Facing a difficult trial often feels like climbing a mountain. But with God as our guide, the destination is worth every arduous step.
Latter-day Saint musicians Ben and Chad Truman bring this message to life in a profound way with their new music video, “Give Me This Mountain.” Featuring stunning shots of scenery across New Zealand, the video honors the Truman Brothers’ aunt—Rhonda Truman Ford—who passed away from terminal brain cancer in 2020.
The Story Behind the Song
The Truman Brothers say the idea for the song began with a simple phrase.
“When we first sat down to write this song, the phrase ‘you give me this mountain’ just popped into our heads,” Ben explains. “It immediately felt like truth, and we wondered if there was in fact a doctrinal precedent for it. Sure enough, a quick search in the Gospel Library app yielded a couple spots, in both scripture and general conference talks, where the phrase appeared.”
Around this time, their aunt Rhonda received a diagnosis of stage 4 brain cancer. The Truman Brothers say she was a wonderful mentor and champion of their music and lives, and she was always eager to hear their new songs.
When they shared “Give Me This Mountain” with Rhonda, the lyrics deeply resonated with her. The verses detail the different stages of facing a trial, from feelings of fear and overwhelm in the beginning to finally recognizing the Lord’s hand and sanctifying power throughout the journey.
“As she sat there listening to the lyrics, tears began to fall,” Ben recalls. “We all sat there and cried together as we recognized the truly horrendous mountain she was having to climb. But in that moment, she also found a renewed hope and belief that, despite these awful, awful circumstances, the Lord was still there. He was in her corner and always would be.”
Rhonda’s abiding influence continues to impact their family, and Ben says they have felt her supportive strength across the veil. “I know without a doubt that Rhonda is standing by for when the Lord ever needs to send His angels to help lift us up during our own mountainous trials.”
Filming in New Zealand
Years after writing the song, the Truman Brothers traveled to New Zealand to visit Rhonda’s sister, Gina, who was serving as a senior missionary in Auckland. Gina asked her nephews to perform a concert for young single adults in the area, and the duo decided to film a music video as part of the trip.
“When we realized we would be in New Zealand, we were very excited for the chance to capture these beautiful mountains in a completely different hemisphere [from where we live],” Ben says. “I think it helped establish the message that the Lord is Lord to all. And He is aware of each of us and our circumstances … wherever in the world that might be.”
The Truman Brothers collaborated with Latter-day Saints in New Zealand to scout the best filming locations and shoot the project. These members even helped the duo to incorporate a few iconic filming locations that appear in The Lord of the Rings movies.
“The video is filmed in some of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth,” says Daniel Scott, who worked as the director of photography on the project. “The locations are all a visual love letter to the places [where] I grew up with my family and where I moved to after my mission.”
For example, a beach featured in the video isn’t far from Daniel’s childhood home. “I have a lot of great memories there, but one of the things that has always stood out to me there is how the surf beach is a small manifestation of the magnitude of God’s power,” he says. “The terrain changes with every storm but the waves are constant. The rugged beauty of those West Coast beaches speaks to far greater power, someone who makes order from the chaos.”
Another notable landmark includes a clear lake that creates a unique optical illusion toward the end of the video. Daniel explains:
“In one of the scenes, Ben and Chad are skipping stones, but it takes a second to realise that that’s what’s going on, because the lake is so clear it looks like they’re standing above clouds and throwing stones into them until you see the ripples, and you realise that the lake is [reflecting] a cloud on top of a mountain.
“Sometimes I like to think of places like that as small surprises, glimpses of eternity, that the Lord left scattered around the earth for somebody to find one day, just to smile and see what their reaction would be.”
Ben says another memorable moment came in a way that couldn’t have been planned or scouted. Toward the end of the shoot, they came across a mountainside area filled with sheep. “We noticed that a little lamb had somehow found itself on the wrong side of the fence and was desperately looking for a way to get back to the others,” Ben remembers. “Chad was able to calmly approach the lamb, pick it up, and gently place it back on the other side. It was a beautifully scriptural moment that felt so appropriate for the song. I always love that clip when it pops up during the video.”
Ultimately, everyone involved in the creation of the music video hopes that it reminds viewers of the Lord’s ever-present love and guiding hand in their journeys. “I hope viewers can feel inspired to carry on through whatever they may be going through,” says Stefan Huysmans, who directed the video. “Life was never meant to be easy, but it can be inspiring.”
Watch the full video in the player above or on YouTube.
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