Some Thoughts on President Nelson's Remarkable Statement About the October 2019 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! While we wait for coverage to be provided on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Youth Devotional, I wanted to post my take on the remarkable statement President Nelson made in relation to the October 2019 General Conference. First of all, let's review the statement in question. In an article covering the devotional at which he, his wife, Elder Cook, his wife, and Brazil Area President Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis and his wife, addressed all missionaries serving throughout Brazil (with the broadcast originating from Brasilia and being carried to missionaries serving throughout the nation), the Newsroom quoted President Nelson as saying the following to news media:

“There are exciting things ahead. This work is moving forward at an accelerated pace. I can just hardly wait to bounce out of bed each morning and see what the day will bring. We invite all people to come unto Christ, to become more like Him, to experience the joyous blessings of the Holy Temple and to have eternal life,”  He then went on to say that more temples and other announcements were coming for the October General Conference.

A few takeaways from that statement. In the first two General Conferences in which President Nelson became Church President, he announced quite a few changes. In April 2018, the restructuring of priesthood quorums (with High Priest groups being discontinued at the ward level and the membership thereof being merged into the Elders' Quorum,. and the Stake High Priests' Quorum now comprised of current Stake Presidency members, the current members of the Stake High Council, and current Ward Bishopric members) and the retirement of home and visiting teaching programs in favor of ministering were announced.

In October last year, the Church saw the introduction of the Come Follow Me expanded curriculum (which would implemented a home-centered, Church-supported study program) resulted in the transition from the 3-hour Church block to a consolidated 2-hour Church block, with Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society being held alternately. And throughout 2018, President Nelson announced a whopping 19 new temples, 7 in April and 12 more in October, which was an unprecedented number of temples to be announced within the first year of a new Church President's prophetic administration.

With all that had been heard about President Nelson's ambitious temple-building plans, many people (myself included) went into the April 2019 General Conference convinced that more changes were coming, including President Nelson detailing the extent and timing of his temple-expansion plans in full, and announcing a mass number of new temples to accomplish his intended goal (which, as verified by most of his apostolic colleagues, is apparently a ten-fold increase in the number of temples).

Although 8 more temples were announced, no other major announcements were made, and instead, the transformative announcements were made between the October 2018 and April 2019 General Conferences, and last General Conference instead represented constancy in the midst of great change. the opportunity for the Church to take the proverbial deep breath and focus instead on the important gospel topics which were covered therein.

So that brings us to the upcoming October 2019 General Conference, and President Nelson's remarkable statement about it. What stood out to me most about what he said was that, in addition to more new temples, other announcements would be made. In other words, the term is not singular, but plural. That said, let me go officially on record as stating that, in my personal opinion, I do not see a massive number of new temples being announced, nor do I anticipate that President Nelson will detail the extent and timing of his plans to expand the number of temples tenfold.

To be perfectly transparent, I would be elated if he does explain his plans and announce dozens of new temples in the process. But I know that there were some who were disappointed when only 8 new temples were announced last April, and I certainly wouldn't want to build up hype for a mass number of announcements in that respect, only to have some be disappointed if and when a considerably lesser number of temples are announced. That is why I have advanced the mertis of 14-16 new temples as being a more reasonable estimate.

Depending on what is actually announced, there will need to be some focus on those announcements, rather than just solely having a focus on his temple expansion plans. So what might be ahead for the future, if not a massive change affecting the temple construction program of the Church? Let's look at that next. To begin with, Matthew Martinich, widely respected as an expert on matters relating to the growth of the Church, noted on his blog earlier this afternoon that he was anticipating some type of change in the missionary program to be announced as well, based on the recent release of a new missionary handbook.

He had previously provided extensive analysis regarding the kind of reforms he was specifically anticipating, based on the reports he had received of wide-spread issues with various aspects of that program and those efforts as they currently exist, stand, and are established. I would certainly anticipate that such an announcement will be made, because Matt usually knows what he is talking about when it comes to issues such as that. At the same time, given the pluralization of the term announcements, I am not entirely convinced at this time that only new temples and changes to the missionary program are on the immediate horizon. So what else could be coming down the pike? I have some theories on that. There could potentially be updates on the process and anticipated timing for the publication of the revised and unified editions of the hymnbook and children's songbook.

But given the announcement earlier this year that the Africa Southeast Area would be divided beginning next August, I think it is possible there could be further area changes announced in General Conference. But above and beyond that, it would not shock me at all to see some type of restructuring of the Area Seventies Quorums as presently constituted. Without knowing exactly how the releases of any current Area Seventies may impact the numbers in each of those Quorums, here's what I know in that respect: When the number of North American areas were consolidated effective August 1 of this year, one change was that the Idaho Area was merged into the North America Central Area.

And as a result of that change, all Area Seventies serving in Idaho were subsequently reassigned from the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy to the Sixth Quorum thereof. With that in mind, effective August 1, the area-by-area composition of the Third-Eighth Quorums was as follows: The Third Quorum of the Seventy is comprised of all area seventies serving in the 3 current Africa Areas (Africa Southeast, Africa West, and Middle East/Africa North) and the two Europe Areas (Europe and Europe East). Next August, once the Africa Southeast Area division goes into effect, the Africa Central and Africa South Areas will replace it.\

The current Fourth Quorum is comprised of those serving in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America Northwest Areas. With the North American Areas being consolidated from 10 down to 6, the Firth Quorum is now comprised of those serving in the North America West and Utah Areas, while the Sixth is comprised of those serving in the North America Central, North America Northeast, North America Southeast, and North America Southwest Areas. Those serving in the Brazil and South America South Areas are part of the current Seventh Quorum, while those serving in the Asia, Asia North, Pacific, and Philippines Areas comprise the current Eighth Quorum of the Seventy.

And I also have an area-by-area and Quorum-by-Quorum running total tracked as well. Also effective August 1 of this year, those numbers broke down as follows:

Quorum	Totals within each Area	Quorum Total	Running Total
Third	15+15+16+5+1	52	52
Fourth	6+15+22+21	64	116
Fifth	16+30	46	162
Sixth	17+13+7+18	55	217
Seventh	23+21	44	261
Eighth	9+12+12+13	48	309

According to doctrinal provisions practiced by the Church, once any Seventies Quorum reaches more than 70 members, it should be split. Therefore, without taking into account the releases of any current area seventies, the Fourth Quorum as presently constituted is within 6 members of being at the maximum. And the Third and Sixth Quorums are currently within 18 and 15 members, respectively, of 70.

So I could see the Church either adding a Quorum or adjusting the current parameters of each Quorum to be more geographically convenient, especially since there will be another area added to the current Third Quorum once the Africa Central Area becomes fully operational. Above and beyond these things, I am not sure what exactly to expect going into the October 2019 General Conference.  But with a focus on reducing and simplifying programs and procedures for the Church and the workload of members while enacting measures to more fully unify the entire Church membership on a global scale, anything may be possible.

So my best recommendation as I close out this analysis is that we buckle up, pray in advance that we will be prepared for what is to come in General Conference and that our individual needs may be met and questions answered by what will be said and whatever may be announced. If we are thus prepared for General Conference, we will likewise be able to have the instantaneous assurance from the Spirit that whatever is said or announced is in harmony with the will of the Lord for His Church at this time. And I hope we will be content therewith.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Elder Neil L. Andersen Will Dedicate the Lisbon Portugal Temple

Hello again, everyone! As some of you may know, the last two temples dedicated by the Church were dedicated by apostles with personal ties to them. Elder Dale G. Renlund dedicated the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple in April, and Elder Ulisses Soares dedicated the Fortaleza Brazil Temple 1.5 months later. I had anticipated that personal apostolic connections to an area would determine who dedicated or rededicated other temples this year, and for that reason, I anticipated that either President Eyring, Elder Andersen, or Elder Renlund, any of our three apostles fluent in French, would preside over this weekend's dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple. Since President Eyring and Elder Renlund have each overseen a dedication or rededication, I assumed that Elder Andersen would preside at the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple dedication.

With Elder David A. Bednar set to preside at the youth devotional tiomorrow night, unless a more senior apostle is present at the dedication on Saturday, Elder Bednar will indeed dedicate that temple. And I have learned today why Elder Andersen was not sent to dedicate the Haiti Temple. According to this news release (shared to report the visit of the President of Portugal to the Lisbon Temple), Elder Andersen has been asked to preside over the dedication of that temple. It makes sense, since he is a multilingugal apostle, whom I believe is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese in addition to his native English and French.

So that would seem to settle both questions: Elder Bednar will indeed be presiding over this weekend's dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, and two weeks later, Elder Andersen will be presiding over the dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple. Then next month, President Ballard will preside at the one-session priviate rededication for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple the week after General Conference. And if President Nelson is rotating temple dedication duties among as many different apostles this year as may be possible, it seems reasonable to maintain a belief that Elder Uchtdorf, our native German apostle, will preside over the three-session public rededication for he Frankfurt Germany Temple one week later.

And if I am correct that the rededications of temples will continue to be done by more senior apostles, then I see two possible options for the rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple on November 3: either President Oaks or Elder Christofferson. I don't yet know what, if anything, that may tell us about who might be most likely to preside over the dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple, but that may be a question for another time. In the meantime, it appears that the information about the potential time-frame for the groundbreaking of the Richmond Virginia Temple (which, per information from the Church of Jesus Christ Temples site, is likely to occur in mid-to-late 2020) may not be in error, in which case, it could be another year before that temple has a groundbreaking. Time will tell.

I have some additional Church news (and may have temple updates) to report as well, but will save that for the comments section of this post a little later today. In the meantime, that does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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. 

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Artist's Rendering Released for the Richmond Virginia Temple

Hello again, everyone! I have some breaking temple news to share right now. But first, I wanted to apologize to anyone who has made comments on any posts at any point today. I will be sure to address those ASAP, but I spent 6 hours this afternoon stuck in the Salt Lake Valley for a medical appointment, and things have just barely settled down enough for me to now check my blog for the first time today. That said, let's get to the breaking news report. As shared by the News page of the Church of Jesus Christ Temples website and confirmed on the Church's official Newsroom website, the artist's rendering has been released for the Richmond Virginia Temple, along with some interior and exterior renderings of various features for the temple property.

Although a groundbreaking will be announced at a later time, I am reasonably certain that the Richmond temple will be the very next one to have a groundbreaking, barring any unexpected surprises. And based on a quick analysis of the artist's rendering and specifications for the Richmond Temple which were described in the Newsroom release, I imagine a 2-3 year period of construction will be needed for this temple. So if a groundbreaking occurs anytime between early September and mid-October (perhaps just after the October 2019 General Conference), the Richmond Virginia Temple would potentially be completed during early-to-mid 2022.

So that means I will indeed have to rethink my previously-offered thoughts about temples which are announced or for which a groundbreaking is anticipated. If I am correct in my theory that Richmond will be the next one to have a groundbreaking, that will bump the Brasilia Brazil Temple down at least one spot on my "Groundbreaking anticipated" list. I have also, as previously noted, received some new information on other temples which I am in the process of analyzing to determine other changes I may need to make. Stay tuned for more on that.

In the meantime, I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all as I receive it. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Changes Made to Church Magazine Advisers 2019

Hello again, everyone! Over the last several months, the Church has made several subtle changes to the Church magazine advisers. This post will provide a look at how those changes have come about, and what things look like in that respect as of now, along with some additional analysis. So let's get into all of that. Here are the changes that have been made over the last several months, concluding with the assignments effective as of the publication of the September 2019 Ensign.

May 2019:

Editor: Randy D. Funk

Advisers: Brian K. Ashton, Randall K. Bennett, Becky Craven, Sharon Eubank, Cristina B. Franco, Donald L. Hallstrom, Larry S. Kacher, Erich W. Kopischke, Lynn G. Robbins

Advisers for whom a release is likely: Brian K. Ashton (released from the Sunday School General Presidency), Donald L. Hallstrom (will likely be granted emeritus status in October), Erich W. Kopischke (will serve in the Europe Area Presidency beginning in August).\

June 2019:

No change.

July 2019:

Editor: Randy D. Funk

Advisers: Randall K. Bennett, Becky Craven, Sharon Eubank, Cristina B. Franco, Donald L. Hallstrom, Larry S. Kacher, Erich W. Kopischke, Lynn G. Robbins

Released as adviser: Brian K. Ashton

No new advisers called.

August 2019:

No change

September 2019:

Editor: Randy D. Funk

Advisers: Becky Craven, Sharon Eubank, Cristina B. Franco, Walter F. Gonzalez, Larry S. Kacher, Adrian Ochoa, Michael T. Ringwood, Vern P. Stanfill

Released as advisers: Randall K. Bennett, Donald L. Hallstrom, Erich W. Kopischke, Lynn G. Robbins

Called as advisers: Walter F. Gonzalez, Adrian Ochoa, Michael T. Ringwood, Vern P. Stanfill

A few observations about these changes: Apparently, a decision has been made to not have any members of the Young Men or Sunday School General Presidencies assigned to serve as advisers to the Church magazines.  As I anticipated, Elders Hallstrom and Kopischke were released, in view of the reasons I noted under the entry for May. But I was surprised by the releases of Elders Bennett and Robbins from their roles as advisers,. As far as I can tell, neither of them are anywhere close to the time where they would be released and granted emeritus status. 

I do know that Elder Robbins was released from his previous area assignment, as of the first of this month, and that Elder Bennett has retained his area assignment. I also know that, according to information released by the Church, Elder Robbins is serving on the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, and on the Scriptures Committee. Additionally, if the 9 General Authority Seventies who have turned or will soon turn 70 are granted emeritus status in October, then that will leave Elder Robbins as the longest-tenured actively-serving General Authority Seventy (in other words, the most senior who has not been granted emeritus status). I don't know if that has any bearing on this, but I thought it was worth noting. 

Four new advisers for the Church magazines have also been called. Elder Gonzales' assignment to serve as an adviser to the Church magazines makes him the second member of the current Utah Area Presidency to be involved in the publication process for the Church magazines. He started serving as Second Counselor in that Area Presidency earlier this month, following his release as President of the Caribbean Area. The other current Utah Area Presidency member overseeing the Church magazines is Elder Randy D. Funk, the current First Counselor in the Area Presidency, who has been serving as the editor of the Church magazines since October of last year, when the previous editor, Elder Hugo E. Martinez, was given an assignment to serve in the Africa West Area Presidency. 

Meanwhile, Elder Adrian Ochoa takes on the assignment as an adviser to the Church magazines while continuing to serve in the North America Southwest Area Presidency, although he has changed assignments in that Presidency from being the Second Counselor to now serving as the First Counselor thereof. As for Elder Michael T. Ringwood (who, as some of you may be aware, is onee of President Nelson's 9 sons-in-law), he has been serving at Church headquarters since August of 2015. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Self-Reliance Services/PEF Committee, Assistant Executive Director of the Missionary Department, and a member of the Welfare and Self-Reliance Executive Committee.

And Elder Vern P.  Stanfill, who has been serving as Second Counselor in the North America Southeast Area, became the First Counselor in that same Area Presidency earlier this month, in addition to serving in several committee assignments at Church headquarters. Having noted this, at some point, I need to look into what new information might be available on the assignments for all current General Authorities, and perhaps cover that in a new blog post, likely within the next few weeks. But regardless of the reasoning behind the latest changes in the advisers to the Church magazines, I have no doubt that these changes are inspired. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will be sure to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of such developments. 

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.   

BREAKING NEWS: Details Released About Africa Central Area

Hello again, everyone! Around 1.5 hours ago, the Church Growth Blog  shared a report on the details released earlier today specifically about the Africa Central Area. Apparently, this morning, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, who is on assignment in Johannesburg South Africa, held a meeting for Church employees and volunteers.

According to those details, the headquarters for the Africa Central Area will be based out of Nairobi Kenya, and the following nations will be within the boundaries for the area: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Seychelles, and Sao Tome and Principe.

So, as a result of this announcement, any nations currently assigned to the Africa Southeast Area which are not listed as part of the Africa Central Area will thus belong to the renamed Africa South Area, which will include: Angola, Ascension, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Réunion, Saint Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Tristan da Cunha, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In the meantime, many people seem to be surprised that the headquarters for the Africa Central Area will be based out of Kenya instead of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But I myself feel that this is another example of how the Lord's ways and thoughts are higher than the ways and thoughts of man. For that reason, I trust that our prophets, seers, and revelators, and those appointed to assist them in issues such as this, know more about the reasoning behind such decisions than the rest of us do. As a result, I trust the process of deliberation and decision that resulted in this outcome.

I also remain convinced that the most reasonable way to administer the new area would be to have at least one member of the current Africa Southeast Area Presidency become the first president of the new Africa Central Area, since any of those 3 men would be familiar with the nations in the two soon-to-be split areas. That said, as always, I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will pass those along through new posts or comments on exisiting posts.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part Three—All Remaining Estimates

Hello again, everyone! I am back again to share the third and final part of my updated estimates for known temple events. This part covers all remaining known or anticipated events which have not yet been shared. They follow below. In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do: That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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. 

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part Two—2020-2021 Estimates

Hello again, everyone! I am back, with the second part of my updated estimates for future temple events, which, as previously noted, will cover those events scheduled (in one case) or anticipated to occur in 2020 and 2021. Those estimates follow below. In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do: That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

2020:

Sunday February 16: Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (168^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On June 18, 2019, the First Presidency officially announced the open house and dedication information for this temple. The only question is who may preside at this temple’s dedication. It could be any of our ordained apostles, but given past precedent, it seems likely that Elder Dale G. Renlund will be assigned to do so.

Mid-to-late March: Dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (169^th operating temple)

Note: Although I had thought the dedication of this temple would occur a month or two later than this, given how close that temple currently is to its’ completion, I have moved the estimate up to this point.

Saturday & Sunday April 4 & 5: 190^th Annual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Late April-early May: Rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple

Note: In view of the 2020 Summer Olympics being held in this city between mid-July and early August, I am reasonably certain the Church will want to have this temple rededicated prior to the Olympics so as not to steal the focus away from that.

Mid-September: Dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple (170^th operating temple)

Note: During August 2019, many sources available to me changed the general completion estimate for this temple to mid-to-late 2020. Given that fact, it has seemed prudent to adjust my own more specific estimate accordingly here.

Saturday & Sunday October 3 & 4: 190^th Semiannual General Conference

Note: Temple announcements are always possible, so it is not hard to believe that a few could be announced during this General Conference.

Late October-early November: Rededication of the Washington DC Temple

December: Rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple

Note: Although some sources list the general completion estimate for this temple’s renovation during late 2020-early 2021, in view of the fact that those same sources have shifted their completion estimates for the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple to early 2021, I have felt that the rededication of the Mesa Temple may take place prior to the end of 2020. I am prepared to move this estimate again if the need arises, but for the moment, it seems to be a reasonably safe assumption.

Final note on 2020: Based on what I have heard, 2020 seems as though it will be another big year for temple groundbreakings. I am specifically keeping my eyes open for information on the following temples: Salta and Mendoza Argentina, Managua Nicaragua, Phnom Penh Cambodia, Moses Lake Washington, Feather River California, and Antofagasta Chile Temples. But it would not at all surprise me in any way if other temples have a groundbreaking during 2020 as well, including some for which there is currently not a lot of information available.

2021:

Mid-March: Dedication of the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple (171^st operating temple)

Note: At the groundbreaking for this temple (which occurred on November 8, 2018), Elder Neil L. Andersen, who presided at this event and gave his remarks in French, noted that construction of the temple was anticipated to take around two years. Additionally, as previously noted, many sources available to me from which I gather temple information have noted that this temple’s completion might not occur until early 2021. For that reason, I am moving my previous estimate for this temple’s dedication to this point.

Saturday & Sunday April 3 & 4: 191^st Annual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Mid-May: Rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple

June: Dedication of the Praia Cabo Verde Temple (172^nd operating temple)

Mid-August: Dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple (173^rd operating temple

Mid-to-late September: Dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple (174^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 2 & 3: 191^st Semiannual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Mid-to-late October: Dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple (175^th operating temple)

December: Dedication of the Quito Ecuador Temple (176^th operating temple)

Final note on 2021: If, as anticipated, several more temples are announced in 2019 and 2020, and any which have not yet had a groundbreaking have that occur within that same time period, that in turn will multiply the number of known temple events which will likely occur in 2021 and the years beyond. As more is learned about future temple renovations, that will also have an impact on the number of future events.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part One—Overview and Scheduled/Anticipated Events in 2019

Hello again, everyone! Given the temple progress that has occurred within the last two months, and how much has changed regarding the anticipated timing for future temple events within the next several years, I thought I'd provide the next set of updated edistamtes for known future temple events. As usual, this will be done in three parts. This first one will discvuss those events scheduled to occur this year. The second part will deal with events scheduled/anticipated to occur in 2020 & 2021, and the final part will share those events anticipated between 2022 and 2024. This year's scheduled events follow below.

In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do: That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Saturday August 24-Monday September 2: President Nelson’s Latin American Ministry Tour (confirmed)

Note: During the third week in May, comments on my blog shared releases from a few country Newsroom websites of the Church noting President Nelson would visit those locations in late August and early September. Then on May 29, the Church released official details of the trip and its’ itinerary. Accompanied by his wife, Wendy W. Nelson, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Mary G. Cook, President Nelson will visit 5 nations in 9 days. With stops in Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil, it appears more likely than not that part of that tour will involve scouting for future temple locations.

Sunday September 1: Dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple (165^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On November 14, 2018, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication information for this temple (with the latter originally set for mid-May). Then, on January 18, 2019, the dedication was pushed back to this date in view of delays in the construction process. Because President Nelson will be wrapping up his aforementioned Latin American Ministry Tour this same weekend, and given the precedent set with the prior two temple dedications (in Kinshasa DR Congo and Fortaleza Brazil), it seems likely any of the three apostles fluent in French (President Eyring or Elders Andersen or Renlund) may oversee this dedication. Given that Elder Andersen is the only one of those three who has not presided over a temple event this year, he may be asked to dedicate this temple.

Friday September 6: President Nelson’s 95^th Birthday Celebration

Note: On March 14, 2019, the Church announced this milestone celebration for President Nelson, which will occur 3 days before his actual 95^th birthday. In view of the fact that President Nelson has announced 27 temples since his prophetic administration began, it seems appropriate to mention this milestone birthday among other events on this timeline.

Sunday September 15: Dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple (166^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On March 4, 2019, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication information for this temple. Given the recent past precedent I noted previously, any of the 15 current apostles, particularly those who have not personally presided over a temple event this year and/or who have any kind of connection to Lisbon may be asked to oversee this dedication. Who exactly that might be is anyone’s guess, but it will not be Elder Ulisses Soares, who presided over the Portugal Porto Mission a few decades ago, since he will be speaking at a Worldwide Devotional/Face-to-Face Event for Young Adults on this same date.

Saturday & Sunday October 5 & 6: 189^th Semiannual General Conference:

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Sunday October 13: Private rededication for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 3, 2019, the First Presidency announced that a one-session private rededication for this temple would take place on this date (following a one-week public open house), with President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presiding.

Sunday October 20: Rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple (confirmed)

Note: On March 5, 2019, the First Presidency announced that this temple would be rededicated on this date. I am anticipating that Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, our native German apostle will be asked to rededicate this temple.

Sunday November 3: Private rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 21, 2019, the First Presidency announced the one-week open house and one-session private rededication for this temple. It is my opinion that any of the senior apostles (up to and including Elder Christofferson) who have not presided at a temple event could preside over this rededication. But what is far less clear right now is which of those 9 most senior apostles is most likely to do so. If I had to venture a guess, I’d conjecture that it would be Elder Christofferson, who served his mission in the neighboring nation of Argentina.

Monday November 4: St. George Utah Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Note: This temple’s renovation was announced on January 25, 2019. Given the fact that seismic and systemic updates are anticipated to occur, I have set a preliminary general completion estimate of late 2022-early 2023.

Sunday November 17: Private rededication of the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 3, 2019, the First Presidency also announced the one-week public open house for this temple, which will be privately rededicated on this date by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

December 15: Dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple (167^th operating temple)

Note: On May 21, 2019, the First Presidency also announced the dedication of this temple.  Given the aforementioned past precedent, any apostle could preside over this temple dedication, with the only question being which of the 15 is most likely to actually do so. Insofar as I am aware, I know of no current apostle who has direct ties to Peru. So at this point, the prospect is too difficult to call.

Sunday December 29: Salt Lake Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Note: On April 19, 2019, President Nelson announced renovation plans for the Salt Lake Temple, identifying this date for its’ closure. I will offer an estimate for its’ completion (which is anticipated in early-to-mid 2024) later in this document.

Final note on 2019: Groundbreakings have been held so far this year for the Urdaneta Philippines, Bangkok Thailand, Pocatello Idaho, Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, San Juan Puerto Rico, Quito Ecuador, Lima Peru Los Olivos, and Belem Brazil Temples. Based on what I have heard, it seems more likely than not that several other temples will have a groundbreaking at some point during that year. In particular, I am watching for information on the Brasilia Brazil, Richmond Virginia, Saratoga Springs Utah, Harare Zimbabwe, Bengaluru India, Auckland New Zealand, Greater Manila Philippines, Layton Utah, Nairobi Kenya, and Puebla Mexico Temples. Even if not all of them have a groundbreaking occur in 2019, many of them will likely have groundbreaking arrangements announced before the end of this year.

Additional Thoughts and Observations on the Temple Construction Program of the Church: Part Three—Temple Announcements Likely to Be Made During the October 2019 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! With August 17 having officially dawned here in Utah, the end of the open house for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple is going to be marked today, as will the start of the open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple and the groundbreaking for the Belem Brazil Temple. Tours for the Lisbon Portugal Temple will kick off at 9:00 AM Portugal time, which, because Portugal is 7 hours ahead of Utah time, means that tours of the temple start less than two hours from now.


As I noted earlier, I anticipate that the groundbreaking for the Belém Brazil Temple will take place between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM Belém time, which would be anytime between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM here in Utah. And tours for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will wrap up at 7:00 PM Haiti time this evening, which will be 5:00 PM Utah time. While I am unsure how those times convert to other time zones, that's how those break down according to Utah time, with which I am most familiar. I will provide whatever coverage I can of each of these 3 developments as they are reported.

In the meantime, I wanted to note that President Nelson has seemed to have a method to his temple announcements up to this point. Based on the information I provided in the previous post, I can confirm that President Nelson has (not yet) announced any temples in each of the following areas: Africa Southeast, Middle East/Africa North, North America Central, North America Southeast; North America Southwest, and South America Northwest.

As I have also mentioned, I fully anticipate that President Nelson may announce 14-16 temples at minimum. Based on further personal analysis of the methods and patterns of the prior 3 sets of temple announcements, although I would be elated if any of the prospective locations from my last published list had a temple announced, I believe that the breakdown of those 14-16 likely locations may be along the following general lines:

2-3 temples in Africa (1 each in Africa Southeast, Africa West, and (possibly) Middle East/Africa North. If no temples are announced for the Middle East/Africa North Area, there could be 2 announced in either of the other 2 current areas, or just one for each.
1-2 in Asia (Asia and/or Asia North)
1-2 in Brazil
1 each in Central America and the Caribbean
1-2 in Europe (or 1 each in Europe and Europe East)
2-3 in North America (including 1 in Utah) or US territories
1 each in the Pacific and the Philippines
1-2 in South America Northwest and South America South

I should also mention that, due to the factors mentioned in the references accompanying my latest list, I cannot narrow down my selections per area to just these general parameters and numbers. But I can additionally note the following: If President Nelson repeats (and builds on) what he did last October, at least a few of the nations on the April 2019 edition of the list of locations with the strongest Church presence that do nott currently have a temple in any phase will have a temple announced in October of this year.

It is my opinion that, among the top contenders from that current list, we are most likely to see temples announced in Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mozambique, and Madagascar, which currently rank first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh. Even if only 3 of those are announced, (with Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar being the most likely 3 in my mind), that in turn will alter the next edition of that top ten list in a remarkable way.

From my July list of the most likely prospects, I would also like to share those locations which I believe are the top contenders: Antananarivo Madagascar, Freetown Sierra Leone, either Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, Jakarta Indonesia, or Singapore, Belo Horizonte or Florianopolis Brazil, Coban Guatemala, Edinburgh Scotland or Berlin Germany, Torreon Mexico, Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Santa Cruz Boliva, Bahia Blanca Argentina, Missoula Montana, Bentonville Arkansas, Queen Creek Arizona, Victoria British Columbia, and Herriman or Heber City Utah.

That said, I want to make it absolutely and abundantly clear that I will be absolutely overjoyed by any temples which are announced, whether or not they are on my list, and whether or not more or less than the 14-16 I have suggested here wind up actually being announced in October. This concludes the mini-series of posts I wanted to do on the temple construction program of the Church, so that does it for now.

Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Additional Thoughts and Observations on the Temple Construction Program of the Church: Part Two—Nelsonian Temple Announcements and Groundbreakings Thus Far

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the second post in this mini-series. This post will address President Nelson's triple focus on announcing new temples, clearing the queue of temples announced during the presidency of his prophetic predecessor, President Thomas S. Monson, and on getting quick approval for a few of the temples he (President Nelson) has announced within the last 19 months since he has become Church President.

First of all, I would be remiss if I failed to note that President Nelson has already set a record of sorts in that respect: he has announced a total of 27 temples in his first 3 General Conferences of the Church, which works out to an average of 9 temples each conference, an average that will go up if I am correct about the number of temples he may announce in October. For a prophet to announce almost 30 new temples before he has been President of the Church for 18 months is unheard of, as far as I know.

And, if he continues the trend of increasing the number of temples he announces each April and October in the same increments he has done so far, I could easily see him having announced a minimum total of 60 new temples before he has served for a total of 3 years (which will occcur in January 2021). With that said, let's take a look at what he has announced every six months in General Conferences thus far, which will be interspersed with thoughts on what he has done thus far to clear the queue.

In April 2018, he announced 7 temples in the following geographical areas (with more specific locations listed as well):

Asia—Bengaluru India
Central America—Managua Nicaragua
Europe East—Russia (exact location TBD)
North America Northeast—Richmond Virginia
Philippines—Cagayan de Oro Philippines
South America South—Salta Argentina
Utah—Layton Utah

As he would go on to explain when he visited Bengaluru India, “Our plans were to announce six new temples at conference time. The Lord told me on the eve of conference: 'Announce a temple in India.'"  He then re-emphasized: "That was the Lord's doing." Some additional observations about this first set of announcements: Prior to April 2018, Nicaragua and Russia had ranked as first and fourth respectively on the April 2017 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that did not have a temple in any phase. And although none of them have yet had a groundbreaking ceremony, I anticipate that, at minimum, the Bengaluru India, Richmond Virginia, and Layton Utah Temples could all have a groundbreaking within the next year, if not sooner than that.

With those important notes about the significance behind temples announced in April 2018, we can move on to those temple announced in October 2018. The breakdown for those by area is as follows:

Africa West—Lagos Nigeria
Asia—Phnom Penh Cambodia
Asia North—Yigo Guam
Brazil—Salvador Brazil
Caribbean—San Juan Puerto Rico
Europe—Praia Cape Verde
Mexico—Puebla Mexico
North America West—Yuba City California
Pacific—Auckland New Zealand
Philippines—Davao Philippines
North America West—Yuba City California
South America South—Mendoza Argentina
Utah—Washington County Utah

Some important notes on these temples: Per the April 2018 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that did not have a temple in any phase, Puerto Rico, Cambodia, and Cape Verde ranked as second, seventh, and eighth on that list. And also significant about this set of announced temples (as I will detail more fully later on in this post), 3 of them (Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico) had a groundbreaking occur within less than a year of the time in which they were announced.

Roughly one month after General Conference, the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple became both the only temple to have a groundbreaking in 2018, and the second of the 3 temples announced in April 2015 by President Monson to have a groundbreaking. Less than two weeks later, the First Presidency announced the scheduled groundbreaking for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (that temple had originally been announced in October 2010 by President Monson). And just 8 days later, groundbreaking arrangements were also announced for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, making it the final temple originally announced in April 2015 to have a groundbreaking set.

The two temples would go on to have their groundbreakings 10 days apart, with the Urdaneta Philippines Temple having a groundbreaking on January 16 of this year, and the groundbreaking for the Bangkok Thailand Temple following 10 days later on January 26.  The day after the Urdaneta Philippines Temple groundbreaking, the Church announced the groundbreaking for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. Then, on February 1, the Church announced the groundbreakings for the Pocatello Idaho and Yigo Guam Temples. Exactly one week later, the Church also announced the groundbreaking for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple. Then, on March 7, groundbreakings were announced for both the Quito Ecuador and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples.

Of all these groundbreakings, only that for Pocatello Idaho Temple would take place before the April 2019 General Conference, and that temple had its' groundbreaking on March 16. When the April 2019 General Conference rolled around, many (myself included) were anticipating, due to all that had been said about President Nelson's plans to expand the number of temples tenfold, that he would both outline the details and timing of how such a massive increase would be achieved, explain the timing within which those plans would come to fruition, and announce a significant number of new temples to kick that process off.

As a result of only 8 temples being announced in April of 2019, there were many who were disappointed thereby. I also felt that way initially before realizing that the tenfold increase was an ultimate goal rather than an immediate destination towards which the Church was heading. And if, as his apostolic colleagues have repeatedly suggested, President Nelson is going to be leading the Church for the next decade or two, that will be plenty of time to achieve such an overall increase, so it will likely "be done in wisdom and order", since the Lord does not require a man to "run faster or labor harder than he has the strength" to do so.

That aside, the temples announced in April 2019 were for the following geographical areas (and more specific locations):
Asia North—Okinawa Japan
Central America—San Pedro Sula Honduras
Europe—Budapest Hungary
North America Northwest (Merged with the North America West Area on August 1)—Moses Lake Washington
Pacific—Pago Pago American Samoa; Neiafu Tonga
South America South—Antofagasta Chile
Utah—Tooele Valley Utah

Based on the October 2018 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that do not have a temple in any phase, only American Samoa was on the list, and it ranked fourth thereon. The other significant thing about the announcement of a temple for American Samoa is that such a temple had been originally announced in mid-October 1977. In April 1980, 7 new temples were announced, two of which wound up being built in Papeete Tahiti and Nuku'alofa Tonga. As a result of the announcement of these two temples, the intended American Samoa Temple was relocated to Apia Samoa.

The announcement of a temple to be built in American Samoa (which was made for the second time last April) also marked the second temple a previously-suspended temple announcement was subsequently renewed (the other is the Hartford Connecticut Temple). With that noted, following the April 2019 General Conference, the groundbreakings for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples all took place on Saturday May 4. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Quito Ecuador Temple followed exactly one week later (on May 11), and four weeks after that (on June 8), the groundbreaking for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple was also held.

Roughly 1.5 weeks later, on Monday June 17, we learned about a letter sent out to the Brazilian Saints, which set the groundbreaking for the Belém Brazil Temple, scheduled for exactly two months later (on August 17). It was not until two weeks ago today that an official confirmation of those arrangements, along with an artist's rendering, were provided. And that groundbreaking will have occurred by this time tomorrow. So what does that mean for temple announcements that may occur during the October 2019 General Conference? More on that will be provided in my next post.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Additional Thoughts and Observations on the Temple Construction Program of the Church: Part One—Current Temple Construction and Upcoming Scheduled Events

Hello again, everyone! The lengthy title of this post comprises a summary of what this post will cover. There will be some additional thoughts and observations about the temple construction program of the Church as it currently stands, some commentary on Nelsonian temple annouoncements, and a look ahead at what I anticipate may occur in the future. Given the volume of the information I intend to present here, I will split these thoughts and observations into two or three separate posts.

This first one will cover the known current and future temple construction plans, and will be followed by a second part exploring Nelsonian temple announcements thus far, and, if needed, a third part outlining more specifics on what I anticipate in terms of temple announcements during the October 2019 General Conference. There is a lot to get to, so let's dive right in. First, some preliminary observations:

I am getting this post in before tomorrow, when I will provide coverage in some form on the conclusion of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple open house, the beginning of the open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple, and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Belém Brazil Temple. I use the term "coverage of some form" because I don't yet know what kind of coverage will be available. What I have right now is the preliminary releases provided for the Port-au-Prince Haiti, Lisbon Portugal, and Belém Brazil Temples, and I have seen nothing further in relation to any of these temples at this time.

Insofar as I am aware, there has not even been a widely-mentioned releaxe of the specific time of the groundbreaking ceremony for the newest Brazilian temple. I would assume it might be held anytime between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM Belém time, which would be anytime between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM here in Utah. During that temple's groundbreaking, whenever it occurs, I assume we may find out how long construction is anticipated to take on that temple. I am estimating the construction thereof may take around 2-3 years to complete.

Given the progress (and the lack thereof) on other temples under construction (more on that in a moment), I have tentatively set a general estimate for the Belém temple for early-to-mid 2022. After tomorrow, the next temple milestone will be marked two weeks later, on August 31, at which time the open house for the Lisbon Portugal will end, and that date will coincide with the scheduled date for the youth devotional for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, which will be followed the next day by its' dedication.

As I also previously mentioned, I anticipate that one of our 3 apostles who are fluent in French will be assiged to dedicate that temple. Of those three (President Henry B. Eyring and Elders Neil L. Andersen and Dale G. Renlund), President Eyring presided over the one-session rededication for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple in May, and the month before that, Elder Renlund presided at the dedication of the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple, so my best guess is that Elder Andersen will be the one sent to dedicate the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, perhaps with Elder Renlund accopanying him.

The next currently-scheduled temple event will occur less than two weeks later, when the open house for the Frankfurt Germany Temple begins on September 13. The following day will mark the youth devotional for the Lisbon Portugal Temple, in advance of its' dedication the following day. At this point, I have no idea who might be assigned to preside at that event. We will have to see. The Saturday following that temple dedication, the Raleigh North Carolina Temple open house will begin. And the very next Saturday will mark the end of both the Raleigh and Frankfurt open houses.

The next known event impacting temples (of which we are aware so far) is the October General Conference, which will convene the first weekend in October, and at which I anticipate between 14-16 new temples will be announced. I will have additional thoughts specifically on the likely breakdown of those announcements in a subsequent post in this mini-series. The Saturday following General Conference, the open house for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple will begin, ending the following Saturday. After the first day of open house tours for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple, the Raleigh North Carolina Temple will be privately rededicated in one session by President M. Russell Ballard. The rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple will be held the following Sunday, and I will be shocked if Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf does not preside thereat.

The Saturday following the conclusion of the open house for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple, the one-week open house will begin for the Baton Rougue Louisiana Temple. That open house will end the day prior to the private rededication for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple, over which any of the more senior apostles (from President Nelson to Elder Christofferson) may preside. On Friday November 15, the open house for the Arequipa Peru Temple will begin. Two days later (on Sunday November 17), Elder Quentin L. Cook will preside over the one-session private rededication for the Baton Rougue Louisiana Temple. On the last day of November, the open house for the Arequipa Peru Temple will come to its' conclusion. The youth devotional for that temple will then be held on Saturday December 14, with the dedication thereof following in 3 sessions the very next day.

I want to interject here that, prior to the end of this year, I fully anticipate that the following temples the following temples could have a groundbreaking before the end of this year: Brasilia Brazil, Richmond Virginia, Saratoga Springs Utah, Harare Zimbabwe, Bengaluru India, and Auckland New Zealand. Other potential temples which could have a groundbreaking before the end of this year, if all goes well, include: Greater Manila Philippines, Layton Utah, Nairobi Kenya, Puebla Mexico, Salta Argentina, and Mendoza Argentina. And I am not ruling out the prospect of any surprise announcements during the remainder of 2019, in a similar vein as the unexpected announcements about the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temple groundbreakings.

Looking ahead to next year, in addition to the open house (scheduled to take place between January 22 and February 1), and the youth devotional and dedication (set for Saturday and Sunday February 15 and16 respectively) for the Durban South Africa Temple, we are also anticipating the dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, the rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple (likely to occur sometime before the 2020 Summer Olympics), the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, and the rededication for the Washington DC Temple (and possibly the rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple as well), which are anticipated to occur in that order.

2021 is likely to see the rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple (if it doesn't happen before the end of the previous year), the dedication of the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple, the rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, and, in any order, the dedications for the Praia Cabo Verde, Yigo Guam, San Juan Puerto Rico, Quito Ecuador, and Pocatello Idaho Temples, along with the possible dedications for the Urdaneta Philippines and Belem Brazil Temples. The other known temple events which will occur in the 1-3 years following are the rededications of the Hong Kong China, St. George Utah, and Salt Lake Temples, along with the dedications of any temples which may have a groundbreaking within the next 18-24 months.

So that is an overview of what is known in terms of future temple events. And based on however many temples are announced in October and the General Conferences within the next year or two following, the temple construction program as it will exist by the time the Salt Lake Temple is rededicated may look entirely different. Having provided that overview of known temple construction milestones in the immediate and near fture, my next post will discuss Nelsonian temple announcements thus far, and what I specifically anticipate occurring with the temples that will be announced in October 2019, unless I have to split my thoughts about the upcoming announcements into a third post in this mini-series.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.