Stokes Sounds Off: BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Held for Okinawa Japan Temple

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Held for Okinawa Japan Temple

 Hello again, everyone! Yesterday, I reported on the December 2 groundbreaking for the Bengaluru India Temple, which had taken place on Tuesdayy December 2. On this Saturday morning, I am pleased to report that the groundbreaking for the Okinawa Japan Temple took place a short while ago. As had been previously announced, the Asia North Area President, Elder Taksashi Wada, presided thereat. The news release covering today's event reiterated the details on the temple: "The Okinawa Japan Temple will be located on a half-acre site at 7-11, Matsumoto, Okinawa Shi, in Okinawa-ken, Japan. Plans call for a two-story, 10,000-square-foot temple. A temple-patron waiting area will also be added to an adjacent existing meetinghouse that was completed in 2013."  

Given the relatively smaller size of this planned project, I'm going to assume that, if all goes well, the temple could be completed in mid-2023 at earliest or mid-to-late 2023 at latest. Of course, that will depend on how soon full-scale construction is able to begin, and a number of factors relative to any temple project. Between COVID-19 on the one hand, all kinds of natural disasters on the other, and any factors specific to Japan being added in, it will be interesting to see how all of that works out. Having noted that, we are barely 5 days into December, and reports have aloready been provided on two of the four remaining groundbreakings for 2020 already having taken place. 

This leaves just the Harare Ziimbabwe and Mendoza Argentina Temples in the queue, and with any luck, the next week will see both of those groundbreakings occur, unless either or both are postponed into early 2021. And with respect to those two groundbreakings, I have diligently checked the Argentina and Zimbabwe Newsroom pages, and have frequented the South America South Area page for any news on the specifics of either, and have not yet heard anything solid beyond what has been previously announced for the Mendoza Argentina and Harare Zimbabwe temples. 

As previously discussed on this blog, in some mentions of temple groundbreakings that were to take place this year, the Mendoza Argentina Temple was conspicuously absent, leading me to believe that it was possible that the groundbreaking might be delayed on that temple. Given that November specifically came and went without any word on that, and that there has been no subsequent information provided to suggest otherwise, I'm now going to assume that the Mendoza groundbreaking has merely been delayed, perhaps by local COVID-19 restrictions or some other reason. 

But as soon as I have anything solid to report on either temple, you can count on my bringing word of that to you all here. I also continue to monitor any other temple updates and all Church news and will be sure to pass along those updates here as well. 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.

1 comment:

  1. Hello again, everyone! The Church News has provided coverage on the Okinawa Japan Temple groundbreaking:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-12-05/okinawa-japan-temple-groundbreaking-199224

    That article still referenced the Church's plan to break ground for 21 temples this year, so I'd assume that means that the groundbreakings for the Harare Zimbabwe and Mendoza Argentina Temples are still anticipated to occur this month. I will keep my eyes open for any such news and will pass along any updates. My thanks once again to you all.

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