Hello again, everyone! I have a few thoughts on my mind that I wanted to pass along to you all here. Firstly, I am scheduled to check in for the procedure I previously referenced tomorrow morning at 8:15 AM Utah time, which means 12 hours from now, I will likely either be under anesthesia or just coming out of the surgery. As I mentioned in that earlier post, it is anticipated to be a same-day procedure, which means I could be home by late afternoon or evening, barring anything unexpected. Your continued prayers in my behalf are appreciated, and hopefully this fixes the issue correctly this go-round.
In the meantime, I have a few Church News updates to pass along, including one octagenarian who is retiring from her 22-year role of playing the piano in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, another inspiring octagenarian who is a violinist with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. some insight from the Young Men Presidency about the new Aaronic Priesthood theme, the unusual way BYU's cross country men's and women's track teams celebrated a national championship, and the unique elements related to the Church's newly released video, "The Christ Child".
I also have a few temple updates to pass along to you all. First, the Durban South Africa Temple has been delivered to the Temple Department, and, while training of key temple staff is underway, custodians and groundsmen are assuming their duties, and all final details are now being addressed. And while preliminary construction efforts are underway on the Yigo Guam Temple, training was delivered this month regarding how local Saints can develop a history of the Church in their nation which will subsequently be placed in a time capsule in the temple capstone.
Yet another update has been provided on the Pocatello Idaho Temple, where concrete stairs and floor slabs are being poured, temporary windows are being installed, and framing and exterior sheathing is making progress, while the installation of the steeple framework for the temple spire is still pending. And since I reported two days ago on a fantastic development related to the Richmond Virginia Temple, let's move on to temples undergoing renovation. At the Tokyo Japan Temple, interior renovations are progressing, structural framing for the nearby annex is nearing completion. And at the St. George Utah Temple, 400th South is closed to traffic.
Finally tonight, I have made updates and adjustments to what were previously the "Groundbreaking Anticipated" and "Announced" sections of my temple construction progress report. Specifically, I have now divided that "Groundbreaking Anticipated" section into 3 separate sections. The first will utilize the name of its' originally-larger eponymous counterpart and will include those temples for which, having a rendering released, makes estimating a groundbreaking easier. The second will contain those temples for which the announcement of official details may be pending. And the third and final section will be for those temples for which I am aware that a site has either been confirmed or at least acquired. Those 3 newly-divided sections join the group of "Announced Temples" on this document, to which anyone with the link thereunto has access granted.
As always, I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and am committed to doing my best to continue to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of such developments. I am cautiously optimistic that if my procedure tomorrow morning has any impact on my ability to share such reports, that impact will be minimal. TIme will tell. But 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.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Miscellaneous Musings
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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In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.
At the same time, however, I recognize that we live in a time when incivility, discourtesy, unkindness, and even cyber-bullying has regrettably become part of online interactions. With that in mind, while anyone who wishes can comment on anything if they choose to do so, I hereby reserve the right to immediately delete any comments which are critical, unkind, lack civility, or promote prodcuts, services, and values contrary to either the Church, or to the rules of online etiquette.
I'd also like to remind all who comment here that I try to respond personally to each individual comment as I feel is appropriate. Such replies are not meant to end the conversation, but to acknowledge earnest feedback as it is submitted.
And in order to better preserve the spirit and pure intentions for which this blog was established, I also hereby request that anyone not commenting with a regular user name (particularly those whose comments appear under the "Unknown" or "Anonymous" monikers, give the rest of us a name to work with in addressing any replies. If such individuals do not wish to disclose their actual given names, a pseudonym or nickname would suffice.
Any comments made by individuals who opt to not give a name by which they can ber identified may, depending on the substance and tone of such comments, be subject to deletion as well. I would respectfully ask that all of us do all we can to keep the dialogue positive, polite, and without malice or ill-will. May the Lord bless us all in our discussion of these important matters.
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Hello again, everyone! I returned home roughly 9 hours ago from having my procedure. I have been advised that the recuperation process will take around 3 weeks to fully complete, but that I can get back to regular activities as time, circumstances, and my health allow me to do so.
ReplyDeleteI am planning on keeping a low profile here at home for the next few days, and we'll see where things go from there. In the meantime, I have some Church news updates I wanted to pass along to you all now. First, two updates have been shared about the ongoing global ministry of our apostles. Elder Jeffrey R Holland made a recent trip to the Africa Southeast Area, during which time he presided over a couple of stake conferences and provided counsel to members in South Africa, Angola, and Mozambique. He was accompanied on that trip by his wife, Sister Patricia T. Holland. Meanwhile, his other traveling companions, Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Lynette, and Presiding Bishop Gerald Causee and his wife, Valerie, made other stops in the following nations: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As I previously noted, while in South Africa, Elder Holland gave a media briefing for that temple, and Bishop Causse conducted a final check on it before it was turned back over to the Temple Department.
Although nothing specific was noted in that respect, it wouldn't shock me if we later learned that, among other things, the visiting leaders had taken time to scout for prospective future temple sites in South Africa (a third location therein), DR Congo (its' second), and Mozambique (the first), nor would I be surprised if they were evaluating how soon a groundbreaking might be able to be held for the Harare Zimbabwe and Nairobi Kenya Temples.
Remarkably, at one of the Stake Conferences over which Elder Holland presided, a former Baptist Sunday School teacher who had been taking the missionary discussion but had not yet commited to baptism. As Elder Holland urged those investigating the Church to be baptized ASAP, this good brother felt the Lord confirming through the Spirit that Elder Holland was speaking directly for Him, and, as a result, not long after that conference, he made arrangements to be baptized ASAP.
Read more on that ministry trip at the following web address:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-11-27/elder-holland-south-africa-mozambique-growth-168375
Meanwhile, Elder Ronald A. Rasband spent some time visiting with missionaries, members, and friends of other faiths throughout Auckland (where a temple has been announced) and Hamilton New Zealand (where the temple is currently undergoing renovation), Melborne Australia (where a temple is in operation), and a small Fijian island in which only a small district currently operates.
ReplyDeleteThe visit held personal significance for Elder Rasband and his wife, Melanie, as two of their grandsons were serving their missions in a couple of places where they made stops. It would not surprise me to learn that Elder Rasband took some time to assess how the renovation process is progressing for the Hamilton temple, or how soon the Auckland Temple site might be ready for a groundbreaking.
Elder and Sister Rasband were accompanied on this tour by the members of the Pacific Area Presidency and quite a few area seventies. To read more about that tour, please see the following article:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-11-27/elder-rasband-ministers-from-a-to-z-in-the-pacific-168377
In honor of Thanksgiving, the Church News published 5 thoughts from Church leaders about what it means to be truly grateful, and how best to do so on a daily basis:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2019-11-27/5-thoughts-from-latter-day-saint-leaders-on-the-meaning-of-gratitude-167493
And from the Newsroom comes yet another edition of Latter-day Saints Around the World, whi3h featured inspiring stories from the following locations: Honshu Japan; 4 from the Pacific (Samoa, Australia, Tonga, and the aforementioned apostolic ministry of Elder Rasband in the Pacific); Chile; Guatemala; Mongolia; and Barbados.
I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will keep doing my level best to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of them. In the meantime, thanks again, everyone!
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has shared the following report on a devotional address offered by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Kathy:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-11-28/thanksgiving-with-elder-andersen-at-the-provo-mtc-a-family-card-and-gratitude-for-the-blessings-of-life-choice-and-christ-168584
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News and the official Newsroom have published one new article each today. First, the Church News shares preliminary details on the Thanksgiving Day service project in which missionaries at the Provo MTC were involved. Those details are further explained in a Deseret News article:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2019-11-29/provo-mtc-thanksgiving-service-project-168619
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2019/11/28/20984269/underground-service-project-at-provo-mtc-yields-350000-meal-kits
And the Newsroom reports on how, in the midst of preparing for the renovation closure of the Salt Lake Temple, crews are preparing Temple Square to accomodate visitors during the Christmas season and all the associated Church Christmas events related thereunto:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/temple-square-brings-christmas-cheer-salt-lake-city
My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.
Hello again, everyone! Just by way of reminder, the Puebla Mexico Temple will have its' groundbreaking ceremony at 10:00 AM Puebla time, which is a little less than 12 hours from now, given the time difference of one hour between Utah time and Puebla Mexico time.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, tomorrow will also mark the last day that the Church will hold open house tours for the Arequipa Peru Temple. Those tours are set to wrap up at 9:000 PM tomorrow evening local time, which will be around 7:00 PM here in Utah. Interestingly enough, tomorrow, it will be exactly one year to the very day since the angel Moroni statue was placed atop that temple.
I will provide a report on the Puebla temple groundbreaking as soon as that becomes available. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! I have confirmed that the groundbreaking for the Puebla Mexico Temple occurred today as scheduled, but do not yet have an official source from the Church to verify that. I will be sure to pass that information along as I receive word of it.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, it is worth noting that a few of the sources I have available for temple information have suggested that the completion of that temple might occur between that of the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple and/or the Bangkok Thailand and Saratoga Springs Utah Temples. I will evaluate that information as I am able to do so in the near future, and will be sure to pass along any further revisions to my previously-offered thoughts on that subject. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.
Here is the Newsroom report about the Puebla Mexico Temple groundbreaking:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-completed-for-the-puebla-mexico-temple
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! Given that it is now past 9:30 PM Arequipa Peru time, the open house for that temple ended just over half an hour ago. That temple will now undergo a two-week period of preparation before a youth devotional is held on Saturday December 14. The temple will then be dedicated the following day by Church President Russell M. Nelson:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/doors-open-for-public-tours-of-the-arequipa-peru-temple
A couple of things I don't know, however. First, who might accompany President Nelson to that dedication. Second, whether or not President Nelson may dedicate the temple as part of a final 2019 Global Ministry Tour. On the one hand, I could see him trying to get one more in before the end of this year (perhaps with a focus on South America), and wrapping it up before Christmas, but on the other hand, I could see him only worrying about the temple dedication this go-round. Just some thoughts from me, for whatever they might be worth to you all here. In the meantime, thanks again, everyone!