A Look Back at 2021 and a Look Ahead to 2022

Hello again, everyone! With the recently-published overview of 2021 temple construction progress being  published here a short while ago, as the final minutes of 2021 are nearing their conclusion, I wanted to provide a look back at this last year and look ahead at the incoming year. In addition to numerous breaking news or temple updates, I also focused on several updates about apostolic age and tenure milestones, and also covered several significant updates involving the ministry of our apostles. 

Another major hot topic for this blog was the ongoing adjustments made necessary by COVID-19. In-person Church has returned, and temple worship has been restored with the necessaray precautions intact. 34 new temples were announced, while ground was broken for 12 others. 2 new temples were dedicated, and 1 was rededicated. The First Presidency called 8 new GA Seventies in April, released 6 in October, and adjusted the way area seventies were released and sustained.

I could go on, but the blog history of this last year speaks well for itself.  I did want to note here that this year, I marked the milestones of 2000 blog posts (on January 19) and 2100 blog posts (on October 1). Depnding on what needs to be covered, I am tentatively predicting that I might hit the milestone of 2200 posts by sometime in May or June of next year, which could mean I will reach the milestone of 2300 blog posts before the end of next year.

In rhe interim, I wanted to take a look back at scheduled updates I provided throught this year (2021) and to provide an advanced look ahead at known developments I havr scheduled in for updates within this next year (2022). I continue to monitor all major Church news updates and temple construction developments and will be sure to pass those along as I become aware thereof.

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.

2021 Year-End Review of Temple Construction

Hello again, eveyone! As the final moments of 20e 21 tick towards their unavoidable conclusion, I wanted to provide you with a 2021 year-end review of temple construction progress. So by wayrom  of a reminder, here's a look back at the status of temples as the year began, a few days prior to the April 2021 General Conference, as the 2021 recess got underway for the General Authorities in July, how things looked a few days before the October 2021 General Conference, and how tenple construction looks as of 2021 concludes.

I think that 2022 will be another big year for temple eventsed 19-29 temples at minimum that could have a groundbreaking nwxt year as well. So I wouldn't be shocked if a minimum of 34 new temples were announced next year in the two General Conferences. I continue to monitor all such decelopmentd and will be sure to pass them along to you all as such announcements are made.

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.

Honoring Elder Gerrit W. Gong on His 68th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a birthday tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is celebrating his 68th today. His is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2022 will be Elder D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 77th on January 24. Let's now turn our attention to today's tribute to Elder Gong.

Gerrit Walter Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on this day in 1953, to Walter and Jean Char Gong. While he was given his father's name for his middle name, his first name was given in honor of and out of respect to Gerrit de Jong, whose family his mother had lived with while studying at BYU-Provo. Both of Elder Gong's parents trace their ancestry back to China, although his father's family emigrated from China to the US during the late 19th century, and his mother's family are ethnic Chinese who lived in Hawaii.

After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, young Gerrit served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree at BYU, then continued his education at Oxford University, where, as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy. He first met Susan Lindsay, the woman he would later marry, while giving presentations at the MTC focused on the culture of Taiwan, to groups of missionaries assigned to serve in that nation (Sister Lindsay, at that time, was preparing to serve her mission in Taiwan).

At some point following her return from missionary service, while he was on summer break from Oxford, the two began dating. After Gerrit returned to Oxford, he and Susan (who was a BYU student) continued their courtship long-distance The couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 1980, and raised 4 sons. They spent most of their married lives in Virginia and Maryland. Brother Gong became a special assistant to the US Secretary of State in 1985. He went on to be a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.

He continued his career as a special assistant in the US State Department and as a special assistant to the US embassy in China. In 1989, he served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was also invited to participate in multiple education summits, in addition to serving on the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. Towards the end of his professional career, he served as an Assistant to the President of BYU for Planning and Assessment.

As impressive as his career may have been, the far more significant things he accomplished was in the course of Church service over several decades, during which he was a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. During his time in the latter assignment, he accompanied the presiding authority to my parent's Stake Conference. As he spoke, I was impressed by his warmth, knowledge of the scriptures, and ability to teach from them. While I may not remember any specifics of what he said, the power of the Spirit which I felt when he was speaking was unmistakable.

After that conference, I had the opportunity to greet and chat with him informally. What I had seen at the pulpit while he spoke was even more apparent in his personal interactions with me and other members of my parent's stake. This is a man who feels and teaches by the Spirit. During the April 2010 General Conference, Elder Gong was among those called as a General Authority Seventy. He filled various assignments at Church headquarters for the first year or so after his call. From August 2011-August 2013, he served in the Asia Area Presidency as a counselor. In 2013, he was called as president of that same area.

As a result of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the October 2015 General Conference, Elder Gong was called to the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. He transitioned out of his role as Asia Area President and into that new assignment effective January 4, 2016.

During his two years of active service in the Presidency of the Seventy, he had responsibility for overseeing the work of the Church in the North America Northeast Area. He also served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards. Following the October 2017 and January 2018 deaths of Elder Robert D. Hales and Church President Thomas S. Monson, new Church President Russell M. Nelson called both Elder Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares to serve as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, marking history as the first Asian American and Latin American apostles of the Church. They were sustained as such on March 31, 2018, and both were ordained to the apostleship the following Thursday (April 5, 2018).

Consistent with the general practice of the Church, and for the first time since the October 2015 appointments of Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund, with the two apostles called, sustained, and ordained on the same day, Elder Gong, who is older, became the senior apostle to Elder Soares. In June 2018, Elders Gong and Soares met with representatives of the media for the first time as new apostles, at which time Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. He also served as a member of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee, and has apostolic oversight for the Asia and Asia North Areas. Given the recent shifting of apostolic assignments, it wouldn't surprise me to see confirmation that he is serving on either the Missionary Executive Council or the Temple & Family History Executive Coincil.

Elder Gong has given a total of 10 addresses in General Conference thus far, which includes 1 as a General Authority, 1 other given while he served in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 8 since beginning his service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Due to his potential exposure to COVID-19 (for which he tested positive a few days later), he had pre-recorded his remarks in the days leading up to the October 2020 General Conference. 

Having successfully completed his quarantine, he was able to preside at the groundbreaking for the Taylorsville Utah Temple later that month. And after a yearlong delay, Elder Gong presided at the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple just over 7 weeks ago. I am grateful to have been able to honor Elder Gong on this, his 67th birthday. Because of my previously-referenced personal interaction with him, I can testify that the Lord has prepared him for his present assignment, and I whole-heartedly sustain him and the other 14 apostles.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Latest Phased Reopening Adjustments Announced

Hello again, everyone! Another week has come and gone, and it is time once again to discuss the latest temple reopening adjustments from the Church. As always, the latest information can be found in the official release from the Newsroom, the Church News overview of those changes, and the temple reopening status tracker.

Only one temple update has been noted for this week: The Montecideo Uruguay Temple will transition to phase 3 as early as next Tuesday (December 28), which will mean that 164 of the Church's 170 temples (96.5%) will be in phase 3. And with 4 other temples in phase 2-B, 168 od the Church's 170 temples (98.8%) are offering some proxy ordinances.

As a result of these updates, the status of temples will stand as follows on Tuesday December 28: 8 temples are closed for renovation, with 1 more closed for what the Newsroom terms a "renovation" but for what the Church News calls "extended maintenance". I defer to the Newsroom's terminology because the Church's official page for Medford terms the current closure as a "renovation". 

Aside from Medford, the other 8 temples undergoing renovations have all been granted phase 3 designations. No temples are currenrly "paused" in their reopenings, and none are in phase 2 either. There are now 2 temples in phase 1, with 4 others operating in phase 2-B, and the remaining 156 temples are in phase 3. 

As I've noted in just about every temple reopening update in the last several weeks, I am grateful for the carefully-planned cautiously-coordinated reopening of temples around the world, and for the revelatory process that drives those announcements every week. Although no temples anywhere have reached phase 4 (a return to full normal operations), it is wonderful the Church has been prudent and wise in the announcements remeof changes each week.

Having noted all of that, it's also worth noting that the newest strain of COVID-19 popping up in various world areas may, in subsequent weeks, lead to other temples being "paused" in their reopenings. I will be sure to watch for any such updates and will pass them along to you all as I become aware thereof. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Location Confirmed, Exterior Rendering Released, and Groundbreaking Announced for Freetown Sierra Leone Temple

Hello again, eveyone! This morning, the Church has confirrm the location of, releaseed the exterior rnedering of, and set the groundbtreaking for the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple. That temple was one of the eight announced by President Nrlson during thr October 3019 Women's Session of General Conference. Before we get to the details here, I wanted to note that, aside from this first temple in Sierra Leone, groundbreakings have already takn place for 6 of the other 7 temples announced at that time. 

Those 6 are Orem Utah, Bentonville Arkansas, Bacolod Philippines, McAllen Texas, Coban Guatemala, and Taylorsville Utah. The remaining temple, Prot Moresby Papua New Guinea, has had a site location confirmed and an extieror rendering released and is awaiting a groundbreaking announcement, so official informtion for all eight temples announced in October 2019 has been confirmed.

We now turn to offivial information released today about the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple. The temple will be built at Jui Road, Kossah Town, Freetown, Sierra Leone on a 2.9 acre site. The temple project will include a two-story ancillary facility that has apartments for the templr presidency members and the orfinance workers, houing for temple patrons, utility buildings, and an arrival center. The temple proper will be an 18,000 square foot single-story ediface.

As far as the groundbreaking is concerned, Elder Hugo E. Martinez, President of thr Africa West Area, will presside therat on Saturday March 19. Barring any unexpected developments, I anticipate that will be the first temple groundbreaking to be held in 2022, but I beliece it will be the first of a double-digit number of temple groundbreakings in 2022.

I am monitoring all such updates and maor Church news updates, and will bring word of those to you all as I receive it. 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.

A Word About the Descendants of Joseph and Hyrum Smith

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to do a new post now to share some thoughts about the direct descendants of Joseph and Hytum Smith, It has been common for the Quorum of the Twelce Apostles to have at least one descendant of those brothers in the Quorum of the Twelce Apostles. In the 1900s, 4 apostles had direct connections to the Smith family line. Joseph F. Smith was the son of Hyrum Smith, and two of his sons, Hyrum Mack Smith and Joseph Fielding Smith. 

So for a time, there were 3 direct descendants of the Smith brothers serving rogether in the apostleship. Both Joseph F. and Joseph Fielding subsequently served as the respective sixth and tenth presidents of the Church. While Joseph Fielding Smith was serving as Church President, he promised his son-in-law, Elder Bruce R. McConkie (in a cconversation that took place in the early 1970s) that he (President Smith) would call him (Elder McConkie) to the apostleship when the next apostolic vacancy occurred. 

As it happened, President Smith himself was the next apostle to pass awdenay. Subsequently, President Harold B. Lee, as the new Church President, ascertained the validity of that account from Elder McConkie himself, and he (President Lee) chose to honor his predecessor's promise. In 1985, following the death of Elder McConkie, Elder M. Russell Ballard, a descendant of the Smith line through his mother, Geraldine (another daughter of Joseph Fielding Smith), was called to the apostleship. 

Although I hope it will be several more years before the next apostle passes away, I've come to the conclusion that either President Eyring or President Ballard may be the next apostle to pass away. While I know speculation is discouraged by the Church on many matters, if and when President Ballard passes away, i thought it might be worthwhile to be aware of the possibilities for the next Smith line descendants who could be called. 

Right now, I see 3 possibilities as most likely. They are President Ballard's oldest son, Craig B. Ballard (born in 1970), Peter M. Huntsman (President Ballard's son-in-law, born in 1963), or the one other known Smith descedant serving as a general leader of the Church, Brother Jan E. Newman (rn in April of 1960), Second Counselor in the current Sunday School General Presidency. Of the three, since I don't think the Church would want to be accused of nepotism, Brother Newman seems most likely to be called.

If Brother Newman does wind up being called to succeed President Ballard, in between now and whenever that occurs, he could be called full-time as a GA Seventy in the coming years, or could shift to an apostolic assignment from his current role. Again, I hope that all of our current apostles will serve together for a while yet, and I will sustain any new apostles going forward as fully as I sustain our current ones. Bur I hope this overview of the Smith famly line and apostolic descedants is helpful.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church Continues Cautiously-Coordinated Plan to Reopen Temples

Hello again, everyone! Another week has come and gone, and it is time once again to discuss the latest temple reopening adjustments from the Church. As always, the latest information can be found in the official release from the Newsroom, the Church News overview of those changes, and the temple reopening status tracker.

This week's updates note that the Mesa Arizona Temple, which was rededicated on Sunday, will reopen in phase 3 as early as December 21. Additionally, rhe Suva Fiji Temple, which was paused in its' rreopening since May of this year, will unpause but also will revert back to phase 1, only allowing living sealings of a previously-enodwed husband-and-wife. That temple joins the San Jose Costa Rica Temple in phase 1.

And the Sydney Australia Temple, which "paused" in its' reopening from mid-July until now will reopen to phase 3, allowing all living ordinances in priority order, and all other ordinances for the dead on a limited scale by appointment only.

As a result of these updates, the status of temples will stand as follows on Tuesday December 21: 8 temples are closed for renovation, with 1 more closed for what the Newsroom terms a "renovation" but for what the Church News calls "extended maintenance". I defer to the Newsroom's terminology because the Church's official page for Medford terms the current closure as a "renovation". 

Aside from Medford, the other 8 have all been granted phase 3 designations. No temples are currenrly "paused in their reopenings, and none are in phase 2 either. There is 1 temple in phase 1, 5 others operating in phase 2-B, and the remaining 155 temples are in phase 3. As I've noted in just about every temple reopening update in the last several weeks, I am grateful for the carefully-planned cautiously-coordinated reopening of temples around the world, and for the revelatory process that drives those announcements every week. 

Although no temples anywhere have reached phase 4 (a return to full normal operations), it is wonderful the Church has been prudent and wise in the announcements of changes each week. Having noted all of that, it's also worth noting that the newest strain of COVID-19 popping up in various world areas may, in subsequent weeks, lead to other temples being "paused" in their reopenings. I will be sure to watch for any such updates and will pass them along to you all as I become aware thereof. 

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.

BREAKING NEWS: President Nelson Will Deliver a Christmas Message on Thursday

Hello agsin, rveyone! This morning, prior to reporting the latest temple reopenings, the Churvh News shared another announcement: Church President Russell M. Nelson will deliver a Christmas message to the world on social media channels, similar to thr message he gave on gratitude in November of last year. I imagine the message was inspired in the same way that the earlier message came to be given: specific inspiration about the length and content of the address was given to President Nelson in his late night patterns.

The message will be published to those channels on December 16 ar 8:00 AM MST. I am grateful to have seen and been able to pass along this news. I continue to monitor all such updates and will bring you word thereof as I learn about 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: "Inspired Modifications" Extend Salt Lake Temple Renovation Timeframe

Hello again, everyone! As announced by the Newsroom, and detailed further in two updates from the  Church News, the First Presidency announced today that the modified renovation plans announced in March of this year (to which the previously-announced permanent closure of the Salt Lake cafeteria, among others, was added as a detail last month) will extend the length of time needed for that renovation's completion. That completion winfow has shifted from sometime in 2024 to sometime in 2025. 

I had previously shared my opinion that the additional plans would probably delay the completion of that process until late 2024 or early 2025, so today's announcement constitues both a justification for my rationale for pushing that window back the way I did, while also serving as an official correction to the previously-offered estimate on my part. I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will be sure to pass on that information as it crosses my radar.

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.

BREAKING NEWS: Church Creates New Mission in Rwanda

Hello again, everyone! One week ago, the Church announced a new mission, Hawaii Laie, that will be effective next month. I had thought that might be the only new mission created  in 2022, but that is not correct. A few minutes ago, the Church announced the creation of the Rwanda Kigali Mission, which will go into effect on July 1, 2022 as the 409th mission worldwide. The mission comes as a division of 3 other missions: Uganfa Kampala, Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa East, and Democratic Republic of the Congo Lubumbashi Mission.

The news release also notes that the new president of this mission will be announced in Januaey 2022, along wirh all other new mission assignments for 2022. I am grateful to have been able to share this news with you all. I continue to monitor all such updates, including those relating to general Church news and temple announcements, and will bring word thereof to you here as I become aware theof.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Locations Confirmed and Renderings Released for the Cape Town South Africa and Queretaro Mexico Temples

Hello again, everyone! A short while afo, rhe Church released the site locarions and renderings for two more temples announced in April of this year: Cape Town South Africa and Queretaro Mexico. Let's break down the details. The Cape Town South Africa Temple is set to include a meetinghouse and arrival center in addition to the single-story 9,500 xquare foot temple. The buildings will rise on a 3.79 acre site at 3 Liesbeek Road, Observation, Cape Town.

Meanwhile, the Queretaro Mexico Temple will be a two-story edifice roughly planned to be 27,500 sqare feet in area. The site for that temple will be the 3.5 acre lot at Prolongación Tecnológico Norte 150 Col San Pablo, Querétaro, Querétaro, CP 76130 Mexico. With this indormation in mind, here is an updated look at the staus of the 51 currently announced temples in the context of how many have not had official information confirmed.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church Announces Latest Phase Changes for Temples

Hello again, everyone! Another week has come and gone, and it is time once again to discuss the latest temple reopening adjustments from the Church. As always, the latest information can be found in the official release from the Newsroom and the temple reopening status tracker. Following a one-week hiatus, the the Church Newshas resumed sharing the same updates detailed in the Newsroom on a weekly basis.

This week's only update notes that the Montevideo Uruguay Temple is moving to phase 2-B, allowing all living ordinances and proxy baptisms for the dead. 164 of the Church's 170 temples (96.5%) are now in phase 3, and all but 1 of the Church's 170 temples are now offering proxy work in some form (phases 2-B or 3; that means 99.4% of all temples are offering some proxy work).

As a result of this update, the status of temples now stands as follows: 10 temples are now closed for renovation, 9 of which have been given phase 3 designations. 2 other temples that had reached phase 3 remain "paused" in their reopenings. There is 1 temple in phase 1 and none in phase 2, with 5 others operating in phase 2-B, and the remaining 153 temples are in phase 3.

As I've noted in just about every temple reopening update in the last several weeks, I am grateful for the carefully-planned cautiously-coordinated reopening of temples around the world, and for the revelatory process that drives those announcements every week. Although no temples anywhere have reached phase 4 (a return to full normal operations), it is wonderful the Church has been prudent and wise in the announcements of changes each week. 

Having noted all of that, it's also worth noting that the newest strain of COVID-19 popping up in various world areas may, in subsequent weeks, lead to other temples being "paused" in their reopenings. I will be sure to watch for any such updates and will pass them along to you all as I become aware thereof. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency's Christmas Devotional Speakers Announced in Advance for the First Time

Hello again, everyone! For the first time in the 8 years since the format changed, the speaking lineup for Sunday's First Presidency's Christmas Devotional has been officially confirmed in advance. Speakers will include President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency; Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency. I will cover that devotional in some way on Sunday. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.

BREAKING NEWS: Hawaii Laie Mission Created; First President and Companion Called

Hello again, everyone! The Church made an unexpected annnouncement today. Rather than waiting for the typical time period (July), the Church has announced a new misswion, the Hawaii Laie Mission, which will become operational as the Church's 408th mission next month. Those details were also confirmed in the Church News, which also announced the first president and companion for that mission. Let's break down the details here.

As mentioned, the creation of the mission goes into effect next month, with the president and companion also beginning their service at that time. Missionaries in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission were advised that the mission would split just yesterday, marking another lightning fast move for the Church. The new mission includes the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitor's Center, the 3 young single adult stakes closest to the campus of BYU-Hawaii, and the Church's two outlier stakes in the nearby island of Oahu. The other stakes in Oahu and all other Hawaiian Islands.

The mission will allow closer contact with mission leaders for those serving at the Visitor's Center at the Laie Hawaii Temple, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and BYU-Hawaii. Steven J. Bassett, currently a ward Young Men's specialist, formerly served in a stake presidency, after having formerly served as a stake presidency counselor and in a couple of bishoprics. Sister Stephanie R. Bassett is a current ward missionary. Both have a long legacy of Church service to their credits. I am grateful for the unexpected development and testify that the creation of this mission was brought about by inspiration from the Lord, espeially regarding the timing of the creation of this mmission. I continue to monitor all Church News updates and temple developments and will bring you word thereof as those developments cross my radar.

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.

Tribute to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on His 81st Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being December 3, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is observing his 80th birthday. I know that the Lord is no respector of persons, and doesn't play favorites, but on a personal level, I wanted to reiterate again that Elder Holland is one of my favorite apostles. I have a couple of familial connections to him. My dad was born and raised in St. George, and his father (Dean Stokes), was Elder Holland's home teaching companion when "young Jeff" was an Aaronic Priesthood holder. According to my dad, his father often expressed his wonder that a boy like Elder Holland had become an apostle of the Lord.

I know that at times, it may seem that some members of the Church, to varying degrees, have put the leading Brethren of the Church on a pedestal, but I am reminded in accounts, such as that which was shared by my grandfather, that these men may have been foreordained to the apostleship, but they are no different than any other member of the Church; the Lord just ordered their lives based on their personal choices in such a way that when such calls came to them, they were qualified through years of service in the Church and living what they believe. That is important for all of us to remember.

My mom is a freelance proofreader, and in the early days of her marriage to my dad, she worked on many projects for the Church Educational System. Since that occurred at the time when Elder Holland was the Commissioner of the CES, he was essentially my mom's "boss." And she speaks warmly of the experiences she had working with him on such projects. Personal connections aside, I wanted to share a brief biographical sketch of Elder Holland.

Jeffrey Roy Holland was born in St. George, Utah to Frank D. and Alice Bentley Holland on December 3, 1940. He served a full-time mission in the British Isles. His mission president was Marion D. Hanks, (who at that time was a member of the now-defunct First Council of the Seventy and later served in the First Quorum and Presidency of the Seventy). One of young Elder Holland's missionary companions was Quentin L. Cook, alongside whom he would later serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Of Elder Holland, Elder Cook has remarked that it is interesting to him that he, as the previously-senior missionary companion to Elder Holland, is now the junior apostle to his former junior companion. Following the concusion of Elder Holland's missionary service, he attended BYU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in religious education.Additionally, shortly after his release from missionary service, he married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Terry, in 1963. They are the parents of a daughter and two sons, one of whom, Matthew, has served as the President of Utah Valley University and as president of the North Carolina Raliegh Mission. During General Conference in April of last year, Matthew Holland was sustained as a General Authority Seventy, marking the first time a fahter-and-son duo have served together as general authorities since the July 2015 death of President Boyd K. Packer. 

Once Elder Holland earned his bachelor's and master's degrees, he went on to earn a doctorate degree in American studies from Yale. He then became a professor at BYU, serving as Dean of the College of Religion. He served as Commissioner of Church Education from 1976-1980. In 1980, President Dallin H. Oaks, who was then serving as President of BYU-Provo, announced his intention to move on to other opportunities. Commissioner Holland was put in charge of the committee to find the new BYU President. 

Two days later, he was stunned when the First Presidency appointment him to that assignment. He had reportedly been favored for the position by President N. Eldon Tanner, who was then serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency, and was the protege of then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, who at that time was the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asssigned to the Church Board of Education. Elder Holland would go on to serve as president of BYU for 9 years himself, until his April 1, 1989 call as a General Authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. 

Prior to his call to general Church service, Elder Holland also served as a bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, and regional representative. After the First Presidency was reorganized following the death of President Ezra Taft Benson, President Howard W. Hunter took immediate action to fill the apostolic vacancy. In the space of a few short hours on Thursday June 23, President Hunter issued a call to the apostleship to Elder Holland, gave him his apostolic charge, set apart and ordained him to that calling, and had him join the other 14 apostles in their weekly meeting at the temple. That action was sustained by Church membership during the Solemn Assembly that was held exactly 100 days later.

Elder Holland has given a total of 58 addresses in General Conference.  Of those, 3 were prior to his apostolic call. The first time he spoke during General Conference was in April 1983, while he was serving as the President of Brigham Young University. He spoke alongside his son during that session, and for unknown reasons, that talk is not listed with the others in the first link I shared at the start of this paragraph. He gave the remaining 53 General Conference addresses as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

To me, it always seems as though the talks given by Elder Holland are specifically focused on something I have been dealing with personally at the time. As a consequence, listening to him speak every six months is one of my favorite things about General Conference weekends. The last thing I want to mention about Elder Holland is that he is currently the second most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the fourth in seniority among all current apostles. 

He is also the fourth-oldest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and is the seventh-oldest among all living apostles. Interestingly enough, although he is the most senior of the three apostles born in 1940 (with Elders Uchtdorf and Cook being the other two), he is the youngest of the three. His apostolic seatmate, Elder Uchtdorf,  obsrved his 81st birthday just under one month ago, with Elder Cook having done the same two months prior to that.

Given his age and current apostolic seniority, some, myself included, have suggested that Elder Holland could one day serve as Church President. Right now, the only apostles senior to him are Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Ballard. If President Nelson does indeed the lead the Church for the next decade or two, our current prophet may outlive a few more of the apostles junior to him. So it will be interesting to see what happens there. I am grateful for the life and ministry of Elder Holland, and for the chance I had to write this post in his honor today.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple updates and will do my best to bring you all word on those developments as they occur. That does it for now. Any 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. 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.