Place: MTC, Provo, UT
When: June 27, 2010
Purpose: Address newly-called mission presidents

A week ago last Sunday President Monson and many other General Authorities gathered at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, for a special sacrament meeting with the newly-called mission presidents and their wives who were training there before going into the field.  It was part of the annual Seminar for New Mission Presidents, from June 24-27.  President Monson addressed the group in the meeting, and Church News editor Gerry Avant reports on what he said:

“I know that you are dedicated to the work of the Lord and to the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also know that the missionaries who will serve under your direction will be loved and guided by you,” President Monson told the new mission leaders.

Acknowledging the women who are serving with their husbands, President Monson said, “I am reminded of words from the Book of Ruth in the Bible: ‘Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God’ (Ruth 1:16).

Then President Monson added, “I pay tribute to you sisters.”

He spoke of “that precious commodity” entrusted to the care of the mission leaders — the missionaries. He quoted Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that sayeth unto Zion, thy God reigneth!”

“The missionaries,” said President Monson, “represent the flower of youth. They represent the hopes, the prayers, the dreams of their parents; they represent the element of sacrifice. If you as mission presidents can realize the importance of their missions in the lives of these young men and young women, and in the lives of your senior couples, then you will be in a better position to motivate them properly.”

Many fathers and mothers have sacrificed so that their sons and daughters “might go forward as a servant of the Lord,” he said. “The young men and women have been trained in their Church classes and in seminary. They are qualified by age and by virtue and by experience. They have been interviewed by the bishop and found worthy, interviewed by the stake president and found worthy, and set apart as a missionary in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Further, he said, “The parents of our missionaries kneel in daily prayer and ask our Heavenly Father to bless that son or daughter in the mission field. And in that prayer they ask a blessing upon you, for you in effect become a mother and a father to their child. You become, as it were, the determiner of the destiny of that young man or that young woman. Someone said the power to lead is also the power to mislead, and the power to mislead is the power to destroy. Let there be positive leading, positive motivation, positive uplift on your part as you inspire missionaries.”

President Monson gave instructions pertaining to motivating missionaries. He spoke of the importance of welcoming missionaries “to the greatest mission in all the world,” and conducting personal interviews, reminding mission presidents that to “provide help — we love, not scold. ‘Show how’ is more important than ‘tell how.’”

He assured mission presidents that they can receive inspiration in all things pertaining to their calling. As an example, he spoke of having felt the definite inspiration to move one young elder from the city of Belleville, Ontario, to Welland, Ontario, when he presided over the Canadian Mission from 1959-1962. It was only after he transferred the elder that he learned that the young man was fluent in Italian. In his new city, the missionary taught 10 Italian-speaking families whose English skills were limited.

“I was unaware that [the elder's] mother was Italian, and that she had taught her boy to speak in her native tongue. By listening to the Spirit and transferring him, he was able to carry the gospel to those Italian families in Welland.”

Another area of motivation on which President Monson gave counsel was preparation day. He cautioned against missionaries becoming involved in activities that might lead to serious injury, which, in turn, could result in their being unable to perform their labors or even be released from their missions.

“It’s a shame to teach a young man Portuguese, let’s say, and have him wait week after week after week for that visa and then finally get down to Brazil and then get in a game of touch football, break a leg, then have to go home and lose all the Portuguese training, all of that motivation — all for a game of football,” President Monson said. “There are other things missionaries might do on preparation day that could destroy and damage the Spirit. We need to be very careful about what activities are allowed on that day.

“I think a guide that will give you what you need in handling the motivation of missionaries on preparation day is to tell them this: ‘Do nothing on preparation day that would rob you of your spirituality.’ If you keep that in mind, every elder and every sister will be able to make his or her own decisions. I might point out that we have no preparation evening. Preparation day comes to a close at 5 o’clock. Every evening should be a proselyting evening.”

President Monson gave mission leaders “the Monson Rule of Proselyting: a letter or e-mail every week to parents.”

“I like to tell missionaries that it isn’t so significant how much you write — just be certain to write.”

He said that letters and e-mails from a missionary son or daughter can bring parents into the Church or back into Church activity.

President Monson counseled mission leaders to involve the membership of the Church in the proselyting effort. “There is just no substitute for a member-oriented proselyting program,” he said. “Tracting will not substitute for it. Golden questions will not substitute for it. A member-oriented program is the key to success. It works wherever we try it. I hesitate to deal in dramatic statements, but let me try one: The greatest thing you as a mission president can do to increase the effectiveness of your missionaries and their productivity is to ensure that the proper relationship is maintained with the ecclesiastical leaders in the area where they proselyte.”

He told mission presidents to instruct every new district leader, every new zone leader, that the first thing he is to do when he moves into his district or into his zone is to call on the bishop and the stake president that they might jointly have a successful proselyting program.

“It was President Spencer W. Kimball who said, ‘No mission can achieve its full potential without member help.’ Then he said, ‘We expect to … involve the members of the Church generally in opening the gospel doors to our Father’s other children.’”

Concluding his address, President Monson said, “My brothers and sisters, you have been hand-selected. You have been chosen from among the most faithful in the Church, and now you have the opportunity to go forth in the Lord’s harvest field.”

See the original story on the Church News website below:
Prophetic counsel for ‘hand-selected’ leaders

President Monson Addresses New Mission Presidents at MTC is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Last Monday night a Church Voice Communications employee received a phone call from President Monson who was looking for one of his secretaries, who was not available. The ensuing conversation with this employee was fantastic:

He said that he would try again later and that maybe he would take a drive. He joked and even mentioned taking a walk on the boardwalk. I don’t know how it happened but all of a sudden he and I were talking about Monopoly and he was quizzing me on the different names on the Monopoly board. I have to admit I must be a lousy Monopoly player, I could only remember a few of the properties. I even cheated a little and tried to google the Monopoly board for help. Pres Monson just laughed and said he’s played longer than I have. He knew every property. It was the best 10 minutes I have had in a very long time. I love our Prophet and I love his laughter! I also love that he took just a few minutes out of his busy schedule to joke with me and make me laugh.

See the original post at the link below:
Priceless Happenings – President Monson

President Monson Jokes about Monopoly Board Game is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Hamilton, New Zealand
Purpose: Various

Last week, after the celebration and dedication of the temple in Cebu, Philippines, President Monson made a stop in Hamilton, New Zealand.  The New Zealand LDS Newsroom reports:

President Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visited Hamilton briefly this week (June 15).

He inspected the Church College of New Zealand campus, toured the Temple View community and met with members of the Temple View Envisioning Committee.

The Envisioning Committee is made up of local residents and others with an interest in Temple View and CCNZ. The aim of the committee is to study various options for the future of the former CCNZ campus and surrounding Church land holdings.

During the meeting, ideas were shared with President Monson, particularly with respect to helping young Latter-day Saints to develop confidence, build character and become better educated.

President Monson expressed his love for New Zealand, in particular the Polynesian people. He also paid tribute to the character of New Zealand Latter-day Saint leaders and members.

“You always learn more than you leave behind, when you come here,” he said. “I’m a better man for having visited New Zealand.”

President Monson made the trip after dedicating a temple in the Philippines. He left for the United States yesterday.

He is traveling with his first counselor, President Henry B. Eyring, as well as Bishop H. David Burton, presiding bishop of the Church, and other officials.

See the original story at this link:
President Monson Visits New Zealand

President Monson Visits New Zealand is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Cebu, Philippines
Purpose: Cebu Temple Dedication and Celebration

Last weekend President Monson visited Cebu, Philippines, for the dedication and celebration of the new Cebu City Philippines Temple.  The Cebu Temple is the 133rd temple in the worldwide church.  The Deseret News reports:

President Monson said he has been to the Philippines several times and that being there again is “like returning home.”

“I think they (Mormons in Cebu and neighboring islands) have long awaited a day of having a temple,” he said. “The Lord has honored their faith and their prayers and now they have a temple of their own, and it’s a beautiful temple.”

Read more about the dedication and celebration at the following links:
Deseret News – Mormon President Thomas S. Monson arrives to dedicate Cebu City Philippines Temple
LDS Newsroom – Cebu City Philippines Temple Dedicated

President Monson Visits Philippines for Cebu Temple Dedication is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

The Huntsman Jet that President Monson uses

Place: Safford Regional Airport, Arizona
Purpose: Gila Valley Temple Dedication and Celebration

A family had the chance to go to the airport on Saturday to see President Monson’s jet fly in to Arizona.  While they were there they had the chance to chat with him and the other General Authorities with him.  One of them writes:

At the airport, we were told by the bodyguards (there were about 10 of them) that we were allowed to take pictures, but that we couldn’t yell or make a huge fuss. There were about 10 adults and 10 children in our party. Elders Walker and Costa of the 70, Elder Holland of the 12, and President Eyring and Monson were all there. I wanted to enjoy the moment, so I didn’t get very many pictures. Only Presidents Monson and Eyring came over to say “hello,” and all of the other guys and ladies got into the awaiting cars, so I didn’t get any pics of them. President Monson was so funny and acted like a typical grandparent, “Let’s see these kids,” he said as he walked over. He gave the kids high 5 and shook hands with them. To Joy, who didn’t say a word and was acting bashful, he said, “A shy one! That’ll be a good trait to have in 10 years!” If only he knew! Joy is a very outgoing, boycrazy kindergartener.

After about 5 minutes or so, President Eyring started tugging on President Monson’s suitcoat and said, “We need to go. You’re going to get hot out here.” Motioning to the terminal, President Monson replied, “Why don’t we go in there where it is cool and visit then!” The exasperated, but patient Elder Eyring said, “Because we have things we need to do.” After visiting, mostly with the kids, a few moments longer, they left. Wow! To stand just 3 feet from the prophet and be with him for 5 minutes! What a privilege! Joy was thrilled…and so were Dale and I!

Read more details, and see more pictures, at the link below:
Way exciting weekend!

The Huntsman Jet President Monson Flies In is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

President Monson greets some members on the side of the road in Arizona

Place: Thatcher, Arizona
Purpose: Gila Valley Temple Celebration and Dedication

Shortly after President Monson arrived at the Safford Regional Airport in Arizona, yesterday, his traveling party made it’s way towards the town of Thatcher, a few miles away.  Some members had gathered on the road along the route to wave as he drove by.  Instead, all the cars stopped on the road, and President Monson, President Eyring, and Elder Holland stepped out to meet and greet the people.

Here is how one of the members describes the experience:

Here the 6-7 car entourage comes over the hill and we are all so excited we start waving early just to make sure our hands are up when He drives by. Then we see which car he is in and keep waiving…….and the car stops and pulls over! Then all the other cars pull over and once all cars stopped and security personnel got out and blocked traffic the Prophet, President Henry B Eyring and Elder Jeffrey R Holland got out of their cars and came over and started talking to us and shaking hands. When the Prophet saw Talley He gave her a Hi-Five and put both his hands on her shoulders and started telling her that he liked her yellow shirt because that is his favorite color, and proceeded to tell her at length why yellow is his favorite color for it seemed like 5 minutes. Then he said one more time “give me five” and they slapped hands! We all were able to shake hands with all three. He made sure he talked to everyone and shook their hands. More and more people started trying to stop and before we knew it there was like 30+ people there. The Spirit flows through every handshake and everyone there had tears in their eyes. Then we started singing “We Thank The O God For a Prophet” while he was walking away and He stopped and turned and faced us and sang with Gusto with us! It was amazing to hear this man sing. Then when it was over he waved and walked away…..not without making us all laugh first! When he got to the yellow center line of the road he put both hands out like a tight rope walker and “walked the line” for us all then got to his car waved one more time and left. I don’t think any person in the world could have any doubt in their mind that the Church is true if they had the opportunity to see and meet and feel the spirit that radiates from the Prophet of the Church, it penetrates the soul! AMAZING!

To read more about the experience, and see more photos, see the link below:
We Got to Meet President Monson!

An Unexpected Meeting with President Monson on the Road in Arizona is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Thatcher, Arizona
Purpose: Gila Valley Temple Dedication Celebration

Yesterday President Monson was in Thatcher, Arizona, for the dedication celebration of the Gila Valley Temple.  Thousands of LDS youth depicted the history of the area through singing, dancing, and the spoken word.  President Monson presided at the celebration:

President Monson stopped on his way into the stadium to address the crowd. “I love these big events,” he said. “No one in the First Presidency or the Twelve advocate these big events more than Tom Monson.”…

To the delight of the audience, President Monson and President Eyring sang “Aya En El Rancho Grande” in Spanish.

Speaking to the audience during the program, President Monson said the Gila Valley Arizona Temple is the reason for the gathering.

“It shines as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow its light,” he said.

To read more about the celebration in Arizona, see the link below:
Deseret News – Youths celebrate Gila Valley Temple in Arizona

President Monson Attends Gila Valley Temple Celebration is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Provo, Utah
Purpose: Dedicating Zions Bank Financial Center

Yesterday, President Monson dedicated the Zions Bank Financial Center in Provo, Utah.  Many elected officials, business leaders, and Utah county residents were in attendance at the event.  The Deseret News reports:

“May it ever be a bright and shining star in the business community of Provo, and may its influence extend far and wide,” President Monson said of the new headquarters for Zions Bancorp’s central Utah region.

In addition to offering a dedicatory prayer, President Monson told those in attendance about some of his boyhood experiences in Utah County and also reaffirmed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ confidence in the bank.

“You can rest assured that this church doesn’t put its investments and its confidence in anything that isn’t stable, honorable and (having) a record of performance and integrity,” he said.

See the link below for more information:
Deseret News – President Thomas S. Monson dedicates Zions Bank Financial Center

President Monson Dedicates Zions Bank Financial Center is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Purpose: Temple dedication

Over the weekend, President Monson was in Vancouver, Canada, to dedicate the new temple there, the 131st temple of the Church.  The Church News reports:

President Monson placed mortar in the cornerstone then asked others to do the same.

“You look like a good boy,” President Monson told Ashton Bates, 9. He added, “You are going on a mission. Have your mother remember that.”

See more about the dedication at the following links:

Vancouver British Columbia Temple: Church’s 131st temple dedicated
President Monson dedicates Vancouver LDS temple

President Monson Dedicates Vancouver Temple is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
Purpose: Commencement address

This morning, President Monson gave the commencement speech to the 2314 graduates of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.  He told them that in order to lead an abundant life you must have the ABCs – attitude, belief, and courage.  The Salt Lake Tribune notes:

“You … can be explorers in spirit with a mandate to make this world better,” said Monson, whose speech conveyed wisdom from a range of famous people and thinkers, from evangelical Christian pastor Charles Swindoll to Eleanor Roosevelt to Vince Lombardi.

The graduation ceremony will be broadcast on television May 1, on KUED, from 4:30-6:00 p.m.

See more at the links below:
Mormon Times – Mormon President Thomas S. Monson: Path for graduates
LDS Church Newsroom – President Monson Addresses Weber State University Graduates
KSL.com – Pres. Monson addresses WSU graduates
Salt Lake Tribune – LDS President Thomas S. Monson tells Weber graduates to seek abundant life
Deseret News – Mormon President Thomas S. Monson lays out simple path to success for Weber State University graduates

President Monson’s Address at Weber State Commencement is a post from: Follow The Prophet - The Activities of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson