Hello again, everyone! I first became aware of an update on the status of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple a day or two ago, but in view of some personal circumstances and more pressing developments that needed my attention, this is my first opportunity to post about it. The update shows that work on the interior is progressing, that the landscaping around the temple grounds is closer to its' completion, and that the exterior of the housing facility on the temple lot has been finished. With its' dedication set to occur exactly 8 months from today, it is great to hear of the progress that has been made on this temple..
The day-to-day milestones that are marked in temple construction are wonderful indeed to observe. While we are still waiting for news that full-scale efforts are underway for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, and while there has not been any other progress reported on any temples under construction, undergoing renovation, or announced, I did want to note that, with the Church being 3 days past April 6, which marked the 188th anniversary of the gospel's restoration, there are now 11.99 years in which the Church would need to announce and complete 11 temples, in addition to completing the 30 in various phases (which includes the 7 announced 8 days ago by President Nelson during General Conference) in order to have 200 operating temples dedicated by the Church's 200th anniversary (which will, as noted, occur on Saturday April 6, 2030).
By extension, that means that the Church will need to dedicate 3.42 temples per year during those 11.99 years between now and then. Since we know that 2 temples will be dedicated by the end of this year (which is slightly below that average), as we look to the years ahead, we already have seen the announcement of the first temple dedication planned for next year, and in addition to that, we have 5 others that will likely be dedicated next year, which is above that average. With two others already anticipated to be dedicated in 2020, if, as anticipated, full-scale construction begins in Winnipeg at some point this month, and if any other temples have a groundbreaking within the next 8-12 months, they may go on to be dedicated during 2020 or within the years following.
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I know that I heard from a lot of people their opinion that President Nelson would not announce temples during his first General Conference. I felt confident enough in the results of my research on the subject to suggest that he could do so, and likely would, and I was very gratified when he announced 7 new locations in which future temples would be built. I don't know if any of you noticed this (I may be one of the few who did), but the number of temples announced by President Monson in 2015 and 2016 (the third-to-last and second-to-last occasions during his presidency when he would do so) were exactly equivalent to the 7 announced by President Nelson during his first General Conference.
I may be incorrect in this assessment, but that fact suggests to me that President Monson's health struggles during the last 3-5 years of his life may have impacted his ability to determine the timing of such announcements and to announce those locations in General Conference. Between the April 2017 General Conference and President Monson's passing on January 2 of this year, he may have been unable to approve the announcements for any other temples.
With all of that in mind, and based on the fact that the announcement of 7 temples in the first General Conference of any Church president before now has almost been unheard of, and with all we have seen President Nelson do regarding temple announcements in the less than 3 months of his presidency so far, and also in view of President Nelson's good health and extreme vigor, I have no doubt we will see multiple temples announced on other occasions. What will be really interesting to see is whether or not President Nelson will announce a few during every General Conference over which he presides, or if he might opt to keep those to a once-a-year thing, as President Monson did for the last 3 years of his presidency.
Whatever might occur in terms of continuing temple developments, you can count on my reporting on such news here as I learn of it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Monday, April 9, 2018
Temple Updates (Including Reported Progress on the Barranquilla Colombia Temple)
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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