Temple Construction Progress Update

Hello, everyone! While I have not had a good enough reason to post an update on temple construction since my last report (posted almost two weeks ago), between updating the notes on my latest report and the progress that has been reported, I wanted to share the latest version of that report today. It follows below. Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Hope you are having a wonderful, inspiring Sabbath Day. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Temple Construction Progress Update (current as of 8/27/17)

NOTE ABOUT FUTURE TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION: As I have noted in many previous versions of this report, Elder Larry Y. Wilson, the Executive Director of the Church’s Temple Department stated that 80 potential temple sites are currently under active consideration for a subsequent announcement within the next 15 years. While many of those temples make it to a subsequent announcement, it is certain that a few of them could either be eliminated or replaced, with others added. If we take Elder Wilson at his word, that means that by sometime in 2032 (likely the end of that year), the Church could have at least 260 temples in any phase of construction. That being the case, it seems very safe to assume that the Church could easily have 200 operating temples either by or before the 200^th anniversary of the Church’s restoration and reestablishment (which will take place on Saturday April 6, 2030). That will be easily doable if the Church dedicates 43 temples (the 25 currently in any phase and 18 new ones announced) in the 12.61 years between now and then, which works out to 3 or 4 temples that will need to be dedicated each year. For my part, I will be keeping my eyes open for any developments and will pass such news along as I hear of it.

CURRENT TEMPLE STATUS: 157 operating temples; 2 more have construction wrapping up prior to their dedications later this year; 9 others are in various construction phases; 1 had a groundbreaking last year, with full-scale construction anticipated in the very near future; 1 has a groundbreaking scheduled (which will take place in just under three months; 1 temple has a rededication scheduled; 1 other is undergoing renovation (with completion anticipated next year); another 4 have a renovation closure date set for later this year, with 5 others set to close early next year (the actual dates for those 5 will be set closer to the time); the remaining 12* are announced (with either a site announcement or groundbreaking pending). TOTAL: 182 temples in any stage.

*NOTE: Though this number had been italicized in previous versions of this report, I determined to put it in bold on August 6, 2017 because the number of announced temples is definite information, though it is always subject to change in the future based on other temple announcements or whenever groundbreakings will be set.

Construction nearing completion; dedication scheduled:

158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Finalizing landscaping and interior work; open house reservations will be accepted beginning on Monday September 25, 2017 (with the open house set to run between October 21 and November 11); dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Hanging interior light fixtures; installing art glass; landscaping progressing; open house reservations will be accepted beginning Monday October 2, 2017 (with the open house set to run between October 27 and November 18); dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017.

                                                      

Under Construction (completion anticipated within the next 1-2 years):

160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior and exterior work progressing; construction office trailers donated to community organizations; office space relocated to patron housing; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Attaching roof decking; site grading of grounds underway; concrete poured for baptismal font; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

NOTE: Barring anything unexpected, I have felt it safe to assert my opinion that this temple’s completion will likely be closer to the middle of the year than the end of it, and I have felt that is especially true given that the three other temples below this one will likely be completed as the year comes to a close. If I get information that changes my thinking on this matter, I will pass it along.

162. Concepcion Chile Temple: Cladding progressing on tower and east and west walls; decorative fence installation underway; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

163.  Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Pouring concrete curbing and walkways; preparing to clad tower; completion anticipated sometime during late 2018.

164. Durban South Africa Temple: Preparing to pour temple roof slab; brick work continues at missionary housing; waterproofing and backfilling entrance buildings; completion anticipated sometime during late 2018-early 2019.

NOTE: In studying this temple’s potential completion time-frame, I have become convinced that the dedication for it will take place closer to the end of 2018 than the beginning of 2019. If my thinking on that theory changes, I will be sure to pass that along.

Under construction, completion anticipated within the next 2-3 years:  

165. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Applying waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

NOTE: In view of my feeling that the Durban temple will be completed before the end of 2018, I am likewise as certain that this temple’s completion will be closer to the first part of 2019 than the middle of it, especially since we have operating temples scheduled for renovation that are anticipated to be completed closer to the middle of 2019 than the beginning of it. As with anything else, if my thinking on this changes, I will pass that along.

166. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Construction underway on temple substructure; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2019.

168. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Preparing to pour main floor of temple; meetinghouse cladding progressing; completion anticipated sometime during late 2019.

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Setting rebar for main floor structural walls; completion anticipated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

NOTE: Given the number of temples scheduled for renovation that are anticipated to be rededicated during 2019, I am convinced that the dedication for this temple is more likely to be held in early 2020 than late 2019. That said, this temple has made slow but steady progress since its construction began, so if I find I am in error on this line of thinking, I will pass that along.

Construction pending (anticipated to start anytime):

167. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; awaiting full-scale operations; acquiring building permits; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

NOTE: All of the sources available to me in researching the potential completion time-frame for this temple seem to indicate that its dedication is more likely to happen in mid-2019 than towards the end of the year. However, until construction is underway and we see whether or not it is able to progress rapidly, I have felt it wiser to be more conservative in my estimate. If it happens that this temple will be completed more towards the end of the year than the middle of it, that would also strengthen my reasons for asserting that the completion of the Arequipa Peru Temple will take place in 2020.

Groundbreaking scheduled:

170. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Ground being cleared; preparing for groundbreaking ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday October 28, 2017; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

NOTE: Based on the knowledge that this temple will be somewhat comparable in size to the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple, and because this temple’s groundbreaking will happen prior to the end of the year, I have felt an initial 3-year estimate for its completion would be appropriate. Once work gets underway in earnest on this temple (which, by all reports, looks to be able to happen by the Monday after the groundbreaking), we will know more about when it might be completed, which will continue to change depending on how fast work progresses. I will be sure to pass along any updates to my line of thought and reasoning on this.

Scheduled for rededication:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication scheduled for Sunday May 20, 2018.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication anticipated within the next year or so):

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; roof slab poured for basement addition; rededication anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

NOTE: This temple appears to be on track to be dedicated sometime after both the rededication of the Jordan River Utah Temple and the dedication of the Rome Italy Temple. Once more is known about how soon that might be, I will pass the information along.

Renovations Scheduled (official closure dates announced):

80. Memphis Tennessee Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on September 29, 2017; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

NOTE: As mentioned in previous versions of this report, all that is known about the renovation process for this temple is that it will alter both the interior and exterior appearance of it. While my study of the prospects for expansion of temples scheduled for renovation is ongoing, I learned in the last month that it may not be as likely as I thought that this temple’s renovation will involve an expansion. Once more is known, I will pass that along. Either way, the renovation begins in about a month.

18. Tokyo Japan Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on September 29, 2017; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

NOTE: As previously mentioned, the stated purpose for this temple’s renovation is to bring electrical and mechanical systems up to date and up to code. While it is a smaller temple from the Kimball era, an expansion does not seem likely for this temple.

95. Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on October 14, 2017; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

NOTE: As noted above on the Memphis temple, an expansion does not seem likely for this temple either. If I find information that suggests that is part of the plan, I will pass it along.

112. Asuncion Paraguay Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on October 29, 2017; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

NOTE: As this temple is the most recently dedicated of those scheduled for renovation, it is anticipated that the renovation process will be swifter. As mentioned above on both the Memphis and Oklahoma City temples, an expansion of this temple does not seem likely. Once more is known, I will pass that along.

Temples that have a renovation closure announced, but no official date made known yet:

68. Raleigh North Carolina Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in January 2018; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

NOTE: While a closure date has not yet been announced for this temple, it is possible that the closure could happen within the last week of 2017. In the meantime, as noted above on temples that will close in 2017, and based on feedback I received from a contact in North Carolina, an expansion for this temple does not seem to be in the plans. If I find information that changes my thinking on that, I will be sure to pass it along.

94. Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in February 2018; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

NOTE: This temple is listed above the Oakland one for now because they are in alphabetical order. Whenever a more precise closure date is known for either, I will pass that along. For now, as noted on other temples scheduled for renovation, I don’t know how likely it is that this temple could be expanded. Once I know more, I will pass that along as well.

13. Oakland California Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in February 2018; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

NOTE: When the renovation closure for this temple was announced, the Church stated it was necessary because the electrical and mechanical systems needed to be brought up-to-date. So it seems doubtful that anything else will be done during this renovation. Once we know more about what will be involved (including the exact closure date), I will pass that along.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in March 2018; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

NOTE: The stated purpose for this temple’s renovation is to bring electrical and mechanical systems up-to-date. Because this temple is larger than both the Tokyo Japan and Mesa Arizona Temples, I am estimating that it will be the last of the bunch to be rededicated. Once more is known about this process (including an exact closure date), I will pass that along.

7. Mesa Arizona Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in May 2018; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

NOTE: As previously noted, the stated purpose for this temple’s renovation is to bring electrical and mechanical systems up-to-date. And since this is the second time this temple has been renovated, it seems likely that it could be the first temple to be rededicated in 2020. As the process unfolds and more is known about its progress, I will pass along any adjustments to this line of thought.

NOTE ON FUTURE GROUNDBREAKINGS: During the month of July, I revised the order in which temples in this section were listed. About a week after doing so, I found out that I needed to revise and rethink that order again. The current order reflects the latest information I have (as of the late night hours of July 18). I should also note that the timing of any temple event is up to the Lord (based on conditions in each area), so these estimates should not in any way be taken as gospel or official until they are confirmed or denied by those who have the authorization to do so.

Announced:

171. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning and preliminary construction phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could take place sometime during early-to-mid 2018.

NOTE: If the information I have received about this temple and its progress is correct, the year of preconstruction which the contractor for this temple mentioned was needed prior to its groundbreaking began in March 2017. While there has been no evidence to corroborate that this process has indeed begun, it seemed to be enough for me to move this temple below Haiti’s first. Some have said that the surprise announcement of the Port-au-Prince groundbreaking may mean we could have other temples that will have a groundbreaking by the end of this year. But if that doesn’t happen, I think it is safe to assume and to assert that this temple will be the first to have a groundbreaking next year, and that it will happen sooner rather than later.

172. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting government approval and official site announcement; groundbreaking could take place sometime during early-to-mid 2018.

NOTE: While numerous delays prevented this temple from making any progress since its announcement almost seven years ago, those delays are at an end. Since it seems likely that the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple will be the next one to have a groundbreaking (either before the end of this year or during the first part of next year), it seems logical to assume that this temple could follow shortly thereafter. More to come once more is known.

173. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could take place during mid-2018.

NOTE: As previously noted, shortly after this temple was announced in April 2016, Elder Hamilton made a statement that indicated a site announcement and groundbreaking would follow for this temple in short order once 2017 began. Nearly eight months of 2017 have come and gone with nothing new happening for this temple. For that reason, it seems safe to assume that it will be the third temple of this announced group to have a groundbreaking. While some have said it could happen by the end of this year, it seems more likely that it will not take place until the middle of next year at earliest. If my thinking in that regard changes, I will pass that along.

174. Saratoga Springs Utah: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-2018.

NOTE: When I was encouraged to take another look at the order in which announced temples could have a subsequent groundbreaking, I felt impressed to find out, on average, how long it has taken for temples in Utah County to get from announcement to groundbreaking. Based on that average, it seems likely that, if a site is announced for it soon, this temple could have a groundbreaking at the time indicated above, and perhaps well ahead of the other temples listed below. If my thinking on that changes, I will pass it along.

175. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning phase; site inspected by Church engineers on June 21, 2017; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

NOTE: Even though this temple has already had a site identified, and that site has been inspected by Church engineers, over the course of the last several months, I have done considerable study on when announced temples have gone on to have a groundbreaking. And that study, combined with valuable feedback from experts on this subject, has led me to believe that this temple’s groundbreaking is more likely to happen towards the middle or end of 2018 than the beginning of it, especially because other temples are almost certain to have a groundbreaking first. I will continue to pass along any updates to this line of thought and reasoning.

176. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning phase; site confirmed; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

NOTE: The note on the temple above applies to this temple as well. Though it has had a site confirmed already, because other temples are almost certain to have a groundbreaking prior to this one, it has felt wise to push this estimate back. In the meantime, we could also hear any day an announcement about the name for this second temple for the capital city of the Philippines. As more information is released, I will pass that along.

177. Pocatello Idaho: Planning phase; awaiting site confirmation; groundbreaking may take place sometime during late 2018-early 2019.

NOTE: Two potential locations have been noted as potential locations for this temple site. Until a site confirmation happens, a groundbreaking time-frame may be hard to pin down. However, Idaho is well within the “Mormon corridor (of which Arizona and Utah are also a part), and temples in that area generally get built relatively easily and quickly. That said, as previously noted, I have felt it wise to push the estimate for this temple’s groundbreaking back to this point because the temples above seem more likely to have a groundbreaking prior to this one. That said, there could be an equal chance that this temple could have a groundbreaking in either late 2018 or early 2019. I will pass along updates as I learn of them.

178. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early 2019.

NOTE: I was pleased to hear of the media event held for this temple two months ago. During that event, Elder Joseph W. Sitati, the first GA Seventy from Kenya, mentioned that it usually takes a year or two after temple announcements for a groundbreaking to happen. Given that statement and the fact that the temples listed above this one will likely have a groundbreaking first, it seemed wise to adjust my estimate. If my thinking on this changes, I will pass that along.

179. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place during mid-2019.

NOTE: As noted previously, some Thai members and other members familiar with that country have speculated that an existing Church office building (owned since 2008) will be reconstructed into an edifice that not only houses Church offices, but the temple and a meetinghouse as well, similar in concept to the temples in Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York. If that is confirmed within the next year or so, I could see a groundbreaking happen at around this time. I will pass along any updates on this as I receive them.

180. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

NOTE: Growth trends in the Ivory Coast have led some to speculate that a second (and even a third) Ivory Coast temple could be among the 80 referenced above. Regarding this temple, until more is known about it, this estimate seems wise.

181. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place during mid-to-late 2019.

NOTE: Even though Ecuador’s first temple had a 14-year wait between its site announcement and groundbreaking, the growth of the Church in South America has been a clear indicator that the Church won’t have to wait that long for this groundbreaking. Because of the others listed above that are expected to have a groundbreaking first, it seems likely that the time-frame above will be likely for this temple’s groundbreaking. As always, I will adjust this as more becomes known.

182. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place during late 2019-early 2020.

NOTE: While it seems almost certain that the Brasilia Brazil Temple will have a groundbreaking sooner than this one (as we still do not know where in Belem this temple will be built), what is not known is whether this temple will indeed be the last of the current bunch to have a groundbreaking. As progress is made on temples in the next year or so, hopefully that will be cleared up. And, as always, I will continue to pass along updates and changes to this line of thinking.

ADDITIONAL GENERAL NOTE: Temple announcements within the last three years have come during the April General Conference. They may happen at any time the First Presidency feels inspired to make them, but that has been the pattern since 2015. Also, as noted above, Elder Larry Y. Wilson said in an interview recently that 80 temple sites are under consideration for an announcement within the next 15 years. So we could be entering another unprecedented era of temple announcements and construction. That is one big reason why I have expanded my list of temples that may potentially be announced. I also know that sites have been procured for future temples in Managua Nicaragua (which seems most likely, as it is the first of the top ten countries with the strongest LDS presence that does not yet have a temple, and such a temple was proposed by Elder Nelson in 2012), Auckland New Zealand, Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Bentonville Arkansas, and Missoula Montana (which was proposed by Elder Bednar sometime in 2014). I have been told by many that an official announcement will happen once unit growth and activity in temples within such areas warrants those announcements. If there have been any other sites purchased elsewhere, they have not yet been made known. We also know that several potential temples have been proposed in several locations around the world by many of our prophets and apostles. The Lord will continue to inspire such temple announcements as they are needed, and all developments will continue to be included on subsequent versions of this report.

                                                                                                           

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 highlights changes from the last posted temple progress report.

Major Changes Made in Church Board of Education

Hello, all! Faithful members of the Church all over the world are no doubt familiar with the Church Educational System (which manages seminary and institute classes worldwide and also has the responsibility of administering the Church-owned universities that provide higher education opportunities) know that it has been a busy year for higher education changes. Let me just mention the presidents of those institutions and share when the last transitions for each took place.

Kevin J. Worthen became the first Area Seventy to be asked to take the reins of BYU-Provo as its 13th president, and he was inaugurated in 2014.  John S. Tanner became the 10th president of BYU-Hawaii just over 2 years ago. As announced earlier this year by the Church (which I focused a blog post on), Henry J. Eyring (President Eyring's son) was inaugurated in April as BYU-Idaho's 17th president.

As also noted on this blog, the reason BYU-Idaho needed a new president in April was as a result of its incumbent president (Clark S. Gilbert) being asked to spearhead the new BYU-Pathway Worldwide as its first president. Also in April of this year, Bruce C. Kusch was inaugurated as the 13th president of LDS Business College. So the Church has been quite busy of late ensuring that these presidential transitionary periods happened smoothly.

My point in mentioning these things is that the Church's higher educational institutions are doing remarkably well under the leadership of these great men, who oversee staffs and faculties of equally diligent and faithful men and women in the Church that enable higher education to be both enjoyable and inspirational.

But that is not my main reason for posting. The Church Board of Education has the oversight of all Church-owned higher educational institutions, and I discovered earlier today that there have been some major additions to that board.

In order to help you appreciate the changes I will be reporting in this post, I wanted to first set the nature of the changes in the board in context for you all. Because I spent many happy hours in my growing up years perusing old editions of the General Conference Ensigns, one of the things I learned as a direct result of that study is that it was very common during most if not all of President Spencer W. Kimball's prophetic tenure and perhaps into that of his successor President Ezra Taft Benson for the members of the Church Board of Education to be featured prominently in the midst of what was then a very extensive Sustaining of Church officers.

From my study, I remember well that the Church Board of Education was comprised during that time of all members of the First Presidency, roughly half of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a couple of members of the Presidency of the Seventy, the Presiding Bishop, and the Relief Society General President.

Fast forward several years to when I was in Junior High and High School. Thanks to the fact that I have 3 siblings, I attended many seminary graduations during those years. And on each Seminary Graduation program would be an updated list of the members of the Church Board of Education, which at that time were the First Presidency, 3 apostles, one member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the general presidents of the Relief Society and Young Women. When Elder Scott, who had been on the Board of Education until he became too unwell to function in that capacity, passed away in September 2015, the Church decided to just have two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the Board.

Fast forward to May of this year. The Board membership had not changed at all by then. When the Church announced area leadership changes, which included the release of two members of the Presidency of the Seventy, one of those men. Elder Hallstrom, had been representing the Presidency of the Seventy on the Board of Education. I anticipated that Elder Hallstrom would be released from his assignment on the Board, but I didn't know what, if any, other changes to expect.

When I took time to update the Wikipedia page for our General Authorities on the first of this month, I waited for a time to find out who would be representing the Presidency of the Seventy on the Board. I found out shortly thereafter that Elder Gerrit W. Gong had received that assignment. I was happy about that because I had had the opportunity to interact with Elder Gong when he was assigned to visit my parents' Stake Conference, and I had been impressed with his testimony, knowledge, warmth, and sincerity.

Fast forward again to earlier today. I wondered in passing, since there hadn't been any other changes on the Board for a while if there was anything new in that regard today. So I ran an internet search on the subject. And that search led me to this link which lists the current members of the Church Board of Education. I was absolutely blown away by the changes. I was not, of course, surprised at all that there was no change in the chairmanship and vice chairmanships of the board.

Nor was I surprised to learn that Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Jeffrey R. Holland were still on the Board, with Elder Oaks still serving as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Boards. In case I haven't mentioned this, it is customary for the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on any general Church committee to serve as the Chairman.

Here's what did surprise me: Elders David A. Bednar and Dale G. Renlund, also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, have joined the board membership. With Elder Gong continuing to represent the Presidency of the Seventy on the Board, Church leaders have also asked Elder Donald L. Hallstrom to retain his seat on the Board, now as the only General Authority Seventy on the Board who is not in the Presidency.

Additionally, Church leaders have also invited our current Presiding Bishop, Gerald Causse, to serve on the Board as some of his predecessors in that office had previously done/ And finally, while Sisters Jean B. Bingham and Bonnie L. Oscarson continue to represent the Relief Society and Young Women auxiliary leaders, the Brethren have also invited Young Men General President Stephen W. Owen to be on the Board.

I was so very grateful to have heard of these changes. I know that with these additional leaders on the Board, the work of the Church Educational System will continue to roll forward. I was so excited to hear about this earlier today. I would have reported on this much sooner, but I spent a lot of time on Wikipedia helping to update the necessary pages as a result of these changes.

That does it for this blog post. Comments are always welcome and appreciated. As always, thank you so much for the privilege of your time. Hope you all are well. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Church News Not Previously Reported

Hello again, everyone! In doing my last check of the Church websites I follow today, I noted a couple of Church News articles that I had read and by which I had been touched, but I had forgotten to focus on them in a blog post. This report has to do with general Church leaders that have shared important information with diverse groups.

First, Sister Neill F. Marriott (who, as the Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency is also the oldest currently-serving female auxiliary leader and the second oldest auxiliary leader overall (at 69 she is just younger than Sunday School General President Tad R. Callister, who is currently 71)) wrote a Church News article that was published yesterday on the subject of how all of us, regardless of age, can strike up conversations about the gospel with our peers (or coworkers). You can find what she wrote on the subject here.

Also, Elder Quentin L. Cook, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who was an attorney by profession (and who, as previously mentioned, will mark his 77th birthday exactly two weeks from today) spoke to members of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, community leaders and guests, on August 12 (which coincided with the 85th birthday of his apostolic colleague, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who himself is a former attorney). Elder Cook covered the topics of faith, family, and religious freedom. To read a great summary of what he said in this setting, click here.

That does it for this blog post. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Comments continue to be welcome and appreciated. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Additional Church News

Hello, all! I found some additional news on Mormon Newsroom that I couldn't wait to share. The Church has published this commentary about how faith contributes to life-long learning. I can attest to that. My membership in the Church and devotion to the gospel has helped me learn many things I did not know, and has contributed to my desire to share the good news from the Church with each of you, my readers. The Church also issued this report about how Saints and friends of other faiths in Texas are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Harvey. I hope each of us will keep the Saints of Texas in our prayers, and also that those of us who can will volunteer in Church-related efforts that will provide relief in the aftermath of it. Efforts in that regard have already begun, with the Church getting ready to send any aid that might be needed. Let us get involved in such efforts and pray with all our faith that members and nonmembers alike in this area will be able to weather and triumph over this anticipated disaster. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. In the meantime, thank you for the privilege of your time, and may the Lord bless you all!

700th Blog Post: Dates for 2018 Church Events Announced

It snuck up on me, but this is my 700th blog post. I could not think of a better subject for this milestone than this: In keeping with the annual custom, Church leaders today announced the dates of important events and church-wide broadcasts for 2018. Here is an overview of that schedule:

In January, a Worldwide Devotional will be held for Young Adults on the 14th, while CES personnel will get to enjoy the Annual Evening with a General Authority on the 26th. On Saturday February 3 (when, if President Monson is still living at that time, will mark his 10th anniversary as Church President) President and Sister Nelson will be the featured speakers at a Face-to-Face Event for Youth (by which time President Nelson will have marked his 93rd birthday).

March will get a little busier, with the 3rd marking RootsTech Family Discovery Day (which typically features a keynote address by an apostle), and on the 23rd (my sweetheart Amy's birthday), the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will present Handel's Messiah. The next night will mark the General Women's Session of General Conference, with the other 5 sessions following on Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 8.

The events get more spread out over the next months, with Sunday May 6 marking another Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, the annual Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Day Concert on Saturday July 21, and the final Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults on Sunday September 9 (which will coincide with President Nelson's 94th birthday, if he is still alive at that time).

The October General Conference will be next, with the Women's Session on Saturday September 29, and the other sessions following on Saturday and Sunday October 6 & 7. At some point in October, a Face-to-Face event for Youth will be held, with the date and speaker to be announced at a later date. Rounding out Church events in 2018 will be the First Presidency's Annual Christmas Devotional on Sunday December 2.

Sounds like the Church will be busy in 2018, and that is before considering any potential temple-related developments during the year. I am excited to have been able to learn and now post about these developments.

That does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Comments are welcome and appreciated. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Dates Released For the Beginning of Open House Reservations for Two Temples

Hello again, everyone! I am back with more Church news. After no significant progress has been reported on temples of late, I found out today that the Church has released information about when open house tickets will be available for the Meridian Idaho and Cedar City Utah Temples. For Meridian, reservations will be available on Monday September 25 (one month from today), and, as already announced, the open house will go from October 21 to November 11), and reservations will continue to be offered up through the last day of the open house. One week after reservations are available for Meridian (Monday October 2, the day after General Conference concludes), reservations will start to be accepted for the Cedar City Utah Temple Open House, which, as previously noted, will run between October 27 and November 18), and reservations will continue to be offered through the last day of the Cedar City Utah Temple Open House.

Aside from these developments, things have been quiet on both the temple news and unit growth front. But I guarantee it will not remain that way for too much longer. I for one hope very soon that the Church will announce the dates for the open house, dedication (and rededication) of the Rome Italy and Frankfurt Germany Temples. In the meantime, once I hear anything new on this front, you can count on my passing that along. For now, thank you for the privilege of your time. Comments are welcome.  Stay tuned this weekend, when I hope to provide another update on apostolic statistics, and when I will be keeping my eye open for any addition Church or temple-related news.  I pray the Lord's blessings upon you all, and wish you all the best for a wonderful weekend.

Church News Includes Details on New Curriculum for Adults, Summary of Education Week

Hello, all! For a variety of reasons, I have not been able to do my initial check of the Church websites until just now. In checking the Church News, I found this article summarizing BYU's Campus Education Week, and this one which details the new curriculum that will be in place next year for adults to study during Priesthood and Relief Society, and which includes FAQs on the reasons for this curriculum change and what it will involve and entail. Among the tidbits I picked up is that the Church now has a Priesthood and Family Department (maybe they always did and I just didn't know about it), and that Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr., whose father was a GA Seventy during the tenure of either Presidents Benson or Kimball, serves as one of the assistant executive directors. I know that there have been mixed feelings about the new curriculum, but I for one am excited and overjoyed about it. I hope we will all be able to testify of the importance of these changes at some point, even if we cannot do so now. That does it for this blog post. Thank you for the privilege of your time, and may the Lord bless all of us to enjoy these inspired changes. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Elder Robert D. Hales Celebrates His 85th birthday

Hello, all! I am back, as promised three days ago, with a post written in tribute to Elder Robert D. Hales, who is celebrating his 85th birthday today. What has brought this man to this milestone? Let's explore that.

Robert Dean Hales was born on August 24, 1932 to John Rulon (an artist who worked in advertising) and Vera Marie Holbrook Hales in New York City, New York. He married Mary Crandall on June 10, 1953 in the Salt Lake Temple. They have two sons. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard. In between earning his two degrees, he served as a jet fighter pilot for the United States. He served several companies in many executive positions, both in and out of the United States.
His extensive Church service has included being a high councilor, a branch president’s counselor in Seville, Spain, a branch president in Albany Georgia; Weston Massachusetts; and Frankfurt Germany; bishop in Weston Massachusetts, Stake President’s counselor, president of the England London mission, and regional representative. He was sustained an Assistant to the Twelve on April 4, 1975 and to the First Quorum of the Seventy on October 1, 1976. While a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, he served as First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency from July 1981-July 1985. He was called as Presiding Bishop of the Church on April 6, 1985. He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 2, 1994, and was ordained an apostle five days later. He has served faithfully despite numerous health problems.
In fact, it would be very fair to say that the health problems Elder Hales has had over the years, and especially in recent years, have served to mold him into the wonderful servant of our Heavenly Father that he has become. Over the course of his ministry in general Church leadership, he has, if I have counted correctly, spoken 58 times in General Conference (with 15 of those given as a seventy and Presiding Bishop, and 43 given since his call to the apostleship). It should be noted that he has missed several General Conferences in view of his health issues: if it weren't for that, he would have a few more talks. Looking back at his speaking record, it appears that he last missed General Conference in April 2011. To review any of these 58 General Conference addresses by Elder Hales, click here.

Primarily because of his ill health in recent years, he has been the first apostolic speaker in whichever conference session he has spoken. The last time he was not the first apostolic speaker in a conference session was almost three years ago, in October 2014, when he spoke in the Sunday Morning session.

Because of his ongoing health issues, it is anyone's guess how much longer Elder Hales will be with us. That said, he has carried on much longer than many have expected. And because I have been in his shoes somewhat (in terms of having quite a few health challenges myself), I know that Elder Hales is one whose life has been extended by the grace of the Lord. It is obvious that Elder Hales still has things to teach us, through both his example and his conference talks. As with the words spoken by any of the Brethren, I hope that we will give heed to the wise counsel of Elder Hales. In the meantime, I hope he had a good day today.
That does it for this post. Though I fully expect to have additional things to post about before the end of this month, and that I will be doing several more posts in the first week of September, you can be sure that, if nothing else, I will be back on September 8 (15 days from now) and the day after that with birthday tributes to Elder Cook (who will mark his 77th on the 8th) and President Nelson (who turns 93 the following day).
In the meantime, thank you for the privilege of your time. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Church News Update: BYU Education Week and More

Hello, all! I am back again today, this time to share a Church news update on items relating to the events of BYU-Provo Education Week and a couple of other developments. There is a lot to talk about, so let's get started.

Prior to talking about BYU-Provo Education week articles, I wanted to mention two articles that came to my attention that I have not focused on in prior blog posts. First, the Church News shared an article about how the Chickasaw Indian nation gave a medallion to M. Franklin Keel of Oklahoma, and inducted him into their Hall of Fame, in honor of his service and multiple contributions to that nation. You can read more on this here.

Then, earlier today, the main Mormon Newsroom website shared an article from the Pacific Mormon Newsroom, which described how Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met and discussed the subject of religious freedom with the president and prime minister of the island of Vanuatu. During the individual visits he had with these leaders, Elder Stevenson paid tribute to their efforts to encourage religious freedom and to enact laws in their nation that will continue to allow that to happen. You can find more on that visit here.

Aside from those articles, the rest of this blog post will be focused on summaries of articles relating to BYU-Provo's Campus Education Week. Ron L. Anderson, who is an LDS author and historian, focused his remarks at one session of Education Week on the fact that the restoration of the gospel 30-some-odd years prior to the Civil War kept the nation together and preserved the Constitution while the nation was divided over the subject of slavery. To read the Church news article summarizing his remarks, click here.

BYU Psychology Professor Scott R. Braithwaite spoke about how the gospel can help us when we have situations and circumstances in life that would otherwise test our faith, and how a testimony of the gospel can help us through any faith crises we may experience during such times. You can read more on what he said here.

This article describes the opportunity Education Week participants have to tour the newly renovated MTC. And an article highlighting the keynote devotional address given by Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy, who  focused his remarks on how taking responsibility for one's own life brings power, can be found here.

Hope you enjoyed this summary of these articles. Happy reading! In the meantime, thank you for the privilege of your time. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Two Church News Items Reported

Hello, all! I am back sooner than even I anticipated, to report on news which I had heard earlier today, but have not yet passed along. In two blog posts on the Church Newsroom site, the Church shared this story (about how President Nelson shared with the governor of Nebraska information about his (the governor's) family history. It is always nice to hear how active President Nelson (who is just short of being 3 years older than our prophet) has been able to be. Not since President Monson himself was President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, as previously noted, happened during President Hinckley's presidency while President Monson also served as President Hinckley's First Counselor) have we had such an active Quorum President.

Wanted to add a sidenote here: President Nelson's predecessor, President Packer, had been confined to a wheelchair off and on from sometime in 2009 until his death in July 2015, and both the reemergence of his childhood polio and his need to be in a wheelchair had at times limited his ability to function actively as Quorum President. So the fact that the Quorum has had active leadership from President Nelson for over two years now is indeed significant, as is the fact that, by comparison, President Nelson has always been much better health-wise than President Packer was, even though President Packer was actually born the day after President Nelson. Given that President Nelson will mark his 93rd birthday next month (on the 9th), I am sure he will continue to actively provide good leadership to the Quorum (and also provide vital support for Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf as they carry the Church forward for President Monson, who, as also previously noted, announced on May 23 that he would be stepping back from an active role in Church leadership).

That said, the second story was to share different articles from the Mormon Newsroom of various foreign countries (in this case the Dominican Republic, the islands of Tonga and Kiribati in the Pacific area, Nicaragua (which several have said is a strong candidate for a temple sometime in the near future), Guatemala (which some have said may get a 3rd temple soon),and Thailand (which has a temple in the planning phase). You can find links to all of these stories here.

That does it for this blog post. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Comments are welcome and appreciated. Until I find something else to post about (which may be tomorrow at earliest), I wish you all the best.