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.
Also noticed that the Rexburg North Temple is now listed as the Teton River Idaho Temple. Teton River makes sense. I wonder what the signifcance of Miraflores is. Also surprised that it is not ordered the same as the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple. I expected it would be more like Guatemala City Guatemala Miraflores Temple.
ReplyDeleteNoah, thanks for weighing in here. The name change for Rexburg North must have happened after I last checked that temples page. I will have to do an addendum to this post to acknowledge that additional update. I was as surprised as you were by the order in which the Miraflores designation applied to the second temple in Guatemala City. It did occur to me to wonder if the seemingly-misordered name was a placeholder between now and whenever the groundbreaking occurs. Thanks again for that information about the Rexburg North Idaho Temple, and for taking time to comment here. I always appreciate hearing from you, Noah.
DeleteFor more information on the name Miraflores in Guatemala City. I tried googling and using GoogleMaps. It appears there is a museum and a commercial center/mall with that name. When comparing the temple site and distance to the to the commercial center/mall and museum, it was about 2.3 km or about 1.43 miles. I could not confirm it or find anymore info but this might be the name of a neighborhood or region of the city.
ReplyDeleteChris, I also looked and couldn't find any information on the name choice. It doesn't appear as though there is a Miraflores ward or stake within the current Guatemala City Guatemala Temple district with that name. It could be a cultural nod to the area. "Miraflores" is also apparently the name for other beautiful regions throughout Latin America. So I will be interested to see if we get more information on that name selection in the near future. Thanks, as always, for stopping by to comment.
DeleteThe two Guatemala City temples are 10km or just under 6.22 miles away from each other. Further research shows a neighborhood called Colonia Miraflores. I am glad that Rexburg North shows an official name as Teton River. Rick's site does not show these changes yet.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to agree that these name updates likely mean that groundbreaking announcements are somewhat imminent. I'll bet there will be an announcement in the next two weeks. The only other time this happened was when the Russia Temple was renamed the Russia Administration Building for a short time.
DeleteChris, I also stumbled across the information about Colonia Miraflores, so it could be as simple as a nod to that. But there does not appear to be either a ward or stake of the Church in Guatemala with the Miraflores name, so if nothing else, it is at least a cultural nod to a very specific region that will likely be served by the temple. As soon as I saw the update about the second Guatemala City temple, I posted about that here, then sent an e-mail to Rick about it.
DeleteI wouldn't worry too much that the names of the second Guatemala City and Rexburg temples have not yet been updated on that site, because any time there are larger-scale updates (such as more than 5 new temples announced), the site has needed to be taken down so the updates could be made. When updating a temple name, that requires updating so many other pages as well. One new name makes that task difficult enough, but with two temples having new official names noted, that will require more updates and take more time.
Noah, for my part, since the location and rendering were released for the Miraflores temple before the official name was confirmed, as I noted above, I'd anticipate that the groundbreaking for that temple could soon be announced. But I don't know whether that will also be true for the Teton River Idaho Temple. While I have no doubts about that temple being built on the site that is being prepared for that purpose, the Church has not yet officially confirmed that will be the spot for the temple, and we don't have a rendering on that temple yet either. So I would say that the Miraflores temple is likely to have a groundbreaking soon, but unless the Church confirms the site, releases a rendering, and sets the groundbreaking for the Teton River Idaho Temple all at the same time, there are other temples in the queue for which site confirmations and the releases of renderings happened longer ago. To be clear, a multi-purpose announcement on Teton River is not out of the question. I just wanted to clarify on my end that with renderings released and sites confirmed for other temples, I'd probably predict that the Miraflores groundbreaking, along with others for temples that have been waiting in the queue, will be more likely to move on to a groundbreaking sooner than Teton River. That's just my own feeling, though, so feel free to take it with the proverbial grain of salt. My thanks once agian to both of you for commenting here.
James, I currently live in Rexburg and have passed by the presumed temple site at least once a week. I haven't been able to get any photographs, since the street is really busy, and I drive alone, but what appears to be a construction fence has been erected, and demoltion of the current residence is underway, well ahead of the July deadline. A recent name change with no announcement leaves me to believe that a groundbreaking announcement is forthcoming. The temple is actually closer to the Teton Island Canal than the Teton River, but not by much. It would not be surprising for the Teton River and Montpelier temples to begin construction around the same time since both are currently in site preparation phases. I'm anticipating the Teton River Temple to be similar in size to the Pocatello/Orem temples, so the Montpelier Temple will likely be completed before the Teton River Temple. I am also hoping for a groundbreaking announcement for the Willamette Valley Temple. There's a good chance that the groundbreaking may occur in July or August. I've also heard rumors that the Cody Wyoming Temple may be built on the site of the Historic Cody Mural and Museum.
DeleteNoah, thanks for these additional thoughts. Lest there be any confusion about what I've said on this, I have no doubts or problems personally believing that the site being cleared in Rexburg will be the location of the Teton River Idaho Temple. My point was more to illustrate that, despite the fact that that is most likely true, the Church has not yet currently confirmed that spot as being intended for that temple.
DeleteAnd I was aware of the site clearing that was underway for both the Teton River and Montpelier Temples. I have often said (and stand by the statement) that temples in the United States are often approved more quickly and are able to get construction underway more expeditiously than their counterparts outside the US. So I would be thrilled if that happened for both of Idaho's newest temples. But the lack of official announcements does play into my process of trying to gauge the timing of future temple developments.
That being said, I will give your assessment on those temples due consideration. Thanks for the additional context into those. Based on what you said about those two temples and the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple, I will probably try to move them up on my temple construction progress report. I also know the Church broke ground for the Feather River California Temple in July 2020, so I could see the Church scheduling groundbreakings for some temples in July of this year, and those very well could be the next ones up.
As we also know, the Church has set groundbreakings for the Lubumbashi DR Congo and Ephraim Utah Temples for the final two Saturdays in August, so since the first two Saturdays are open for now, I wouldn't be shocked if the 3 US temples you mentioned and the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temples all had groundbreakings in August or September as well. It'll be interesting to see what happens there.
On the matter of the location for the Cody Wyoming Temple, pictures of the Historic Cody Mural and Museum are in the photograph gallery for that temple on the Church Temples site, so I wouldn't be shocked to find out that is the spot. As I have repeatedly noted, the Church can usually begin construction on US temples faster than on their international counterparts, so I'm hopeful for many such announcements throughout the rest of this year.
I will likewise be intrigued to see how the recent new innovations (such as the precast concrete wall panels, which have several systems pre-built in, and the prefabricated modular temples) change the timing and speed of temple construction. And given that President Nelson spent his career as a heart surgeon piloting new innovations and techniques, and that he's been willing to look at new solutions to speed up temple construction, I wouldn't be surprised if additional new methods can speed up construction even further.
As a result of the widespread global ministry of our apostles, it seems reasonable to assume that at least one of them will have a connection to every major region of the world and more than a few minor regions as well, so I'm sure that will also play into the Church's ability to get temples announced, approved, constructed, and dedicated more expeditiously. It will be great to see all that as it continues to unfold. In the meantime, Noah, thanks again for weighing in here. Always a pleasure to hear from you.
I've also thought that the Historic Cody Museum site would be great for the temple. It has a good spot behind it that appears to be a park like space and may have sufficient space to build a medium to small temple. I wonder about parking. Due to the historic nature of the existing building, I do not anticipate a demolition. Plus it could probably double as a temple visitor center as well. I think it is still a working meetinghouse.
ReplyDeleteThanks for those observations, Chris! I've looked through the photo galleries of many of the announced temples, and most of those galleries feature more than one location. But if memory serves me correctly, the galleries for the Teton Valley and Montpelier Idaho and Cody Wyoming Temples are among the few recent ones for which the presumed location is the only one featured therein, which strengthens the likelihood that the Church will use those single locations as the official spots. We know now that's true for the Montpelier Idaho Temple and likely also true for the Teton Valley Idaho Temple, so there's no reason to believe it's not also true for Cody. Of course, official announcements will be needed to confirm that beyond doubt, but it seems to be a safe assumption on all three, based on what we know. Thanks again, Chris!
ReplyDeleteI almost forgot to mention that the Newsroom and the Church News shared coverage of Elder Uchtdorf's devotional from this afternoon:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-uchtdorf-5-ways-teach-more-like-jesus-christ
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-11/watch-teaching-in-the-saviors-way-broadcast-elder-uchtdorf-256961
I greatly enjoyed Elder Uchtdorf's remarks. He offered timely observations for every teacher in the Church and in the home, and I strongly recommend the devotional to all of my readers as well worthy of your time and attention. My thanks once again to you all.
On this Sabbath Day, the Church News has published 2 new articles, each of which highlighted the ministry of our apostles. In the first one, comments from President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided context for how the apostles are fulfilling the scriptural injunction given to the apostles in Jesus' time: "Go ye into all the world." As a result of the pandemic, which impacted the lives of Church members for at least two years (though for some, those conditions continue to this day), the ministry of the apostles was largely done virtually in 2020 and 2021. Although the Church is gradually getting back to sending out the apostles to various parts of the word to minister in person, technology continues to allow our apostles to expand their reach in many ways:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-12/go-ye-into-all-the-world-how-apostles-travel-looks-different-after-pandemic-257100
And the latest edition of "In Case You Missed It" has been published. 3 or 4 of the 9 developments featured also deal with the ministry of our apostles:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-12/week-in-review-president-ballard-elder-uchtdorf-elder-cook-byu-fine-arts-church-membership-art-competition-infertility-256964
My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church's broadcast page for temple groundbreaings now shows the Smithfield Utah Temple groundbreaking as being set for 7:00 AM and lasting for 300 minutes or 5 hours, meaning it would wrap up by noon. If I had to venture a guess, I'd assume that the bulk of that appointed time will be filler content from the Church, and that the groundbreaking itself could take place at either 10:00 or 11:00 AM.
DeleteMeanwhile, as previously noted, the Yorba Linda California Temple groundbreaking is set for 11:00 AM on Saturday. The listed times for the temple groundbreaking appear to be noted in Mountain Daylight Time, so if the Smithfield and Yorba Linda Temple groundbreaking ceremonies both start at 11:00 AM MDT, it's possible that ground on both temples could potentially be broken at the same time or roughly a few minutes apart.
Just wanted to share those additional insights. My thanks once again to you all.
Here are two new Church News reports:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-12/summit-of-the-americas-interreligious-forum-of-the-americas-church-humanitarian-work-welfare-self-reliance-pandemic-response-panelists-257011
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-12/courtney-wayment-byu-track-ncaa-national-championships-all-american-257192
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Monday, 3 new Church News reports speak for themselves:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-06-13/recently-announced-temples-in-southern-united-states-austin-texas-knoxville-tennessee-tampa-florida-257125
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-13/trek-to-the-temple-the-story-of-1st-couple-sealed-in-washington-dc-temple-256764
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2022-06-13/new-reorganized-stake-leaders-norway-dominican-republic-liberia-samoa-california-idaho-257248
My thanks once again to you all.
Here is one new update apiece from the Church News and the Newsroom:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-13/international-falls-minnesota-flooding-missionaries-sandbagging-harvest-manitoba-just-serve-volunteers-canada-winnipeg-mission-saving-homes-and-helping-others-257231
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/relief-society-in-action-june-2022
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Tuesday, the following updates from the Church News that speak for themselves:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2022-06-14/church-news-podcast-president-lund-sister-craven-fsy-hopes-for-youth-257356
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-14/tabernacle-choir-auditions-summer-concert-love-thy-neighbor-mack-wilberg-257339
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-14/arizona-teens-justserve-hygiene-items-for-azcend-charity-257286
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-14/joanne-wells-tingey-wife-of-elder-earl-c-tingey-obituary-life-of-service-257493
And here is one new report from the Newsroom, which likewise speaks for itself.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/battling-neonatal-mortality-renovating-a-university-auditorium-and-documenting-forgotten-graves-service-from-latter-day-saints-around-the-world%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B
My thanks once again to you all.
After several days have passed without any noticeable temple updates, new reports were provided today on the construction process for the San Juan Puerto Rico, Feather River California, Okinawa Japan, Casper Wyoming, Orem Utah, Urdaneta Philippines, and Burley Idaho Temples. The update on Burley particularly notes that full-scale construction efforts have begun on that temple, which is now in the construction queue between the Farmington New Mexico and Davao Philippines Temples:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/san-juan-puerto-rico-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/feather-river-california-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/okinawa-japan-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/casper-wyoming-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/orem-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/urdaneta-philippines-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/burley-idaho-temple/
An update was also provided on the renovation process for the Manti Utah Temple:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/manti-utah-temple/
And new updates were shared for the Yorba Linda California Temple (which will be one of 2 temples to have a groundbreaking this Saturday) and the Teton River Idaho Temple:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/yorba-linda-california-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/teton-river-idaho-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/yorba-linda-california-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/teton-river-idaho-temple/
The Church News has provided one other report:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-14/sister-costa-byupathway-devotional-true-learners-of-divinity-257612
My thanks once again to you all.