Review of Temple Construction Progress During the First Half of 2022

Hello again, everyone! With just 10 minutes left in the first half of 2022, I wanted to provide a look back at temple construction progress during these first 6 months of 2022. To contextualize that, I have three reports: what temple construction looked like as 2022 began, a look at the progress made on that front when the April 2022 General Conference was a few days away, and how things look as we head into the month marking the General Authorities' annual recess.

As we know at this point, the Church has dedicated 3 new temples and has rededicated 1 (with the rededication of another occurring this weekend). So far, the Church has broken ground for 9 temples, and 2 others are scheduled to occur in mid-to-late August. And the site location and preliminary information have been announced for 1 temple thus far. In view of the recess month into which we're entering, I don't anticipate any major announcements relating to temples until August, but I would love to be wrong about that.

I am cautiously optimistic that the second half of this year will bring with it major updates on a variety of fronts. I continue to monitor all such developments and Church news reports, and will bring word thereof to you all here as time and circumstances allow. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: Late October Groundbreaking Set for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple

Note: The initial version of this post was published at 10:45 AM, and updated between 5:30 and 7:00 PM with additional information and analysis

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has announced this morning that ground will be broken for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple on Sunday, October 29 with Elder Valeri V. Cordon, First Counselor in the North America West Area Presidency, presiding. Further analysis on this development will be available here later today. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

Hello again, everyone! As noted above, I published an initial version of this post this morning during some downtime prior to my father-in-law's funeral. After having focused sufficient time on his funeral services and family time, I am back to provide additional commentary on the announcement. Firstly, I found the timing of the announcement slightly odd, given the fact that the groundbreaking was set for four months in the future.

Based on the fact that the Church, now has two temple groundbreakings scheduled for mid-to-late August and one now for late October, I am cautiously optimistic that the Church will be able to set at least a few other groundbreakings to occur between the August 27 groundbreaking for the Ephraim Utah Temple and the October 29 groundbreaking announced today for Oregon's third temple. 

Among the most likely potential temples for which I anticipate announcements are the Teton River and Montpelier Idaho, Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala, Belo Horizonte Brazil, Cali Colombia, Torreon and Queretaro Mexico, and Cape Town South Africa Temples. Per information from one of my Pacific Area contacts, I also anticipate action will be taken in the second half of this year towards groundbreakings for the Tarawa Kiribati, Port Vila Vanuatu, and Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temples.

But I am also keeping my eyes open for other potential announcements. As some of you might recall, a report from December 1 of last year indicated that on November 26, Elder Larry S. Kacher presented the king of the Ashante in Kumasi Ghana a picture that appeared to show the exterior rendering for the temple in that city. If the Church confirms that that is the official rendering, and provides confirmation on the location of the temple site, a groundbreaking could soon follow. 

As we also know, Expo 2020 wrapped up a month or so ago in Dubai UAE, so the transfer of the property to the Church could occur in the coming months, enabling a groundbreaking for the temple in that city to follow shortly after the confirmation of the specific location and exterior rendering. And with sites reportedly also acquired for the Managua Nicaragua, Lagos Nigeria, and Kaoshiung Taiwan Temples, groundbreakings for each of those temples could be forthcoming soon.

In particular relation to the Managua Nicaragua Temple, the last time I heard from my Central American contact (Patzicia) here, there were issues the Church was trying to work around relating to that temple. I don't quite know whether those issues have since been resolved, but I'm hopeful we might soon see action taken on that temple. As I've also mentioned, any of the other 10 temples in the United States in October 2021 and April 2022 could potentially have announcements made as well.

And for the remaining 29 other temples announced between April 2018 and April of this year, at least 8 others (Budapest Hungary, Brussels Belgium, Vienna Austria, Beira Mozambique, Singapore Republic of Singapore, Antananarivo Madagascar, Culiacan Mexico, and Vitoria Brazil) have had at least 1 potential location identified in photographic galleries. 

If any of those locations are confirmed as the spots for those temples, the announcement of groundbreaking arrangements could occur at any time. It's also worth mentioning that, in view of the fact that there are now 6 temples with full-scale construction pending, I am hoping that at least a couple of them might soon have full-scale efforts begin. 

Having shared these notes, I also wanted to mention that, in view of today's announcement, even with no other groundbreakings currently scheduled, the announcement about the groundbreaking for Oregon's third temple means that, by the time that is held on October 29, the Church will have broken ground for as many  temples then as it had last year on December 11. 

And if the Church is able to schedule 9 or 10 more groundbreakings prior to the end of this year, the groundbreakings conducted in 2022 will match or exceed the number of temple groundbreakings held two years ago. For purposes of comparison, I'm again providing links for the side-by-side comparisons of temple groundbreakings in 2020 vs. 2021 and the now-updated 2021 vs. 2022. I will be interested to see what other temple developments might merit an announcement from the Church in the coming second half of this year.

Just by way of reminder, I will be posting my report on temple construction progress during the first half of 2022 in the early-morning hours when June 30 becomes July 1. I also continue to monitor all other Church news reports and any additional temple construction updates and will be sure to pass the word of those developments along as they cross my radar in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: Opening Arrangements Announced for Two Temples in South America

Hello again, everyone! I have mentioned in the recent past that I felt that the timing on the Quito Ecuador and Belem Brazil Temple openings would be difficult to pinpoint. And that has been the case for a while now. It occurred to me to wonder if the openings for either or both would be delayed until other temples (such as the San Juan Puerto Rico, Feather River California, Saratoga Springs Utah, and Helena Montana Temples) were dedicated, or at least had opening arrangements announced.

I had also recently voiced the opinion that the Church would likely next set the rededication arrangements for the Columbus Ohio Temple and the dedication arrangements for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple next before that happened for any other temples. Well, as He has so many times before, the Lord has proven me wrong on all of that. This morning, the First Presidency officially confirmed the opening arrangements for two South American temples, the Belem Brazil and Quito Ecuador Temples.  Let's break down the details:

Firstly, despite the time difference (Quito is 2 hours ahead of Belem), the arrangements for the Belem Brazil Temple are detailed before Quito Ecuador. Brazil's newest temple will have a two-week open house, running from Saturday October 22-Saturday November 5, excluding the Sundays of October 23 and 30. And the second Ecuadoran temple open house will be held over a 15-day period from Friday October 14-Saturday October 29, with the exception of the Sundays of October 16 and 23.

Here's the really interesting thing, though: The dedications of both temples are set to take place on Sunday November 20. The Church is sending Elder Dale G. Renlund to preside at the dedication of Brazil's newest temple, while the dedication of Quito's second will be under the direction of Elder Quentin L. Cook. Elder Renlund previously dedicated the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple in 2019, while Elder Cook rededicated the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple later that same year.

Because of the time difference between Belem Brazil and Quito Ecuador, the first dedicatory session will get underway for Ecuador's newest temple 2 hours before the first session of the Belem Brazil Temple dedication is held. So right now, the Quito Ecuador and Belem Brazil Temples are on track to become the 174th and 175th operating temples of the Church. However, there is a possibility, however remote, that if construction wraps up soon on the San Juan Puerto Rico, Feather River California, and Saratoga Springs Utah Temples, any of those could be dedicated before the November 20 dedication of these 2 temples.

It's also worth mentioning that the newest update on the Columbus Ohio Temple could also soon be announced, so it will be interesting to see what might happen there. Incidentally, I have received feedback indicating that the Church might conduct the dedication of the Helena Montana Temple sometime in December, so it will be interesting to see the timing on temple events for the back half of this year. For my part, I continue to monitor all such updates, including major Church news, and will be sure to continue to pass those updates along as time and circumstances allow.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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 Reiterates Church Policy on Abortion

Hello again, everyone! Another development, this one on the US judicial stage, has occurred. In a 5-4 ruling today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark court case establishing the constitutional right to an abortion. In overturning that ruling, SCOTUS has turned the determination on abortion rights back over to individual states. 

This ruling has been anticipated for a while, thanks to previously-leaked details on the ruling. I am mentioning this on this blog because, as a result of the ruling, the Church this morning also reiterated long-standing doctrine on the sanctity of life and detailed under what circumstances the Church condones abortion, which are exceptions rather than the rule. The update leads to a topic page on the matter. 

As has been mentioned in other settings, abortion is condoned by the Church when sought by individuals, in consultation with their priesthood leaders, under the following parameters: cases of rape or incest, if the health of the mother is deemed to be in danger by a competent physician, or if a competent physician determines that a fetus will not survive beyond birth due to severe defects. 

The Church supports measures that protect the sanctity of all human life and preserve religious freedom. I am grateful that the Church has reiterated established doctrine and policy on this matter. I realize that this is a hot-button issue with some controversy attached to it, and I also acknowledge that mentioning this reiteration of policy may open up a can of worms comment-wise, but I would hope that all who weigh in in response to this post will ensure that their comments are respectful of the Church's position and of the opinions of other individuals who comment here.

I would respectfully suggest that, as a guide for commenting on this issue here, we'd all be well-served to remember the words of the second verse of the hymn, Lord, I Would Follow Thee:

Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Who am I to judge another?
Lord, I would follow thee.

My prayer is that that verse may be our guide for further discussion on this matter here. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

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 David A. Bednar, Who Observes His 70th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! Given that today is June 15, I wanted to take an opportunity to pay tribute to Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is marking his 70th birthday today. He thus becomes the tenth of our fifteen current apostles who are 70 or older. We now have 2 apostolic nonagenarians, with a third (President Oaks) set to join that group in a couple of months, 3 other octogenarians, and, given Elder Bednar's birthday, we now have 4 septuagenarian apostles.

Having noted that, let's get into some details about the 7 decades of Elder Bednar's life thus far. David Allan Bednar was born in Oakland California on this day in 1952 to Anthony George and Lavina Whitney Bednar. His mother came from a long line of Latter-day Saint ancestors, but his father was not a member of the Church. Despite not having a formal Church membership, Anthony Bednar fully supported the rest of his family in their Church membership, and he would often step in and participate in meetings and Church activities, including various service projects, whereby he was in essence functioning in the same supportive way as other Church members did, but as one who was not a Church member. Young David would often ask Anthony when he would be baptized, to which his father replied that he would do so when he felt it was right.

Elder Bednar served a mission in southern Germany, during which time, then-Elder Boyd K. Packer visited his mission, and was advised that to get through the necessary border security, he would need money. The future President Packer would later recount in General Conference that a young missionary provided him with the money he needed, and later revealed that Elder Bednar had been that missionary. Elder Bednar attended BYU-Provo, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in organizational communication. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from the prestigious Purdue University.

He met Susan Kae Robinson at an activity for young adults. He recounts that they were playing flag football and that he threw a pass, which she caught. Susan would later note that, incidentally, that was the only time she could remember catching a pass. That experience left a positive impression on both of them, and the two started dating not long afterward. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and would go on to raise 3 sons together. One major highlight of Elder Bednar's life came long after his marriage. Anthony called his son one day and asked, "Would you be free on (and he named a near-future date)? I would like you to come and baptize me." He was able to baptize and confirm his father, and also ordained him to the priesthood.

He spent his vocational career as an educator at several secondary schools. For four years (1980-1984), he was an assistant professor of management at what was then the College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas. He spent the next two years as an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, after which he returned to Arkansas, where he served first as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, then as the Director of the Management Decision-Making Lab. During this time, he was recognized as being an outstanding educator through the receipt of many prestigious awards and honors.

He also had a few ecclesiastical responsibilities within the Church at around the same time. He spent several months as a bishop, then went on to serve first as the president of what was then the Fort Smith Arkansas Stake, then as the first president of the newly-established Rogers Arkansas Stake. During the final months of his service as a stake president, he was called to serve as a regional representative. In 1997, he was among the first men called to serve in the new position of area seventy. That same year, he was also called by the Church Board of Education to serve as president of Ricks College. His tenure there spanned from 1997-2004, during which time he led the transition of that college to BYU-Idaho. In October 2004, as a result of the apostolic vacancies which resulted from the July deaths of Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight (which occurred 10 days apart), Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that the vacancies would be filled by Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar.

At the time of his call to the apostleship, Elder Bednar, who was 52 at that time, was the youngest apostle to have been called since then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks (who had been called to the apostleship in 1984 Although he immediately commenced his service in the apostleship, he also continued to serve as president of BYU-Idaho for several weeks before the appointment of an interim president. Elder Bednar's tenure as an educator has molded how he speaks and ministers as an apostle. One of his common traditions, as he speaks at General Conference, is to invite the Holy Ghost to bless him and the rest of us as we listen to his remarks.

Since his October 2004 call to the apostleship, he has given 36 General Conference addresses, which are always well crafted and insightful, and are well worthy of review by all of us. He is currently the fourth-most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, including the current members of the First Presidency, makes him the seventh in apostolic seniority), and is still among the younger apostles, being the fifth-youngest both among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and all 15 ordained apostles as well. While I have never had the honor of personally meeting him, from the moment his apostolic call was first announced and onward since then, I have had a testimony that his apostolic call has been inspired and directed by the Lord, which I reiterate to you all today.

Given his relatively younger age in comparison to both the six apostles senior to him, and four of the eight apostles who are junior to him, I fully believe it is likely that Elder Bednar may serve as Church President. someday That, of course, will be up to the Lord’s will and the health and longevity of Presidents Nelson, Oaks, Eyring, and Ballard, and that of Elders Holland and Uchtdorf. And I want to make it very clear that such a prospect is merely my personal opinion and not anything I can attribute to anyone else. That being said, some of you will no doubt notice that one of the labels attached to this post is "Temple Construction Update". That may warrant additional context from me.

Generally, when a new president of the Church is ordained, he has the prophetic prerogative to make assignment changes for his fellow apostles. Before the passing of President Thomas S. Monson, Elder Quentin L. Cook was serving as the Chairman of the Temple and Family History Executive Council. Within a couple of months after President Nelson's ordination and setting apart as Church President, Elder Cook was reassigned as the Chairman of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, with Elder Bednar succeeding his immediate apostolic junior and seatmate as the Chairman of the Church's and Family History Executive Council. While Elder Bednar has served in that capacity, President Nelson has announced an unprecedented 100 new temples, so there has been a lot for that council to consider throughout the last several years, which will likely continue to be true for the foreseeable future.

I am grateful to have been able to provide this tribute to Elder Bednar as he marks his 69th birthday today. I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will be sure to bring you word of those reports as I receive them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: Official Names Revealed for the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala and Rexburg North Idaho Temples

Note: This post was originally published on June 11, 2022 @ 4:15 PM, and expanded at 8:15 PM in view of additional developments reported in the comments section.

Hello again, everyone! As most of you are aware, since 2016, when the second temple for Lima Peru was announced by President Monson, several major metropolitan areas have had second temples announced. That includes the greater Manila Philippines Temple in 2017, the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala and East Sao Paulo Brazil areas in 2020, the Santiago West Chile and Rexburg North Idaho temples in October of last year, and the Mexico City area in April of this year (specifically in the region of Benemerito).

It has not been uncommon for those temples to be announced and to have official names released later. For the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, with the site location confirmed and an exterior rendering released, I've felt strongly that that temple will likely have a groundbreaking at some point this year, so I surmised that the release of an official name for that temple was only a matter of time. That time is now. I am pleased to report that, on the Church's official temple list, the name of that temple has been officially confirmed as the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. 

I can't remember the last time I checked on the page for announced temples from that official temple list, but I believe this is a very recent development. With an official name confirmed, hopefully that means the Church is getting closer to announcing a groundbreaking ceremony for that temple. And this development may put that temple ahead of some others in the queue of temples for which groundbreakings might soon be announced. 

The following information about the official name for the Rexburg Idaho Temple was added at 8:15 PM: If the official name for the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was the only update I had to share today, that would be wonderful enough, but, as detailed in the comments of this post, the Church's official temple list also verifies the official name for the Rexburg North Idaho Temple. 

That temple will be known as the Teton River Idaho Temple. That name continues a relatively regular practice of the Church in paying homage to prominent landmarks. I brought this up in the comments of this post, but it's worth repeating it here in this post as well: The Church had previously released the confirmation of the location and the rendering for the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala Temple before its' name was updated.

By contrast, we got the probable location, the update indicating that the site in question was being cleared, and now this update on the name of the Rexburg North Idaho Temple, but we have not yet had official confirmation from the Church indicating that the land in question is the official location on which the temple will be built, and we also do not have a rendering for that temple currently. 

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this blog, the Church has sometimes confirmed the location, released a rendering, and set a groundbreaking for temples in a single announcement (the most recent examples being the Freetown Sierra Leone and Bahia Blanca Argentina Temples), so it's not out of the question that the Church could potentially do that for the Teton River Temple. 

But with other temples for which the site confirmations and artist's renderings were already released, some of them could potentially be ahead of the Teton River Idaho Temple in terms of having a groundbreaking. With all of that said, I continue to monitor all Church news reports and temple developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all here 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 the offered feedback is made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below.&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: Revised Rendering Released for Yorba Linda California Temple

Hello again, everyone! I have some breaking temple news to report. I had mentioned in the threads of another post that a provisional permit had been granted for the Yorba Linda California Temple, conditional on the Church reducing the height of the steeple. This afternoon, we now have information about the revised rendering, which was just released this afternoon. The spire has been lowered, and will now be located just above the entrance (the previous rendering showed the spire in the center of the temple).

Based on the fact that the Church has met the requirements to lower the spire, unless something changes, plans for the groundbreaking of that temple (which will occur next Saturday, June 18, on the same day as the groundbreaking for the Smithfield Utah Temple) are likely good to go ahead as scheduled. Speaking of the next two groundbreakings, the Church has indirectly confirmed today that the groundbreaking for the Yorba Linda California Temple will take place at 11:00 AM here in Utah, which is 10:00 AM in Yorba Linda. I haven't yet heard anything indicating what time the Smithfield Utah Temple groundbreaking might occur, but I assume that will be sometime around 11:00 AM as well. I will have reports on those events as soon as they are provided.

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 feedback offered is consistent with the established guidelines.I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: Slight Adjustment Made to Temple Scheduling.

Hello again, everyone! An interesting development has been reported today regarding temple scheduling this morning. While appointments will still be required for those receiving their own ordinances, the Church will now shift to a dual option for proxy work. While formal appointments are still going to be encouraged, patrons who desire to attend the temple will be able to do so without a formal appointment. 

When it comes to temple ordinances, priority will be given first to those with an appointment, then to others who have come to the temple without one.  Just yesterday, I had voiced the opinion that appointments would likely remain the normal status quo for temple attendance, and it appears I was correct on that, with the caveat that, where time and circumstances allow, patrons will now have the option to go without a formal appointment. 

But it makes sense that the priority will be given to those who have a formal appointment. It will be interesting to see how things unfold worldwide with this adjustment. For my part, I continue to monitor all Church News and Newsroom updates, along with all temple construction developments, and I will be sure to pass the word along of such updates as they 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 feedback offered is consistent with the established guidelines.I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: 12 More Temples Have Transitioned to Phase 4 (Normal Operations)

Hello again, everyone! Within the last few weeks, only the temple reopening status tracker has been updated, without corresponding updates being shared in a regular Church News article. In addition, the status tracker went from being updated on Tuesday to being updated on Wednesday in the last couple of weeks. When there was no new update yesterday, I had assumed (and may have asserted) that the Church would hold steady to its' existing status of temple reopenings.  But I am pleased to be able to report that today, not only has the status tracker been updated, the Church News has shared the first major update since May 17. 

So what has changed today? Let's take a look. 12 additional temples have begun the process of transitioning to phase 4 (normal operations). Those 12 include  3 in Europe (Helsinki Finland, Lisbon Portugal, and London England), 2 in the Philippines (Cebu City and Manila Philippines), 2 in the United States (Atlanta Georgia and Fort Lauderdale Florida), and 1 each in Africa (Accra Ghana), Asia (Yigo Guam) Brazil (Rio de Janeiro Brazil), Canada (Halifax Nova Scotia),  and the Pacific (Perth Australia).

As a result of these updates, 8 temples remain closed for renovation, with all 8 granted phase 3 status so that the patrons in those districts can schedule living and proxy ordinances at the nearest open temple. 1 other (Kyiv Ukraine) has had operations paused/suspended in phase 3 due to the ongoing Russian invasion. 1 more (Suva Fiji) remains in phase 1, with no temples in phases 2 or 2-B. As a result of today's update, 15 temples remain in phase 3, with the remaining 148 in phase 4 and returning to normal operations.

It did occur to me to wonder if the Church will grant any of the 8 temples closed for renovation a phase 4 status since most of the temples closest to those that are in various renovation stages are now in phase 4. In any case, with rededications scheduled for 4 of those 8 temples, the phase 4 transitions should follow their respective rededications. As I read about today's update, my gratitude for the inspiration attending such changes once again increased.

Given that all operating temples suspended operations in March of 2020, it is heartening to see the Church getting ever closer to normal operations for all of its' temples. That has been inspiring to watch. I continue to monitor all Church news developments and temple construction updates and will continue to bring those to you all here 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 feedback offered is consistent with the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

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.