Church News Updates (including article about RS General First Counselor Sharon Eubank)

Hello, all! Big Church news updates to post today. As the Church News reports, Elder M. Russell Ballard returned to Canada, where he once served as a mission president. As most of you are no doubt aware, both Elder Ballard's paternal and maternal grandfathers served as apostles. Elder Ballard is also the one apostle that we know of who can trace his ancestry back through several apostles, Joseph F. Smith, sixth Church president, and his father, Hyrum Smith, brother of the prophet Joseph, who restored the Church established by Jesus Christ. Elder Ballard's paternal grandfather, Melvin J. Ballard, had ties in his ministry to Canadian Saints, and Elder M. Russell Ballard has carried on that apostolic ministry in his own right. To read of all that transpired during his recent trip, click here.

The Church News also ran a biographical article on Sister Sharon Eubank. It was good to learn more about her. You can find that article here.

The report of presentations and addresses at the Seminar for New Mission Presidents for this year continued. You can find links following for addresses by Elder Cook, Bishop Waddell, Elder and Sister Rasband, Elder Andersen, and Elder Oaks. Perhaps by the time the Church News has shared a complete report of every address, I will be able to provide a more in depth analysis and report of these addresses.

Also, for what it's worth, I'm sure many of you are aware of the recent report that the dress code for Church employees has been adjusted, and the Church is now expanding benefits for paternal and maternal leave, as well as for medical and other health-related leaves of absence. To read more on that subject, here.

For the moment, that's all I have to report. I am currently I am hard at work studying present and potential future temple developments (an evolving and ongoing process, to be sure), including the most likely future time-frames for dedications, rededications, and groundbreakings for all temples currently in any phase, and the most likely sites for immediate and near-future announcements. More to come on that as I am able to work on it.

Thanks for taking time to read this. I will have so much more to report on within the next little while as events unfold. If any of you would like to and are able to, please share your thoughts. If the problem with doing so has yet to be resolved, please let me know through my contact information on my blogger profile. Thanks again.