While serving his mission in Moscow, Russia, Jacob Burdis, now an MSE graduate student, first thought of creating an app to help people access and understand Book of Mormon covenants. “It started as a mission project,” he said. “I was studying promises in the Book of Mormon—how every promise has two parts—and I started organizing them by topics like faith, service, etc. Eventually I had my Book of Mormon organized so that I could look up either half of a promise and see what the other half was.”

Burdis realized he could use this organization for an assignment in his IP&T 560 class (Microcomputer Materials Production), for which students are required to design a smartphone app. His digitalized idea, called “Promises of the Book of Mormon,” enables the user to locate information on specific blessings and learn what is required to obtain these blessings or, inversely, ways God will bless people based on the specific commandments they keep. Although his only background in this area was an Introduction to Computing and Multimedia class taken three years earlier, Burdis was able to design an app that quickly became a success, with 900 Android downloads in two months.

“Promises of the Book of Mormon,” which can be downloaded at no cost, can be found here. Additionally, Burdis is replicating the app for the LDS standard works and conference sessions, and hopes to release this app soon. “People have asked me why they’re free downloads, and why I’m putting so much time into things I’m not getting paid for,” said Burdis. “But it’s been its own reward for me—it’s been an awesome spiritual experience. I hope I can give people that same experience. This is my little niche; it’s my way of spreading the word of God.” Burdis went on to recommend the IP & T 560 class, and to urge others to pursue original ideas. “I think we’ve all had that thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if someone made this?’ Well, you can. Be the person who does.”

May 8, 2012