Hello again, everyone! This will be a brief personal update based on information I received late Sunday evening. I have been experiencing a resurgence of gastrointestinal issues. Over this last week, my docotr has run a couple of blood panels, along with one other test, to determine what to do about this issue. Towards the end of this last week, he had made an initial change to my medication treatment plan. and hoped that would be sufficient to deal with the problem, but he apparently went over the results of that latest panel of blood tests, and they are reportedly trending in the wrong direction. As a result of his consultation with the on-call gastro doctor for this weekend about these results, we were advised around 3 hours ago that they will need to do an endoscopy at some point tomrrow to examine the issues more thorougly.
Due to my extensive medical history, going in for such a procedure is nerve-wracking enough under a normal situation, but I will, of course, be needing to undergo this procedure tomrrow during a period of time where concern in Utah over COVID-19 is rampantly abudant. As a result, this particular procedure needing to be done right now is even more of a concern. I realize that by the time most of you read this later today, this issue may be resolved. But if any of you are able to send prayers heavenward in behalf of my wife and myself as we deal with this issue within the next 8-12 hours, I'd greatly appreciate it. I will hopefully be able to report back on the results of anything that has been figured out within the next 12-15 hours. I will also, of course, be back to report any interesting Church news or temple updates later today when I can. In the meantime, thanks for indulging me in this personal update and resulting request.
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.
Monday, April 13, 2020
Prayers Would Be Appreciated
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.
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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 from my endoscopy around 2 hours ago. Due to COVID-19, there was an entirely new set of protocols for that procedure, which meant that my wife, Amy, was only able to drop me off and pick me up. The procedure went well, but they didn't find anything out-of-the-ordinary (though they did a biopsy on part of my stomach), so I will need to go back in on Thursday for a colonoscopy to determine next steps.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, I do have some Church news to pass along. The first relates to the previous announcements about FSY gatherings. In the United States and Canada, all such gatherings have been postponed until 2021 in the wake of COVID-19:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/coronavirus-update#fsy
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-04-13/fsy-conferences-2020-postponed-united-states-canada-181074
In conjunction with that announcement, the Church also released the revised FSY schedule for 2021, 2022 and 2023:
https://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/fsy/Edited-Apr-13-Stake-Assignments-for-2021-2023-FINAL.pdf
Above and beyond that, the Church News has also shared brief biographies of the newly-called area seventies who were sustained this month in General Conference:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-04-13/april-2020-general-conference-58-new-area-seventies-180965
And the Church News has also shared the inspiring story of a Latter-day Saint couple who, in the midst of COVID-19 conditions, have been helping a Navajo woman with her family history research. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! Another unprecedented development has been covered by the Church News. Sister Wendy W. Nelson, wife of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, penned words of encouragement in a letter to the wives of the General Authorities of the Church, and by extension, to all the women in the Church, highlighting her advice and counsel in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-04-13/sister-wendy-nelson-letter-general-authority-wives-coronavirus-181120
It is wonderful to see President and Sister Nelson working together to provide comfort, hope, and reassurance to the Saints in the midst of this ongoing crisis. Above and beyond that, however, the Church News has shared another report on help being provided to the Navajo nation, this time highlighting the donations of food and supplies in the midst of this crisis:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-04-13/covid-19-coronavirus-navajo-reservation-food-donation-181072
My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church News has also reported on the unusual commencement exercises conducted by LDS Business College that served for different reasons as the first and the last of its' kind:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-04-13/president-bingham-ldsbc-graduation-first-last-broadcast-commencement-covid-19-181185
Thanks again, everyone!
The Church News today reported on how COVID-19 has impacteed the Church in the hard-hit culturally-diverse Church communities in New York City:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-04-14/coronavirus-covid-19-new-york-latter-day-saints-181226
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The following additional Church news stories have been reported:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/covid-19-first-presidency-letter-april-14-2020
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/latter-day-saints-global-covid-19-relief-efforts
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2020-04-14/coronavirus-covid-19-relief-efforts-humanitarian-aid-181328
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-04-14/tornadoes-storms-southeast-united-states-missionaries-safe-181288
My thanks once again to you all.
And another major update on the Washington County Utah Temple may indicate that a groundbreaking announcement might be forthcoming in the next week or so:
ReplyDeletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/washington-county-utah-temple/news/
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! In the midst of the numerous changes that have needed to be made to the Church's missionary program as a result of COVD-19, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who chairs the Missionary Executive Council, provided some insight on what that process has involved, and the advice he'd give to all missionaries and their families who have been impacted by those changes:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-04-15/covid-19-missionaries-pioneers-modern-days-elder-uchtdorf-coronavirus-181210
My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.
And the Church News has also started publishing articles to introduce the newly-called General Authority Seventies and General Officers of the Church. This first article focused on Elder Jorge T. Becerra:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-04-15/elder-jorge-t-becerra-new-general-authority-seventy-2020-blessing-work-181163
If the Church Newws runs an article per week about the newly-called leaders, then the Church News could have biographies published for all of the newly called leaders within the next 3 months. My thanks once again to you all.
The Young Women General Presidency has provided some insights on how quorum and class presidencies can fulfill their stewardships to lead their classes and quorums even in the midst of a season of social distancing:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-04-15/elder-jorge-t-becerra-new-general-authority-seventy-2020-blessing-work-181163
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! A new article by the Newsroom has shared how Latter-day Saints living in the Pacific Islands had the first-time opportunity to watch the recent April 2020 General Conference sessions from their own homes due to cooperative measures between the Church and local radio and television stations:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/general-conference-broadcast-on-national-television-across-the-pacific
Above and beyond that, however, new information I obtained this evening indicates that the Orem City Council has ratified the recommendation of the Orem Planning and Zoning Commission to grant approvals for the Orem Utah Temple. And additional new information indicates that the groundbreakings for the Washington County Utah, Tooele Valley Utah, Taylorsivlle Utah, and Orem Utah Temples may all be announced (separately, as a group, or over the course of 2 announcements) within the next month or two, and that each could take place between the beginning of August and the end of September. It will be the Church's prerogative to deny, correct, clarify, or confirm those arrangements officially, but based on information I have gathered from some of the sources I have available to me on such matters, the timing does appear plausible, if not entirely possible. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! More Church news developments and temple updates have been reported, so let’s get right into those:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-04-16/new-temple-presidents-matrons-tokyo-new-zealand-arizona-california-181281
8 new temple presidents have been called, among which are 1 who will preside over the same temple (Tokyo Japan) for a second nonconsecutive time; 1 is a bishopric counselor who also formerly served as an Area Seventy, and who has additionally been asked to preside over a temple (Hamilton New Zealand) for a second nonconsecutive time; 1 is a temple sealer; 1 was formerly a mission president in his home nation (Colombia) but will preside over a temple in a neighboring nation (Guayaquil Ecuador); 1 is currently both a stake president and a temple ordinance worker; 1 is a former stake president and current ordinance worker; 1 is a former mission and stake presidency counselor; and 1 is a temple sealer and former VIsitor’s Center director.
For a review of which temples have had or may yet have a new president announced this year that are still on my list, see the following document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qcf4P9oxAlBJ7Mh20Ixy11WQ7BQGxOtgqIRwnFhSn6A/edit?usp=sharing
The following additional Church News stories have been reported as well:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/time-lapse-of-salt-lake-temple-renovation-project
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-04-16/salt-lake-temple-renovation-temple-square-construction-video-181436
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-04-16/blind-latter-day-saint-musician-approaches-covid-19-challenges-eternal-vision-181404
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-04-16/seminary-institute-students-online-learning-classes-refuge-coronavirus-181113
A few more new temple updates have been reflected in my temple construction progress report, and are highlighted in red. As a result of my desire to not have to continuously update regularly-changing information (such as the date of the report, and the data about the Church’s progress towards 200 operating temples), I have post dated that report. As a result, the latest updates also show the Alabang Philippines Temple in a “Full-scale construction pending” status. This is because by the date noted on the report, that groundbreaking will have already occurred. Other than that, the updated report reflects the latest information that I have as of today:
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1_NjOQjruF_hn11NO04fVSNWAF-r2OuaSLMDTqQXWeXo/edit?usp=sharing
After it was initially cancelled, adjustments have been made to the arrangements for the 2020 BYU Women’s Conference, which will be held by technology only over the course of a single day (May 1). More information can be found at the following web address:
https://womensconference.byu.edu/digital-event
The Church has also noted that Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy, who, among other assignments, serves on the Church Board of Education, along with his wife, Sister Lynette Gay, will be the featured speakers at the digital-only Worldwide Devotiona for Young Adults, which will be held as scheduled on Sunday May 3 @ 6:00 PM:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/events/may-2020-worldwide-devotional-for-young-adults?lang=eng
It is awesome to see the Church continuing to adapt to conditions of COVID-19 amidst recommendations from national, state, and local leaders, and I have a feeling that such adaptations will certainly continue for the foreseeable future until conditions improve. In the meantime, I am keeping my eyes open for all Church news developments and temple updates, and will bring word of those to you all here as I become aware of them. In the meantime, thanks again, all!