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.