Place: Provo, Utah
Purpose: Funeral services for Marie Osmond’s son

Today at a private service in Provo, Utah, President Thomas S. Monson presided and gave the closing remarks at the funeral of Marie Osmond’s son, Michael Bryan.  The services started with Marie’s brother, Donny Osmond, giving the opening prayer, and then family members expressing their thoughts.  After the closing remarks by President Monson, the services ended with the Osmond family singing “God Be with You Till We Meet Again.”

See additional information at the following links:

Deseret News
People Magazine
Associated Press (with pictures)

President Monson Gives Remarks at Funeral for Marie Osmond’s Son is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

I had lunch with Aunt Maydae today.
She told me the best story.
Earlier this week she and some friends had dinner at the Lion House.
Maydae and her friends use the underground tunnels in SLC.
On their way home, they were passed by
President Monson in a golf cart, with a driver.
A few minutes later the driver came back, without President Monson.
The driver said,
“The boss told me to take you ladies
wherever you want to go.”
Maydae was tickled and accepted the ride home.

President Monson Sends the Golf Cart Back is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

President Monson’s Favorite Scriptures: Prov. 3:5-6 is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Sister Ann Dibb, second counselor in the Young Women's general presidency, and daughter of President Monson

Blogger Kimberly Job had the opportunity this week to attend a meeting where Sister Ann Dibb spoke, second counselor in the Young Women’s general presidency, and daughter of President Monson.  Among the many things she spoke about, she gave an intimate glimpse of her father, and what it is like being the daughter of the prophet.

She noted that she is a whiner and that her father is always trying to help her see the bright side of things.  He tells her to let things go if there is nothing she can do about it, which she eventually concedes to.

She gave many fun details about President Monson.  He loves chocolate, and whistles when he’s happy.  He takes care of pigeons, loves going to musicals, fishing, springer spaniels, and attending Utah Jazz basketball games.

Sister Dibb was asked if she can call her father when she wants to.  She said that she respects his time and busy schedule, but that she can talk to him when she needs him.

President Monson loves pictures of his wife, Frances.  He also loves certain television shows including Perry Mason, Antiques Roadshow, Lawrence Welk, sports, and the news.

She said that her father is not perfect, but that she loves him, and is grateful for his example of loving others.

To read the full notes from Sister Dibb’s meeting, see the link below:

Scribbled Scraps – “A Personal Look at the Prophet”

A Daughter’s View of President Monson is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Holladay, UT
Purpose: Going to church at his home ward

Occasionally President Monson has the opportunity to attend his home ward in Holladay, Utah.  This past Sunday, Valentine’s Day, he did just that, and met with several young church members who were happy to get to speak with him for a few minutes.

As the presiding authority, President Monson sat on the stand for the sacrament meeting, and even spoke some at the end.  Sister Kirsten Nicole recalls:

I was surprised at how casual he was… It was really cute actually! He spoke about missionary work around the world. At one point he was talking about being in Mexico. He mentioned how he sang to 95,000 Mexican saints at an event there. And then he began to sing the song to us… in Spanish… over the pulpit, with hand motions and everything. It was fantastic!!

He thanked the members of his ward and said that he always likes to attend his home ward when he can:  “When I got in the car this morning, my driver asked me where I wanted to go. I said… ‘I dunno… I hadn’t thought about it’. Then I said ‘I’ll go to my home ward. I like it there… yeah… I’ll go there’. So I came, and here I am.” He kind of looked around lightheartedly and shook his head up and down, as if affirming that he’d made the right choice in visiting the ward that day.

I definitely think he made the right choice.

He talked jokingly about how he liked having his records in the ward. He said “ya know, the thing about bein’ the president of the church is… you don’t really have to ask anyone permission for that sort of thing”. It was a hoot.

President Monson at his home ward in Holladay, Utah (click to see larger)

After the meeting, President Monson shook the hands of some of the members and talked with them.  He told them a lot about his wife, Frances, who was home sick.  He told them how he met her, and pursued her, and a few other anecdotes.

One interesting detail from those who met him was the impression he left with them:

There was SO MUCH light in his eyes. I found myself thinking about the apparent contradiction that I was in… Here’s this man, who is God’s prophet on this earth… who is revered and reverenced around the world. He’s respected and loved by millions and millions of people. When he goes to foreign places, he’s given the best of the best. He meets with world leaders. He talks to God.

And at the same time, he’s just a grandpa. He’s funny. He rambles, and repeats himself. He’s really goofy and jokes a lot. He laughs at himself.  His body is weak and feeble- he’s a human. He didn’t make anyone there feel intimidated. He didn’t boast, even in the slightest, about who he is. In some ways it was just like talking to my own grandfather.

He’s growing so old, and yet he does SO much. It was such a testimony to me of how much the Lord lifts His servants to do His work. There’s no way this man before me could do everything he does on his own.

One of the members asked him if he could give them one piece of advice:

“I’ll give you the same advice I give myself- I’m on my knees every morning and every night.”

To read more about the visit of President Monson to his home ward, and see more pictures, see the link below:

Doing Something Different… – “My Experience with the Prophet…”

President Monson Attends Home Ward on Valentine’s Day is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

President Monson has been invited to speak at the Weber State University commencement exercises on April 23, 2010, in Ogden, Utah.  In addition to his religious service, President Monson has had a tremendous career as well.  Here are some notes the announcement gives about him:

• MBA degree from Brigham Young University
• Served as a member of the National Executive Board of Boy Scouts of America since 1969
• Appointed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan to serve on the President’s Task Force for Private Sector Initiatives
• Career in publishing and printing
• Executive in the Deseret News advertising division
• Held a position as a member of the Utah State Board of Regents

For more information about this, please see the link below:

The Signpost – “President Monson to speak at spring commencement”

President Monson to Speak at Weber State University Graduation is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

[In seeing so much human suffering around us,] “Do we have a responsibility to do something about such suffering?”

The answer, he says, is always the same: “Yes! We are our brother’s keeper.“ 

President Monson said the Church takes most seriously the admonition from the Lord to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the sick (see Matthew 25).

[The assistance is not limited to a certain people.]  “I think we should not put an artificial border around need,” he said. “The Lord didn’t and we shouldn’t.”

“We don’t like to see other people suffer while we have much,” President Monson said. “I think that is particularly true with regard to children. Show me a man who doesn’t tear up when he sees children who are in need. I don’t think you will find a real man who doesn’t feel that way.”

President Monson told a story from his childhood of how his mother took great care of the homeless who would pass by their home.  That had an effect on him.

President Monson said the problem with giving humanitarian aid worldwide can be summarized in a simple quote from Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her book Gift from the Sea: “My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds.”

President Monson said if a person looks at all the major needs for humanitarian aid, it is easy to become discouraged because of an inability to help everyone.

“The Church is a worldwide Church. We are just as interested in a starving child in Africa as we are a well-fed child in Los Angeles. We have to rally our resources and analyze where we can be of help.”

“We got out of our own wards, and out of our own stakes and out of our own country and realized that there was suffering. These are God’s children and they need to be helped.”

“Starvation is starvation. Human beings dying are human beings dying. … I have seen enough to convince me where there is want and where there is suffering I would like to be there to lend a helping hand.”

President Monson summarized his remarks:

“Those who have much should be more generous in helping those who have none,” President Monson said.

See the following link for the full story from the Church News:

Church News – “‘Helping hand’ should reach out”

President Monson Talks about Humanitarian Service is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Today President Monson announced the construction of a new temple in Payson, Utah. The announcement came from the Church’s Newsroom website.  The Church’s site notes:

The new temple will help meet the needs of a growing Church membership in the area and will ease the heavy use of the Provo temple, which is one of the busiest in the Church. The Payson temple will bring to 15 the number of operating and announced temples in Utah.

The property for the Payson temple is located on gently sloping ground at approximately 930 West and 1550 South on the southwest side of Payson, a mile from the 800 South I-15 interchange. The property offers scenic views of the area as well as easy access to the freeway.

The new temple will serve approximately 22 stakes from Spanish Fork to Nephi comprising approximately 78,000 Church members. Temple-going members have been driving to Provo or Manti for temple services.

Artists’ renderings, the size of the temple, groundbreaking dates and other information will be released as they become available.

More information is available from the link below:

President Monson Announces New Temple in Payson, Utah

President Monson Announces New Temple in Payson Utah is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: West Jordan Sunset Ridge Stake Center, UT
Purpose: The viewing of Br. William David Miller

A couple weeks ago (Jan 14, 2010) President Monson attended the viewing of one of the missionaries who served under him when he was mission president in the Canadian Mission from 1959-1962.  The brother was William David Miller from West Jordan, Utah.

A member from the stake, Julie Weiss, tells of a special experience that happened that evening:

Today was ward conference and our stake president, President Murphy spoke in our Relief Society meeting. He told us what had happened to him this past week. Early on in the week, a Brother Miller from our stake died and his viewing was to be held at our ward building (the stake center) this past Thursday. The day before, the stake presidency conducts their temple recommend interviews. One of the questions asked is if you sustain the prophet and one sister admitted that she was having difficulty sustaining the prophet. The stake president decided that she should not have her recommend renewed yet, but made an appointment to talk to her again on the next night, which was Thursday.

William David Miller

Thursday night came and President Murphy was in the Relief Society room with Brother Miller’s family and friends for the viewing. He looked down the hall and whom should he see coming down it, but President Monson! It turned out that President Monson was Brother Miller’s mission president in Canada and had come to pay his respects to one of his missionaries. President Monson talked to everyone in the room individually and shook their hands. He then gathered with the family in the back corner of the room and told them stories about Brother Miller when he was a missionary.

President Murphy then recalled that the sister that was having trouble sustaining the prophet, was arriving at that time. He went down the hall to his office and she had just walked in the door. He told her that President Monson was in the building and she looked at him as if he were crazy. He told her, “Come with me and I will make sure that he shakes your hand.” She followed him down the hall and saw President Monson inside the room. He eventually came over to talk to her and shook her hand and President Murphy thanked him for coming. President Murphy then took this sister back to his office to talk to her. He said it was a very humble conversation, with the sister in tears. The sister’s husband had also had trouble sustaining the prophet, and she would no doubt go home with a wonderful story to tell him. I gather that all was well with sister from that point on.

President Murphy then told us that it was a miracle and he had no doubt the Lord had a hand in making it so that the Prophet was there in our chapel at the exact time that this sister would be there. What an amazing story! I couldn’t help but look back in the corner of the Relief Society room as he was telling this story and imagine President Monson standing there or walking down the hall of the chapel. I told Brayden and Daniel this experience and said that it makes our chapel even more special to me, since the Prophet had been there.

See the links below for more information:

Julie Weiss – “Wonderful story told to us by our Stake President during Relief Society”
Obituary – William Miller
Remembering William David Miller 1937-2010

President Monson Attends the Viewing of One of His Missionaries is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Doctors carefully examine the injured in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. © Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Most of us are very aware of the terrible earthquake which shook Haiti 10 days ago, and of the massive relief efforts that are underway to help the suffering and Haiti recover from the disaster. Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and counselors Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in a statement today said:

…we are appealing to members to donate to Church Humanitarian Services as their means allow in order to help our Haitian brothers and sisters.  Many have already contributed and others are anxious to do so.

Members may donate money to the Church’s Humanitarian Services by either filling out a donation slip at church, or may donate by credit card or bank withdrawal by filling out the form on the Church’s Humanitarian Services Emergency Response website at the following link:  http://give.lds.org/emergencyresponse

In addition to donations of money, the First Presidency has asked members to keep the Haitians in our prayers:

We invite our people everywhere to supplicate God for a spirit of calm and peace among the people as urgent aid and reconstruction efforts continue.

See more information at the following links:

First Presidency Statement on Haiti
First Presidency Appeals to Church Members to Help People in Haiti
Despite Challenges, Church Aid Reaching Needy; More Is on the Way
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Partners With Islamic Relief USA to Send Food and Medical Supplies to Haiti – News Release
Church Aid Continues to Arrive in Haiti – News Release
Church Sending Team of Doctors to Assist in Haiti – News Release
Church Sends Additional Aid to Haiti Earthquake Victims – News Release
Church Response to Haiti Earthquake – News Release

President Monson and Counselors Ask Members to Donate for Haiti Relief Effort is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson