Stokes Sounds Off: Paris France Temple News

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Thursday, May 18, 2017

Paris France Temple News

Hello, all! As most of you are aware, the Paris France Temple will be dedicated this Sunday. The Church reported that 47,561 people attended the open house of the Paris France Temple. I wish I could have been among that number. My lifelong love of France and the French language aided me during my missionary service as I was able to frequently assist French-speaking temple patrons. And I have hoped and prayed for a French temple for years, never believing it would be possible in my lifetime. I rejoiced in each report of developments on the announcement and construction of that temple. And I was gratified to hear of the involvement Elder Andersen and Bishop Causse had in every development of this temple. They also played important roles in leading initial tours of the temple during its open house. I was also intrigued to hear of how French politicians asked whether or not Mitt Romney, who ran for the US Presidency in 2012, and who was also well respected as another former French missionary, would attend the open house. The Church sent Brother and Sister Romney in response to that inquiry, cementing the relationship between our two great nations. Now that French temple will be dedicated this Sunday. What a wonderful day it will be for the Saints in France! 

In recent days, more has been reported on the French temple. While the Church put out information earlier this year that a groundbreaking had been held, it wasn't a formal or widely-observed development. The machinery broke ground for that temple, and the work continued unhindered. On Saturday, the cultural celebration will be held, and that will be followed by dedication services on Sunday. While it is not impossible to believe that Elder Andersen, Bishop Causse and Brother Romney will be in attendance, I don't know if the Church would ask Elder Andersen, who is still in the junior 5th of the apostleship, to officiate. It would not be out of the question. But my feeling is that President Uchtdorf, our European apostle, who so capably serves as Second Counselor to President Monson, and who, just recently, returned from a tour of European nations that included visits to operating and under construction temples, will be the one to preside there, unless one of the six senior apostles is asked to do so instead. I will post more on that when more is known.

In the meantime, I wanted to share an article that the Church News recently featured on how a bishop, a mayor and a CFO were involved in the process of bringing this temple into fruition. Click here to read that article. In the meantime, I will be posting again in a minute with an update on other temple progress. Thanks for your readership.

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