flood their area with music.

One way that we've been doing that is to help the local members to initiate a pilot program where they would do music training.

While we’ve been in this area,

we’ve participated in music training with the members, with the missionaries,

and also in a musical fireside.

In addition to coming with the intent of training members in Africa things about music, we wanted to learn from them. At church headquarters

we’re currently working on a hymn book revision and a Children’s Songbook revision.

And we want to ensure that the new product, the new sacred music collection, not only delivers music to members throughout the world, but draws from the world. We wanted to understand what members are singing.

What I hope will come out of this program is members who are both musically inclined or not to appreciate that hymns is a major part of

worship and that we have members that can competently conduct music and play music and accompany music so that we have rich music and music services or worship services

that will enhance our meetings.

I hope that that is what we can achieve.

In my family we love singing.

One of the things that really helped us after receiving the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to remain on the covenant path was the fact that we learn to sing

the hymns of Zion.

You know, the music plays a key role in our—in strengthening

our faith in Jesus Christ, inspiring us as a family, uniting us as a family.

As we used to sing in our family almost daily, particularly during family home evenings.

As we met with members in a devotional,

we found out that there are hymns from the local tradition that we’re not including in our hymn book currently. So we learned from them. We got titles, we got tunes, we even went to a local bookstore and came home with a hymn book, wanting to learn more about what the Kenyan people are

singing so that we can take that knowledge and it can influence the hymn book that goes to the entire world.