Stokes Sounds Off: 09/12/19

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Thursday, September 12, 2019

BREAKING NEWS: Church President Russell M. Nelson to Address BYU Students on September 17, 2019; Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Will Rededicate the Frankfurt Germany Temple

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news has just been shared relating to the weekly BYU devotional/forum. With the Fall Semester 2019 Devotional Schedule that was previously released, there was not a live devotional or forum planned for Tuesday September 17. But the Church News has shared an invitation issued by Church President Russell M. Nelson, in view of his plans to address those on the BYU campus on Tuesday.

Given that he is the Chairman of the Church Educational System, it is not surprising he would opt to provide an unannounced address on a week in which nothing formal had previously been planned. The prophet's issued invitation was as follows: "I think about the issues facing young people daily. I feel inspired to share an important message with you on September 17 at 11:05 a.m. MDT. Please join me that day on the Church’s Facebook or YouTube account or http://ChurchofJesusChrist.org ."

Insofar as I am aware, a BYU devotional being broadcast live via the offical Church's website is unprecedented. And the wording of the invitation appears to indicate that he had not originally planned on this, but that he is again following the Spirit in doing so, and is enabling it to be carried live on the Church website for reasons that may only become apparent when he actually gives the address. Stay tuned for my coverage on that devotional.

If that were the only breaking news to share, I would be satisfied enough, but while putting a post together to cover that development, another Church News article, written to cover the beginning of the Frankfurt Germany Temple open house, shared the news that, as I anticipated, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf will rededicate that temple.

That is fitting and proper. Not only is he our native German apostle, who has had experience dedicating and rededicating temples during his near-decade of service in the First Presidency, but the fact that he is also now a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles seems to fit my theory that, for the time being, temples will continue to be rededicated by the more senior apostles (from President Nelson through Elder Christofferson).

With that in mind, I think it may be safe to assume that either President Oaks or Elder Christofferson (the latter of whom speaks fluent Spanish) may be sent to privately rededicate the Asuncion Paraguay Temple in November. I don't know what that might mean for the Arequipa Peru Temple dedication, but time will tell. I suppose President Oaks could be sent to take care of the Asuncion Paraguay rededication with a translator in tow, and then Elder Christofferson might dedicate the Arequipa Peru Temple. Stay tuned for more on that as I learn more about both events.

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.