Updated Estimated Time Frame for the Completion of Under Construction Temples/Temple Construction Progress Report and List of Upcoming Temple-related Events Updates

Here I am as promised with the second post I mentioned. This one will share the updated time frames in which under construction temples might be completed, and my updated temple construction progress report and list of upcoming temple-related events. Let's continue right where we left off. With today's announcement, I had enough of a reason to update my temple construction progress report, but the need to do so became increasingly more significant because of some developments in terms of the timelines by which under construction temples might be completed. 

Just as a demonstration of what has changed in that regard, I will give you the previous order of under construction temples, followed by the present one.Earlier today (as recently as 15 hours ago), under construction temples had been anticipated to be completed in the following order (the estimated time frame of that completion follows, as parenthetical expressions, the name of each temple): Rome Italy and Kinshasa DR Congo (both in early-to-mid 2018); Concepcion Chile and Durban South Africa (both in mid-2018); Barranquilla Colombia and Winnipeg Manitoba (both in late 2018 or early 2019); Fortaleza Brazil and Lisbon Portugal (sometime in 2019). 

With the changes implemented today, the order and timetables have changed to be listed as follows: Rome and Kinshasa (early-to-mid 2018); Barranquilla Colombia (the one and only one projected to be completed in mid-2018); Concepcion nd Durban (mid-to-late 2018); Fortaleza, Lisbon, and Winnipeg (sometime in 2019). So what do those changes mean in terms of reported temple construction progress? Let's take a look at the updates I have done on my report, which I last updated about 15 hours ago. That just shows how quickly things can change.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 2/6/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 4 scheduled for dedication; 8 under construction; 2 groundbreakings scheduled; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 8 announced. NOTE: In addition to the two groundbreakings already scheduled this year, the chances are very good that we will see several others also have a groundbreaking in 2017.

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple: Interior artwork being shipped for hanging inside the temple; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

157. Tucson Arizona Temple: Exterior architectural details gilded; installation of interior art glass and millwork nearing completion; president’s home undergoing renovation; dedication scheduled for Sunday August 13, 2017.

158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Interior painting and millwork underway; dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Installing art glass windows; hanging drywall on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017.

Under Construction:

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

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Applying waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; setting rebar; roughing in plumbing; completion anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

162.  Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Concrete walls poured for steeple; attaching waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

163. Concepcion Chile Temple: Exterior cladding going up on north wall; framing the interior walls; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

164. Durban South Africa Temple: Applying waterproof mastic to temple foundation; pouring exterior walls for missionary housing building; staking site for ancillary buildings; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

165. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Setting concrete forms for parapet walls; completion anticipated sometime during 2019.

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

167. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; 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.

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Erecting construction barrier; clearing and leveling site; preparing for groundbreaking ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday March 4, 2017.

Rededication Scheduled:

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

Undergoing Renovation:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 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:

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.

And of course, the announced groundbreaking for the temple in Arequipa Peru naturally has affected the list of upcoming temple-related events and what the status of temple construction will be after each subsequent event. I will post that in just a minute. But I just wanted to thank you all first for reading this post and (if you feel so inclined) commenting on it. You are the reason I can do what I do to any degree of success I have been able to do it. 

In fact, it just so happened that one such comment in response to an earlier post I had done was how I first found out about this upcoming groundbreaking. I appreciate such comments and the insights that are being shared. Once I have a chance to do so, whether that happens tonight or tomorrow or a day or two after, I hope to be able to revisit my predictions for when future temple-related events might be announced and scheduled to take place. Stay tuned for that. That said, here is the list of upcoming events.

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 and Arequipa Peru Temple Groundbreakings (155 operating; 4 scheduled for dedication; 10 under construction; 1 rededication scheduled; 2 undergoing renovation; 8 announced. NOTE: Several other groundbreakings may take place soon.)

NOTE: According to the LDS Church Temples website, Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, who serves as President of the Brazil Area of the Church, has been asked to preside at the groundbreaking in Rio. It is a pretty safe bet that his counselors in the area presidency, Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis and Elder W. Mark Bassett, will also be in attendance along with Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as Executive Director of the Church’s Temple Department. However, assignments to preside at groundbreakings have been known to change as needed. For what it’s worth, when the 10:00 am groundbreaking takes place in Rio, it will be 5:00 am MST. As for the groundbreaking in Arequipa, that will be presided over by Elder Carlos A. Godoy, President of the South America Northwest Area, and it is more than likely that his counselors in the area presidency, Elder Enrique R. Falabella and Elder Hugo Montoya. It is very possible that the groundbreaking in Peru will be held at 10:00 am Peruvian time, which would be 8:00 am MST. It is very possible that Elder Wilson could be in attendance at both groundbreakings, with just enough time to hop on a plane to switch locations in between.

2. Sunday May 21—Paris France Temple Dedication (156 operating; 3 scheduled for dedication; 9 under construction; 1 rededication scheduled; 2 undergoing renovation; 8 announced. NOTE: Several other groundbreakings 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; 3 scheduled for dedication; 9 under construction; 1 rededication scheduled; 2 undergoing renovation; 8 announced. NOTE: Several other groundbreakings may take place soon.)

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 that has personal ties to the area.

4. Sunday August 13—Tucson Arizona Temple Dedication (157 operating; 2 scheduled for dedication; 8 under construction; 2 undergoing renovation; 8 announced. NOTE: Several other groundbreakings may be possible soon.)

NOTE: The question of who might preside at this dedication may not be easy to resolve. Both President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf have accompanied President Monson to previous dedications in Arizona, with the question of who may have actually presided at the most recent one in Gilbert still being largely unresolved. Technically, since President Monson was present for at least one of the sessions, and since all three were under his direction, he presided there. However, with that said, it appears that President Eyring was the one who read the dedicatory prayer in the first session, opening the argument that he was the one to preside. For a similar anomalous situation, I cite the dedication of the Provo City Center Temple, where Elder Dallin H. Oaks was listed as presiding even though President Russell M. Nelson was present at the final session, which made him the presiding authority. If President Eyring does preside at the previous dedication, it is not unlikely that President Uchtdorf will be asked to represent the Church at this dedication, especially considering that President Eyring, an Idaho native, will most likely be the one to preside at the next dedication in Meridian. Also, the choice of President Uchtdorf makes even more sense when remembering that he was the one who presided at the groundbreaking in 2015. It is also not impossible to believe that Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy, who oversees the North America Southwest Area of the Church, under which Arizona falls.

5. Sunday November 19—Meridian Idaho Temple Dedication (158 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 8 under construction; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: Several other groundbreakings may be possible soon.)

NOTE: If President Uchtdorf is asked to preside at the previous dedication, and given the fact that President Eyring is an Idaho native, it would make sense if he (President Eyring) is asked to preside at this one. Another choice could be Elder David A. Bednar, who presided at the groundbreaking for the temple and was asked to preside at the dedication of the Star Valley Wyoming Temple, due to his wife’s personal connection to the area. Yet another option would be Elder Neil L. Andersen, who is an Idaho native. But the Church has never tapped such a junior apostle to preside at a temple dedication. It is not out of the question, however. It is also reasonable to believe that Elder Ulisses Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy, who oversees the Church’s Idaho Area, will be in attendance as well.

6. Sunday December 10—Cedar City Utah Temple Dedication (159 operating; 8 under construction; 2 undergoing renovation; 8 announced. NOTE: Several other groundbreakings may be possible soon.)

NOTE: If President Eyring is asked to preside at the previous dedication, it would make sense if President Uchtdorf is asked to preside at this one. That said, it would not surprise me either in any way if Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a St. George native, is assigned to officiate at this dedication. After all, for all intents and purposes, the two are essentially neighboring cities, and it is not at all unprecedented for a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve to officiate at a temple dedication. Whoever does preside, it is a near certainty that multiple apostles may be in attendance, as has been the usual custom for temple dedications in Utah. It is not unreasonable to also believe that Elder L. Whitney Clayton, who is the Senior President of the Seventy and who presided at this dedication, will be in attendance, along with Elder Craig C. Christensen, another member of the Presidency of the Seventy, who currently has supervisory responsibilities for the Utah South Area, within which the temple has been built.

FINAL NOTE: A site announcement is anticipated at some point during the early part of this year for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple, with a groundbreaking to follow at the temple site within 4-6 weeks afterward. Additionally, there is a possibility that we may have any number of additional temple groundbreakings sometime during 2017. I will keep my eye out for such developments and share those as I learn of them.

Arequipa Peru Temple Groundbreaking Set

Though I learned of this news early this morning, this is my very first chance to post about it. The Arequipa Peru Temple groundbreaking was announced this morning. The groundbreaking, which is set for Saturday March 4, the exact same day as the previously announced groundbreaking for the Rio de Janeiro Temple. This was most wonderful news to hear. I couldn't be more elated. Within just the first third of this year, we will have had two groundbreakings. And I am still searching for any news relating to a site announcement and subsequent groundbreaking for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple. Among the many comments responding to posts on the LDS Church Growth blog recently, there had been an image circulating around which some were speculating was an official artist's rendering of the Harare temple. But it turned out that the image in question was actually that of the existing temple in Accra Ghana.

In terms of today's announcement of the groundbreaking for Peru's third temple, it has been reported that Elder Carlos A. Godoy, who presides over the Church's South America Northwest Area, has been asked to preside. It is assumed that his counselors in the area presidency, Elders Enrique R. Falabella and Hugo Montoya, will also be in attendance. What is not clear as of yet is whether or not Elder Larry Y. Wilson, the Executive Director of the Church's Temple Department, or one of his assistant executive directors, might also be in attendance. It seems probable, but anyone else's guess in that regard might be better than mine. I for one wouldn't be surprised if Elder Wilson or one of his assistants were in attendance at both events. I was curious, so I did the time conversion. Given the fact that the Rio de Janeiro Temple groundbreaking is set to take place at 10 am Brazilian time (which is 5:00 am MST), and assuming that the Arequipa groundbreaking will take place at 10 am Peruvian ,time (which is 8:00 am MST; note that the Rio groundbreaking ceremony time has been explicitly stated and set, and it does not seem that this applies to Arjequpa, where no time has been officially verified), it is extremely possible that the groundbreaking ceremonies, which may be held roughly three hours apart and could thus be attended by the same representative from the Temple Department.

I don't want to make this post too extensive, so I will be following this one up with another couple of them, the first talking about the change in potential completion timetables for under construction temples and sharing my updated temple construction progress report and list of updcoming temple-related events, and the second (coming either tonight, tomorrow, or before too much logner than than) revisiting my estimated timeline for future temple-related events. Stay tuned for those updates as I am able to get them written and posted. In the meantime, comments and feedback of any kind are always welcome and most appreciated. Thanks.

Newest Edition of When Future Temple-related Events Might be Announced and Scheduled to Take Place

Hello. Given new information that has come to light recently, I have felt it would be appropriate to revisit my projects for when future temple-related events might be announced and take place. Though my last such update was only 12 days ago, between all that has happened on this front, it seems like a great idea.

As mentioned, the next temple-related event will be the announced groundbreaking in Rio de Janeiro Brazil on March 4. That groundbreaking will be done by Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, the most senior General Authority Seventy who has served for almost six years as president of the Church’s Brazil Area. That said, we may see the timeframe for the Rio temple completion follow roughly the same timetable by which the Winnipeg Temple is being built. They do seem to be roughly the same size. I will speak more on the potential completion date for this temple a little later.

I am equally certain that we could also see a groundbreaking for the Arequipa Peru temple taking place before the dedication of the Paris France Temple on May 20. We might also have a site announcement and subsequently a groundbreaking announced and done before too much longer as well. I will go into more specifics on this later.

In addition to the Paris France dedication on May 20, we also have the rededication on June 4 for the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple. It will be amazing to see those events happen. I am especially excited for the Paris temple dedication for the reasons I have before explained: my lifelong love of the French language, and my elation at being able to study it for three years in high school.

I had projected that a dedication for the Tucson Arizona temple might take place in early August. As we all know, that has been scheduled for the second Sunday in August, the 13 to be exact. So that is exciting. And, as we know, the scheduled open house conclusion proceeds the actual dedication by about two months, so that it does not in any way disrupt the annual July recess of the Church leadership.

It is interesting to note that while everyone had seemed to indicate that the announced dedications in Meridian and Cedar City were most likely to happen by early fall of this year, which is still late in the year. However, we were all pleasantly surprised, I am sure, to find that the Meridian dedication is being scheduled for Sunday November 19, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. In the meantime, the Cedar City Utah dedication has been slated to take place one week following the day Elder Holland will celebrate his 77^th birthday.

Now that we have confirmation that the Jordan River Utah Temple renovation process will not be completed until next year, and since we have three temples in addition to that (Rome Italy, Kinshasa DR Congo, and Freiberg Germany), I think it is safe to assume that we might hear of the open house and dedication dates for these temples before the end of this year. As to the actual dedications, I will say that I think we could see Jordan River dedicated in mid-January, with the Rome and Kinshasa dedications to follow in late February and early March respectively, and the rededication in Freiberg to take place in late March or within the first two weeks following General Conference weekend in April.

In the meantime, we might hear of the dedication for the temple in Concepcion within the first half of 2018, with the dedication itself to follow sometime in August. Given the past precedent we have of the way the open house for the Tucson Arizona temple has been scheduled to end just prior to the beginning of the July recess for the General Authorities, I could definitely see that happening again for the Concepcion temple.

The construction of the Durban South Africa Temple still seems to be on schedule. I feel confident that the temple will be completed within a similar time frame to that which is almost certain for Concepcion and Rome, with an announcement for the dedication made within the first half of 2018, and the dedication actually scheduled for either late August or early September.

The temple in Winnipeg has yet to progress beyond the groundbreaking. However, given its size (very small), it seems that construction might be completed by around August 2018, with the dedication taking 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, 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. Despite the five-year span between the groundbreaking and the actual commencement of construction in Fortaleza Brazil, that construction is progressing rapidly. I reiterate my feelings 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.

The Lisbon Portugal Temple is at a point that solidifies my belief 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.

Given what I have been able to find out about the temple that will be built in Rio starting in the next month and a half, and because of its design, it appears to be a smaller temple that may also be built within 20 months of its groundbreaking. If we add 20 months to March 2017, we arrive at the calculation that the temple in Rio could have construction completed by November of next year, and seeing as how the completion of a temple precedes its dedication by several months, I will say it is still very safe to assume that the temple in Rio might be dedicated somewhere around or before the same time period as the temple now being worked on in Fortaleza.

If the temple in Arequipa Peru also has a groundbreaking and if the site announcement and subsequent groundbreaking for Harare takes place within the first six months of 2017, it would not surprise me at all if both of those temples were completed and had a dedication done during 2019, though that would likely be during the fall and winter months of that year.

In the meantime, as I have stated before, the Church will add 4 new operating temples  and have one rededication by the end of 2017, and six more new temples and two renovations completed in 2018. It is not likely that the Church will run out of temples to renovate anytime soon. If any of you have any theories regarding this subject, please let me know. And it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if some of the more recent temples were also scheduled for renovation.

One thing is certain: Any backlog that might have previously existed is now increases the likelihood 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 thoughts regarding 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. And with the way things unfolded in Rio, any delays that existed were cleared up very quickly.

That said, given what I have observed, in addition to the already-scheduled groundbreaking in Rio and the possibility that we might soon hear of a groundbreaking in Arequipa and also of a site announcement and groundbreaking in Harare, I will say that I could 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 or before the end of this year.

A groundbreaking for Bangkok could happen by the beginning of 2018. The same timetable could 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.

I’m also very sure that many more temples could be announced within the next couple of years and have construction started as the Lord permits. I am very much looking forward to future events.

I continue to very much appreciate the feedback I get on things I post about here. Any and all comments on this new post are welcome. I look forward to the ongoing discussion of this important subject. Thanks!

Temple Construction Progress Report Update

Hello all. The purpose of this post will be to share my latest temple construction progress report updates. While not a lot has changed in that regard, those changes that have been made are wonderful to consider. Let me know what you think. Here's the posted report:

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 2/6/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 4 scheduled for dedication; 8 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: Interior artwork being shipped for hanging inside the temple; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

157. Tucson Arizona Temple: Exterior architectural details gilded; installation of interior art glass and millwork nearing completion; president’s home undergoing renovation; dedication scheduled for Sunday August 13, 2017.

158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Interior painting and millwork underway; dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Installing art glass windows; hanging drywall on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017.

Under Construction:

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

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Applying waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; setting rebar; roughing in plumbing; completion anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

162. Concepcion Chile Temple: Exterior cladding going up on north wall; framing the interior walls; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

163. Durban South Africa Temple: Applying waterproof mastic to temple foundation; pouring exterior walls for missionary housing building; staking site for ancillary buildings; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Concrete walls poured for steeple; attaching waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; 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: Setting concrete forms for parapet walls; completion anticipated sometime during 2019.

167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Excavation underway for temple; 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; rededicatiemon scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 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: Erecting construction barrier; clearing and leveling site; 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. 

Newest Apostolic Age & Tenure Milestones & Averages

Hello. This will just be a brief update on the latest apostolic age and tenure milestones & averages. This will be a much less detailed report than the one I posted last week. That said, as noted in previous posts, Friday marked one milestone each for our prophet (President Thomas S. Monson) and our President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (President Russell M. Nelson). President Monson marked his 9 year anniversary as Church President yesterday, in addition to President Nelson marking 1 years and 7 months as Quorum President. Nothing much has changed otherwise in terms of how close Presidents Monson and Nelson are to the nearest age and tenure records.

In the meantime, I want to note one thing about the apostolic age averages that's kind of a significant anomaly. Elder Ronald A. Rasband is going to celebrate his 66th birthday on Monday. So while, as of tomorrow, the day on which I am basing this report, he is one day short of that birthday, his decimal age, rounded to the nearest hundredth, is already 66.00 years. So that is unique. Also, the number of days since his birthday is the one and only one left that has not yet been affected by the leap year. As such, I have been dividing the number of days since his birthday by 366 to determine how many hundredths of a year he is on any given Sunday. The remaining 14 are being divided by 365 to determine how many hundredths of a year they are.

That said, as of tomorrow, the average age of the First Presidency members is 83.13. As mentioned, President Monson is above that average, President Eyring is closest to it, and President Uchtdorf is below it.

The average age of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is 74.68. The six above that average are President Nelson, Elder Ballard, Elder Oaks, Elder Hales, Elder Cook and Elder Holland, who is the youngest of that older half and is therefore closest to that average. Elder Christofferson is the closest to the average in the other half of those twelve. The other five under the average are, of course, Elder Rasband, Elder Andersen, Elder Bednar, Elder Renlund, and Elder Stevenson.

The average age of the 15 apostles as a group is 76.37. The seven above that average are Presidents Nelson and Monson (on the older side), President Eyring and Elder Cook (on the younger side) and Elders Ballard, Oaks and Hales (in the middle). Elder Cook and President Uchtdorf are the ones who split the older half from the younger half, with Elder Cook being the youngest of the seven oldest, and President Uchtdorf being the oldest of the eight youngest. In addition the President Uchtdorf, rounding out the younger side are Elders Holland, Christofferson, Rasband, Andersen, Bednar, Renlund, and Stevenson.

Of those apostles who are not yet 90, President Monson is the closest to that, and he will be 90 in 6 months and 16 days (from tomorrow). And among our youngest third of apostles, the youngest, Elder Stevenson, will not be 90 for another 28 years, 6 months, and 1 day. It always interests me how the Lord governs the changing of the apostolic leadership of His Church.

All the apostles called between the apostolic calls of President Monson (in October 1963) and President Nelson (in April 1984) have passed away. We have also lost the two that sat between Elder Ballard and Elder Hales. In the meantime, as Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf fall in seniority between Elders Holland and Bednar, there is another gap in the Quorum of the Twelve. It is interesting that between President Monson (the 77th apostle in Church history) and President Nelson (the 85th one), there are eight apostles that we have lost.

When taking into account the other two that have died (Elders Wirthlin and Scott), it would only take two more apostles passing before President Monson to mark the loss of a full Quorum's worth since President Monson's call. And as sad as that is to contemplate, it could happen. Elder Hales is just younger than Elder Oaks but seems to have the worst health history of our current 15 apostles. He has looked better these last couple of conferences, but given how precarious things have previously been for him, he could be the next one we lose. I hate to lose any of the Brethren, but I can't shake the feeling that he might not be with us much longer. That said, we have seen the Lord prolong his life many times previously, so he could carry on for years to come. We have had apostles in better health than he has had decline suddenly, so nothing would surprise me at this point.

Elder Ballard is showing signs of his age, being just over a year younger than President Monson. By all reports, he is still healthy, but again, we have seen seemingly healthy apostles decline suddenly, so there is always a chance that he could pass before President Monson.

And while I do hope that President Nelson, who is just under three years older than President Monson, will live to become the oldest living apostle, it is a rare thing to have someone live that long after wearing out his life in the Lord's service. That said, he is still traveling extensively and he has outlived President Packer, who was born one day after him. I fully expect to see President Nelson live a long time and surprise us all with the milestones he will reach towards becoming the oldest apostle. But that will be up to the Lord.

I hope I am correctly understood in what I have expressed in the previous three paragraphs above. I don't enjoy contemplating or speculating about which apostles we might lose and when. I merely mention these factors in view of those who might precede President Monson in death. I for one hope that all of the apostles continue to do very well health-wise, and that it will be many years before the next apostolic death. I am glad the Lord controls and governs that aspect of things. I for one would hate trying to determine when that should happen. I love the leading brethren of the Church, which I hope is apparently by the things I post about them and their travels. I sustain them with all my heart, and I do my best to follow their counsel. May the Lord continue to bless all of his faithful special witnesses.

First Temple Construction Progress Report Update for February

Hello, all! As I indicated in a recent previous post on the infographic released by the Church, the information contained therein is somewhat outdated in terms of the many developments now taking place for temples worldwide. This is clear to me when I compare the personal report I do to that infographic. I am grateful that the Church notes such updates as fast as they can, but I feel that information I find elsewhere is more up-to-date. And I love that I get to share these things with you all. Hope you enjoy this post, which will likely be the last post for today. If it is, more will be coming tomorrow.

Here's my newest report. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 2/3/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 4 scheduled for dedication; 8 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: Interior artwork being shipped for hanging inside the temple; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

157. Tucson Arizona Temple: Exterior lighting tests underway; installation of interior art glass and millwork nearing completion; president’s home undergoing renovation; dedication scheduled for Sunday August 13, 2017.

158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Interior painting and millwork underway; dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Installing art glass windows; hanging drywall on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017.

Under Construction:

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

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Applying waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; setting rebar; roughing in plumbing; completion anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

162. Concepcion Chile Temple: Exterior cladding going up on north wall; framing the interior walls; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

163. Durban South Africa Temple: Applying waterproof mastic to temple foundation; pouring exterior walls for missionary housing building; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Concrete walls poured for steeple; attaching waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; 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: Setting concrete forms for parapet walls; completion anticipated sometime during 2019.

167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Excavation underway for temple; 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 early-and-mid 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: Erecting construction barrier; clearing and leveling site; 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. 

First Presidency marks 9 years of service

This will be the first in a series of several blog posts I plan to do this weekend on various aspects of Church news and developments. First, this is a landmark day for the Church. It was on this day 9 years ago that the First Presidency was organized following the death of 15th Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. As was no surprise to anyone who knows anything about apostolic succession, President Thomas Spencer Monson was ordained and set apart as Church President by the second senior apostle, Boyd K. Packer. President Monson selected as his counselors Henry Bennion Eyring (who had served roughly three and a half months as President Hinckley's new second counselor following the death of James E. Faust), and Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf (who, with David A. Bednar, had been called to the apostleship about 3.25 years prior).

I enjoyed hearing the reaction of these men to what had happened. President Monson, who had prayed extensively for the extension of President Hinckley's life; I have never met any apostle who had any aspirations of any kind to ascend to the presidency), had a deep soul search and sent up even more prayers following President Hinckley's passing, including for guidance on how he should lead the Church forward, and inspiration regarding whom he should select as his counselor.

Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf were among the most junior apostles (only Elders Bednar and Cook were more so), but, as President Monson was wryly quoted as saying in his biography, he felt that he had enough apostolic seniority to provide a good balance to the junior status of his counselors, chosen by the Lord.

That being said, it seemed none of the other apostles were surprised by the calls of Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf, except the two of them themselves. As I said, no one in the Church aspires to those positions if they are sensible. President Eyring reported that he had initially felt relieved at the death of President Hinckley, knowing he could resume his service among the rest of his quorum. And who can forget President Uchtdorf's expression of being "joyfully overwhelmed"? But both expressed their determination to serve to the best of their ability.

As for President Monson, it was not long before the mantle of prophet was visible on him. It could be clearly seen during the press conference introducing the First Presidency the next day. And for the first time in just over 76 years, we had a First Presidency member serving who was born outside of the United States. (President Uchtdorf joined an elite group with that distinction; we have had only six others.

The next most recent is Charles W. Nibley (born in Scotland). He served as second counselor to President Heber J. Grant from May 1925 until his death in December 1931. Before that, we had Charles W. Penrose (born in England). He was second counselor to President Grant from November 1918 to March 2021 and subsequently was first counselor from that month to his death in May 1925.

Prior to that was the service of Anthon H. Lund (born in Denmark). He served as Second Counselor to President Joseph F. Smith from October 1901 to April 1910 and subsequently as First Counselor to President Smith from that month until President Smith's death in November 1918. He only had four days in which he was back in his position in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which coincidentally, as a side note, is the shortest time period in Church history between the death of one Church president and the setting apart of the next); after that, he served simultaneously as First Counselor to President Grant and also President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until his death in March of 1921.

Reaching even further back into Church history, we note the service of John R. Winder, another from England. He served as the first First Counselor of President Smith from October 1901 until his death in March of 1910. He was not only an international member of the First Presidency. He is also one of only a few First Presidency members who were never ordained as apostles. I know there have been a few of those, but only a few. As another sidenote (boy, I have many of those), I don't count J. Reuben Clark in that category of First Presidency members who were not apostles. President Clark was ordained an apostle for purposes of establishing his apostolic seniority, putting him in the line of succession.

Anyways, getting back to the subject of international members of the First Presidency, the one before President Winder was George Q. Cannon (from England). He served for many years as a First Presidency member, under 4 Church Presidents (Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow). His service included being a counselor in the First Presidency under Brigham Young from June 1873 to President Young's death in late August 1877 (President Cannon's official title changed in May of 1874 to assistant counselor). He then went on to serve as the First Counselor to the next three Church Presidents until his death in April of 1901.

Coincidentally, another sidenote. The gap in the First Presidency that was caused by the death of George Q. Cannon was not filled until the next General Conference, where Joseph F. Smith became President Snow's new First Counselor, and Rudger Clawson was sustained to succeed President Smith. The two (Presidents Smith and Clawson) were sustained but not set apart due to the death of President Snow seven days after the announced changes. And President Smith was inspired to not retain President Clawson in the new First Presidency, giving President Clawson the distinction of having the shortest tenure as a counselor in the First Presidency.

Those who have been keeping track (if you haven't gotten lost in the trivia) know that all that remains is to discuss the first international member of the First Presidency. William Law had that distinction. Born in Ireland, he was called to serve in the First Presidency with Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, when Brother Joseph determined to have his brother Hyrum, his previous Second Counselor, continue serving in the First Presidency in a more minor role, allowing Hyrum to devote his full duties to his appointment as the rightful heir to the position as the Patriarch to the Church, having received that right-by-lineage at the hands of his father, Joseph Sr., who had died the previous year. Unfortunately, President Law's service only lasted until two months before the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. President Law had fallen prey to the widespread belief that the Prophet's teachings regarding plural marriage had caused him (the Prophet) to fall out of God's graces. Disillusioned, he left the Church and became an establishing member of one of the other Latter Day Saint splinter groups, and was appointed that group's first prophet.

In light of studying the history of that time, and in the interests of sharing as much First Presidency trivia as I can within this post, I can tell you that this was a somewhat lonely period for Joseph Smith in terms of being able to rely on his counselors. In addition to President Law's disaffection, President Sidney Rigdon had disregarded instructions from a direct revelation from the Lord and left the Church to relocate to Philadelphia. Brother Joseph had asked the Church members to refuse to sustain President Rigdon, but the Church members were adamant about keeping him in the First Presidency. Joseph voiced his concern over this, saying he was doing his best to rid the Church of the pettiness shown by President Rigdon in relocating due to his opposition to plural marriage. Borther Joseph made it clear that he was not happy about having to retain him because of the common consent principle of the Church. Brother Joseph made his disapproval clear: "I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have again put him on me. You may carry him; I will not."

That said, I know some who claim that President Rigdon's wanting to move was at the express wish of the Prophet, who was attempting to launch a campaign to be President of the United States. The prevalent story goes that President Rigdon had moved to Philadelphia to qualify him to be the Prophet's vice presidential candidate, as there is a long-standing rule that the candidates for President and Vice President of the United States cannot reside in the same state. But this thoery has been debunked, and the truth has been made know.

As we are all aware, the Prophet's inspiration to try and get the Church beyond the influence of President Rigdon was inspired. Though Brother Joseph had indicated that where he was not, there was no First Presidency over the Twelve, after his martyrdom, President Rigdon tried to convince the Church that he (as President Smith's First Counselor) was the rightful successor to Joseph. There followed the miraculous transfiguration of the appearance and voice of Brigham Young into that of Joseph Smith, which was observed by many, setting the precedent still followed today of succession in the presidency.

After all that trivia about former members of the First Presidency, it is time to get back to the main point of this post. I remember where I was when I heard of the announced reorganization of the current First Presidency when it was made public on Monday February 4, 2008. I was at my physical therapy appointment. I had waited over one of the longest weekends of my life to hear the news. Since my physical therapist is LDS as well, he had the radio tuned in to the press conference as he tried to work on me. I didn't make it very easy for him. I craned my neck, straining to hear the news.

When they were introduced, I didn't quite hear who the counselors were. I asked my mom, who was there waiting for me, to repeat that information. As she did, and as I listened to the rest of the press conference (I was officially able to watch it later on that day), I gained a sure witness that these were the men who needed to serve in the First Presidency at this time. There entered deep into my heart the absolute conviction that their calls came from the Lord. And they fielded questions about how they had been called and what they hoped to accomplish with their service together, however long it would last. President Monson expressed his love, support, and admiration for his counselors and the other apostles. Presidents Eyring and Ucthdorf each expressed the same for President Monson, each other, and their apostolic colleagues.

And so, their service commenced. I don't know what I could say of the last nine years of that service that would be an adequate summary. There have been numerous developments on all fronts of the Church. President Monson has continued the legacy set by President Hinckley of bringing the temples to the people. He has called more apostles in these last 9 years than President Hinckley did in his almost 13 year tenure (only one more; he has added 5 compared to President Hinckley's 4, and there is a possibility that we could have a few more pass before President Monson does; as Elder Hales has not been in very good health for years, despite being just under five years younger than President Monson; it is also possible that Elder Ballard might pass before President Monson does, being just over a year younger than out prophet; and it is anyone's guess whether or not President Nelson will outlive President Monson as well. Right now, it looks that way, but President Nelson is just over three years older than our prophet). There have been policy announcements, worldwide travel, reaching out to the one, many missions created, the adjustment in missionary age, geographical areas realigned, visits with dignitaries at home and abroad, and many changes in Church leadership, just to name a few things. And I could go on.

But as noted before in my post about apostolic age and tenure milestones, President Monson has become the 9th of our 16 prophets to have served for at least 9 years. And his First Presidency is historically significant not only for what they have accomplished, but also because they now rank as the fifth longest serving First Presidency without a change. They will observe more tenure milestones soon if no one passes away before then. They will jump to the fourth such spot on Wednesday June 28 of this year. About 34 days later, they will take the third longest serving slot (Monday July 31). Next year will see them take the second longest serving spot. That will happen on Wednesday September 12. And if they are still all alive on Friday July 3, 2020, they will have become the longest serving unchanged First Presidency.

That said, my thanks to those who have waded through this lengthy post full of Church trivia. I also would like to thank those who amended a statement I had made in an earlier post that claimed that our current First Presidency was on track to become the longest serving First Presidency very soon. In an act of true contrition, I have now done the research to set the record straight. That said, any comments on this milestone in general or the contents of this post in particular are welcome. Thanks to you all for your continued readership.

Temple Infographic Updated

In light of the recently announced dedications of the final three temples that have been under construction for the last little while in the United States (if that fact alone is not a major indicator of the current international expansion of the gospel, I have no idea what is), the Church today released the latest updates to their temple infographic. I have compared this newest version to some of the previous ones, and it seems that the infographic has recorded some degree of progress in the construction of every temple. That being said, the updates are not as current or nearly as specific as those done on the LDS Church Temples website. Even so, it is a most impressive update. Click here to view that. So inspiring!

One other note. I receive feedback periodically from people who read my posts but may not want to make these insights public. Because of those insights, and without going into detail that I do not have or cannot be properly verified, it appears that the factors determining what makes a temple renovation necessary are more extensive than I originally believed. And the nature of those factors and the thoughts that have been shared, such as they are, have led me to conclude that renovations make more sense at times than building another temple within the same area. I imagine that if there is a good reason for renovation, and if it might be more feasible, reasonable, or more cost effective to expand or change existing temples to fit increased demand and local need, that might be done instead of perhaps announcing other temples elsewhere in such locales. It seems that the issue of determining these things is more involved than I originally thought.

One thing is clear, though: There are some older temples (the one in Salt Lake springs to mind) that will never be renovated at all, regardless of how much "sense" there might be in doing so. There are many older temples that others may feel should be renovated that might not be for a while.

There are also some older temples that are architectural icons, which means that remodeling them would detract from the beauty of the area and alter the feel of it. I honestly don't see the Provo temple being overhauled anytime soon. There is enough respect for the original design there that it is another that likely won't be touched. The renovation in Ogden, which had been the sister temple to Provo, made sense because the surrounding neighborhood had grown out of the old design. So an overhaul there became necessary. The area in which the Provo Temple has been built still seems to very much be architecturally true to that original design.

And it could be that for growing cities like those in the Utah and Salt Lake Valleys, an expansion of the temple might make more sense and be more feasible than the idea of building others in neighboring cities. It would be hard to witness, but I could see my own temple, the Mount Timpanogos Temple, falling into that category. Some who have commented to me have said they could see in Utah county temples announced for Lehi or the Saratoga Springs/Eagle Mountain area. If the American Fork temple was overhauled instead of having other temples built, I could see something like that working.

Since my knowledge of the activity levels in temples is only based on what I have observed in my neck of the woods, I have chosen to use the examples above as indicators of what could possibly happen. That said, I want to be absolutely clear. While I do know for a fact that the Salt Lake temple will never be renovated (that is a prime example of the all too prevalent Mormon myths that have floated around for years), and while I have very good reasons to believe that renovations will likely not happen in either Provo or American Fork, I did use those examples, with which I was familiar, to try and demonstrate how such decisions might be considered on a worldwide scale. Hope that makes sense to everyone.

That said, comments and feedback of any kind continue to be most welcome and always appreciated. If you have particular ideas about temples that might be renovated, or any insights regarding the ongoing developments in temple construction progress, I would appreciate hearing about them. I don't have nearly as much insight into such things as others might. I am reliant mainly on such feedback to fine-tune my thoughts and expressed opinions.

In regards to any comments, I do want you to know that I fully intend to respect the privacy by which those who might have offered more specific feedback have chosen to do so via e-mail rather than formal comments. That feedback, from a wide variety of individuals, has  said volumes to me about how widely read this blog has become. And that is a full credit to those who comment in public and in private. Because I honor requests for confidentially, I cannot and will not betray the trust that has been placed in me. For that reason, and because nothing is definite until a future official announcement happens, I cannot comment above and beyond what I have said here in regards to whether or not a specific temple might be more or less likely for renovation anytime soon.

As with trying to figure out which cities are most imminently likely for a temple in the very near future or  when future temple events might be announced and scheduled, the most unpredictable element of it all is that the Lord's plans in this regard are so vastly different from the way we might think or feel on the issue. We can speculate or predict until we are blue in the face, and make the best estimation we can, but the Lord does know the specifics and will reveal those as needed, according to His divine and perfect plan to perpetuate mankind's ability to be forever bound to their families. He is at the helm, and His hand is over every aspect of His work.

This is especially true of temple-related developments. I have seen things happen that I felt were sure, even though I may have believed that such things wouldn't come within my lifetime. I have been able to anticipate some things that have happened in that regard very precisely at times. And I have equally as often been completely blown away by how very many surprises the Lord throws our way.

I am just thrilled to be as involved with the public discussion of such things, and I am very honored and most humbled to realize that my thoughts, such as they have been, have been so well received that my blog has reportedly ranked for the last little while as one of the top Google search results for all temple-related developments. It also thrills and frightens me to think that my influence may be more widespread than I could ever have imagined or hoped for when I first started posting my thoughts on these things.

And it is not so much because of anything I have said or any research I have done. It is mostly (if not completely) due to the fact that there has been such great discussion threads on these things. Each comment made adds to my understanding and appreciation for the value in the opinions of others, and I hope my constant updates, corrections, and clarifications serve as an adequate monument to the value I place on such contributions to the ongoing discussion.

That said, thank you so much for reading this post, and, if you would like to, please share your insights. I look forward to continuing to follow the direction that has been set by such feedback and insights. Let the discussion begin!