To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

“The sweetest experience in mortality is to know that our Heavenly Father has worked through us,” says President Thomas S. Monson, sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But he does more than say it — he lives it. Throughout his life, he has been an instrument in the Lord's hands, one through whom the work of the kingdom of God is lovingly carried out.

President Monson cares about people by the millions; he has traveled the earth to bless countless lives in unnumbered lands. He may be known best, though, for caring about people one by one. He takes time for those who may have been mostly forgotten by others. He recognizes the person in the crowd who might need the extra bit of attention he can provide. He goes where the Spirit leads him — even if it means traversing continents to offer a priesthood blessing to a suffering friend.

To the Rescue chronicles the life and ministry of this extraordinary leader. It is filled with the heartwarming personal accounts so typical of President Monson — some that have become favorites over time and many others that have not been told before. Readers will be transported to his childhood, where he learned his first lessons about reaching out to others. They will glimpse his school experiences, his hobbies (especially his prize Birmingham roller pigeons), his military service in the navy, and his courtship with Frances Johnson, who would become his eternal companion and greatest support.

Most important, readers will observe Thomas S. Monson going “to the rescue” in his more than six decades of devoted Church service. Called as a bishop at age twenty-two, as a counselor in a stake presidency at age twenty-seven, as a mission president at age thirty-one, and as a member of a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at age thirty-six, he became early on a skilled administrator and a tireless servant of the Lord. He oversaw the work of the Church in East Germany for more than twenty years, beginning with hushed meetings held in automobiles to avoid listening devices and culminating in the dedication of a temple behind the Iron Curtain. He played key roles in landmark programs in the Church, from correlation to welfare to the publication of the LDS editions of the scriptures. And through it all, he recognized people as individuals and ministered to their need in personal ways.

“I testify that each one of us can feel the Lord's inspiration as we live worthily and strive to serve Him,” President Monson has taught. To the Rescue demonstrates the truth of that teaching, illustrating its power in the life of one remarkable man.

We invite you to join the Warm Fuzzies Movement by doing acts of kindness and service, and then to represent your service, submit a Warm Fuzzy from now through the end of the year. In January, we’ll send your Warm Fuzzies to President Monson. Click here to leave your warm fuzzy.

KSL.com article about To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson (Click Here)

Deseret News article about To the Resuce: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Amanda Mears (Click Here)

Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: To the Rescue
1. A Heritage of Faithful Souls
2. Between the Railroad Tracks
3. "I Want To Be a Cowboy!"
4. Like Huck Finn on the River
5. Becoming a Gentleman
6. School Days
7. The Greatest Lessons
8. Starting a Family
9. "Decisions Determine Destiny"
10. Always a Bishop
11. "He Went About Doing Good
12. "Have Courage, My Boy"
13. "O Canada"
14. Called to General Church Committees
15. A Special Witness
16. Serving in the Twelve
17. "He Was Everywhere
18. Near and Far
19. "Weary Not"
20. Faith of the People
21. The Wall Comes Down
22. The Work Goes Forward
23. Poised for Growth
24. Opening Doors
25. Neighbor Helping Neighbor
26. There Are No Coincidences
27. Ordained in Heaven
28. "Loyal, Helpful, Friendly ..."
29. An Indomitable Spirit
30. The Consummate Counselor
31. Reaching Out to the One
32. Joy in the Journey
Timeline
Notes