Thomas S. Monson — The Five-Dollar Miracle
Published October 30, 2026 at 1:58 AM
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When Thomas S. Monson was 12 years old during the Great Depression, he worked hard to save five dollars in coins. He placed the money in the pocket of his jeans, but later discovered it was missing. He prayed specifically for help to find the money. Shortly thereafter, he felt prompted to check his jeans again, and he found the five-dollar bill (which he had exchanged the coins for) in the pocket where he had previously looked. He subsequently prayed to express gratitude for the answered prayer.
In Their Own Words
“I gained a testimony of the power of prayer when I was 12 years old. I had worked hard and managed to save $5. I gave the coins to my father in exchange for a new $5 bill. I tucked the bill into the pocket of my jeans, which were sent to the laundry with the money still in the pocket. I realized the money was missing and prayed that it would be safe. When the clothes were returned, I reached into the pocket. At first I found nothing, but then my fingers touched a wet five-dollar bill. I offered a heartfelt prayer of gratitude to my Father in Heaven, for I knew that He had answered my prayer. Since that time I have had countless prayers answered. Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without.”
— Thomas S. Monson, as quoted in 'President Thomas S. Monson: Stand...in Holy Places', Church News
Sources & References
The Five-Dollar Miracle (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/2013/01/the-five-dollar-miracle?lang=eng) (research confidence: high) Full first-person account: President Thomas S. Monson: 'Stand...in Holy Places' – Church News https://www.thechurchnews.com/2011/10/2/23226298/president-thomas-s-monson-stand-in-holy-places Image: Thomas Monson in Black and White.png — via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Monson_in_Black_and_White.png
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