Pres. Thomas S.

Monson’s Birthday
Preparation: Print off pictures of Pres. Monson. Gather items listed or print off the pictures and
place in a bag: toy boat, toy bird, Boy Scout Manual, blank CD, newspaper, picture of
Christ, checkers. Print off the small photos of Pres. Monson for a matching game.

Opening Song: Kindness Begins With Me, Children’s Songbook pg 145

Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Show the picture of Pres. Monson on his tricycle. Ask, “Do you know who this little boy
is?” Let the children try a couple of times to guess. If nobody guesses show the picture of
Pres. Monson with the fish and give this clue, “This boy’s favorite color is yellow. His favorite
foods include turkey dinners, pies, and chocolate.” Let the children guess again. Hold up the
picture of Pres. Monson in his Navy uniform. “This man loves to serve others. He travels around
the world teaching people about the gospel.” Let the children make a few more guesses
then hold up the picture of Pres. Monson now.

Activity: We are going to learn a little bit about our Prophet. Take turns pulling an item out of
the bag and telling the story behind it.

Hold up the picture of the birthday cake. Did you know that Pres. Monson’s birthday is
August 21? Last year (2008) on the occasion of his 81st birthday, President Thomas S. Monson
was asked to describe the ideal birthday gift. Without hesitating, 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."

Story: Pres. Monson loves to serve others and wants us to do the same. He has told many
stories about the opportunities he had to serve others throughout his life. Here’s one that
happened when he was a boy. Share the story from Friend to Friend.

How would you like to give the prophet a birthday gift? Do you remember what Pres.
Monson said his ideal gift would be? That’s right, SERVICE! As a family think of someone you
could serve on the prophet’s birthday. Plan it all out and make sure to mark you calendar!
After performing your service talk about how you felt serving someone else.

Game: Pres. Monson matching game.

Closing Song: Follow the Prophet, verse on Pres. Monson, several included in packet

Closing Prayer:

Refreshments: Chocolate Pudding Pie

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Bird: A widow gave Pres. Monson and his family her prize canary
“Billie” as a gift after she died.

Boat: Pres. Monson joined the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II
when he was 18.

Boy Scout Manual: President Monson served for almost 30 years on

the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America. He has
been awarded the Silver Beaver, Silver Buffalo, and the Bronze Wolf.

Blank CD: Pres. Monson has an incredible memory. He can

remember the names and faces of all those he meets.

Newspaper: Pres. Monson worked at Deseret News, first as an

advertising executive then as the general manager of Deseret News
Press. He was working there when he was called as an apostle in
1963.

Checkers: Pres. Monson was never to busy to spend time with his
family. He would always play checkers with his son before bedtime.

Picture of Christ: Pres. Monson has a picture of Christ behind his desk.
The same picture he had behind his desk when he was a bishop at
the age of 22. It helps him remember to ask “What would Jesus do?”
when faced with a difficult decision.

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Thomas S. Monson, “Friend to Friend,” Friend, Oct 1996, 6

“I’d like to share with you [an] important lesson that I learned in my youth. When I was young,
my friends and I often played ball in an alley behind our home. A woman named Mrs. Shinas
rented a tiny house nearby, and she used to watch us play from her window. She rarely
came out of her house, and when she did, she never smiled. We all thought that she was
mean. She had a big dog, an English setter, and whenever one of our baseballs rolled in its
direction—which happened often—Mrs. Shinas would send the dog to fetch it. We wouldn’t
see the ball again. Soon we ran out of baseballs.

In those days, we didn’t have lawn sprinklers, and so each day I watered our lawn by hand
with a hose. One day as I stood there watering our little stretch of grass, I noticed that Mrs.
Shinas’s lawn looked a little shabby. It took only a few more minutes to water it, too, and
soon I was watering her lawn each day.

When autumn came that year, one of my tasks was to clear our yard of leaves. I sprayed the
ground with a hose, pushing the leaves into a pile with the force of the water. I decided to
gather up the leaves on Mrs. Shinas’s yard as well, and as I was doing this one day, she
came to her door and beckoned for me to come inside. I turned off the hose and went into
her house.

She invited me to sit in her living room, and she gave me a cookie and a glass of milk. As I sat
there eating my cookie, she showed me her collection of little china dogs. I could tell that
they were her most prized possession. Then she thanked me for taking care of her lawn. It
was the first conversation I had ever had with her.

Mrs. Shinas then went into her kitchen and returned with a box. In it were all the baseballs
that her dog had taken. She handed me the box, said thank you—and smiled! It was the first
time I’d ever seen her smile.

I believe that love is shown by how you live, how you serve, and how you bless others. When
we serve others, we are showing them that we love them, and we are also showing Jesus
Christ that we love Him.”

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 Follow the Prophet verses on Pres. Monson

Found on Sugardoodle.net

President Monson is a prophet, friend to everyone!

Shares his testimony through stories that are fun.
If we listen carefully and do what he tells us,
we’ll return to heaven, and live with God above.

(Written by De Lane Andrus Hyer, Orem, Utah)

President Monson is our Prophet, leads us day by day.

Gives us words of wisdom, things we must obey.
Led by inspiration, he knows what we must do.
Following his counsel is sure to bring us through.

(Written by Linda Terry, Sandy, Utah)

Thomas is a prophet
With a gentle heart.
Visiting the sick,
He always does his part.
Servant from his youth -
He will lead us well.
Listen to his stories,
Live by what they tell.

(Written by Kirstan Hilton)

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