Journalist's gripe against the Church's Public Affairs Department Is Not Justified

On the LDS Church Growth blog, some discussion was had regarding a gripe made recently by a journalist regarding how the LDS Church Public Affairs Department responded to some questions he had about the Tabernacle Choir's agreement to perform at the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. One comment made on the LDS Church Growth blog was to the effect that the Public Affairs Department should be more transparent regarding the information they share about the public actions of the Church and its associated entities.

Since I had before offered my opinion on the Choir's decision (which I believe is fully justified), I was sickened by reading the journalist's rant about the unjust way his concerns had been dealt with. In his rant, he cited James 1:5-6 as being the reason Joseph Smith sought wisdom at the hands of the Lord, saying that while the Lord is willing to give wisdom to those that ask for it, his concerns and questions had not been dealt with in the same spirit.

I couldn't disagree more on that point, and I will explain my reasoning for saying that in a minute. First, if you haven't seen the rant in question yet, you can find it here. When I read his rant, the first thought that came to my mind is this: While it is absolutely true that Joseph was given wisdom when he lacked it primarily because he asked, there was another side to that. He additionally had studied the matter out in his mind before he asked, and he had done research enough to give him doubt as to the truthfulness of any Church then in existence. A big part of obtaining wisdom when one asks for it is doing the research to know what questions to ask. Had the journalist bothered to do so, his questions would have been addressed without him having to ask the Church public affairs department to do his research for him.

Now that you understand more about my line of reasoning in my approach to all of this, I wanted to share my personal response to the journalist's questions. This response was posted on the same comment thread as the link to this rant. And I am only in a position to venture any answer to these questions because I have made the subjects of the Church's political neutrality and the Choir's past experiences singing for presidents and presidents-elect a matter of extensive study, prayer, and observation. That said, for what it may be worth, these are the answers I felt to provide on the LDS Church Growth blog in response to the questions posed by the journalist.

1. The Choir is a volunteer unpaid organization, and as such, any events at which they appear are entirely voluntary and no participant receives any compensation of any kind for their participation.
2. The Choir has accepted any and all invitations extended to participate in any event that involves a current or future US President. By nature of the Church's devotion to political neutrality, no candidate receivesspecial support, consideration or rejection of such invitations for any reason. If that were not the case, the Church could not maintain its professed political neutrality. Their actions would clearly set the lie to their words, and that's the last thing the Church wants or needs.
3. The only opportunities the Choir ever seeks or books as an entity is their appearances at special venues, such as during tours or for special events. They would never presume to seek an opportunity to perform forany government leader (especially one who clearly sees the Church and its members and practices through a very darkened lens) but willingly respond when invited to do so. That being said, the Church and Choir may have taken this opportunity as a way to see if the Church's image could be improved in the eyes of the President-elect.
4. Again, in the Church in general and with the Choir in particular, except where noted above for special events at particular venues, opportunities are never sought after nor declined. If it is true that the Choir has not for a while performed at an event for a Democratic President, it is because such an opportunity was never extended.
Anyways, that's how I chose to respond to the attempts of this journalist to take issue with the answers provided him by the Church Public Affairs Department. I welcome any comments, whether in agreement or contention with what I have said here. However, I would encourage us all to be respectful of other people's right to their own opinion. Even if that opinion is not shared, any uncivil, rude, or contentious comments will be promptly deleted after they are made. Thanks for letting me weigh in on this.

Minor Update to Temple Construction Progress Report--posted mostly for my personal benefit

Hello, all! I have a very good reason for this additional post today. I am posting a minor update to my temple construction progress report. I make a disclaimer right here and now at the outset: This update is mainly for my own personal benefit. While there have been no major developments in temple construction since the first such report I posted this year (was that just yesterday? Don't really remember), I felt it appropriate to reword slightly the way I have termed potential completion dates. I wanted to post a copy of this to my blog while I am at home so that if and when I next have reason to update this report at work, the rewording will be readily available in my blog post history. That said, while this post is primarily for that reason, comments on the way I've reworked this will always be welcome and appreciated. If you have any input of any kind, don't hesitate to let me know.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/4/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 10 announced; (NOTE: Up to 3 additional temples may soon have a groundbreaking announced).

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple: Exterior lighting system operating; interior work underway; scheduled to be dedicated on Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:

157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Light fixtures hung; interior trim underway; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.

158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Fencing progressing; entrance plaza created; landscaping areas defined; hanging drywall; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.

159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Pouring walkways; erecting fencing; installing art glass windows; hanging drywall; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.

160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Building the exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

162. Concepcion Chile Temple: Attaching building wrap to exterior walls; adding landscaping structures; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

163. Durban South Africa Temple: Pouring temple foundation; setting rebar for missionary housing walls; palm trees planted along entrance road; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Pouring walls for steeple base; completion anticipated sometime between late 2018 and early 2019.

165. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; completion anticipated sometime between late 2018 and early 2019.

166. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Second floor exterior walls poured; completion anticipated sometime during 2019.

167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Excavation underway for temple and utility building; structural framing going up for meetinghouse; completion anticipated sometime during 2019.

Scheduled for rededication:

8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; finish work underway; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime between late 2017 and early 2018.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; some exterior stone removed; foundation exposed; old meetinghouse razed; rededication anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

Announced:

168. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Approval and construction preparation phase; official site announcement anticipated in early 2017, with the groundbreaking anticipated to take place shortly following the site announcement.

169.  Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Governmental approval phase; preliminary environmental license issued in November 2016; groundbreaking pending.

170. Arequipa Peru Temple: General contractor selected; groundbreaking pending.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

173. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Stalled in planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

174. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

175. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

176. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

177. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Key:

Bolded numbers and text denote temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.

Italicized numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.

Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Red text denotes changes from the last posted temple progress report. 

Face-to-face event with President Eyring and Elder Holland

As I have mentioned before, 2017 is already shaping up to be a most historic year in terms of Church news, and we are only 4 days into this new year. In an announcement made on the Church's website just within the last several hours, the Church notified youth of a scheduled Face-to-Face event with President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

This event is historic for two reasons: it marks the very first such event to involve the participation of a member of the First Presidency. Also, more significant than that is the coincidence that before President Eyring began serving in the First Presidency 10 years ago in October (can it really have been that long? Crazy and wonderful to think about!), he and Elder Holland were seatmates in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with Elder Holland being the more senior of the two.

Elder Holland was the only apostle called during President Howard W. Hunter's short tenure of less than 9 months. And President Eyring was the first apostle called by President Hinckley, who succeeded President Hunter. In responding to this assignment, these former apostolic seatmates focused on what they hoped the event would do in terms of inspiring the youth of the Church to live by the Mutual Theme for this year, which comes from James 1:5-6, the scripture that led Joseph Smith to have his First Vision.

Elder Holland also commented on how much he appreciated sharing this event with President Eyring and noted how much he (President Eyring) cares about and prays for the youth of the Church. This was very inspiring to read about. Click here for all the wonderful details.

Enjoy! Any comments are always welcome and appreciated.

Church News Report on the funeral services for Elder Glen L. Rudd

Well, as I said in posting just yesterday, funeral services were held today for Elder Glen L. Rudd, emeritus general authority. Much to my surprise and delight, in the report of the funeral services, there was a rather long list of those who attended and spoke at that service today. The biggest surprise in terms of those speakers was that President Monson was the keynote speaker. He gave an extensive address reflecting on his long association with Elder Rudd and reflected on the influence Elder Rudd's service had on him personally. Also speaking at the services was President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Russell M. Nelson, Bishop Keith B. McMullin, emeritus General Authority who served for years as a member of the Presiding Bishopric; and Elder Rudd's son, Charles, representing the family at the services.

Also in attendance were Elders M. Russell Ballard, David A. Bednar, and Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elders L. Whitney Clayton and Donald L. Hallstrom, the two most senior members of the Presidency of the Seventy; and the entire Presiding Bishopric (Gerald Causse, Dean M. Davies, and W. Christopher Waddell).

Click here for more on the funeral services, including the tributes that were given of this spiritual giant.

As I said, the biggest surprise for me personally in reading about funeral proceedings was that President Monson not only attended but also gave a keynote address that sounds like it was of a considerable length. Not sure what to make of this. I am hoping it means that President Monson has to some degree sufficiently recovered from the health difficulties he has been experiencing for the last several years. But time will tell. I will do my level best to keep an eye on the situation and make a further report if and when more is known in that regard.

If he is doing better, it's a very good sign for the Church. We have had prophets many times in the past who have suffered due to age and health later in life. President Monson will be 90 years old this year. Any improvement, no matter how small, has to be a good thing. It will be interesting to see how he is doing round about conference time and to see if he will be able to speak on his regular schedule for longer than he recently has been able to. More to come as soon as I hear anything.

Sounds like Elder Rudd's funeral services today served as a wonderful tribute to the life of a very great man. For what it's worth, that's the latest in Church news and developments.

Article from the Deseret News: Notable Church milestone anniversaries happening in 2017

As a self-proclaimed Church history nerd who prides myself on knowing or being able to learn everything I can regarding that subject, I was elated to check KSL's website today and to find there a link to an article published by the Deseret News regarding the significant milestone anniversaries the Church will celebrate at some point this year. FWIW, I share a link to that article. Click here to read more on that. Enjoy! Feedback of any kind continues to be welcome and appreciated. It looks like this will be a very commemorative year just in terms of those milestone anniversaries, let alone in view of any temple or Church growth milestones that might also be observed. As always, thanks so much for your readership and support.

Funeral Services Announced for Elders Glenn L. Rudd and Bruce D. Porter

Hello. This is a post I have been promising for the last several hours. I finally got a chance to get to doing it now. As many of you know, the Church recently lost two spiritually giant leaders, both very well known. I have kept an eye out for future developments in this regard, and today the funeral services were announced for both.

Elder Glen L. Rudd, whose greatness in charitable efforts earned him the nickname "Mr. Welfare", passed away on Friday December 30 at the ripe old age of 98, making him one of the oldest emeritus General Authority to pass away.  Though small in stature, he was large of heart. Click here to read the remarkable tribute to this man's monumental life. As he only served as an active general authority for five years, he had just one opportunity to address us in General Conference. His talk can be found here. His funeral will be later today (January 4).

In the meantime, Elder Bruce D. Porter, who has been a general authority for the better part of my 30 years, became the second actively-serving General Authority to pass away in 2016 when he died from complications of a pulmonary infection at the relatively young age of 64. Click here to read more of his life and his passing. Elder Porter only spoke four times in General Conference, but he gave landmark addresses every time. Click here to review any or all of those. Having read them before, I can readily attest to how good they are. Elder Porter had been serving as president of the Church's Europe East Area when (as I assume, though it hasn't been explicitly stated) he was released in early December in view of his failing health before succumbing to the pulmonary infection that would take him from us far too quickly. He died just the day before Elder Rudd. Elder Porter's funeral services will take place tomorrow (January 5). And it is no doubt out of respect and deference to his memory that no change has been officially announced for the Europe East Area Presidency, even though such changes have reportedly already happened. However, I do anticipate that we may hear about that Area Presidency change, whatever it involves, before the end of this week.

Both funerals will no doubt be well attended. And it is almost certain that a representative from the leading brethren of the Church will be present at both services. Who that might be remains to be seen. While I have always personally mourned the passing of such good leaders, the only funeral I have ever personally attended for a prominent Church leader was that for Elder C. Max Caldwell, who served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy and was a close personal friend who graciously and without hesitation accepted my request that he officiate at my wedding ceremony. When I went to Elder Caldwell's funeral, I was fully anticipating a current General Authority being in attendance to "represent the brethren." But the one doing so was another close personal friend from my temple service who had served with Elder Caldwell in the Second Quorum of the Seventy and had been president of the Mount Timpanogos Temple during the time that Elder Caldwell and I were serving there. His name was L. Edward Brown.

Therefore, my personal experience is a witness and reminder to me that the apostles will send anyone they feel inclined to send to represent them at these upcoming services. It will more than likely be someone that is somehow connected to Elder Porter and Elder Rudd personally. And it could be any former or current General Authority that they feel would best represent them. Nothing would surprise me at this point.

Thanks for wading through this. Feel free to comment if you feel so inclined. May God bless the memories of these valiant servants of the Lord.

Refining yet again my predictions for when future temple-related events may be announced and scheduled

Recent events and announcements have led me to revise what I feel will be the most likely timeline prevailing in regards to when future temple-related events will be announced and scheduled. Based on information found on Rick Satterfield’s excellent LDS Church Temples website, I have taken yet another look at the progress that has been made and have felt to revisit my projections as follows”

(Edits to the rest of this post became necessary on 1/5/17 in light of new information I received)

Late breaking news posted on the LDS Church Temples website just today (the 5th) indicates that the Arequipa Peru temple has jumped to the top spot in terms of near future imminent groundbreakings and an announcement of such an event is anticipated to happen very shortly. Whether or not that will coincide in any way with the site announcement and announced groundbreaking ceremony for the temple in Harare Zimbabwe is anyone's guess. I welcome thoughts about that very subject.

In light of the new information, I feel safe in predicting that we will very shortly have an announcement of the groundbreaking for the Arequipa Peru temple,whether that is before or coinciding with the Harare site announcement and groundbreaking. Both could be announced before January 15th. The actual groundbreakings for both temples may take place within the same period of time, which has historically been 4-6 weeks following the announcements of such events. 

At this point, the two seem to be interchangeable in terms of when things might get started. I could definitely see both taking place before General Conference. I will try to be conservative in this estimate and say we may see these events happen by late February or early March. Given the mere 2 1/2 weeks we saw between the announcement of the groundbreaking for the temple in Winnipeg, which is, to the best of my knowledge, the shortest such period in Church history in which such events have occurred, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of either groundbreaking ceremony happening much sooner than that. 

But the general rule I have observed regarding the prevailing timetables in such events seems to be roughly between 4-6 weeks. I welcome feedback on this timetable from those who may feel inclined to give it.

Speaking of Harare, if current plans hold, the temple there may become the first such edifice outside the United States which will have a groundbreaking within less than a year after the temple announcement. If its construction commences at that time, for the very first time in Church history, three temples will simultaneously be undergoing construction on the African continent. 

Stay tuned for news of that site announcement and groundbreaking information whenever it happens. In the coming days, we will hear more about such events for Harare and for Arequipa, I am reasonably sure. One thing of which I am 100% certain: You can depend upon hearing from me on what happens there as soon as I can let you know after I hear about it.

And of course, in terms of imminent temple events, we cannot forget the already-scheduled dedication in Paris France on May 20 and the rededication on June 4 for the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple. That rededication is anticipated to precede the dedication of Idaho’s next temple in Meridian within a very short time later.

Speaking of the Meridian Idaho temple, no notable progress has been made on the construction there since my last post about the imminent scheduling of future events.  However, I still feel strongly regarding my prediction that a dedication date for the Meridian Idaho Temple is likely to be announced within the next 3 or 4 months, and the dedication itself will likely happen in early August.

In Cedar City, no major progress has been reported since I last ventured my predictions about a completion date there. However, there is still reason to believe that the dedication could be announced within the next six months, if not sooner, and might take place in late August or early September.

As I stated last time, Tucson is so close to Cedar City’s level of completion that they are neck-and-neck in terms of a future completion date. With no notable progress made since I last posted something like this, it wouldn’t be surprising to me to see the Tucson and Cedar City dedications scheduled for around the same time, with an announcement of these events within 6 months and the actual events in late August or early September.

The Jordan River temple has not had any reported progress lately either. However, with that being said. I am still holding out hope that the renovation could be completed around August, with the rededication being announced about a month later and scheduled for either late November or early December 2017. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if things speed up somehow and that rededication takes place around the events of the Tucson and Cedar City temples. Stay tuned for more on that as I learn of it.

In spite of any reassurance to the contrary, I am of the opinion that the delays we have seen in Rome will prevent it from being completed before the Kinshasa temple. Right now the temple interior work is still in progress in Rome. I wouldn’t be surprised if a dedication for Kinshasa was announced during the spring of 2018, with the actual dedication to follow, perhaps sometime in May or June. In Kinshasa right now, the exterior walls are being built.

Meanwhile, mammoth progress has been reported in the renovation of the Frankfurt Germany Temple of late, but nothing new since my last update. However, I feel sure that the renovation of Germany’s other temple will be completed within the same timeframe as that of the Kinshasa dedication. Rome might be the next one completed, but a dedication might not take place until August or September, after the annual July recess for General Authorities. That estimation is me speaking optimistically based on my observation of the completion progress in Rome.

Concepcion, where building wrap has been attached to the exterior walls, and where landscaping structures are being added, will likely have a dedication announcement within the first half of 2018, with the dedication itself to follow sometime in either August or September, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it was to even precede Rome in that milestone.

The temple in Durban South Africa has not progressed much lately either. Even though I always anticipated delays in that construction in view of my mother’s report of the work ethic that prevails in South Africa (she happens to be a South African native with no small familiarity on this point), I feel confident that the temple will be completed within a similar time frame to that which is almost certain for Concepcion. I am therefore predicting that the announcement for the dedication will be made around the same time as that for Concepcion and Rome, within the first half of 2018, with the dedication actually scheduled for August or September as well.

In Winnipeg, where the temple is being built, as I have before mentioned, to initially serve just the one stake there, no progress has been reported as of yet above and beyond the groundbreaking. But given the projected construction window of 20 months, the completion month will likely be somewhere around August 2018. It appears that temple dedication announcements precede actual events by a few months. I would therefore expect and am predicting that the Winnipeg dedication will take place in either late November or else early December 2018. It wouldn’t surprise me if a similar timeline held true for the temple in Barranquilla Colombia, which is further along in terms of construction (walls are currently being poured for the steeple base), but will be a much larger edifice.

In the meantime, for the first time in doing such predictions, I feel bold enough to project completion dates for the two temples anticipated to be completed sometime around 2019. The temple in Fortaleza Brazil had a five year span between the groundbreaking and the actual commencement of construction. However, it is progressing rapidly. Recent reports indicate that the second floor exterior walls have now been poured. This makes it increasingly more likely that construction will be completed there within the early months of 2019, with the actual dedication taking place in either April or perhaps possibly May. This is great to think about. Construction took forever to get started, and now it is speedily progressing at an astonishing rate.

The Lisbon Portugal temple was the last temple to have a groundbreaking in 2015. Right now, excavation is well underway for the temple itself and the adjacent utility building. In the meantime, structural framing has begun on the on-site meetinghouse. It is amazing to see how all that has happened in such a short time. Based on that, a similar time frame may be very likely to prevail as that which I have proposed above for the Fortaleza temple. It would not surprise me if these two traded spots a couple of times in terms of future completion. But right now, it seems safe to say that.

Any other temples that may be completed in 2019 have not yet had a groundbreaking. Based on my observations here, the Church is well on track to add 4 new operating temples by the end of 2017, and six more in 2018. Two temples may be rededicated this year, with the only other one currently undergoing renovation on track to be completed next year. If this happens, it would almost completely reduce and eliminate any semblance of a backlog in temple progress, and makes it extraordinarily more likely that many more temples could be announced within the next two years. The exact number of those announcements remains to be seen, though I have given my feelings on what I feel are the most likely and most imminent picks.

Future groundbreakings may be more unpredictable to anticipate than I originally thought. I look at the groundbreaking in Winnipeg, and it happened much faster than usual. Zimbabwe, for the reasons outlined above, will be very historic in terms of what it means for the future of the Church in Africa.

After the groundbreakings in Peru and Zimbabwe, since I have followed temple developments very closely lately, I see the next groundbreaking taking place for the first Haitian temple in Port-au-Prince. I have no reason to back this up. It’s just how I feel, and we could have the site announcement and the groundbreaking by spring of next year. This seems especially likely given the delays I have noted in the construction beginning in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.

A groundbreaking for Bangkok could happen by the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018.  For the temple in Rio, I could see any remaining delays being cleared up and a groundbreaking being announced and taking place within the first six months of next year. I wouldn't rule out having that happen sooner, but that's what I feel may happen based on my observations. The same timetable may prevail for the Abidjan temple. Who knows how long the currently reported delays in Urdaneta might last. I might venture to say that the remaining temples (the three others announced last year) might well have a groundbreaking by or before 2019. Since things are so very unpredictable and up in the air on this point, anyone’s thoughts on this are probably more informed than mine may be.

And I’m sure that, given the nature and unpredictability of temple announcements in terms of potential locations and actual construction commencement may be such that, by the time any or all of these events happen, more temples may be announced and have construction started. At this point, I cannot rule anything out in these terms.

Thanks, as always, for taking time to read and (if you feel so inclined) respond to this post. It is only thanks to your continued thoughtful feedback that I am able to fine-tune my predictions. And I will always try to keep an eye on temple-related progress and will do my best to report that news and any updates just as soon as I become aware of them, though obviously my ability to do so will depend entirely on how soon I can hear of such developments. Thanks again.

First Temple Construction Progress Update for 2017

While I have only made some very minor changes to my personal temple construction progress report up to today, the progress has not in my mind been sufficient enough to post any update. That is, until today. There have been some major project milestones in the construction of the Fortaleza Brazil and Lisbon Portugal temples.

In addition, according to the latest information on Rick Satterfield most excellent LDS Church Temples website, new information that has come to his attention has led him to indicate that the Urdaneta Philippines temple is stalled in the planning and approval phase. That temple, announced over six years ago in October 2010, is the temple that is the oldest announced that has yet to have a groundbreaking. It is frustrating to contemplate the way that this temple has been delayed from construction commencement repeatedly. No reason has been provided for the continuing delay, but I gather it may be due to governmental regulations and local opposition. It's just a gut instinct based on past observation of similar delays.

But when contemplating the other exciting developments which I read about today, I couldn't think of a better topic to continue with in view of this new year. Here goes! Comments are always most welcome and appreciated. Thank you so much for your readership and support.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/3/17)
Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 10 announced; (NOTE: Up to 3 additional temples may soon have a groundbreaking announced).

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple: Exterior lighting system operating; interior work underway; scheduled to be dedicated on Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:

157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Light fixtures hung; interior trim underway; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.

158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Fencing progressing; entrance plaza created; landscaping areas defined; hanging drywall; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.

159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Pouring walkways; erecting fencing; installing art glass windows; hanging drywall; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.

160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime in early-to-mid 2018.

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Building the exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime in early-to-mid 2018.

162. Concepcion Chile Temple: Attaching building wrap to exterior walls; adding landscaping structures; completion anticipated sometime in mid-2018.

163. Durban South Africa Temple: Pouring temple foundation; setting rebar for missionary housing walls; palm trees planted along entrance road; completion anticipated sometime in mid-2018.

164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Pouring walls for steeple base; completion anticipated sometime between late 2018 and early 2019.

165. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; completion anticipated sometime between late 2018 and early 2019.

166. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Second floor exterior walls poured; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.

167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Excavation underway for temple and utility building; structural framing going up for meetinghouse; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.

Scheduled for rededication:

8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; finish work underway; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime between late 2017 and early 2018.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; some exterior stone removed; foundation exposed; old meetinghouse razed; rededication anticipated sometime between early and mid 2018.

Announced:

168. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Approval and construction preparation phase; official site announcement anticipated in early 2017, with the groundbreaking anticipated to take place shortly following the site announcement.

169.  Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Governmental approval phase; preliminary environmental license issued in November 2016; groundbreaking pending.

170. Arequipa Peru Temple: General contractor selected; groundbreaking pending.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

173. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Stalled in planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
174. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

175. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

176. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

177. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Key:

Bolded numbers and text denote temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.

Italicized numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.

Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Red text denotes changes from the last posted temple progress update.

Second post of the new year: The latest Apostolic Statistics

For my second post of 2017 (which, though I didn't know it until now, is actually my first), I thought I would share the latest apostolic statistics. This post will serve as an update on President Nelson's tenure length as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, where President Monson stands among the other prophets of the restoration in terms of age and tenure length, and what the latest apotolic age statistics are. With that introduction, let's dive right in!

This week, as I mentioned last Sunday, President Nelson jumped two slots in terms of his tenure length. He passed President Spencer W. Kimball and the second and shortest tenure for Brigham Young Jr. He is now the 21st longest serving President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Church history, having served as of today for a period spanning 1 year, 5 months, and 29 days. He will become the 20th longest serving Quorum President in just four months and four days from now. However, for the last 2-3 years, we have been advised that President Monson is feeling the effects of advanced age. While he still summons up enough strength to speak twice every general conference, in 2016, each conference saw him speak for a combined total of quite a bit less than 20 minutes. It is anyone's guess, therefore, as to how much longer President Monson may be with us. Even though President Nelson is now 92, being a little less than three years older than President Monson, he seems to be a lot more healthy. I therefore think it very likely that President Nelson will outlive President Monson to become the 17th President of the Church, even if his tenure as such is only a few years. I also have every confidence that President Nelson will live to become the oldest living apostle in Church history. He will achieve that milestone on Monday August 8, 2022. Stay tuned for additional updates on all of that.

In the meantime, let's talk for a moment or two about President Monson's current standing in terms of tenure length and age among the 15 other Church Presidents that have gone before. As of today, President Monson has served as Church President for 8 years, 10 months, and 29 days. He currently stands as the 9th longest serving Church President. If he lives long enough, he will assume the 8th longest serving spot later this year, on Friday June 30. In doing so, he will pass Wilford Woodruff.

In terms of age, he now stands as the 7th oldest prophet. He is 89 years, 4 months, and 11 days old. He will become the 6th oldest prophet on Friday March 30 next year (2018. I am still trying to get used to the idea that we have now entered 2017.), taking the spot currently held by Spencer W. Kimball.

In terms of the age statistics for the 15 currently serving apostles, nothing has changed in terms of who is closest to those average ages. However, within the seven days that have passed since I last posted on this subject, the averages have gone up slightly. The average age of the members of the First Presidency is 83.03 years, while the average age of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is 74.58 years, and the average age of the 15 apostles as a group is 76.27 years.

Well, I hope that this was an informative post for my second one for 2017. I have been keeping track of this information for several years, and I have found only a select few seem to have a genuine appreciation for and interest in such things. I have gradually built up the amount of information I am tracking of this sort, and I always appreciate hearing from those who share my interest in tracking such data.

Thanks so much for your readership, interest, and support. I couldn't do this blog without it. Stay tuned for more information as it become available. I will be particularly intrigued to find out about how the Europe East Area Presidency has been reorganized in light of Elder Porter's death, and there are temple developments about which I am waiting to hear. Additionally, Matthew Martinich has reported on his blog that any new missions, along with the assignments for those mission presidents who will start serving next year, will be announced very early this year. Also, we can't forget that a big temple-related development will be announced shortly: the site announcement and imminent groundbreaking date for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple. And who knows how many other developments might be announced within the short period of the first few months of 2017? You can depend on finding the latest information on all of these developments as soon as I can write about them on this blog after that information comes to light.

Thanks for your continued readership, comments, and expressions of support. I appreciate you all very much. Until next time, may the Lord be with you all.

Happy New Year 2017!

Hello, all! This is my first blog post of 2017 (which, through circumstances beyond my control, was written early enough to technically be viewed as my last post for 2016). As I commemorate the start of yet another year, my heat swells with gratitude to realize just how far I've come as a blogger since this time last year. 2016 was a big year for me in terms of blogging. I covered a variety of topics, including personal news and updates, some political and world developments, and so many milestone posts about Church growth and development, with special emphasis on various temple-related posts. There have been unnumbered temple construction progress reports, lots of posts regarding possible future temple sites, and even a few related to when future temple events might be announced and scheduled. It was during 2016 that I was advised, much to my great astonishment, that my blog was one of the top Google search results in terms of such future developments. That is gratifying, humbling, and more than a little terrifying. As I have explained many times in the past, I have been instructed in my patriarchal blessing that my life's purpose is to lift and encourage others, and I feel that my best way to do that is to keep the world informed about developments and news about the Church I have loved since I was old enough to know I could gain my own testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. Through my extensive gospel study, I have come to know for myself, with unshakable certainty, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's Church, and that the work done within, by and through the Church is the Lord's work. He is in full control of all facets of this great work, and miracles have not ceased to happen. Thoughout my life, I have been the very unworthy recipient of far more miracles than I can count, and because of that, I know that there is a purpose behind everything we experience in our lives, and there are few if any so-called coincidences. While we all do have the absolute freedom to determine how we will live our lives, whe we turn ourselves and the events of our lives over to the capabale hands of the Lord, He can sanctify any experiences we may have for our good. Since the Savior willingly paid the price to redeem us from the effects of our transgressions, and since He has borne all of our trials, we do not walk alone in our lives. The greatest miracle of all is the softening and changing of the human heart. I have had that change of heart in many ways. My experiences, such as they have been, have served to bring me closer to the Lord. And because of my closeness to Him, I feel a solemn obligation to bear the witness and testimony I have and to share that with the world. The Ensign article I was able to write and which I had published in 2015 was one such opportunity to do so. And, especially lately, this blog has become another outlet to continue doing so. I am humbled and very grateful for the success which I have achieved. I am also continually touched by people who have told me they take time to regularly read my blog. And when I think that some who have read my blog take time to comment on almost everything I post, especially when added to those who have requested my friendship on Facebook as a result of simply getting to know me here.

And so, it is with that sense of gratitude and sense of obligation that I feel to share my witness with the world, even in this small way, that I look forward to continuing in the traditions which I have recently established here as a blogger.  I anxiously await word of the developments with the Church that will no doubt happen in terms of general Church news and events and also everything we will see in terms of temple construction progress and events. You can depend on hearing about these developments as soon as I hear word of them, provided there are no obstacles preventing me from doing so. Thank you so much. Happy New Year! Stay tuned for much more in the not-too-distant future.