Thomas S. Monson is the president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of prophet is one of the few full-time religious positions available to Mormons. (There are, of course, ordinary jobs such as secretaries to do administrative-type work.) Only the prophets and apostles, among all the church’s religious leadership, work full-time. The remainder are volunteers. For instance, when Mitt Romney served as a bishop (a lay pastor) he held regular employment in his community and this supported his family. The extensive work of a bishop was all done after work and family responsibilities were met.

Although the prophet, his two counselors, and the twelve apostles (the counselors are also apostles) serve full-time, they do not receive a salary. This is due to biblical warnings about priestcraft—the ability to become wealthy doing the work of the Church. Since most who serve in these positions are older, they often have pensions or other sources of private income, even though they can no longer hold outside employment. Those who do not receive a modest stipend which allows them to live at a reasonable standard of living, but not to become wealthy. While most religions pay their ministers and many leaders of popular churches become wealthy, a Mormon leader can only achieve wealth prior to his call to full-time service. No matter how much money the Church makes, leaders do not personally profit from that money.

Due to privacy, the church does not reveal who is receiving financial help from the church, whether it is an ordinary church member receiving charitable assistance or a leader receiving a small stipend. Thomas S. Monson became an apostle at the age of 36, an unusually young age for such a call. (He was also an unusually young bishop.) Prior to his call, he had worked in the printing industry as the General Manager of Deseret News Press. It is possible he receives a stipend, due to how young he was when he gave up paid employment, but it’s also possible his children and other relatives support him instead. He may even have savings invested that support him. How he supports himself really isn’t important. However he does so, he does not receive a paycheck or a share of the money brought in by the church.

 If a stipend is given, it does not come from tithing money. Unlike many churches, which count all their businesses as part of their ministry, the Mormons operate a for-profit arm for their businesses. These businesses pay taxes at the same rate as any other businesses. They are operated under a holding company. It is the for-profit arm that provides the stipend, so that the money donated by members is not used for salaries. The prophet does not own these businesses, nor does he receive a share of the profits from them. The profits are used to fund church work, including things like salaries that must not be paid from tithing funds.

Mormons love being part of a volunteer system. It allows them to serve God entirely unselfishly. They don’t accept service to gain a paycheck; they accept it entirely because they love God and want to serve Him and to be a part of His work. There are, of course, rewards that go far beyond anything a paycheck could provide.

Mormons normally don’t choose their callings. When a leader of an organization needs someone to fill a position, he or she considers possible names of people she knows or who might be available. She then evaluates those names, praying for inspiration, and then chooses one. She prays to find out if this name is acceptable to God and if it is, she submits it to the bishop for approval. This is done because he knows more about the person and whether or not that person is actually available for the position. When everyone has prayed and is in agreement, the chosen person is invited to accept the call. Knowing it is from God, most Mormons will accept even if they feel unqualified for the position. Of course, if there is information he or she might have that is pertinent, such as a serious family situation requiring priority, the person will ask to have that considered.

People generally change positions every few years. This allows them to serve in a wide range of positions over the years and to gain many skills. It also improves their understanding of the organization of the church because they see it from many different viewpoints. There is no promotion, so a person might be the president of the children’s Primary one week, and helping a toddler nursery leader the next and not consider it a demotion in any way. It is simply another responsibility.

The skills learned through church service often force people outside their comfort zones. A shy follower may find herself asked to lead a large women’s organization. A man who doesn’t feel organized might be asked to be the secretary—a position requiring extensive organizational skills. A person new to the church can be asked to teach a class, even though she will first have to learn the doctrines she will be teaching. As people accept positions they would never have volunteered for, they become more than they imagined they could be. Mormons believe God knows them perfectly and knows all they are capable of becoming. When He chooses a calling for them, He is often putting them into a situation that requires the growth needed to become the person God knows they can be.

From a practical standpoint, some church-learned skills later become job skills. A teenager who discovers she has a knack for teaching might decide to major in education. Someone invited to teach literacy may find it very rewarding and go on to major in adult literacy or decide to volunteer to teach it in the community once it is no longer her church work. Many who gain public speaking skills or leadership skills in church go on to become leaders in business or government. This too is part of God’s plan to help us create the life He wants us to lead.

Mormons at all level of the Church serve God happily and lovingly, thrilled to be a part of His gospel.

A new poll by USA Today and Gallop show that Thomas S. Monson, prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the tenth most admired man. The poll is taken by telephone calls to people in the United States. Members of the church President Monson leads are often nicknamed Mormons. Although the presidents of the Church often get mentioned, this is the first time a Mormon president has made the list.

Thomas S. Monson is best known for his compassion for others. Raised during the depression, he remembers his mother feeding what were then called hobos. These young men, who rode the rails across country, marked the fences of people who were known to feed the homeless. Each man who knocked at her kitchen door received a hot bowl of soup and was asked only to contact his mother and let her know he was safe.

At Christmas time, the family took gifts to those in need. President Monson remembers delivering food and toys to homes, and once, as a child, provided one of his own beloved birds to give a friend a Christmas dinner.

This childhood training in compassion led to President Monson becoming as compassionate as his parents in adulthood. When he was only twenty-two, he was called to be the bishop of his congregation. A bishop is a lay pastor—the Mormons don’t use paid clergy—who does all the work of a paid minister, but has a family and secular employment at the same time. He was unusually young for a bishop, and his congregation was particularly challenging due to being larger than usual, with 1050 members, and having 85 of those members be widows.

Mormons have programs to help care for their church members who are in need. It is called a welfare program, and is administered by the bishop, usually in conjunction with the president of the women’s Relief Society. Bishop Monson, as he was then known, oversaw a congregation whose boundaries ran alongside the railroad tracks. Mormon congregations have specific boundaries and people attend a congregation based on where they live. Many people lived in basements, back rooms, or falling apart houses and it was his job to track them all down and make certain they were not hungry, sick, or in need. J. Reuben Clark, a high level church leader who helped train Bishop Monson, focused on ways to help the widows. President Monson said of this training:

“Knowing that I was a new bishop presiding over a difficult ward, he emphasized the need for me to know my people, to understand their circumstances, and, in the spirit of tenderness, to minister to their needs. One day he recounted the example of the Savior as recorded in Luke, chapter seven, verses eleven through fifteen:

“And it came to pass … that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him. …

“When he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. …

“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

“And he came and touched the bier. … And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

“And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.” [Luke 7:11–15]

When President Clark closed the Bible, I noticed that he was weeping. In a quiet voice he said, “Tom, be kind to the widows, and look after the poor.’” (See Thomas S. Monson, “The Bishop, Center Stage in Welfare,” October 1990 General Conference Address.)

Each year he took a chicken, obtained from a local farm, as his personal gift to each of the widows for their Christmas dinner. He promised to speak at each of their funerals, and he did, even though by the time some died he was an apostle and constantly traveling the world for the Church.

President Monson’s sermons frequently dwell on the importance of individual responsibility toward those in need. He advises church members to look for ways to serve without waiting for an assignment. This focus on service is one of the reasons he is so highly admired, both within and without the church.

President Monson was unusually young for a bishop and he was also unusually young for an apostle. Apostles are called to their position for life, just as they were in the time of Jesus Christ. Thomas S. Monson was only thirty-six years old when he became an apostle. The Church has twelve apostles, following the pattern established by Jesus, and a First Presidency, consisting of the prophet, who is also the President of the Church, and two counselors. The senior member of this group becomes the new prophet on the death of the current prophet. He selects his own counselors.

President Monson first served in the First Presidency in 1985, giving him many years of experience under three presidents before becoming the prophet in February of 2008. He is the sixteenth president of the church.

Mormon leaders are, as mentioned earlier, lay leaders, so they have private sector experience in most cases. President Monson graduated from the University of Utah in Business Management. He taught there as well and later received an MBA from Brigham Young University. He served in the Navy near the end of World War II. He was a General Manager for Deseret Printing until he became an Apostle.

President Monson is married to the former Frances Johnson and has three children, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

President Monson has served in many capacities in the secular world and in 1981, he was appointed to the President’s Task Force for Private Sector Initiatives, serving under President Ronald Reagan. He remained on the task force until its work was complete. He has also been a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America.

In April 2008, shortly after becoming the prophet, Thomas S. Monson offered the following promise to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

“With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He loves us with a love we cannot fully comprehend, and because He loves us, He gave His life for us. My gratitude to Him is beyond expression….

I pledge my life, my strength in serving Him and in directing the affairs of His Church in accordance with His will and by His inspiration.” (Thomas S. Monson,” Looking Back and Moving Forward,” Ensign, May, 2008.)

When Thomas Monson, the Mormon prophet, was about twelve or thirteen years old, he had an opportunity to save someone’s life. For him, it was a lesson in how God does His work through others, placing them where they are needed, and also  in the importance of being prepared to serve wherever God needs you.

His family spent summers in Provo Canyon in Utah. He learned to swim in the Provo River and often enjoyed leisurely afternoons floating down it in an old inner tube taken from a tractor. He knew every bit of the river and so was not afraid of it.

For those less familiar with the river, however, there were sometimes dangers. The Greek-speaking people in Provo held an annual picnic along the river and some enjoyed taking time to swim. This particular year the swimmers entered the water late in the day, when everyone else was gone. Their swimming experience was with swimming pools, not rapidly flowing rivers and one woman fell from a rock. No one with her could swim well enough to go after her, since this was the fastest spot in the river.

Thomas Monson was just entering the areas when he heard people shouting for help. She went under twice before he could reach the woman and just as she started to go under the third time, he was able to grab her with his hand. He pulled her into his tube and delivered her to slower part of the river to her waiting family. He was, as most boys that age would be, embarrassed when they began hugging and kissing him, thanking him for saving her. As quickly as possible, he escaped their praise and continued his journey. He began to realize that he, just a young boy, had been given a chance to save a life.

Of this experience, he wrote:

  Heavenly Father had heard the cries, “Save her! Save her,” and permitted me, a deacon, to float by at precisely the time I was needed. That day I learned that the sweetest feeling in mortality is to realize that God, our Heavenly Father, knows each one of us and generously permits us to see and to share His divine power to save (Thomas S. Monson, “Who Honors God, God Honors”, October 1995 General Conference).

In years to come, Thomas Monson would have other opportunities to save lives, most often through his priesthood. The Mormon church has a lay ministry and all boys and men ages twelve and older who are worthy may receive this priesthood. This is why President Monson referred to himself as a deacon in the above quote. That is the first priesthood office a young man holds.

Older priesthood officers are given the gift of the laying on of hands. When a person is sick, injured, or in need of comfort or guidance, priesthood holders may place their hands on that person’s head, and through the priesthood power given to them by God, may offer a prayer that can bring, through God, healing. Not all who receive a blessing are healed, of course. Everyone must at some time die and sometimes our trials are for our own good or serve another purpose. However, the blessing places the recipient firmly in God’s hands and brings assurance that all will be as God plans it.

He tells the story of the first time he was called on to use his priesthood to heal someone:

During the final phases of World War II, I turned 18 and was ordained an elder—one week before I departed for active duty with the navy. A member of my ward bishopric was at the train station to bid me farewell. Just before train time, he placed in my hand a book which I hold before you tonight. Its title: The Missionary’s Hand Book. I laughed and commented, “I’ll be in the navy—not on a mission.” He answered, “Take it anyway. It may come in handy.”

It did. During basic training our company commander instructed us concerning how we might best pack our clothing in a large seabag. He then advised, “If you have a hard, rectangular object you can place in the bottom of the bag, your clothes will stay more firm.” I thought, “Where am I going to find a hard, rectangular object?” Suddenly I remembered just the right rectangular object—The Missionary’s Hand Book. And thus it served for 12 weeks at the bottom of that seabag.

The night preceding our Christmas leave, our thoughts were, as always, on home. The barracks were quiet. Suddenly I became aware that my buddy in the adjoining bunk—a member of the Church, Leland Merrill—was moaning in pain. I asked, “What’s the matter, Merrill?”

He replied, “I’m sick. I’m really sick.”

I advised him to go to the base dispensary, but he answered knowingly that such a course would prevent him from being home for Christmas. I then suggested he be quiet so that we didn’t awaken the entire barracks.

The hours lengthened; his groans grew louder. Then, in desperation, he whispered, “Monson, aren’t you an elder?” I acknowledged this to be so, whereupon he pleaded, “Give me a blessing.”

I became very much aware that I had never given a blessing. I had never received such a blessing; I had never witnessed a blessing being given. My prayer to God was a plea for help. The answer came: “Look in the bottom of the seabag.” Thus, at 2:00 a.m. I emptied on the deck the contents of the bag. I then took to the night-light that hard, rectangular object, The Missionary’s Hand Book, and read how one blesses the sick. With about 120 curious sailors looking on, I proceeded with the blessing. Before I could stow my gear, Leland Merrill was sleeping like a child.

The next morning, Merrill smilingly turned to me and said, “Monson, I’m glad you hold the priesthood!” His gladness was only surpassed by my gratitude—gratitude not only for the priesthood but for being worthy to receive the help I required in a time of desperate need and to exercise the power of the priesthood” (Thomas S. Monson, “The Priesthood—a Sacred Gift”, April 2007 General Conference address).

Today, as the Mormon prophet, Thomas Monson is involved in an even more important role as a life saver. Today, his primary responsibility is to lead people to be saved in the kingdom of God. He is specifically called to testify of Jesus Christ and to encourage people to love and follow Jesus.

One of the many testimonies Thomas Monson has offered of the Savior is this:

With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift up my voice in testimony as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection. Because He died, all shall live again. “Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!’”  May the whole world know it and live by that knowledge, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior, amen (Thomas S. Monson, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives!”, April 2007 General Conference).

Thomas S. Monson is the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly

referred to as Mormons. On this website, we’ve covered many things he has discussed in his years as an apostle and then a prophet. In this article, we’ll explore what others have said about him.

Apostles are called to serve the church for the rest of their lives. As a result, they know each other very well, working together for so long. The following comments are from those who have served with him over the years.

Loyalty and Love

This singular quality of wholehearted devotion and uncompromising commitment seems as true of President Monson’s personal and family relationships as of his work habits—if that is possible. Loyalty is a word which often comes to the lips of those who best know Tom (or in his youth, “Tommy”) Monson. His is a deep-seated, undying loyalty to friends of many years, friends he might not be expected to remember in the rush of his now very busy life—but remember them he does.

His lifelong friend John Burt says, “Tom’s care of the widows who lived in his ward—eighty-seven of them—is an example of his loyalty and devotion to people. When the rest of us were released as bishops, we just kind of moved on to the next task and left the widows to our successors. Not Tom. He somehow found time to keep visiting them. He is the most loyal man I know. He never forgets where he came from, and he never forgets the people who knew him before he was ‘somebody.’ ”

Nearly all of those eighty-seven widows are gone now, but their “bishop” kept visiting them to the end. One night during the Christmas holidays some years ago, President Monson was making his customary rounds to “his” widows, leaving gifts purchased from his own pocket, including plump dressed chickens that were, in the early years, raised in his own coops. In one of the many Salt Lake City rest homes he has come to know so intimately, he found one of his ward members, alone and silent in the darkened room of a world made even darker by the onset of blindness. As President Monson made his way to this sweet sister’s side, she reached out awkwardly, groping for the hand of the only visitor she had received in the whole of the Christmas season. “Bishop, is that you?” she inquired. “Yes, dear Hattie, it is I.” “Oh, Bishop,” she wept through sightless eyes, “I knew you would come.” They all knew he would come, and he always did.

Jeffrey R. Holland, “President Thomas S. Monson: Finishing the Course, Keeping the Faith,” Ensign, Sep 1994, 12–13

I would like to say a few words about President Thomas S. Monson. Some years ago, President Monson came to a regional conference in Hamburg, Germany, and it was my honor to accompany him. President Monson has a remarkable memory, and we talked about many of the Saints in Germany—I was amazed that he remembered so many so well.

President Monson asked about Brother Michael Panitsch, a former stake president and then a patriarch, who had been one of the stalwart pioneers of the Church in Germany. I told him that Brother Panitsch was seriously ill, that he was bedridden and unable to attend our meetings.

President Monson asked if we could pay him a visit.

I knew that shortly before his trip to Hamburg, President Monson had undergone foot surgery and that he could not walk without pain. I explained that Brother Panitsch lived on the fifth floor of a building with no elevators. We would have to climb the stairs to see him.

But President Monson insisted. And so we went.

I remember how difficult it was for President Monson to climb those stairs. He could take only a few at a time before needing to stop and rest. He never uttered a word of complaint, and he would not turn back. Because the building had high ceilings, the stairs seemed to go on forever, but President Monson cheerfully persevered until we arrived at the apartment of Brother Panitsch on the fifth floor.

Once there, we had a wonderful visit. President Monson thanked him for his life of dedicated service and cheered him with a smile. Before we left, he gave him a wonderful priesthood blessing.

No one but Brother Panitsch, the immediate family, and myself ever saw that act of courage and compassion.

President Monson could have chosen to rest between our long and frequent meetings. He could have asked to see some of the beautiful sights of Hamburg. I have often thought of how remarkable it was that of all the sights in that city, the one he wanted to see more than any other was a feeble and ailing member of the Church who had faithfully and humbly served the Lord.

President Monson came to Hamburg to teach and bless the people of a country, and that is what he did. But at the same time, he focused on the one, name by name. His vision is so broad and far-reaching to grasp the complexities of a worldwide Church, yet he is also so compassionate to focus on the one.

When the Apostle Peter spoke of Jesus, who had been his friend and teacher, he offered this simple description: “[He] went about doing good.”

I feel the same can be said of the man we sustain today as the prophet of God.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Faith of Our Father,” Ensign, May 2008, 68–70, 75

How blessed we are to be led by a living prophet! Growing up during the Great Depression, President Thomas S. Monson learned how to serve others. Often his mother asked him to deliver food to needy neighbors, and she would give homeless men odd jobs in exchange for home-cooked meals. Later as a young bishop, he was taught by President J. Reuben Clark, “Be kind to the widow and look after the poor” (in Thomas S. Monson, “A Provident Plan—A Precious Promise,” Ensign, May 1986, 62). President Monson looked after 84 widows and cared for them until they passed away. Through the years, his service to members and neighbors throughout the world has become the hallmark of his ministry. We are grateful to have his example. Thank you, President Monson.

Robert D. Hales, “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually,” Ensign, May 2009, 7–10

When President Thomas S. Monson was young, his parents taught him the principle of work by their examples. His father, a printer, worked long and hard practically every day of his life. When he was home, he did not stop working in order to take a well-deserved rest. He continued to work by providing service to family and neighbors alike.3 His mother was always working to provide some needed service to a family member or friend. President Monson’s parents often asked him to accompany them or to do some service for them, allowing him to learn firsthand about working to serve others.

President Monson learned from his father how to work in business and began his first part-time job when he was 14, working in the printing shop that his father managed. President Monson relates that after age 14, there have not been many days in his life—other than Sundays—when he didn’t work. “When you learn to work while you’re young, the habit stays with you,” he says.

H. David Burton, “The Blessing of Work,” Ensign, Dec 2009, 42–46

Mormon beliefs teach that baptism by immersion is a core practice for Christians. Even Jesus Christ, who had no sins, insisted on being baptized in order to fulfill the commandments and to set the example for his followers. Baptism is

performed after a person has gained a testimony of the gospel and has achieved the age of accountability, in which he is old enough to know right from wrong as far as he’s been taught.

For Mormons, the age of accountability is eight. Mormon children spend the first eight years of their lives preparing for the sacred ordinance of baptism. They are taught the doctrines of the Gospel and they learn how to apply them. More importantly, they are taught how to pray to God in order to find out for themselves if the teachings are true. This prepares them to make a decision about baptism when the time comes.

People may be baptized at any time after the age of eight. Converts are also expected to be baptized, even if they were previously baptized through another religion. Mormon beliefs teach that the baptism must be performed by one who holds the proper priesthood, and thus they must be baptized again. This is common in most religions, of course.

When a person approaches baptism properly prepared, it provides a remission of sins, meaning all previous sins are removed and the person is given a fresh start. He also makes covenants with God to take upon himself the name of Jesus Christ and to honor the commandments of God. It is a preparatory step to becoming a member of the Savior’s church, an action which occurs soon after the baptism.

Following are thoughts from Thomas S. Monson, prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often called Mormons. He speaks of his own baptism as a child, and then about the age of baptism.

Thomas S. Monson’s Baptism

I recall the time I approached baptism, when I was eight years of age. My mother talked with me about repentance and about the meaning of baptism; and then, on a Saturday in September of 1935, she took me on a streetcar to the Tabernacle baptistry which, until recently, was here in this building. At the time it was not as customary as it is now for fathers to baptize their children, since the ordinance was generally performed on a Saturday morning or afternoon, and many fathers were working at their daily professions or trades. I dressed in white and was baptized. I remember that day as though it were yesterday and the happiness I felt at having had this ordinance performed.

Over the years and particularly during the time I served as a bishop, I witnessed many other baptisms in the Tabernacle font. Each was a special and inspiring occasion, and each served to remind me of my own baptism.

Thomas S. Monson, “Tabernacle Memories,” Ensign, May 2007, 41–42

Infant Baptism

Long ago, the prophet Mormon counseled his son Moroni to teach “repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.

“And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

“But little children are alive in Christ.” (Moro. 8:10–12.)

The Lord has provided a privileged period between birth and eight years of age, when accountability is attained and baptism is required.

Dr. Glenn Doman, a noted author, has written: “The newborn child is almost an exact duplicate of an empty computer, although superior to such a computer in almost every way. … What is placed in the child’s brain during the first eight years of life is probably there to stay.” (How to Teach Your Baby to Read, Philadelphia: The Better Baby Press, 1979, pp. 43, 45.)

The early life of a child is a time for foundation building. Build a foundation for the eternities, and it will withstand the tempests and trials of mortality.

Thomas S. Monson, “An Invitation to Exaltation,” Ensign, Jul 1984, 69

President Thomas S. Monson is the current prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its members are sometimes nicknamed Mormons. Before President Monson was the prophet, he was an apostle. An apostle serves under the direction of the prophet, with church-wide responsibility. During this time, he visited Germany. His guide for this trip was Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who is now a member of the presidency of the church, but who at that time was a local church leader. President Monson asked about a previous local leader named Michael Panitsch. Brother Panitsch had been one of the pioneers of Germany’s church organization. President Uchtdorf explained that the man was now bedridden.

President Monson decided he wanted to visit the man, but President Uchtdorf, knowing President Monson had just had foot surgery and was in pain when he walked, suggested the trip would be a bad idea. Brother Panitsch lived on the fifth floor and there wasn’t an elevator. President Monson was not concerned and insisted on visiting the man rather than sight-seeing. He had to stop every few stairs to rest, but he made the entire five-flight climb without complaint and had a very nice visit with the man.

President Monson often receives requests for personal visits from those who are suffering or dying. His secretaries often try to shield him from these requests, knowing he would spend every moment on them if possible. One day, however, a message was relayed to him of a woman who was dying and who longed for a visit from him, because he was her favorite church leader. There was no way to fit the visit into a schedule that had every moment filled, but somehow, President Monson could not get the request out of his mind. He found himself uneasy, even though he’d never met the woman. The next day, he got into his car, purchased a gift, and drove into unfamiliar territory on the long journey to the woman’s home. When he arrived, the woman was semi-comatose. She lay in a room that included a framed picture of President Monson. He took her hand and talked with her, a monologue, since she couldn’t respond in any way. However, her son was certain she knew who he was and understood what he said to her. She died just nine hours later.

President Monson’s life of service was prepared in childhood. His parents were warm and giving people. They lived near railroad tracks and homeless or transient people often came to their door looking for food. His mother always brought them into her kitchen and prepared a sandwich and glass of milk for them, feeding them right there at her own table. Each Sunday, young Tom Monson was expected to deliver a plate of food to his elderly neighbor before starting his own Sunday dinner. He was never allowed to wait until he’d eaten first, and from these experiences, he learned to put others before himself.

President Monson is well-known for his service to individuals. Although he leads a world-wide church of millions, he never loses sight of the fact that each person in the church is an individual, and he is constantly watching for opportunities to serve that one person.

Thomas S. Monson, prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, was called to be a bishop when he was just twenty-two years old. A bishop is similar to a pastor, but he runs his ward (congregation) as a lay minister, and so must also manage a career and a family at the same time. LDS wards are very demanding and the service requirements are great. Most bishops are far older and have far more experience, and young Bishop Monson had an additional challenge. In a large congregation of over 1,050 members, 87 were widows. Wards are made up of all members in an assigned geographical area, and his was one of great need. They had of the largest welfare load in the church. This does not refer to government welfare, but to church welfare. The church does as much for its own as possible and Thomas Monson had the largest number of people in need of any congregation in the entire church.

He wrote of his ward, “The street addresses in that ward did not read like some: Colonial Hills Circle, Mountain View Estates, or Skyline Drive. Rather, they were noted as Orchard Place, Gale Street, Elford Court. The ward was not east of the tracks in Salt Lake City. It was not west of the tracks. That ward spanned the railroad tracks. Many of the widows and those in financial need were hidden away in basement apartments, upstairs back rooms, or dilapidated houses situated at the rear of little-known streets. I became the shepherd. This was my flock. I was reminded of God’s warning through Ezekiel: “Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that feed not my flock” (see Ezek. 34:2-3).”

The young bishop worked very hard to care for the many widows who were under his stewardship. He visited every single one of them at Christmas time, using a full week of his personal vacation to do so.

There is more to this story, however. He continued those Christmas visits every year, even after he was no longer their bishop, and even after he was made a General Authority, one of the highest church positions with international responsibility. He always brought them a gift. In the early days, this was often a dressed hen from his own flock. He met other widows at the nursing homes where some of these women eventually moved to, and added visits to those women as well. And, despite extensive travel for church responsibilities, he spoke at the funerals of every one of those original widows. To this day, he makes regular visits to widows he has met in the course of his great service to the people of the church.

Of one such visit he wrote: “There is a much larger home here where many widows reside. Most are seated in the well-lighted living room. But in her bedroom, alone, is one on whom I must call. She hasn’t spoken a word since a devastating stroke some years ago. But then, who knows what she hears, so I speak of good times together. There isn’t a flicker of recognition, not a word spoken. In fact, an attendant asks if I am aware that this patient hasn’t uttered a word for years. It makes no difference. Not only have I enjoyed my one-sided conversation with her-I have communed with God.” (Thomas S. Monson, “The Long Line of the Lonely,” Ensign, Feb 1992, 2)

President Thomas S. Monson is a powerful example of compassionate, Christ-like giving for the members of the church.

In an exclusive web article, “Into the Future,” Newsweek reporter, Elise Soukup, carefully shares the preparations of recent days to call the man the Lord has prepared to become the 16th Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are mourning the death of their president, Gordon B. Hinckley, while their top leadership begins to assemble to name his successor-which will almost certainly be Thomas S. Monson, 80. Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the church . . .

Of the anticipated change, she writes:

The transition to the new prophet is likely to be smooth. Monson has served for the last 43 years in the top tiers of church leadership and is deeply respected. . . . In Monson’s service as an apostle and counselor, he has served in roles that span the breadth of church life, including missionary work, welfare services, genealogy, education, and leadership training.

Describing the procedure for calling a new prophet, Newsweek reports:

Compared with the process of picking a pope, choosing a new Mormon prophet is fairly routine. . . .

After President Hinckley’s funeral, the 14 apostles will meet on the fourth floor of the Salt Lake temple in the room where they regularly conduct church business. The vote to make Monson the next prophet has to be unanimous. Then President Monson will sit in a chair and the remaining 13 apostles will stand in a circle and put their hands on his head. Boyd K. Packer, the next senior leader, will say a prayer “setting him apart” and blessing him in his new role. . . .

While it’s true, as the article purports, that compared with papal coronation, our outward display is simple; it’s spectacular to contemplate that the voice of the Lord directs the process through which a new Prophet of His is called to lead the Church and influence the world.

To those unfamiliar with the nuances of our faith, that divine intervention may be overlooked in its quietude. It may seem that a unanimous sustaining vote is a kind gesture of approval of someone called to be the next leader. A unanimous vote, in the case of the call of a new Prophet, is actually the result of a process that has taken place, rather than the means through which the Prophet is selected.

Through deliberation and prayer, each member of the Quorum of the Twelve receives revelation as to who the next Prophet will be. Once received, each raises their hand in recognition that they personally know of the divinity of the call, and will sustain the new Prophet.

Their vote is not the means of working into an office someone merely nominated, but rather an affirmation of their revelatory receipt of the Lord’s will. The distinction is important. It marks the very miracle of the Order of Succession, or change in mantle, of one Prophet to another.

In that sense, while it’s not as pomp-filled as coronation ceremonies, as Soukup rightly states, it is, in fact, divine and unique in the calling of Church leadership in the world.

Newsweek article on Thomas S. Monson