Happy 72nd Birthday, Elder Christofferson!

While I have mentioned the upcoming birthdays of various apostles in many posts over the years, I believe that this may be the first time (or if not the first, one of the very few times) that I have done a birthday post for one particular apostle. Haven't done the research to back this up, but I still feel confident in stating that I haven't done it very often, if I have done it at all. If any of you feel like researching these blog archives to see if I have, you are welcome to.

But as to Elder Christofferson, I thought I would throw out some information that I enjoy in considering this milestone. Hopefully this post doesn't bore you because of these details, mostly trivial in nature.

Among other things, I know from study that Elder Christofferson is the 8th most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and among those Twelve, he stands as the 7th oldest. When considering the 15 apostles as a group, Elder Christofferson holds the distinction of being the 11th most senior (still pretty junior) and the 10th in terms of age. Since President Uchtdorf is the one that stands right in the middle in terms of age (being the 8th oldest), of the 7 youngest apostles, he stands at second oldest. (This may differ slightly from information previously reported. For that, I apologize. I will endeavor to correct that in future posts.)

Elder Christofferson's call to the apostleship was very unique. Among those who have been called to the apostleship in the past, his call is distinctly different for several reasons. First, he was one of the very few I know of (President Faust being another) who was called to the apostleship while serving as the second most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. Second, his call marked the first time of which I am aware that a former mission president (Elder Richard G. Scott) and one of the missionaries he served with (Elder Christofferson) had served together in the apostleship. That had to be more than a little intimidating for Elder Christofferson. That being said, while I'm sure Elder Scott may have recommended him, I have had my own witness that his call came from the Lord.

Third, he was the very first apostle called by 16th Church President Thomas S. Monson. Fourth, he was one of the few that served for just a year as the junior apostle before Elder Wirthlin's December 2008 death resulted in the call of Elder Neil L. Andersen as the new junior apostle. Speaking of Elder Andersen, that is the next interesting fact: Few people know or remember that Elder Christofferson and Elder Andersen were sustained to serve as General Authority Seventies on the same day. Since such calls are often presented alphabetically, technically, Elder Andersen was senior to Elder Christofferson in terms of their service as General Authority Seventies.

However, Elder Christofferson was made a member of the Presidency of the Seventy in 1998, just over five years after his call to the First Quorum of the Seventy, and he served for 10 years in the Presidency of the Seventy before his call to the apostleship. Elder Andersen, on the other hand, was called to the Presidency of the Seventy in 2005 (at the same time as his now-seatmate in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Elder Rasband), and though he (Elder Andersen) only had a four-year tenure in the Presidency of the Seventy, he did serve as the Senior President for just under four months as the Senior President.

It is interesting to consider the paths to apostleship that our different apostles have had. Both Elder Quentin L. Cook and now-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf were still among the junior half of the Presidency of the Seventy when their calls to the apostleship came in 2007 and 2004 respectively. It is interesting to note the time of year that the calls to the apostleship came. Of our 15 current apostles, 6 were called in April (President Nelson, Elder Oaks (though the latter wasn't ordained until May because of his judicial obligations), Elder Hales, President Eyring, Elder Christofferson, and Elder Andersen), 1 was called in June (Elder Holland), and 8 were called in October (President Monson, Elder Ballard, President Uchtdorf, Elder Bednar, Elder Cook, Elder Rasband, Elder Stevenson, and Elder Renlund).

But getting back to Elder Christofferson, while this birthday is not strictly a milestone one, I did want to write this birthday tribute. His has been a unique life, and his path to the apostleship has been likewise very unique. To read more about the life of this amazing apostle, click here (Wikipedia article), here (for his profile through LDS.org among all the Church leaders), here (for a special look into more highlights from his life), here (for some trivia about his life as published in the Deseret News for his birthday last year), here (for his profile on Mormon Newsroom), and here to review any of his conference addresses (1 given in response to his call as a General Authority, 5 as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and 18 in his almost 9 years as an apostle, for a total of 24.)

I hope that the information in this post has been informative and helpful to you all, and not in any way too much trivia. I do want to end with my testimony that Elder Christofferson's calls over the years have come from the Savior, and with my best wishes that he has had an amazing 72nd birthday. Thanks for reading this. Feel free to comment, if you feel so inspired.

Latest Apostolic Age Averages

Hello, all. This will be a post to let you know the latest on the average ages of our apostles. As I have noted before, not all that much has changed in terms of the statistics associated with the tenure length of President Russell M. Nelson or his rank among the other nonagenarian apostles, where President Monson stands among the other 15 Church Presidents in terms of age and tenure length (though it is significant that he is nearing his 9-year mark as our current prophet), and where the other apostles are in terms of being close to nonagenarian status and also in terms of who is closest to the average ages of the three apostolic groups. That being said, tomorrow Elder D. Todd Christofferson will celebrate his 72nd birthday. It is exciting to see such milestones happen.

That said, let's throw out some numbers. As of yesterday (Sunday January 22), the average of the the members of the First Presidency reached 83.09 years. As an interesting side note, the current First Presidency will have been organized for 9 years on February 3, making it very possible that, barring anything unforeseen, and especially in light of the fact that President Monson's health may be improving, they could, if nothing changes for the next year, tie the record for the longest period in Church history without a change. That record was previously set by President Hinckley's presidency that included him, President Monson, and President Faust. So it could very well happen.

With that noted, all that's left is to report on the other two numbers. The average age of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reached 74.64 years, while the average of the 15 apostles overall came to 76.33 years.

Any comments continue to be welcome and appreciated on things I post about here. I hope that some of you might find this information useful. If these updates at any point become too tiresome, please let me know. I am just hoping that this information means as much to some of my readers as it does to me. Thanks for continuing to indulge my ramblings, such as they are.

Major Additional Changes to Temple Construction Progress Report

Just since my last posted temple construction progress report late last night (less than 24 hours ago), there have been several more milestones in that regard that have led me to revise it once again. I hope you will enjoy this additional report. Thanks for your continued readership. Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/20/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 groundbreaking scheduled; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: With one groundbreaking announced already this year, two more have the potential to be announced and scheduled very soon, and there may be several more groundbreakings than that in the year ahead.

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple:  Gilding inscription over baptistry; finish work underway on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:

157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Patron plazas and water feature added to temple grounds; interior finish work underway; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.

158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Art glass installation and landscaping continues; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.

159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Trees and landscaping rocks added to parking lot green spaces; exterior lighting tests underway; 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: Temple foundation poured; setting concrete forms for missionary housing exterior walls; 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.

Groundbreaking Scheduled:

168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking; environmental license issued in November 2016; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday March 4, 2017.

Rededication Scheduled:

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:

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Construction preparation phase; awaiting groundbreaking announcement; groundbreaking anticipated in early 2017.

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

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: The LDS Church Temple website indicates that a potential site has been identified, though it has yet to be officially verified.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: As the above-mentioned website indicates for this temple, while no official temple site has been announced, there may be a possibility that a Church office building may be repurposed to function as a temple, meetinghouse, and office building under one roof, in a similar fashion to those temples in Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York. This is most likely to be confirmed sooner rather than later.

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. 

Yet Another Temple Construction Progress Update

We have had a couple of major changes in the construction status (including progress towards construction commencement) for several temples. Additionally, as many of you are aware, we had the report of how the Rio de Janeiro Temple groundbreaking announcement was made to units that will be within the district of that temple just a short while ago. While the groundbreaking was listed on the construction status page of the LDS Church Temples website, obviously the information had to be confirmed before it could be officially added to the main page that discusses the latest news and events and to the official news page. That confirmation came today in the form of an announcement on the Mormon Newsroom. See that official announcement here.

According to the LDS Church Temples page on this temple, Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, president of the Church's Brazil Area, has been asked to preside at the groundbreaking. And it is a pretty safe bet that among the other Church leaders that will be in attendance will be his counselors in the area presidency, Elders Marcos A. Aidukaitis and W. Mark Bassett, and also Elder Larry Y. Wilson, the Executive Director of the Temple Department.

However, the one who will actually preside at the groundbreaking remains to be seen. Assignments to preside at groundbreaking ceremonies have been known to change. As a recent example, Elder Ulisses Soares was originally asked to preside at the most recent temple groundbreaking in Winnipeg Manitoba, but when he, for reasons yet unknown, wasn't able to be there, Elder Wilson was the one who officiated at that groundbreaking.

I remember very clearly also how someone else had originally been assigned to preside at the Tucson Arizona temple groundbreaking. It may have been Elder Ronald A. Rasband, who at the time the groundbreaking was announced was serving as Senior President of the Seventy. But it was President Dieter F. Uchtdorf who actually presided at that groundbreaking. And if it had been Elder Rasband originally assigned, his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the fact that he was easing into that new role would have necessitated that change.

Now the question remains, what will the temple look like, and how long might construction take? At various and sundry times and places, I have voiced my opinion that we might see the temples in Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro be finished around the same time. I will keep my eyes open for more news on this front, and I will post such up;dates as soon as I can after learning of them.

In the meantime, in addition to the verification of this scheduled groundbreaking, there have been several other temple construction progress developments that have given me reason to post again my updated report of that progress. Enjoy, and please feel free to leave comments for me. Your feedback is part of why I have been able to do all I have done in terms of these posts. I appreciate you all! Thanks!

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/19/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 groundbreaking scheduled; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: With one groundbreaking announced already this year, two more have the potential to be announced and scheduled very soon, and there may be several more groundbreakings than that in the year ahead.

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple:  Gilding inscription over baptistry; finish work underway on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:

157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Patron plazas and water feature added to temple grounds; interior finish work underway; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.

158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Art glass installation and landscaping continues; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.

159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Pavers installed in parking lot and west patron plaza; trees and landscaping rocks added to parking lot green spaces; 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: Temple foundation poured; setting concrete forms for missionary housing walls; 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.

Groundbreaking Scheduled:

168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking; environmental license issued in November 2016; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday March 4, 2017.

Rededication Scheduled:

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:

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Construction preparation phase; awaiting groundbreaking announcement; groundbreaking anticipated in early 2017.

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

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: The LDS Church Temple website indicates that a potential site has been announced and that the temple itself is currently being designed. This indicates that a site announcement is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: As the above-mentioned website indicates for this temple, while no official temple site has been announced, there may be a possibility that a Church office building may be reconstructed into a multi-purpose edifice that may in part function as the temple. If that happens, it will be similar to the situation of the Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York temples. This indicates also that a site announcement is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

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. 

Quick Temple Construction Progress Update

This post is to share temple construction developments. It will just be quickly posted so that I have it for later today at work if time allows me  to do more with it there. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. The updates at this point are minor. But things are moving along well.

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

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 groundbreaking scheduled; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: With one groundbreaking announced already this year, two more have the potential to be announced and scheduled very soon, and there may be several more groundbreakings than that in the year ahead.

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple:  Gilding inscription over baptistry; finish work underway on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:

157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Patron plazas and water feature added to temple grounds; interior finish work 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: Pavers installed in parking lot and west patron plaza; trees and landscaping rocks added to parking lot green spaces; 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.

Groundbreaking Scheduled:

168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking; environmental license issued in November 2016; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday March 4, 2017.

Rededication Scheduled:

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:

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Construction preparation phase; awaiting groundbreaking announcement; groundbreaking anticipated in early 2017.

170. 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.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: The LDS Church Temple website indicates that a potential site has been announced and that the temple itself is currently being designed. This indicates that a site announcement is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: As the above-mentioned website indicates for this temple, while no official temple site has been announced, there may be a possibility that a Church office building may be reconstructed into a multi-purpose edifice that may in part function as the temple. If that happens, it will be similar to the situation of the Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York temples. This indicates also that a site announcement is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

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.

My New Work Responsibilities

Many of you have continued to express an interest in how I am doing with my new job. Aside from the environment and being in the minority (as it seems I am the only active Church member on the campaign), it has gone swimmingly. Most days, by the time 4 or 5 pm rolls around, all those who head up the campaign are gone for the day (including my project manager and his assistant and my team leader). Since I have been asked for and have given advice to others on the campaign in the absence of anyone higher up, I have frequently been worried that I might be overstepping my bounds. But I have been told that I am trusted to do whatever's needed and to give such advice when requested. And so far, it's been great. I have kind of slipped in to an informal role as the de facto TL for those hours when there is no one higher up there. And so far, there have been no problems in terms of the agent company's response to actions taken under my advice. It has been great to be trusted.

But above and beyond that, and even more amazing, is what happened on Friday when I came in after two days of not feeling well. The account manager (Trent) was talking to my TL (Natalie), and he said (as far as I can remember, this is an exact quote: "Since James is doing so awesome on this campaign, I want you to show him what you've been asked to do." This was cryptic but sounded promising, and I was flattered by the high praise and by the confidence they were displaying in my ability to take on new responsibilities.

So Natalie showed me what it was she had been doing as time allowed over the last couple of days that I had been sick. It involves calling those who have signed up within the last 24 hours for any of the training programs we offer, getting them started with the information they need, and scheduling their first appointment with their coach. It's not all that different from what I've been doing: it's just specific to those who have more recently enrolled in the program. Upon further inquiry, I was told that this would be what my job entailed day in and day out until either the list was sufficiently trimmed down enough for Natalie to resume taking care of it on her own as her circumstances allow or until the system issues we have been having are fixed to the point where the system does not keep calling people who have already been talked to and set up.

It also means that, since I will be devoting all the time I can to these new responsibilities while I am on the clock, there will be much less down time. This is because, for those newly enrolled in the process, the system doesn't call them automatically. My calls will all be manual for the foreseeable future.

So what does that mean in terms of my future ability to regularly check Church sites and this blog and do new posts? It means that less downtime while waiting for calls at work will cut my ability to do those things with any regularity while I'm on the clock. That's not a complaint. It has bothered me more than a little that I have just been getting paid to sit around and kill time in the best possible way while on the clock, even though that has been interspersed with semi-regular automatic calls made by the system. There will be much less free time. But it will be worth it.

As has been my usual response any time this job has led to more responsibilities, I am humbled and in some ways overwhelmed by the trust that has been placed in me by my supervisors. And it seems that every time I turn around, I am doing well enough on the job that they entrust me with more responsibility. Just last week, prior to the days I missed, we got me set up with my first work-related e-mail. And so the first expansion of my duties at that time involved me being able to send e-mail confirmation to the people I talked with regarding what we had talked about. Since I have been apparently doing well enough on the phones in general with that addition, on Friday, they gave me this additional expansion of my assignment.

And so, as overwhelming and daunting as it has been sometimes to consider how much I am trusted, and how highly I am regarded by those who have supervision over me, I move forward with perfect confidence that, even if I do have doubts periodically about my continuing ability to be worthy of the added responsibilities that have been entrusted to me, I can be secure in the knowledge that, as long as I do my best, it will be good enough.

Thanks for taking time to read and (if you feel so inclined) to comment on this post. Again, if I didn't have the assurance that the things I am posting are interesting and even in some ways beneficial to those who read them, I would not feel comfortable continuing to post as time and circumstances allow. Thank you all so much for your readership and support. You can depend on hearing from me regarding personal and Church developments on every front just as soon as I can make that happen. Thanks again.

Latest Apostolic Age Averages

With the busy day I have had today (between having the 9 am church block following a short night and having temple recommend interviews on both the ward and stake levels and hearing of the groundbreaking set for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple), this is my first chance to share the latest information regarding the average ages of our 15 apostles.

Before doing so, I should like to note that this will be a shorter update compared to those I have lately done on this subject. After all, not all that much has changed in terms of how close President Monson and President Nelson are to reaching significant age and tenure milestones. Nor has very much changed in terms of how close our 14 apostles under 90 are to reaching that milestone. And there also has not been any change in terms of who among our apostles are closest in age to the averages shared here. But it is well worth noting the small changes that have taken place in this regard.

As of today, the average age of the First Presidency members is 83.07, while the average age of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stands at 74.62. With how old each apostle is (each of them have increased in age by about 0.02 years since last week), the average age of the 15 apostles overall is 76.31 years.

Again, I honestly can't say how those averages might compare with the week-to-week averages of these three groups over the history of the Church. But the limited research I have been able to do eon this subject leads me to believe that it is safe to say that some are much older than that average, and some are much younger.

It is absolutely amazing for me to track these averages week to week. Even if I never see much of an increase in the numbers involved, what it does absolutely indicate to me is that the promise of the Lord continues to be a reality. As the scripture says, they have been sanctified by the spirit unto the renewal of their bodies. As previously observed, President Nelson is well on track to become the oldest living apostle. I think he'll make it no problem. And with how well President Monson did in delivering that funeral tribute to Elder Rudd (still no word on how long he spoke, but by all accounts available, it was for an extended period of time), it may be a very good indicator that he is improving.

Someone asked me in response to an earlier post on the subject of apostolic age averages whether the Church was preparing anything special to mark President Monson's 90th birthday, which is this year. Because I wanted to be better informed about the question, I did my research. While there has been no announcement of any such event as yet, every time a Church president has previously reached a milestone birthday, particularly 90 or older, he is honored round about the day of his actual birthday. I am more than a little surprised that we haven't heard of any such event being planned for President Monson. But there is still time. President Hinckley's 90th birthday celebration was not announced by the Church News until about a month before the event. That might happen in this case. If it does, I would expect to hear about it perhaps 6 weeks before the event, as the month before falls right in the middle of the July recess for the General Authorities. Stay tuned for more on that as I hear of it.

In the meantime, I hope these posts are helpful to you all and that no one is bothered or offended by them. I thank those of you who have expressed an interest in these reports. I appreciate you all more than I can say. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Thank you.

Groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple

Got a very wonderful surprise today. In a comment on the LDS Church Growth blog, someone mentioned that the groundbreaking for the temple in Rio de Janeiro Brazil would take place on March 4. The source cited was an announcement in local congregations that the temple district will serve. After a little digging, I was able to verify this. I couldn't be happier or more excited about this news. The first of what I hope will be many temple groundbreakings in 2017, when construction commences on March 4, it will mean that for the first time in Church history (to my knowledge), we will have two temples simultaneously under construction in Brazil. Not sure how far apart Rio and Fortaleza are, or even if they are in the same region, but it is still awesome news.

While the information has yet to be officially verified by the Church, if the LDS Church Temples site reports it, I don't need any other verification. The information there has been proven time and time again to be reliable and thorough. So I have no doubt that an official announcement will follow soon and be featured on the Church's website. Without that official confirmation, I am putting all my trust in a source I have found to be accurate and above any reproach. But when that official confirmation is available, you can bet it will be featured prominently here.

This is wonderful news. As those who have extensively followed my blog know all too well, I was certain that we would see a groundbreaking happen in Arequipa Peru and a site announcement and groundbreaking in Harare Zimbabwe before we heard anything else. I have never been more elated to be proven wrong.

The big question now is, who might be asked to preside at this event? I could see any member of the First Presidency doing it (especially in light of the fact that both Presidents Monson and Eyring may have had a vast improvement in their health. There is also a strong case for any member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The apostle that presided at the last groundbreaking for a Brazilian temple (in Fortaleza) was Elder David A. Bednar.

That groundbreaking happened in 2011, even though construction just barely formally got started last year. Right now in Forteleza, the second floor exterior walls are being poured. With the fact that the Fortazelza construction took 5 years before it made any formal construction progress, it is still projected to be completed in 2019, which may mean we could see both Brazilian temples dedicated within a year or less from each other. I will post more on that as I observe or hear anything further.

In the meantime, getting back on the subject of apostles who might preside at the groundbreaking, we could also see Elder D. Todd Christofferson do it, as he will be the featured speaker at a Face-to-Face event for the Spanish-speaking youth of the Church. His seatmate, Elder Neil L. Andersen, is another Spanish-speaking apostle. Either of the three (Bednar, Christofferson, or Andersen) would be a good bet.

But I could also see any member of the Presidency of the Seventy do it, or for that matter, any other General Authority Seventy. While Elder Ulisses Soares had originally been asked to preside at the most recent groundbreaking in Winnipeg, that role was actually filled by Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Executive Director of the Church's Temple Department. In most cases, however, unless someone more senior is asked to do so, most of the time, groundbreakings in South America have traditionally been done by a member of the Area Presidency for the relevant area. The following are the current members of the Brazil Area Presidency: Elder Claudio R. M. Costa (currently the most senior General Authority Seventy); Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis (who has given two very masterful General Conference addresses and has been a GA Seventy for 9 years this April); or Elder W. Mark Bassett (who was among those called almost a year ago and gave his first General Conference address last October). I would welcome your thoughts on this point.

Additionally, in looking over the construction status for the Tucson Arizona Temple, there were also several updates that have happened there within the last little while. It is amazing to see the Lord's work unfolding in terms of temple construction.

As you can well appreciate, this news has necessitated an update of both my temple construction progress report and my list of upcoming temple-related events. Here they are, one right after the other. Please enjoy, and feel free to let me know if you have any feedback of any kind. I appreciate you all!

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/14/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 groundbreaking scheduled; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: With one groundbreaking announced already this year, two more have the potential to be announced and scheduled very soon, and there may be several more groundbreakings than that in the year ahead.

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple: Exterior lighting system operating; interior work underway; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:

157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Patron plazas and water feature added to temple grounds; interior finish work 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: Pavers installed in parking lot and west patron plaza; trees and landscaping rocks added to parking lot green spaces; 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.

Groundbreaking Scheduled:

168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking; environmental license issued in November 2016; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday March 4, 2017.

Rededication Scheduled:

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:

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Construction preparation phase; awaiting groundbreaking announcement.

170. 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.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: The LDS Church Temple website indicates that a potential site has been announced and that the temple itself is currently being designed. This indicates that a site announcement is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: As the above-mentioned website indicates for this temple, while no official temple site has been announced, there may be a possibility that a Church office building may be reconstructed into a multi-purpose edifice that may in part function as the temple. If that happens, it will be similar to the situation of the Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York temples. This indicates also that a site announcement is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

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. 

Upcoming Temple Events (Text in parentheses indicates what the status of temples will be following the event listed):

2017

1.      Saturday March 4—Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Groundbreaking (155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 12 under construction; 1 rededication scheduled; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: Two additional groundbreaking announcements may take place soon.)

NOTE: Since the announcement of the groundbreaking was made to units within the district the temple will serve, the details have yet to be verified, including regarding who might be asked to preside at the groundbreaking ceremony. It could be either of the counselors in the First Presidency or a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with the most likely candidates being those apostles that have special ties to the area. Elder David A. Bednar presided at the last groundbreaking for a Brazilian temple in 2011. But we also have many apostles who speak Spanish and who may, at various times, have served in or around the region. It could also be that either a member of the Presidency of the Seventy or anyone in the Brazil Area Presidency (which now consists of Elders Claudio R. M. Costa, Marcos A. Aidukaitis, and W. Mark Bassett). More to come once more is known.

2.      Sunday May 21—Paris France Temple Dedication (156 operating; 11 under construction; 1 rededication scheduled; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: Two additional groundbreaking announcements may take place soon)

NOTE: As to who might be asked to preside at this dedication, previous precedent indicates it may be any member of the First Presidency (with my vote going to President Uchtdorf, as he is a European native) or any of the apostles.

3.      Sunday June 4—Idaho Falls Idaho Temple Rededication (156 operating; 10 under construction; 2 undergoing renovation; 10 announced (Up to 3 temples may soon have a groundbreaking scheduled.))

NOTE: Since the health of the brethren remains unclear, it is anyone’s guess who might be asked to preside at this dedication. I could see three possibilities at this point: President Henry B. Eyring, a former Ricks College president; Elder David A. Bednar, a former BYU-Idaho president; or Elder Neil L. Andersen, who is an Idaho native.

NOTE: A groundbreaking announcement is expected for the Arequipa Peru temple sometime early this year. Also anticipated is a site announcement for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple, with a groundbreaking to follow at the temple site within 4-6 weeks afterward. There are also at least 4 temples that will be dedicated, with 2 more rededicated. Additionally, there is a possibility that we may have any number of additional temple groundbreakings sometime during 2017.  I will keep an eye out for the announcements for such events and add them to this list as soon as I learn of them.

Important Temple Construction Progress Update--Site Clearing Begins in Arequipa Peru

I have had one of those days when, even though I didn't sleep very long last night, I woke up relatively early and unable to get back to sleep. For that reason, I had been able to make a very early initial check of my favorite Church-related websites. Aside from the news of the apostles that will represent the Church at the inauguration of President Donald Trump, not much new had happened when I checked.

But because it has been so very quiet here at work so far (in view of the fact that I am only about 50 minutes into my 8 hour shift, and have had no calls come in yet), I felt impressed to check again. When I checked the LDS Church Temples website for the second time, I was elated to discover that progress had continued at the Arequipa Peru temple site, where a groundbreaking announcement is anticipated at any time now.

This update was personally interesting, touching, and had a most profound impact on me. As work continues to be quiet, I can't wait to share what I have read. Here is the newest copy of my temple construction progress report.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/13/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 10 announced. NOTE: There is a more than likely possibility for several announced temples to have a groundbreaking announced during 2017. Two are very close to that so far this year, and there may be many more before too much longer.

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: Patron plazas and water feature added to temple grounds; interior finish work 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: Trees on site for planting; patron plazas and water featured added; installing lamp posts and art glass windows; 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. Arequipa Peru Temple: Clearing, leveling, and sureveying site;  awaiting groundbreaking announcement.

169. 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.

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

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: The LDS Church Temple website indicates that a potential site has been announced and that the temple itself is currently being designed. This is a sign that a site announcement is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: As the above-mentioned website indicates for this temple, while no official temple site has been announced, there may be a possibility that a Church office building may be reconstructed into a multi-purpose edifice that may in part function as the temple. If that happens, it will be similar to the situation of the Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York temples.

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. 

The Church has assigned two apostles to represent Church leadership at the inauguration of President Donald Trump

As has been a long-standing tradition dating back 100+ years, the Church has officially designated two apostles to represent Church leadership at the inauguration for President Donald Trump one week from today. This time, Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Gary E. Stevenson have been asked to do so. I am grateful to have been able to read about this today. These men will represent Church leadership very well.

In addition to Elder Christofferson attending the inauguration, he will represent the Brethren at a National Prayer Service the day following the inauguration. When I read that, I wondered for a moment why Elder Stevenson would not join him in doing that. But that is cleared up by the very next sentence of the article, which indicates that shortly after he and Elder Christofferson attend the inauguration, Elder Stevenson will depart directly from there to fill another Church assignment he has in South America.

This is the third inauguration of a US President since President Monson's tenure as prophet began almost 9 years ago (it will be exactly nine years in just three weeks from today). During that time, the Church has been well represented by those sent to such events. For President Barack Obama's first inauguration, which happened just before President Monson marked one year as Church President, the leading Brethren were represented at that event by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elder M. Russell Ballard.

Four years later, it was the late Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Quentin L. Cook who did so at President Obama's second inauguration. And now we have Elder Christofferson and Elder Stevenson asked to attend President Trump's inauguration this year. It marks the first time during President Monson's tenure that two apostles that were still relatively junior in terms of apostolic seniority have been asked to attend (with Elder Christofferson being the 11th and Elder Stevenson being the 14th).

However, I am aware of one of the most likely reasons for at least Elder Christofferson's assignment to this event. Unless things have changed, he has been for quite a while the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that chairs the Church Public Affairs Committee. As far as I know, he is still doing that. If I am in error on this point, please do let me know. In the meantime, click here to read the full news release from the Mormon Newsroom at lds.org that verifies this information.

It is interesting how busy the apostles have been. And this is particularly true in the case of Elder Christofferson, who has more frequently represented the Church at various important events just within the last year. And the information the news release shared about Elder Stevenson's back-to-back assignments indicates that even though the three newest apostles have n been in their callings for about 15 months, they are still being extensively asked to fill a variety of assignments. I think it is awesome to see how well our three newest apostles have adjusted so well to the mantle of the apostleship.

As those of you who regularly follow this blog know all too well, I have always had a great love and admiration for the service our apostles so willingly render. I have loved being able to report the latest things they are doing and the assignments they are filling. And within the last little while, I have so very much enjoyed posting about the latest milestones these 15 good men are reaching in terms of age and tenure length and so on. I look forward to doing so much more in the future.

Thank you so much for taking time to read my musings about the latest developments in this regard. I appreciate you all more than I can say. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any feedback of any kind for me in regards to things posted on this blog. Such comments help me fine-tune the way I report developments in the future, and hearing the thoughts you have has greatly heightened my understanding of factors involved in matters on which I report. The sense of "community" I feel has been established here, even as small and insignificant as that may be in comparison with, say, the LDS Church Temples site maintained by Rick Satterfield or the Church Growth blogs maintained by Matthew Martinich, has continued to embolden me to share things like this that have personally impacted me. Thanks again.