The Church News would like to hear about services efforts done this year as a "birthday gift" for Pres. Monson. Please email your reports and photos to: churchnews@desnews.com.
President Thomas S. Monson observed his 82nd birthday on Friday, Aug. 21, 2009, which was the first day for dedicating the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple.
Last year, the Church News asked him to describe the ideal birthday gift. He said, "Do something for someone else on that day to make his or her life better. Find someone who is having a hard time or is ill or lonely and do something for them. That's all I would ask."
In response to that request, the Church News asked readers to give President Monson the gift of service to another and then report it to us. In the issue of Aug. 15, we published some of the service Church members have given during the past year. Following are highlights of more service members have performed, many on President Monson's birthday.
"The next day was Saturday and I had to work. When I got home that evening, my neglected lawn had been mowed and cared for. I knew that my wife, who was pregnant, was gone that day and would not have been able to do it. I then realized that I was the recipient of the service that was rendered on behalf of President Monson. I had never thought that I would be on the other end of the giving that was done for his birthday. It is a day I will never forget.
"Thank you President Monson, your gift did more than I had planned for."
"Since everyone gave a 'Gift of Service,' we decided to celebrate by having a birthday party for President Monson on his actual birthday," Sister Farley wrote. "We knew that President Monson would want us to make the most of the party, so we decided to do some service then as well. On Fridays, we are required to take down the tables and chairs so the building will be ready for the Sunday. So, our class snuck into the two freshmen classes while they were in the cultural hall ... and we put away all of their tables and chairs as our final act of service. We left a birthday card for each class saying that we did that service in behalf of President Monson."
