Last year, 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."

This year, as the Church News planned a report about President Monson's birthday, we invited readers to tell us about their "birthday gifts for President Monson." Following are highlights of service members have performed in his honor. We're almost certain that more reports will be sent about service performed on the date of his 82nd birthday, which is Aug. 21.

A member who identified himself (or herself) as "a member of the Troy Alabama Branch" wrote: "There are so many I would love to share but one of my favorite gifts of service is our branch president's wife who goes to the library every two weeks and checks out books on CD for an elderly homebound sister."