BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreakings Announced for Kumasi Ghana and Cape Town South Africa Temples; Preliminary Information Released for the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, the First Presidency announced two temple groundbreakings (for the Kumasi Ghana and Cape Town South Africa Temples) and the preliminary information for one other temple (Ulaanbaatar Mongolia). Let's get into all the relevant details:

We start in Kumasi Ghana. The temple bearing that name was announced in April 2021, with the site announcement following in May 2023, and an exterior rendering is yet to be released at a later date. As for the groundbreaking, it has been scheduled to occur under the direction of Elder Iaaac K. Morrison, Second Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency, on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

Meanwhile, the Cape Town South Africa Temple, which was also announced in April 2021, and its' site location and exterior rendering were both released on December 7 of the same year. The groundbreaking for that temple is scheduled to occurt under the direction of Africa South Area President Elder Carlos A. Godoy on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

Today's groundbreaking announcements bring the total number of temple groundbreakings set thus far this year to 18, vs. the 14 we had last year. My mom is a South African native, so she's familiar with all three South Africa cities with temples: Johannesburg, Durban, and now Cape Town. She was very pleased to hear this news.

Having discussed the temple groundbreakings, let's break down the details for the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple: Mongolia's first temple (planned to be a one-story edifice of approximately 18,850 square feet will rise on a nearly 11 acre site located at Naadamchid Road, Khan Uul, 8 Khoroo in Mongolia. The project will also include a patron housing facility and a meetinghouse. The rendering speaks for itself but it reminds me a lot of other temples as well. Hopefully a groundbreaking will shortly follow.

I will just add that the site location confirmation and exterior rendering follow that temple's announcement in October 2023. And in view of today's announcement, 64 of the 114 announced templessI know of people with connnections to Mongolia, so I am happy for today's news on that temple. I had been hoping we would get groundbreakings, site confirmationse, and renderings, and the fact that they released information for 3 temples at the same time is exciting.

I am not sure when or how soon the next temple dedication might be announced. I do know there has been major movement in the temple construction queue over the weekend. This document shows where those estimates stood as of early Saturday, and this one details where those estimates and the queue stand now. I will continue to provide updates on the shifts in the construction queue as they occur. I am grateful for today's announcements, and I hope my analysis herein haas proven to be helpful and contextual.

I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING APOSTOLIC NEWS: Church President Russell M. Nelson Celebrates His 101st Birthday #PresidentNelson101

Hello again, everyone! Our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, makes history today as he becomes the first apostle and prophet to celebrate his 101st birthday. Let's talk about this wonderful man whom we sustain as the prophet, seer and revelator for the Church, and the only man currently authorized to exercise all priesthood keys. Russell Marion Nelson was born in Salt Lake City Utah to Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson on this day in 1924 (just a day before the birth of Boyd K. Packer, his future immediate predecessor to the Presidency of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).

Though he grew up in a loving family, his parents were not active in the Church. As a teenager, he went looking for books about the Church at Deseret Book. His parents allowed him and his siblings to be baptized when he was 16. President Nelson married his first wife, Dantzel, in the Salt Lake Temple. They have nine daughters and one son. When his wife unexpectedly died in 2005, he described having "inconsolable grief" for a time. He married Wendy Watson, a BYU professor, the following April.

He studied at LDS Business College and went on to obtain his BA and MD at the University of Utah. He simultaneously trained as a surgeon and did doctoral studies at the University of Utah. He was part of the research team that developed the heart-lung machine that was first used for an open-heart operation on a human being in 1951. He spent two years on medical duty for the US Army during the Korean War, then underwent another training period in Boston at the prestigious Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital.

At one key point in his medical career, the University of Chicago was anxious to get him to come and teach at their school of medicine, so the president of that university asked Dallin H., Oaks, then a professor at the law school, to try and persuade him to come. Then-Brother Oaks did his best to convince then-Brother Nelson to accept the offer. But Church President David O. McKay advised Brother Nelson not to go, so he turned down that opportunity.

In 1955, he accepted a teaching opportunity at the University of Utah School of Medicine, where he built his own heart-and-lung machine. Around a year later, he was on duty to perform the first pediatric cardiac operation. In 1960, he performed the first successful operative repair of a tricuspid heart valve. Being worried that a surgical procedure he had been asked to perform was too risky for anyone, he requested and received a blessing from then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball, who was one of his patients.

That surgery was a success, and he later used the same technique to operate on Elder Kimball himself, a risky procedure, which only moved forward following a pointed directive from President Harold B. Lee, who at that time was serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency. While performing that operation, Brother Nelson had the overwhelming feeling that President Kimball would one day be President of the Church.

As a result of that operation's success, Church members were blessed to enjoy the counsel and ministry of President Kimball for almost another decade and a half. The doctor-patient relationship he experienced with President Kimball enabled Brother Nelson to write a letter of assurance about President Kimball's health when the latter was called as Church President. President Nelson has served in many positions on different hospital boards and has received several awards for his pioneering work. He likewise had many service opportunities in the Church. He served as a stake president for over six years, during which time he served alongside another future fellow apostle, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin.

In mid-1970, Ernest L. Wilkinson, then president of BYU, submitted his resignation, which went into effect early the following year. As Neal A. Maxwell, Commissioner of Church Education, searched for a replacement, Brother Nelson was one of the candidates considered for the position, which was in due course filled by Brother Nelson's future apostolic seatmate, Dallin H. Oaks.

In the meantime, Brother Nelson was called in June of 1971 as the Sunday School General President (during which time, Brother Wirthlin would again serve alongside him.) Brother Nelson would go on to also serve in the now-defunct calling of regional representative, during which time, having been present when President Kimball suggested that some of them should learn Mandarin Chinese, he took on that task in obedience to the prophet's counsel.

In April 1984, with the advice and consent of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called Brother Nelson to fill one of two vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then-Brother Oaks was called to fill the other vacancy, and the two have sat side-by-side in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and now in the First Presidency since that time.

In the natural course of life between then-Elder Nelson's apostolic call (announced on April 7, 1984) and early July 2015, the Church had lost 4 Chrch Presidents and all of the apostles senior to then-Church President Thomas S. Monson, in addition to all apostles junior to President Monson but senior to Elder Nelson. The last of those was President Boyd K. Packer, whose passing on July 3, 2015 led to Elder Nelson becoming the de facto President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was officially set apart in that capacity 12 days later, on Wednesday July 15, 2015, by Church President Thomas S. Monson, who had by that time begun to decrease his involvement in the day-to-day administration of the Church.

When the Church released an official statement in mid-May 2017, which noted that President Monson would no longer be taking an active role in leading the Church, as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Nelson filled a vital role in assisting President Monson's counselors, President Henry B. Eyring and then-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in taking care of the day-to-day administration of the Church.

When President Monson passed away on January 2. 2018, President Nelson directed the affairs of the Church as the senior apostle (and the de facto Acting President of the Church) for 12 days before his ordination and setting apart as Church President.

Following his ordination, he met individually with each of the other 12 apostles to get their input on who should serve as his counselors and who should be called to fill the resulting 2 vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Once that process was complete, he selected as his counselors his seatmate, Elder Oaks, and Elder Eyring, who had served as a counselor to both Presidents Monson and Gordon B. Hinckley, as his First and Second Counselors, respectively, in the First Presidency. As a result of that reorganization, Elder Uchtdorf again took his place in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. During the broadcast and subsequent press conference when the new First Presidency was introduced to the world on Tuesday January 16, President Nelson paid tribute to his predecessor's counselors and mentioned that both were willing to now serve where they were most needed. The responsibilities assigned to Elder Uchtdorf were those previously held by the senior three apostles of the Church, Presidents Nelson and Oaks, and the new Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, M. Russell Ballard.

Even prior to serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, or subsequently as President of the Church, President Nelson took great care of his fellow Brethren in the apostleship.

Many of you will recall how, in the midst of an address about charity, the pure love of Christ, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin began shaking uncontrollably, In a silent demonstration of what his colleague was teaching, Elder Nelson stood by and supported Elder Wirthlin until he closed his address, then gently helped him back to his seat. Not long after Elder Richard G. Scott underwent a needed surgical procedure, he was surprised to learn that President Nelson had stood inside the operating room observing the procedure in its entirety.

And, of course, as recounted during the funeral of Elder Robert D. Hales, following the Sunday Morning Session of the October 2017 General Conference, President Nelson felt impressed skip his lunch break and go immediately to the hospital to visit Elder Robert D. Hales, who passed away within a few minutes after President Nelson arrived.

President Nelson has demonstrated a keen intellect, a willingness to seek for and follow revelation from the Lord, and an undeviating loyalty and full commitment to his family, his Church, and his apostolic colleagues. We have seen him respond swiftly to such revelation, and perhaps the greatest details of the revelation he continues to receive regularly are yet-to-be revealed in the upcoming General Conference.

I have always been impressed and touched by President Nelson's remarks. He has given 112 addresses thus far in General Conference, including 65 following his call to the apostleship, 5 given while he served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and 42 so far which he has given since becoming President of the Church. By all accounts, although he is still in recovery from his back injury, he continues to think, move, and act with the health, vigor, and energy of one several decades younger than his current 100 years. Something Sister Nelson has repeated in public comments is that she is highly suspicious of his birth certificate, because he is anything but a typical centenarian.

Leading up to this monumental milestone, the Church News provided extensive coverage on the prophet's life and ministry. It is its' own section near the bottom of the Church News homepage. I had hoped to link to that particular section, but apparently I am not able to do so.

I am grateful for the chance to have paid this birthday tribute to President Nelson. He and all of the other apostles have my unequivocal and everlasting support and sustaining vote. I know for myself that President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God, that he will not lead us astray, that he speaks for and on the behalf of he Lord and that we will be blessed by the Lord as we follow the counsel given by His chosen mouthpiece.

I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. 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. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are never required but are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Presidency Announces Next Major Temple Construction Update

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency released the exterior rendering for the Osaka Japan Temple. The release of that rendering follows the temple's original announcement in October 2023, and the site location confirmation in March of last year. The release of this exterior rendering marks an important step, hopefully signifying that the groundbreaking might take place within the coming months, but probably not this year. The exterior rendering largely speaks for itself. I am grateful for this important development today.

 I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

In Honor of Elder Quentin L. Cook's 85th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back to share some thoughts about Elder Quentin L. Cook in honor of his 85th birthday today. Let's dive right into that subject: Quentin LaMar Cook was born to J. Vernon and Bernice Cook on this day in 1940 in Logan, Utah. His ancestry includes his great-great-grandfather, Elder Heber C. Kimball, who was one of the original apostles of the Church and who was instrumental in bringing the gospel to England and supporting the Prophet Joseph Smith at key moments when apostates made efforts to replace Brother Joseph as the Lord's mouthpiece.

Young Quentin was a middle child, having an older brother and a younger sister. He grew up in a very gospel-centered home, although his father eventually lost interest in Church activity. At age 15, he had a discussion with his brother Joe that changed his life. Joe was unsure whether to continue with his medical school studies, or to delay them in order to serve a mission, with their father favoring the former. During that conversation, they determined that either the gospel was true or it wasn't, and that if it was, serving a mission would be the best use of Joe's time. Joe’s decision to go resulted in young Quentin eventually accepting his own call to serve in the British Mission.

One of his two mission presidents was Elder Marion D. Hanks, who simultaneously served as a general authority. At one point during his mission, his companion was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Though the two didn't know it at the time, both would go on to serve as General Authority Seventies and as colleagues in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Cook later noted the following in relation to Elder Holland:

"Sometimes we receive revelation even when we do not know the Lord’s purposes. Shortly before Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was called to be an Apostle in June of 1994, I had a beautiful revelatory experience that he would be called. I was a regional representative and could see no reason I would be given that knowledge. But we were companions as young missionaries in England in the early 1960s, and I had a great love for him. I considered the experience a tender mercy for me. In recent years, I have wondered if the Lord was preparing me to be junior in the Twelve to an incredible missionary companion who was my junior companion when we were young missionaries. I sometimes warn young missionaries to be kind to their junior companions because they never know when they might be their senior companion."

Elder Cook returned from his mission with a strong testimony of the Savior and a resolve to associate with people who love the Savior, both within and outside of the Church. He married his high school sweetheart Mary Gaddie in the Logan Utah Temple on November 30, 1962. Their posterity includes three children and numerous grandchildren.

He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in political science and from Stanford University with a juris doctorate degree. As a managing partner in a San Francisco Bay area law firm, he specialized in business law. He later became president and chief executive officer of California Healthcare System, and vice chairman of Sutter Health Systems. His church service has included being a bishop, stake president’s counselor (during a period of time when his brother Joe was president of that same stake), stake president, regional representative, and area authority. While he was in the stake presidency, he was instilled with a love of people from all nations when he had responsibility for Spanish, Tongan, Samoan, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Cantonese congregations.

He was named a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy on April 6, 1996, and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 4, 1998. He served as a member of area presidencies in the Philippines, the Pacific, and North America, and he also served executive director of the Church Missionary Department during the period of time that "Preach My Gospel" was developed and instituted as the standard guidebook for missionaries, and was subsequently called to the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2007.

Nine days after that, the death of President James E. Faust, who had been serving as Second Counselor to Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, would wind up having an unexpected impact on Elder Cook's life. As the October General Conference rolled around, then-Elder Henry B. Eyring was called as President Hinckley's new Second Counselor, which created a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. On October 6, 2007, Elder Cook was sustained to fill that vacancy, and he was ordained an apostle five days later.

Elder Cook has spoken 38 times in General Conference: twice as a General Authority Seventy and 32 additional times in the almost-17 years since his call to the apostleship. I am grateful for his service as a special witness of Christ, and I wholeheartedly sustain him and the other apostles. I wanted to note here that tomorrow, I will publish a post in honor of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, who will then be marking his 101st birthday.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Updates Provided on Lindon Utah, Heber Valley Utah, and Lehi Utah Temples

Hello again, everyone! I have updates to provide for the Lindon Utah, Heber Valley Utah, and Lehi Utah Temples. Let's start with the last one mentioned: Today, the First Presidency officially confirmed that preliminary site work will begin shortly for the Lehi Utah Temple. Because of its larger size, I'd estimate the groundbreaking to be about a year or so out, with the temple dedication following roughly 3 or 4 years after that. I am happy for this announcement personally, as I will be roughly 5-10 minutes away from that temple when it is built. 

Turning focus now to the Heber Valley Utah Temple, I follow a Facebook group about that temple, and according to a post on that page from late last week, the judge's go-ahead meant that, irrespective of any appeal or lawsuit by the citizen's group, there was nothing legally that could halt the construction from commencing. The post in question mentioned that full-scale construction is anticipated to begin on that temple at some point this week.

Now, regarding the Lindon Utah Temple, in the threads of the Church Growth Blog, it was mentioned that the dedication of that temple was likely "in the spring" of next year.  So it will probably be another month or two before those arrangements are announced, and the dedication may only occur in March or April of next year. I have adjusted my dedication window estimate accordingly and am evaluating how that might change my estimates for the dedications of other temples. I will be providing my latest updates on that in my end-of-third-quarter temple construction progress review.

In the meantime, I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, I am pleased to share that the First Presidency has announced the opening arrangements for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple. Let's get right into the relevant details: A media day will be held on Monday, January 19, 2026, with VIP tours following over the next two days. The public open house will then run from Thursday, January 22, 2026, through Saturday, February 7, 2026, excluding the Sundays of January 25 and February 1. 

The temple dedication will follow on Sunday, March 1, 2026, under the direction of Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. A few surprises were connected to this announcement, in my opinion. While I was sure that a temple dedication would be announced today, I thought Lindon would be the natural choice. Hopefully next week. 

The open house length was not surprising, but I am a little stunned that the dedication will only take place in March, about four weeks following the conclusion of the open house. So I  don't quite know what to make of today's news. It is good news, to be sure, but unexpected in many respects. I will update some relevant associated documents and link to those in the comments of this post.

  

I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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.

If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

UPDATED: Current Apostolic Data

Hello again, everyone! It has been a tradition on this blog for me to provide updates on apostolic data every 7 weeks. Having last done so on Sunday, May 11, it is time to publish the newest such data. As with every two-part update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 17 Church Presidents, in addition to updated information on the tenure lengths for each of the 28 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.The first document likewise notes information on the tenure length rankings for three sets of apostolic groups: the longest-serving First Presidencies (with the current First Presidency now moving up on that list), the longest-serving groups of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles (the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), and an overview of when each of those current groups will move up on the list. As previously noted, the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and apostolic group will not join that list until late next year, assuming no other apostles pass away between now and then.

Meanwhile, the second part of today's update shows the long-form and decimal ages for the members of the current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the same data for the combined First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to the average ages of each group and apostolic nonagenarians (with 3 of the current 15 apostles being on that list), and a final table showing the remaining time between today and when each of the other 12 apostles will become nonagenarians and join that list.

With these apostolic data updates coming every 7 weeks, the next update will be posted here on the morning of Sunday, February 2, 2025 (which will be the first such update in 2025).

Hopefully, this post is of interest to you all. Again, I offer an open invitation to ask anyone who has any questions about those documents to ask them here.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates.

Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Honoring President Dallin H. Oaks on His 93rd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being August 12, it's time to pay tribute to the third (and last) apostle who has his birthday this month. President Dallin H. Oaks is celebrating his 93rd birthday. Let's take a look at key highlights from his life: Dallin Harris Oaks was born on this day in 1932 to Dr. Lloyd E. and Stella Harris Oaks in Provo, Utah. Included in his mother's ancestry is Martin Harris, who, as we know, was one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. President Oaks' first name was given in honor of the last name of an artist with whom his mother had worked (as the model) for a statue in Springville Utah. His father was an ophthalmologist, and he died when young Dallin was age 7 from complications of tuberculosis. Being the oldest child of his family, the death of his father gave young Dallin some unique opportunities to help his mother and to be an example to his younger siblings, which was one thing of which he has frequently spoken.

After his father died, his mother was able to earn a graduate degree at Columbia University and support her family by working to provide adult education opportunities for those who needed it. She also went to be the first woman elected to Provo's City Council, and she also served for a time as assistant mayor. In the meantime, young Dallin attended Brigham Young High School, where he played football and became a certified radio engineer.

Once he started attending BYU, he took many opportunities to be the radio announcer at high school games. At one of those games, he was introduced to June Dixon, whom he would later date and subsequently marry. He was unable to serve as a full-time missionary because he was a member of the National Guard, and there was a possibility he could have been called up to serve during the Korean War. Dallin and June were married in 1952, and he graduated from BYU two years later with a degree in accounting. 

He went on to study law at the University of Chicago, graduating with his degree 3 years later. He spent the early part of his professional career clerking for Chief Justice Earl Warren of the US Supreme Court. After that, he practiced law at Kirkland and Ellis. He left that job in 1961 to become a professor at Chicago Law, While in that capacity, he served as interim dean. During that same period of time, the University of Chicago was desperate to get Dr. Russell M. Nelson, a renowned heart surgeon, on their staff, and Professor Oaks was asked to represent the university in trying to convince Dr. Nelson to accept the offer. 

Although those efforts proved unsuccessful, that encounter resulted in lifelong friendships for the Nelsons and the Oaks. Dallin also served on the foundational board of a Mormon thought periodical and was the chairman of the university's disciplinary committee. He took a leave of absence from the University while serving as legal counsel to the Bill of Rights Committee of the Illinois Constitutional Convention. He left the law school for good in 1971 when he was appointed the new president of BYU (for which many candidates, including Brother Nelson, were considered), a position he held for nine years. 

He then went on to serve for five years as chairman of the board of directors for PBS, and eight years as chairman of the board of directors of the Polynesian Cultural Center. In 1980, he was appointed a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, an office he held for the next four years. He was rumored to have been considered by two US Presidents (Gerald Ford and later Ronald Regan) for a nomination to the US Supreme Court. He had made plans with his wife, June, to serve a mission after he had served on the Utah Supreme Court for a decade, but the Lord had other plans.

A surprise change in direction for him came in 1984. He was at a law conference fulfilling several judicial obligations when President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor to the ailing Church President, Spencer W. Kimball, tracked him down via phone call. The purpose of the call was to notify him that he'd been selected to become an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

At the time, there were two vacancies in the Quorum due to the deaths of Elders LeGrand Richards on January 11, 1983, and Mark E. Petersen exactly one year to the day later. Due to the ill health of President Spencer W. Kimball, neither vacancy had been filled prior to the April 1984 General Conference. Elder Oaks became the junior apostle to Elder Russell M. Nelson, though the two were sustained in the same General Conference. Although both were called at the same time, Elder Oaks was unable to be present at the General Conference at which the two were sustained.

President Hinckley, in leading that sustaining, offered the following explanation: "With reference to Dallin Oaks, I should like to say that while we nominate and sustain him today, he will not be ordained to the apostleship, nor will he be set apart as a member of the Council of the Twelve, nor will he begin his apostolic service, until after he completes his present judicial commitments, which may require several weeks. He is absent from the city, and necessarily absent from the conference. We excuse him."

Elder Oaks was ordained an apostle just short of four weeks after being sustained, having been sustained on April 7 and being subsequently ordained to the apostleship on May 3. He had his first opportunity to respond to his apostolic call six months later, speaking on the importance of witnesses, within the context of his new assignment to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. He has now been an apostle for over 41 years, during which time he has filled a wide variety of assignments, and has had many opportunities to meet with and speak to Church members in various parts of the world. In addition to losing his father early on in his life, Elder Oaks also experienced the death of his wife June, who passed away in 1998.

Just over two years later, Elder Oaks married Kristen M. McMain, who has been by his side ever since. In 2002, he and Elder Holland were asked to be the first apostles in around 100 years to live on-location in two of the Church's geographical areas, with then-Elder Oaks being based in the Philippines, and Elder Holland being assigned to preside in Chile. With the death of President Thomas S. Monson in January 2018, Elder Oaks became the second most-senior apostle.

President Nelson, in becoming the new Church president, felt impressed to call his apostolic seat-mate, Elder Oaks, to serve as First Counselor in the First Presidency. He was set apart in both that capacity and as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on January 14, 2018. President Oaks has given a total of 100 addresses in General Conference, the first of which was given during his service as BYU-Provo President. Interestingly enough, that address from the early 1970s is somehow not listed in the Church's repository webpage of his General Conference addresses). He gave 68 additional addresses in General Conference as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the remaining 31 (so far) as a member of the First Presidency. He currently ranks as both the second most senior member and the second oldest member of the First Presidency, while he is the second in overall apostolic seniority, and the second-oldest apostle who is currently serving.

I am honored to have been able to pay tribute to him as he observes this milestone. I testify that his apostolic call, along with the calls of all other apostles, have indeed been divinely directed and inspired, as has how and when they have each moved up in the ranks thereof.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder Neil L. Andersen Celebrates His 74th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Let's get right into the latest apostolic birthday tribute I'm posting. Today's is in honor of Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is celebrating his 74th birthday today. Elder Neil Linden Andersen was born on this day in 1951 to Lyle and Kathryn Andersen in Logan Utah. His family relocated to Pocatello when he was five to run a dairy farm. He served a full-time mission in France, then obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, eventually earning his MBA from Harvard, also in economics.

During his time at BYU, he met and married his wife, Kathy Sue Anderson, and together they raised four children. He spent his professional career working various jobs. At the pinnacle of his career, he was Vice President of the Morton Plant Health System. He has served in the Church as a stake president’s counselor, stake president and mission president (assigned to the France Bordeaux Mission) from 1989-1992. Less than a year after his return, he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Interestingly, his call as a General Authority occurred in the same conference as that of his future apostolic seatmate, Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

Through the next couple of decades as a Seventy, he served in a wide variety of Church assignments, including as executive director of the church's Audiovisual Department, assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department, and in the presidencies of the following areas: Europe West ,Utah North, Utah South, North America Southwest, North America Northeast, and the Brazil South Area (during which time he also served as the area president).

In 2005, Elder Andersen was called to the Presidency of the Seventy (alongside Elder Ronald A. Rasband, who would eventually become Elder Andersen's apostolic seatmate). While serving in that Presidency, he was assigned to preside over the Idaho Area (from 2005-2007). By the time his stewardship switched to the North America Southwest Area (2007-2009), he had gone from being the second-least senior member of that Presidency to being the third-most-senior member. In 2008, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (in April) and the release of Senior President Elder Earl C. Tingey (in August, in preparation for his being granted emeritus status in the October General Conference), Elder Andersen then became the Senior President of the Seventy, a role in which he would only serve for around 8 mon

With the December 2008 death of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Elder Andersen was subsequently called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the April 2009 General Conference. An interesting bit of trivia is the fact that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband were all seatmates in the Presidency of the Seventy as of August 2007, and they would all go on to be apostolic seatmates, with their apostolic calls occurring in April 2008, April 2009, and October 2015 respectively.

Since Elder Andersen's original call as a General Authority Seventy in April 1993, he has given a total of 38 addresses in General Conference (3 of which he gave as a General Authority Seventy, with 2 others given while he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 33 since his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).

Elder Andersen continues to be the seventh in both senirotiy and chronological birth order among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and ranks tenth among the 15 total apostles in both seniority and birth chronology. I gladly sustain him and each of his 14 apostolic colleagues as prophets, seers, and revelators, and am grateful to have been able to publish this tribute in honor of his birthday today. Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates.

Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson Marks His 70th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being August 6, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is celebrating his 70th birthday. This post is in honor of that milestone. Gary Evan Stevenson was born to Evan and Jean Stevenson on this day in 1955 in Ogden, Utah. He grew up in the Cache Valley. He served full-time in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, after which he continued his secondary education at Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. 

During the course of his studies there, he met Lesa Jean Higley, whom he later married in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and with whom he would raise four sons. He spent his professional career working as the COO of ICON Health and Fitness, and served on both the Marriott School of Management Advisory Council and also the USU Foundation Board.

In the Church, he has served as a bishop and a stake president's counselor. From 2004-2007, he and his wife presided over the Japan Nagoya Mission. Less than a year after his return, he was among the first general authority seventies called during President Thomas S. Monson's prophetic administration in April 2008. In August of that same year, he was called to serve as First Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency, marking his third return to Japan as a representative of the Church. 

The following year, he became the president of that same area, and he served in that assignment until April 2012, at which point, he was released as a General Authority Seventy and sustained as the Church's 14th Presiding Bishop. In October 2015, with three vacancies in the apostleship due to the deaths of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott, Elder Stevenson was unexpectedly summoned to meet with the First Presidency. 

He related that he felt sure that he was being notified that one of his counselors (Bishops Gerald Causse or Dean M. Davies) were being called to the apostleship. He was stunned when the apostolic call was instead extended to him personally. He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015, and was ordained an apostle on October 8, then released as Presiding Bishop one day later. His call to the apostleship marked the second time a current General Authority Seventy who had subsequently been called as Presiding Bishop was also eventually called to the apostleship. Previously, that had been the case with Elder Robert D. Hales, who was called as a General Authority in 1975, and as Presiding Bishop of the Church in 1985 before being called to the apostleship in 1994. Those two former Presiding Bishops of the Church would serve together in the apostleship for approximately two years before Elder Hales' passing on October 1, 2017.

2015 marked the first time since 1906 that the Church needed to fill more than two apostolic vacancies ar the same time. In 1906, following the resignations of Matthias F. Cowley and John W. Taylor over the Church's repeal of the doctrine of plural marriage, and the death of another apostle, Marriner W. Merrill, the Church called George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay, Of the three, then-Elder McKay was the youngest, with Elder Whitney being the oldest, and Elder Richards between the two. 

This was an exception to the general rule that when more than one apostle was called on the same day, they have typically been called and ordained from oldest to youngest. The three apostolic calls in 2015 marked a similar anomaly in that respect. Although Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund were all called to the apostleship on the same day of the week in the week prior to General Conference, Elder Rasband is the oldest, Elder Stevenson is the youngest, and Elder Renlund is in the middle of those three.

At the age of 60, Elder Stevenson was the youngest man called to the apostleship since Elder David A. Bednar (who was 52 at the time of his October 2004 apostolic call). He would retain his status as the youngest currently-serving apostle until the April 2018 call of Elder Ulisses Soares, who was 59 at the time of his call. With the apostolic calls of Elder Patrick Kearon in December 2023, Elder Stevenson is now the 8th in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the 11th in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the third-youngest among both the Quorum of the Twelve and the apostles overall.

In view of his 70th birthday today, there are now only two current apostles under the age of 70: Elders Ulisses Soares and Patrick Kearon

In his 17 years of service as a general authority, he has given 23 addresses in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 2 more as Presiding Bishop, and the remaining 20 since his call to the apostleship). All of these addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, are well worthy of your time, attention and review. I gratefully sustain Elder Stevenson as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and appreciate this opportunity to post this tribute to him for his birthday. 

I similarly greatly admire and sustain each and every one of the other apostles in their God-given roles and responsibilities, and I am grateful to them for giving their time and talents to build up the kingdom of God, and to go wherever they are sent, bearing witness of the Savior at all times and in all circumstances. I share my witness that these men are called of God, and that we will be blessed as we give heed to their words.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Alabang Philippines Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, I am suprised and pleased to report that the First Presidency has announced opening arrangements for the Alaabang Philippines Temple. Let's get right into the relevant details: The temple will host a media day on Monday, November 17, 2025, followed by three days of tours for invited guests. The public is intived to tour the temple between Friday, November 21, through Saturday, December 13, 2025. The temple dedication will follow on Sunday, January 18, 2026, in one session, with Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding thereat.

This temple dedication announcement came sooner than I was expecting, and the open house and dedication dates are sooner than I anticipated as well. I had anticipated that, if opening arrangements were announced for any temples today, that the Lindon Utah Temple would be the natural choice. I'm sure finishing touches may need a little longer there, since that temple is slightly larger than Alabang. Despitethe fact that the timing of both the open house and dedication are sooner than I expected them to be, I'm glad we got them.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Presidency Confirms the Site Location, Releases the Rendering, and Sets the Groundbreaking Arrangements for the Brazzaville Republic of the Congo Temple

Hello again, everyone! In a surprise development I could not have foreseen or conjectured, the First Presidency tripled-up a temple announcement in more ways than one. Let me explain: first, today's announcement relates to the Brazzaville Republic of the Congo Temple, which was announced during the April 2022 General Conference. And we got everything about that temple today. I'm referring to the site location confirmation, the release of an exterior rendering, and the setting of the groundbreaking ceremony.

Having reviewed the temple's announcement information, let's get into the relevant details: The planned temple will be approximately 10,000 square feet in area, meaning it is likely to be another modular temple. The temple's construction will occur in conjunction with the construction of adjacent patron housing and arrival facilities. The released exterior rendering appears to confirm that it will be another modular temple, or something very similar.

The temple project will be built upon a 1.5-acre site on Avenue de la Republique (T-Ville), ex rue de Lamonthe 103 et 109, Bacongo, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. And as for the groundbreaking, that, surprisingly enough, will also occur on August 23, 2025, with Africa Central Area President and GA Seventy Elder Thierry K. Mutombo presiding over that ceremony.

This will mark the Church's third temple groundbreaking to be set to occur on that date. The big difference is that Brazzaville time is ahead of Tampa Florida time, which in turn, as previously noted, is ahead of Vancouver Washington time. So Brazzaville will be the first of the three to have a groundbreaking, followed 5 hours or so later by Tampa, with Vancouver following roughly 3 hours after that.

These updates have been reflected in my document showing a side-by-side comparison of temple groundbreakings in 2024 vs.2025. 2025 is now well ahead in groundbreakings, with 16 this year so far as opposed to last year's 14. And there are now 3 scheduled to occur on the same day. Bearing in mind that the Church has not yet set any other groundbreakings for September, I have a feeling some may be scheduled in the coming weeks. In fact, that is an almost certainty. I am grateful for today's announcement. 

And, as expected, the Church has not yet confirmed the opening arrangements for the Lindon Utah Temple. I would not anticipate those to be announced for at least the next 3-4 weeks. I have mentioned in the past that I heard an anecdotal report that President Nelson may have told both the Special Projects Division and the Temple Department that he didn't want the announcement of new temples every six months to amount to an IOU to Latter-day Saints around the world. 

The latest announcements we have seen bears out the fact that the Department and Division in question listened to the prophet, and the announcements have accelerated accordingly. Having gotten groundbreaking announcements more regularly, and with more temples in the queue awaiting opening arrangements, I assume that dedication announcements are on track to continue in the coming weeks.

But aside from today's announcement, there are several temples with full-scale construction pending, and there are several others that lack a site location confirmation, exterior rendering, scheduled groundbreaking, or all three. So there is lots of work to be done with temple construction, and I hope the meaningful progress we are seeing is on track to continue for the foreseeable future.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Judge Rules in Favor of the Church in the Heber Valley Utah Temple Dispute

Hello again, everyone! It is unusual for a breaking temple news update to be provided on a Wednesday, but there is one, so let's dive right into it: the judge has ruled in favor of the Church in the Heber Valley Utah Temple matter. This means that the temple in question will be built as planned, since the Heber City residents were found to have a lack of standing or say when it comes to how religious buildings are constructed, or the associated zoning granted by the county. 

This update was originally provided to me in this comment from Noah in the threads of the previous post, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him here for making me aware of it. With that ruling coming in late today, the Church can proceed with construction of the temple at their earliest convenience. It will obviously take time for construction equipment to arrive at the site, and for full-scale construction to begin, but hopefully that will only take weeks, whereas resolving this matter in the courts has taken just over 2 years (since the groundbreaking). 

So stay tuned here for updates on the Heber Valley Utah  Temple as those updates cross my radar, in addition to the other updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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.

If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Annnounced for the Burley Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, the First Presidency announced the opening arrangements for the Burley Idaho Temple. As with the previously announced opening arrangements for the Bahia Blanca  Argentina Temple, the arrangements in question are for later than I originally thought or projected. Let's get down to the official details:

The media day for the Burley Idaho Temple will occur on Monday, November 3, 2025, with VIP tours the following two days. The public open house will be held from Thursday, November 6-Saturday, November 22, 2025, excluding the relevant Sundays (November 9 and 16). The dedication of the Burley Idaho Temple will follow on Sunday, January 11, 2026, in a single session, which will be broadcast to all congregations in the temple district.

Interestingly enough, the exact time of that dedication is not included with this update, nor is there any indication of who the presiding apostle will be. If I may, I'd also like to offer a word about the timing of this dedication: I had anticipated that both the Burley Idaho and Lindon Utah Temples might be dedicated before the end of the year, and to my knowledge, the cornerstone of the Burley Idaho Temple states "Erected 2025", so I thought that was an indicator that this temple will be dedicated this year.

I don't quite know what to make of this, or the fact that the presiding apostle was not identified with this announcement. It occurred to me to wonder if the same will be true of the Lindon Utah Temple opening arrangements, and what (if anything) that might indicate about the timing of the dedications for the Harare Zimababwe and Alabang Philippines Temples. 

But then I had another theory: what if the Church delaying the Burley Idaho & Lindon Utah Temple dedications means that either or both the Harare Zimbabwe and Alabang Philippines Temples will be the last temples dedicated this year? Why might the Church do that if Burley and Lindon are finished sooner? Then it hit me that the Saints in Harare and Alabang have waited comparatively longer than the Saints in Burley and Lindon for their respective houses of the Lord to be completed.

So, wiht that in mind, it would make sense if the Church is prioritizing getting Harare and Alabang dedicated by the end of this year, so that the faithful Saints who have had to wait longer for their temples might be blessed to have them sooner. But there is also the outside chance that all of the other three temples might possibily have their dedications deferred until 2026 for reasons of which we might be unaware.

What does this mean? We will have to wait and find out. I will be watching and waiting along with you all. And if all four dedications are deferred until early 2026, that in turn will impact my estimates for the temples that follow, which might also mean that it may take longer for the Church to have 300 operating temples than what I have conjectured. I certainly hope that's not the case.

But I've got my eyes on all major temple construction news and announcements, in addition to all updates from the Church News, Newsroom, Church or Jesus Christ Temples site, and LDS Church Growth Blog, and I will have my usual insights and analaysis on all of it as usual, both here and on my official YouTube channel (once I get that up and running). 

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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. 

Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder Patrick Kearon Celbrates His 64th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being July 18, Elder Patrick Kearon is observing hie 64th birthday today. This post will be my birthday tribute to him Let's revieiw some details about him: Patrick Robert David Kearon was born on this day in 1961 to Paddy and Patricia Kearon in Carlisle, Cumbria, Northern England. 

His parents met when both were serving in the British armed forces. Despite his family not being religious, Elder Kearon and his four older siblings were raised in an environment of service, sacrifice, and devotion to one another. While his family was stationed in Saudi Arabia, Patrick spent time away from his family in boarding schools, and he recounted the hardships of that. 

While at his second boarding school, he and his classmates were tasked with helping to clean up after flooding in the area of his boarding school. That too was a formative experience for him in his youth. Once Patrick finished high school, he returned to his family in Saudi Arabia, where he underwent vocational training in several industries, eventually concluding with a communications consultancy that he ran with his wife.

When he was 19 years old, his father and brother-in-law died in a tragic accident. Patrick went home to England to be with his mother for a time, but soon returned to Saudi Arabia to continue working. In a later return to London, he met some Church members. From them, he gained a genuine appreciation and respect for their Christlike examples. A couple of years after that, some impressive missionaries asked if he would like a priesthood blessing.

During that blessing from a senior missionary he knew well, he felt a strong peace, light, and joy that he couldn't deny. After a couple more experiences that further touched his mind and heart, he was baptized on Christmas Eve in 1987. Two years later, he was in a YSA ward when he met Jennifer Hulme, who was an American-born student on a foreign-exchange program. She was impressed by the way he interacted with and treated people. They married in the Oakland California Temple in January 1991.

They raised their family in England for 19 years until Elder Kearon's April 2010 General Conference call as a General Authority Seventy. Coincidentally, that was the same conference in which his now fellow apostle Elder Gerrit W. Gong was also called as a General Authority Seventy. Prior to his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Kearon served as branch president, stake president, and area seventy.

Elder Kearon was called to the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2017, where he served alongside Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, who would become his immediate apostolic seniors. Elder Kearon became the Senior President of the Seventy in August 2020, serving in that capacity until his aforementioned call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in early December 2023.

Following a meeting with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Kearon was invited to meet with President Nelson, who extended the apostolic call to him. Upon his acceptance of that call, President Nelson asked him to go with him to meet the other apostles. He was then given his apostolic charge, was ordained an apostle, and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He didn't have much time to adjust to his new role, as he and his wife had to catch a plane to BYU-Hawaii, where he spoke about how daunting the call seemed to him.

Those who know Elder Kearon best describe him as very soft-spoken, kind, and genuinely interested in everyone with whom he comes in contact. Elder Kearon has spoken 6 times in General Conference, twice as a GA Seventy, once as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and 3 times since his apostolic call. I am pleased to testify of the divine origin of his call to the apostleship. The moment I read about the call, the Spirit witnessed clearly to me that he was the right man to fill this apostolic vacancy. 

I'm grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to Elder Patrick Kearon on this, his 64th birthday. Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

UPDATE: Most Likely Specific Locations For Which a Temple Could Be Announced During the October 2025 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Several of you have asked about this, so here it is: my list of the most likely specific locations for which I feel a temple could be announced during the October 2025 General Conference. Note that to find those estimated picks in that document, you will have to scroll down to the bottom thereof. 

For any of you who don't want to go to the trouble of scrolling to the bottom of that document, here is the list in question:

Africa Central–Likash/Ruashi Democratic Republic of the Congo

Africa South–Pretoria/East London South Africa 

Africa West–Port Harcourt Nigeria

Asia–Taichung Taiwan or Asia North–Kobe/Hiroshima Japan

Brazil–São Paulo (Fourth)/Santa Maria Brazil

Canada–Ottawa Ontario

Caribbean–Port of Spain Trinidad/Kingston Jamaica or Central America–Villa Nueva Guatemala/Comayaguela Honduras

Europe Central–Zurich Switzerland

Mexico–Mexico City South Mexico

Pacific–Christchurch New Zealand

Philippines–Angles or Olangapo Philippines

South America Northwest–Otavalo/Guayaquil (Second) Ecuador or South America South–Osorno Chile

United States Central–Pueblo/Boulder Colorado or Rigby/Nampa Idaho

United States Northeast–Concord New Hampshire or Charleston West Virginia

United States Southeast–Jackson Mississippi or Shreveport Louisiana

United States Southwest–Mesa East Arizona or Las Cruces New Mexico

United States West–Juneau Alaska or Long Beach California

Utah–Herriman Utah or Preston Idaho/Evanston Wyoming

Also of note, although I have this list of my more specific picks, I still go off of my larger list of potentital new temple locations when "grading" my temple predictions vs. what will be announced in October. So while the larger list is still more relevant to the accuracy of these predictions, those of you who wanted it now have my more specific list of what seems to me to be the most likely picks this go-round.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such feedback is made per 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.