Monday, January 20, 2020
REVISITED: Updated Sections of My Temple Construction Progress Report
Hello again, everyone! Given the recent developments I have reported on both the Bengaluru India and second Manila Philippines Temples, I thought it would be wise to again revise and update a few sections of my temple construction progress report. Althoough those sections are largely self-explanatory, and prioritized between what I know and all that is currently not known about several announced temples, I did want to offer a standard disclaimer: Until officially confirmed or corrected by the Church through the proper channels, the information in that document is only based on my personal analysis, and should thus be taken with a grain of salt, as it is always subject to change if and when more information may come to light.
Aside from that disclaimer, I hope that many of you might find my updated thoughts on this subject illuminating, such as they are. I continue to monitor all temple developments, in addition to all Church news reports, and will endeavor to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of them. 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.
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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Hello again, everyone! The Church News has shared the following two new reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-01-20/tithing-faith-philippines-sarah-jane-weaver-171984
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-01-20/naacp-elder-stevenson-martin-luther-king-jr-172357
That second one is a companion to the official release from the Newsroom:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-stevenson-naacp-martin-luther-king-memorial-luncheon
My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.
Hello again, everyone! Some of you might recall the following comment I made in the threads of the previous post:
ReplyDeletehttps://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2020/01/first-presidency-announces-adjustments.html?showComment=1579511681517#c7942559915688056475
That comment referenced coverage about the upcoming open house for the Durban South Africa Temple. The Church News has since provided coverage on that subject, including additional context on the features of the temple:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-01-21/durban-south-africa-temple-interior-photos-open-house-172394
Additionally, I have a few other temple updates to report. First of all, the status of the Yigo Guam Temple has been altered to eliminate the reference to the training that was delivered for the capstone time capsule in November of last year. Although the last major construction update on that temple was shared in July of last year, I am hopeful we may have more information on it soon.
Next, as I mentioned in the document to which I shared a link in the post above, the new information released yesterday about the second Manila Philippines led me at that time to surmise that its' groundbreaking would occur before that of the Auckland New Zealand Temple. But more details were posted at the following web address earleir today:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/greater-manila-philippines-temple/news/
The update shared on that page today specifically notes that auditions for the choir will precede three months of rehearsal for the choir, meaning that the temple's groundbreaking might only occur in May at earliest. Therefore, I have moved the Auckland New Zealand Temple back up to the top of my list of temples for which a groundbreaking can be safely anticipated, since its' groundbreaking is anticipated to occur before the end of March. That update is now refleected in that document to which I linked in my post above.
In the meantime, a new update on the St. George Utah Temple's renovation notes that the stair tower on the west side (the rear) thereof is being demolished. I continue to monitor all temple developments and Church news and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of such things.
I should also mention that I am cautiously optimistic that within the next two weeks or less, we will see at least one new temple-related announcemnt released by the Church. That seems reasonable to me based on what I currently know. Until my nexxt post or comment, my thanks once again to you all.
The Church News and the Newsroom have both also reported on the BYU-Provo devotional address that was given this morning by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the twelve Apostles:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-01-21/religious-freedom-rasband-agency-3-keys-plan-salvation-172433
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-rasband-religious-freedom-byu
It also appears as though the Church Temples website is temporarily unavailable, most likely for routine maintenance or minor adjustments. I will keep an eye on that and pass along any additional updates. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
Whatever the issue with the Church temples site may have been, it appears to have been resolved now. Thanks again.
DeleteHello again, everyone! Given the time difference between Utah and Durban South Africa, and as confirmed by the Church Temples site, the open house is officially underway for the temple in that city. As previously noted, that open house will go through Saturday February 1, with the exception of Sunday January 26. Still no information available on who might preside at that temple's dedication in a few weeks, but I will keep my eyes open for such information. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteHie James, It appears that Elder Rasband will likely preside at the dedication of the Durban temple and will be accompanied by Elder Carl B. Cook of the presidency of the seventy. Check this invitation for the youth devotional which kind of confirms Elder Rasband might preside though this is not official.
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/1207347529282760/videos/197717981320859/
Nigel, first of all, thanks for taking time to comment. I know that Church leaders have been using social media far more prominently since President Nelson became Church President, so the fact that this video would be posted there before it was published anywhere else is another example of that.
DeleteIt is also wonderfful to hear that Elder Cook will be in attendance at the youth devotional. In 2016, he was serving as president of the Africa Southeast Area when he presided at the groundebreaking for this temple, so his attendance at the weekend's celebrations is no surprise, allowing him to help finish what he started, but now in his capacity as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. Incidentally, this will be the first time in a while of which I am aware when a member of the Presidency of the Seventy will participate in the events of a temple dedication.
As far as Elder Rasband personally presiding over the temple dedication weekend, I can see that as a reasonable conclusion. Coverage of the ministry of President Nelson has highlighted his willingness to send his fellow apostles to represent him. And in 2019, the only apostles not assigned to dedicate or rededicate a temple were Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Gong. So sending Elder Rasband to dedicate this temple would be in line with his efforts to continue to delegate those opportunities.
So Elder Rasband could indeed be assigned to dedicate that temple. But it is also possible that he could be accompanying the more senior apostle who will do so. That statement might require a bit more of an explanation, so here it is: Last year, at the rededication of the Oakland California Temple, Elder Bednar was in attendance for that, given his personal ties to the area (he was born in that city and grew up near that temple). But he was assigned as the junior apostolic companion to President Oaks. During that weekend, the Church News published an article that described a new format the Church will follow for dedications or rededications where more than one apostle is in attendance:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/?p=154562?fbclid=IwAR3asWRhed0xaljPo6nGh4aiNDj-2loWT-q9VkCond8ynHxIBzt_X0slnXE
I highlighted the extent and specifics of those changes in a post I worte that weekend:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2019/06/breaking-temple-news-oakland-california.html
Of course, it is also worth noting that, since that weekend in mid-June of last year, there have not been any temple dedications or rededications for which more than one apostle was in attendance. That same scenario (two apostles being in attendance during a temple event and dividing responsibilities) might have occurred last month with the Arequipa Peru Temple dedication if President Nelson had been able to preside that weekend as he originally planned to do so, but even that is highly speculative.
With all of this explained, on the one hand, I see the idea of Elder Rasband presiding over the entire weekend as a natural and reasonable conclusion, given that he is one of only 3 apostles who has not personally presided over a temple dedication or rededication. But based on the past precedent of the Oakland California Temple rededication, it could also be the case that Elder Rasband speaks at the youth devotional, with the more senior apostle presiding at the dedication the next day. Given that my blog here is an unoffical site sharing official information from the Church, I will put the former prospect down as a definite maybe, and will await something more official before asserting that that will be the case. But I appreciate you drawing my attention to that Facebook video, and will look forward to seeing the reports on the dedicatory weekend. As I mentioned, my mom was born and raised in South Africa, and is very familiar with both Durban and Johannesburg, so this dedication has personal significance for her and her relatives. Thanks again, Nigel, for taking time to comment. I appreciate hearing from you.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has reported on the BYU-Hawaii devotional addresses that were given yesterday by John S. Tanner, the university's president, and his wife, Sister Susan W. tanner, the latter of whom served as Young Women General President from 2002-2008. You can find that report at the following web address:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-01-22/20-20-spiritual-vision-byu-hawaii-devotional-172556
Above and beyond that, however, major news has been reported in relation to the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. Even as that island continues to recover from the aftermath of many recent natural disasters, the Church has acquired building permits for that temple, and site clearing and grading are underway. That means the San Juan Temple has officially moved from the "Full-scale construction pending" status. And a a consequence, its' general completion estimate has been pushed up to sometime during late 2021-early 2022, the same window given for the completion of the Pocatello Idaho Temple. I will be watching the progress on both very closey for some indication of which might occur first. In the meantime, that just leaves the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Puebla Mexico Temples in the "Full-scale construction pending" status.
I continue to monitor all temple updates and Church news reports and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all here as I become aware of such things. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
And here are two additional Church news articles:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-01-22/latter-day-saint-rocker-ceo-seeks-gospel-harmony-172082
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-01-22/student-led-scripture-study-gatherings-172490
Thanks again, everyone!