President Bush took time to shake hands with many of the kids at the Future Farmers of America convention in Pennsylvania earlier this week. Photo courtesy of the White House.

1. President Bush has a big day on Monday, June 20, so pray that he, along with all the Dads in our country, really has a great Father's Day, asking God to help him be a really good father to his daughters, Jenna and Barbara.
2. On Monday, the President will host the U.S.-EU summit in Washington, D.C. He will have important meetings with several leaders, so pray for the President to be strengthened and guided by God and pray for the safety of the leaders who are traveling to Washington, asking God to help them as they meet so that His will is done.
3. Pray also for the President as he welcomes to the White House the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Phan Van Khai on June 21. This visit will mark the tenth anniversary of our country's decision to get back to normal relations with Vietnam. (Remember we had a long and difficult war with Vietnam. It took many years for that country to rebuild and recover. Though it is still a Communist country, it does have elections and a representative body.) When President Bush meets with Prime Minister Phan, they will talk about more ways to cooperate to tackle the problems of Southeast Asia. So pray for God's wisdom and truth to be very real and active as these two leaders meet, and pray that God's mighty plans will be plain to them.
4. Since we're celebrating Father's Day this week, ask God to help and encourage every single dad in America, including yours! While most dads do a really great job, they all need some help from time to time, so pray that God's help and wisdom will be there for all dads. If you are fortunate to be blessed with a father, tell God thanks for your dad, and pray that God will show you how to honor him just as God wants you to this Father's Day and always.

Secretary of Transportation— Norman Mineta

Photo courtesy of the Department of Transportation.

Norman Mineta has a terrific record of service to our country, and he has several "firsts" to his credit. He became the first Asian-American cabinet member during President Clinton's administration and the first cabinet member to make the switch from a Democratic cabinet directly to a Republican one. He was appointed by President Bush at the beginning of his first term and has served with great dignity and success since January 2001.

In his job as the Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta oversees all the ways that people get around in our country--the waterways and highways, air travel and train travel, even the trucks that drive on our highways--all these are under his supervision. It is his job to ensure that travel is safe and fair for those who earn their living in transportation as well.

He has worked hard to make transportation safer in our country, and during the first four year's of the President's term, Secretary Mineta and his team successfully delivered the lowest vehicle fatality rate ever recorded, the highest safety belt usage rate ever recorded, and the lowest rail fatality level ever recorded. He has also worked with the states to lower the rule on blood alcohol in order to prevent drunk driving accidents. That's a pretty impressive record, and it means that there are lots more Americans living without accidents and injury, which is great!

The Department of Transportation has 100,000 faithful employees and a $58.7 billion budget—that's a lot to keep track of for starters.

Secretary Mineta and his family were among the 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry forced from their homes and into internment camps during World War II—that was a very sad chapter in our country. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Secretary Mineta joined the Army in 1953 and served as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. He is married to Danealia (Deni) Mineta. He has two sons, David and Stuart Mineta, and two stepsons, Robert and Mark Brantner.

Secretary of Education— Margaret Spellings

Photo courtesy of the White House.

"Spellings" is a great name for the nation's top education leader, don't you think? As Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings is responsible for watching over the education of every public school student in our country! She works to set standards for schools and teachers so that every kid can get the very best education possible. She gives the President advice on any matters that have to do with education, and she is also responsible to watch the budget for her department, making sure that all the money our government set aside for education gets to the kids, the schools and the administrators who need it most.

Ms. Spellings isn't a new face at the White House. She has been advising President Bush for the past four years on all kinds of matters like health care and immigration. She hails from Texas and with her husband Robert, has four children.

Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God will give you.
—Deuteronomy 5:16

I love the Lord because He hears and answers my prayers. Because He bends down and listens, I will pray to Him as long as I have breath!
—Psalm 116:1-2

Did you ever wonder how we got a day just for dads? It's a really great idea, isn't it, because when we set aside a time to honor our dads (or our moms), we are doing just what God asks us to do in the Scriptures. Dads and moms are part of God's wonderful plan to take care of and to teach you how to love God and have a good life.

Whoa there, Pardner! Before we go any further, let's make sure you know exactly what we are talking about when we say that the Bible tells us to honor our mom and our dad. Can you think of a Bible verse that encourages you to do that?
Hover here to read:
 

Sonora Smart Dodd helped start the very first Father's Day. Photo courtesy of the YMCA.

The idea for Father's Day began in 1909 with a young woman named Sonora Dodd, of Washington State. Sonora was sitting in church listening to a Mother's Day sermon when it struck her that her dad had made a lot of sacrifices and had done a fantastic job raising her. Sonora's mom died when Sonora was still a young girl. She felt that there should be a special day just for her dad because he worked so hard raising her and her five brothers and sisters all by himself.

Even before Sonora had this great idea to honor her dad, a man named Dr. Robert Webb held a service in Fairmont, West Virginia in 1908. Sonora kept working on promoting the idea of a worship service to honor dads. She talked to the ministerial association of Spokane, Washington, and they agreed to celebrate the day. A funny thing happened, though, because Sonora wanted to honor her dad by having the service on his birthday, June 5, 1910. The ministers felt they didn't have enough time to prepare so they moved the date to June 19, the third Sunday in June.

Click here to see a memorial to Sonora Scott Dodd.

Although President Woodrow Wilson was very interested in a holiday to honor America's fathers, it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge, the president who followed Wilson, that the first proclamation was signed. President Coolidge is shown here with his father in a portrait taken that same year. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

As the idea for Father's Day caught on, and more and more people got involved. Eventually, President Calvin Coolidge got behind the idea in 1924, and in 1966, it was finally signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. It's always observed on the third Sunday in June, just as it was that very first time, nearly 100 years ago.

If you are a praying kid who not only prays for the President but who also prays for your dad, we'd like to hear from you. Write us and tell us what makes you want to pray for your dad, and tell us the specific ways you pray for your dad. We might use you words in an upcoming issue of PPT Kids! Drop us a line: Editor@presidentialprayerteam.org.

Did you have a special time celebrating Father's Day? Then we'd love to hear about that too! Remember we always welcome comments or stories from kids or moms and dads. The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids is here for you.