Stokes Sounds Off: 08/09/16

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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Freiberg Germany Temple Open House

The Freiberg Germany temple is opening for open house tours. Unlike most other temples, no tickets are needed to tour the temple. Scheduled to be rededicated on Sunday September 4, I am anticipating that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a native German, will be officiating at this temple dedication. Thanks to you all for your interest and support.

Preliminary Conference Predictions Part 2--Changes in General Church Leadership

I am predicting the following changes in Church leadership for the reasons indicated. I would welcome any and all feedback.

Changes in General Church Leadership

General Authority Seventies: Elders Daniel L. Johnson and Francisco J. Vinas released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and Elder Kent F. Richards released from the Second Quorum of the Seventy and granted emeritus status.
NOTE: Since the First and Second Quorum members are referred to as General Authority Seventies, any releases and emeritus statuses will be mentioned in a group.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Only Elder Richards is 70 currently, but the Church has been known to release and grant emeritus status to brethren that turn 70 within a given year. In this case, that means that those born in 1946, who will be 70 by the end of the year, are most likely to be granted emeritus status. There may be more releases, as last October, one general authority seventy was granted emeritus status for a reason not specified, and that particular GA Seventy was under 70 and had been in the Second Quorum for six years. The following additional brethren who have served in the Second Quorum for seven years may therefore also be granted emeritus status: Bradley D. Foster and Gregory A. Schwitzer. If I had to fine-tune this prediction, I would say that only Elders Johnson, Richards and Vinas will be granted emeritus status.
RESULT:
Area Seventies: Releases and sustainings.
NOTE: It has generally been a rule that most changes in Area Seventies happen during April General Conference, when President Dieter F. Uchtdorf leads out in the sustaining of Church officers. It also has generally been a rule that only a few changes in Area Seventies happen during October General Conference, when President Henry B. Eyring leads out in the sustaining.
RESULT:

Preliminary Conference Predictions Part 1--Speaking Order

Hello. I am doing something a little different with my conference predictions this go round. I am posting them in advance and would welcome feedback on them. Based on what is discussed here, I may alter and tweak some things. Though my temple predictions will be part of these predictions, I am not posting them here, as another post is already discussing my temple predictions. I will break up the predictions into a couple of different categories. This post will discuss speaker order. I'll post the predictions, then comment on them.

Session
Conducting
Speaker
General Women’s
Linda K. Burton
Bonnie H. Cordon


Carole M. Stephens


Bonnie L. Oscarson


President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Saturday Morning
President Henry B. Eyring
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf


Elder Robert D. Hales


Elder Craig C. Christensen


Joy D. Jones


Elder Yoon Hwan Choi


Elder Juan A. Uceda


President Russell M. Nelson
Saturday Afternoon
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
President Henry B. Eyring (Sustaining of Church Officers)


Elder Gary E. Stevenson


Elder Dale G. Renlund


Elder W. Mark Bassett


Elder Mark A. Bragg


Elder Weatherford T. Clayton


Elder Quentin L. Cook


Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Saturday Priesthood
President Henry B. Eyring
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland


Bishop Gerald Causse


President Dieter F. Uchtdorf


President Henry B. Eyring


President Thomas S. Monson
Sunday Morning
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
President Thomas S. Monson


Elder David A. Bednar


Elder Lynn G. Robbins


Linda S. Reeves


Elder Dallin H. Oaks


President Henry B. Eyring
Sunday Afternoon
President Henry B. Eyring
Elder Ronald A. Rasband


Elder M. Russell Ballard


Brian K. Ashton


Elder Valeri V. Cordon


Elder Joaquin E. Costa


Elder Massimo De Feo


Elder Neil L. Andersen

A couple of comments on the predictions, session by session.
1. General Women's Meeting: Seeing as how there's been a change in the Primary General Presidency, there is a chance the First Presidency will ask all the female auxiliary presidents to speak in this one because the Primary General President, Joy D. Jones, has not had a chance to speak in a general women's meeting. I can see the appeal of doing it that way. It would be highly irregular for a counselor in a new auxiliary presidency to speak before the new president. But I think the current order is more likely because it's been a few conferences since the 2nd Counselor in the Primary General Presidency spoke in a General Women's Session. So of the two, I favor the current one. And, barring a miracle allowing President Monson to speak in this session, President Uchtdorf is the most likely First Presidency member to speak.
2. Saturday Morning Session: I do not anticipate that President Monson will open the conference, as he has not done so since 2014. Instead, I anticipate that President Uchtdorf, whose turn it is to speak in the Saturday Morning Session, will speak to us first. Elder Hales will be the first apostolic speaker because of his health. I've been pretty good at selecting the Presidency of the Seventy speakers lately, and I think that since Elder Christensen spoke in the Priesthood Session last time, he will speak in the Saturday Morning Session this time. I am predicting that Joy D. Jones, new Primary General President, will give her inaugural address in the Saturday Morning Session. Both Yoon Hwan Choi and Juan A. Uceda have not had their second opportunity to speak since becoming general authorities, and both of them spoke later in the conference for their first addresses, so it would make sense to have them speak before the new GA Seventies called in April get their chance. I am predicting the session will end with an address by President Russell M. Nelson because he has not had a chance to speak in the Saturday Morning Session since 2012. You may ask why I have him speaking last. With Elder Hales's ill health, it would make sense if Elder Hales spoke first.
3. Saturday Afternoon Session: Since President Uchtdorf presented the sustaining of Church officers last time, I am predicting President Eyring will do it this time. I will go into what I think will happen during that sustaining in a later blog post. I have put Elder Stevenson and Elder Renlund as being the first to speak because they haven't had a chance to speak in that session since their calls to the apostleship. Then I predict the first three new seventies will speak. That gets tricky because last time new seventies were called, they didn't speak in alphabetical order. So there could be a curveball there. I am then predicting that Elder Cook and Elder Christofferson will speak, and in that order, because they both (and Elder Renlund) spoke in April 2015. When that happened, Elder Christofferson spoke first, which is why I have reversed the order there..
4. Saturday Priesthood: With others speaking in other sessions, the most likely Priesthood Session apostolic speaker is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Since Bishop Causse has not spoken since his call as the Presiding Bishop, I am predicting he will follow Elder Holland. There will be no third speaker after these two, as they seem to have lowered the number of speakers in the Priesthood Session from six to five. Then we will have the First Presidency speak, as they always do. However, as seems to be the trend lately, I doubt President Monson will speak very long and am predicting the meeting will end 15-30 minutes earlier than its standard 2 hours.
5. Sunday Morning Session: I am predicting that President Monson will open the session with a short talk of just a few minutes. Of the apostles left, the two most likely apostolic speakers are Elders Dallin H. Oaks and David A. Bednar. As Elder Bednar was the second apostolic speaker last time he spoke in the Sunday Morning Session, I am predicting he will be the first this time. And since Elder Oaks was the first apostolic speaker last time he spoke in the Sunday Morning Session, I am predicting he will speak last. It is President Eyring's turn to speak in the Sunday Morning Session. Since Elder Robbins spoke in the Saturday Morning Session last time he spoke, I am predicting the Sunday Morning Session for him this time.
6. Sunday Afternoon Session: Elder Rasband hasn't spoken in the Sunday Afternoon Session since his call to the apostleship, so I am predicting he will be the first apostle to speak in that session this time. Elder Ballard spoke first last time he spoke in the Sunday Afternoon Session 2 years ago, so I am predicting he will be second. Then, since Elder Andersen is the only apostle left and since he spoke second last time he spoke in the Sunday Afternoon Session, and since he is the one of the three who has spoken most recently, I am predicting that he will be the last speaker. I am predicting that Brian K. Ashton will represent the Sunday School Presidency, as the Young Men and Sunday School Presidencies are taking it in turn to speak every other conference and as he is the only member of the Sunday School General Presidency that has not spoken yet. The remaining slots will be filled by newly called seventies, in alphabetical order.

Thoughts?

Reposted list of cities ripe for a temple announcement

I am reposting the list of temples that may be announced soon in light of new knowledge that has recently come to my attention. Here's the list:

Nicaragua (Managua; proposed in 2012 by Elder Russell M. Nelson; land has already been purchased for it and an announcement is imminent there when membership warrants it); Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby; land has been purchased for it and an announcement is imminent there when membership warrants it); Arkansas (Bentonville; land has been purchased for it and an announcement is imminent there when membership warrants it); Puerto Rico (San Juan); Kiribati (Tarawa); Sierra Leone (Freetown); Uganda (Kampala); Kenya (Nairobi; publicly proposed by President Gordon B. Hinckley in 1999); Montana (Missoula; temple was publicly proposed there in 2016 by Elder David A. Bednar); Utah (Tooele/Layton/Lehi/Kaysville); Hungary (Budapest); Nigeria (Lagos); Bolivia (La Paz); South Dakota (Rapid City); Mexico (Puebla); Chile (Valparaiso); Idaho (Pocatello); New Zealand (Auckland); Philippines (Davao); Scotland (Edinburgh); Virginia (Richmond); Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar); Spain (Barcelona); Wyoming (Cody); Brazil (Brasilia/Belo Horizonte); Argentina (Neuquen); Ghana (Kumasi).


Alternative locations: Ivory Coast (2nd and possibly 3rd temples; may be needed due to extreme growth in the area); Kasai or other DR Congo region (Kasai proposed in 2016 by Neil L. Andersen; may be needed due to extreme growth in the area); Vilnius Lithuania (proposed in 1993 by M. Russell Ballard); Maracaibo Venezuela (proposed in 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley); Singapore (proposed in 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley); 2nd Southwest Salt Lake Valley temple (proposed in 2005 by Gordon B. Hinckley; more than likely because land has already been purchased for it); alternate dark-horse locations: Orem/Heber Utah; Maputo Mozambique; Oslo Norway; Antananarivo Madagascar.