Tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, In Honor of His 72nd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a birthday tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is marking his 72nd birthday today. His is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2026 will be President D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 81st birthday on January 24. Let's now turn our attention to today's tribute to Elder Gong.Gerrit Walter Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on this day in 1953, to Walter and Jean Char Gong. While he was given his father's name for his middle name, his first name was given in honor of and out of respect to Gerrit de Jong, whose family hosted his mother while she studied at BYU-Provo.

After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, young Gerrit served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He earned a bachelor's degree at BYU, then continued his education at Oxford University, where, as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy. 

He first met Susan Lindsay, the woman he would later marry, while giving presentations at the MTC focused on the culture of Taiwan, to groups of missionaries assigned to serve in that nation (Sister Lindsay, at that time, was preparing to serve her mission in Taiwan). At some point following her return from missionary service, while he was on summer break from Oxford, the two began dating. 

After Gerrit returned to Oxford, he and Susan (a BYU student) continued their courtship long-distance The couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 1980, and raised 4 sons. They spent most of their married lives in Virginia and Maryland. Brother Gong became a special assistant to the US Secretary of State in 1985. He subsequently became a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.

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

Toward the end of his professional career, he served as an Assistant to the President of BYU for Planning and Assessment. As impressive as his career may have been, the far more significant things he accomplished were in the course of Church service over several decades, during which he was a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. 

During his latter assignment, he accompanied the presiding authority to my parent's Stake Conference. As he spoke, I was impressed by his warmth, knowledge of the scriptures, and ability to teach from them. While I may not remember any specifics of what he said, the power of the Spirit which I felt when he was speaking was unmistakable.

After that conference, I had the opportunity to greet and chat with him informally. What I had seen at the pulpit while he spoke was even more apparent in his interactions with me and other members of my parent's stake. This is a man who feels and teaches by the Spirit. During the April 2010 General Conference, Elder Gong was among those called to serve as General Authority Seventies. 

He filled various assignments at Church headquarters for the first year or so after his call. From August 2011-August 2013, he served in the Asia Area Presidency as a counselor. In 2013, he was called as president of that same area. As a result of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the October 2015 General Conference, Elder Gong was called to the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. 

He transitioned out of his role as Asia Area President and into that new assignment effective January 4, 2016. During his two years of active service in the Presidency of the Seventy, he had responsibility for overseeing the work of the Church in the North America Northeast Area. He also served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards. Following the October 2017 and January 2018 deaths of Elder Robert D. Hales and Church President Thomas S. Monson, new Church President Russell M. Nelson called both Elder Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares to serve as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The two made history as the first Asian-American and Latin-American apostles of the Church. They were sustained as such on March 31, 2018, and both were ordained to the apostleship the following Thursday (April 5, 2018).

Consistent with the general practice of the Church, and for the first time since the October 2015 appointments of Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund, with the two apostles called, sustained, and ordained on the same day, Elder Gong, who is older, became the senior apostle to Elder Soares. In June 2018, Elders Gong and Soares met with media representatives for the first time as new apostles, at which time Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. 

His additional assignments included serving on the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee. He also had apostolic oversight for the Asia and Asia North Areas. He is now serving on the Temple & Family History Executive Council.

Elder Gong has given a total of 16 addresses in General Conference thus far, which includes 1 as a General Authority Seventy, 1 other as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 14 since beginning his service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Due to his potential exposure to COVID-19 (for which he tested positive a few days later), he had pre-recorded his remarks in the days leading up to the October 2020 General Conference. 

Having successfully completed his quarantine, he was able to preside at the groundbreaking for the Taylorsville Utah Temple later that month. And after a yearlong delay, Elder Gong presided at the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple in October 2021. As an apostle of Asia descent, he was sent in June 2022 to rededicate the Hong Kong China Temple. 

I am grateful to have been able to honor Elder Gong on this, his 69th birthday. Because of my previously-referenced personal interaction with him, I can testify that the Lord has prepared him for his present assignment, and I wholeheartedly sustain him and the other 14 apostles. I continue to monitor all Church News and temple updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you as I become aware thereof.

I continue to monitor any and 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: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Bacolod Philippines Temple; Name Change Announced the the San Jose California Temple; Preliminary Infrastructure Work Will Begin on the Fairview Texas Temple

 Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has announced updates on three temples: the opening arrangements for the Bacolod Philippines Temple, a namecahange for the San Jose California Temple, (which will now be known as the Sunnyvale California Temple), and that preliminary infrastructure work is set to getunderway soon on the Fairview Texas Temple. The latter two updates are self-explnatory, so let me get into the details about the Bacolod Philippines Temple dedication,then share some concluding observations about the other two temples.

I was stunned by the announced opening arrangements for the Bacolod Philippines Temple because, prior to today's announcement, that temple was only expected to have major construction wrap up in the early months of next year. As a result, not only did this announcemnent surprise me, but I was further stunned by the timing involved: the media day will be held on Monday, April 13, with invited guests touring the temple for a couple of days after that. The public open house will run from Thursday, April 16, to Saturday, May 2, excluding the Sundays of April 19 and 26.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will then preside at the dedication of that temple on Sunday, May 31, 2026, in a single session at 10:00 AM (with a rebroadcast planned at 2:00 PM). Both the dedicatory session and the rebroadcast will be carried to all units in the Bacolod Philippines Temple dstrict. This is a stunning announcement, and the Bacolod Philippines Temple dedication will follow that of the Davao Philippines Temple by just 4 weeks. So the Church now has 3 temple dedications in May,

Another thing that surprised me is that this dedication was announced before the first temple leaders were announced for this temple.  And if a temple that, up through yesterday, was anticipated to be completed in early next year can have a May dedication set, then that suggests that other temple dedications could happen sooner than I expect. As of yesterday, I had put my personal estimate for this tmeple's dedication as unlikely tto occuruntil sometime in 2027, so my estimates and projections were way off, and I will have to rethink some things as a result. This will be the third Philippines Temple dedicated next year, which  is another good sign.

We move on now to some thoughts about the other two updates mentioned. The former San Jose California Temple is being built in the city of Sunnyvale, so the name change makes sense. And for the Fairview Texas Temple, as I noted in this comment earlier today, the plans are currently before the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation,  so the fact that approvals are being sought for preliminary infrastructure work is encouraging, given the efforts of the neighborhood group of residents that continues to try and stop construction from moving forward. 

As I noted in previous posts and YouTube videos, there is nationwide group of  opponents to temple construction here in the United States that aims to hinder, delay, or stop construction of temples here in the United States, and that group seems to spur on the comparatively small groups of locals opposed to such projects. We see the fruitsthereof in relationtothe Coy Wyoming, HeberValley Utah, and Fairview TexasTemples at minimum, and there may be other temples impacted by the overarching work of the nationwisde group,

But as we know, the Prophet Joseph Smith state that no unhallowe hand can stop the work from progressing, and there are thankfully apparently more supporters than opponents of these projects on a local level, so hopefully that makes a difference. I repeat President Nelson 's plea for all of us to pray for the temples in any phase ofdevelopment, so thatwork make commence and continue and finish. We have the promise of the Lord that each temple dedicated thwarts the opposition of the advlersary and limits his power, so I hope that we will seriously pray for the temples in any phase of development.

I am somewhat isappointed thatwe didn't get any groundbreakings, site location confirmations, or exterior renderings this week, but i am grateful for the unexpected news of the Bacolod Philippines Temple dedication, and I look forward to seeing how many other temple dedications the Church may be able to squeeze in before the end of the first half of next year. If the current scheduling is any indicator, we are sure to see timelines shift dramatically in the days ahead.

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: First Presidency Announces New Temple Will Be Built in Portland, Maine

Hello again, everyone! At a Christmas devotional for the Portland Maine Stake this evening, Elder Allen D. Haynie, United States Northeast Area President, read the following statement from the First Presidency: 

"We are pleased to announce the construction of a temple in Portland, Maine. The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later. This is a reason for all of us to rejoice and thank God for such a significant blessing — one that will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants, and power that can only be found in the house of the Lord."

The First Presidency

This is the first temple to be announced under new Church President Dallin H. Oaks, and confirms what President Oaks said in his talk in October: "We will now move forward in providing the ordinances of the temple to members of the Church throughout the world, including when and where to announce the construction of new temples."

I had postulated that this would allow members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to announce new temples with the approval of the First Presidency in the course of their global ministry, so it makes sense that area presidencies would have similar authorizations to read official statements like this. The number of temples worldwide now sits at 383, with others to come in time, I'm sure.

Will any other temples be announced between now and the April 2026 General Conference? That's above my paygrade to know, but I conjecture that this could and likely will happen again. In view of this announcement, will anything else be announced tomorrow at 2:00 PM MST? I conjecture that will occur, since there is still a backlog of announced temples, and this just adds to it. But it also occurs to me to wonder how soon other updates will be announced for this first temple in Maine.

I had conjectured that, if temples were announcedoutside of General Conference, those announcements might come as temples are further along in the planning phase. So we could also potentially see a site location confirmed, rendering released, or groundbreaking set for this temple or any others in the near term. It's also worth noting that this is, to the best of my knowledge, the first temple since the Hinckley era to be announced in December.

Either way, this is wonderful news. 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: Groundbreaking Set for the João Pessoa Brazil Temple; Exterior Rendering Released for the Jakarta Indoneisa Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency announced the groundbreaking for the João Pessoa Brazil Temple, and released the exterior rendering for the Jakarta Indonesia Temple. We start with the groundbreaking information: Elder Joni L. Koch, president of the Brazil Area, will preside at the Saturday, January 24, 2026, groundbreaking for Brazil's newest temple. 

That groundbreaking will take place on the same date as the previously announced groundbreaking for the Jacksonville Florida Temple, but since João Pessoa time is one to two hours ahead of Jacksonville, João Pessoa now replaces Jacksonville as the first temple groundbreaking for 2026. The groundbreaking announcement follows the temple's announcement in October 2023 by President Nelson, with the site confirmation following just over a month later, and the exterior rendering released in July 2024.

And with both the João Pessoa Brazil and Jacksonville Florida Temples' groundbreakings set to occur on January 24, the second groundbreaking of the year will betaking place more than a month earlier in 2026 than the second groundbreaking in 2025 (which took place on March 1). So that already sets 2026 ahead of 2025 in terms of scheduled groundbreakings, and others could soon follow. I am grateful we got this groundbreaking announcement today, even though it wasn't what I expected.

As mentioned above, we also got the rendering for the Jakarta Indonesia Temple. The release of the rendering  follows the April 2023 announcement of that temple and the March 2024 release of its exterior rendering. While the rendering speaks for itself, it seems worthwhile to note that Indoesia's first temple is being built up rather than out, which is a common theme for Asia temples. 

It's also worth noting that, as with the Yigo Guaam Temple, the Jakarta Indonesia Temple is rising in an area that is projected to be submerged in water in 50-100 years. But as with the Yigo temple, the construction of this temple iscoming by inspiration from the Lord, who can temper those elements as He sees fit. As one of my seminary teachers observed: "Who was right, Noah, or the weatherman?" The Church will go forward with constructing this temple, for which I'm grateful. 

I was a little surprised we didn't get another temple dedication announced today, so I will have to factor that into my projected estimates for temple events in the near term. I was also somewhat surprised that we didn't get any announcement for other temples that have not had any details announced thus far. Hopefully such announcements come down the pike next week, as it will be the last week for major temple construction announcements before the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

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 Davao Philippines Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency announced the opening arrangements for the Davao Philippines Temple, the only major temple construction update announced today. Here are the relevant details: A media day will be held on Monday, March 23, 2026, with invited guests touring the temple over the next two days. 

The public is invited to tour that temple between Thursday, March 26, and Friday, April 10 (with the exception of the Sundays of March 29 and April 5. General Conference in the Philippines will air April 11-12, which is why tours will still take place on Saturday April 4. Following the conclusion of the public open house, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the May 3, 2026, single-session dedication (with that session being broadcast live at 10:00 AM to all units that will be served by the Davao Philippines Temple district). 

The dedicatory service will be rebroadcast to those same units the same day at 2:00 PM in the Philippines. While the announcement of this dedication is not surprising, the dedication date certainly is. That will be the same date as the previously announced dedication of the Lindon Utah Temple. And, because the time in Davao Philippines is 15 hours ahead of Utah time, the Davao dedication will take place 15 hours before the Lindon dedication, even though both are occurring on the same date.

Today's tremendous announcement gives me hope that we will see more temple dedications to round out the first half of next year than I had originally hoped or predicted. To be completely honest, I was half-expecting the Yorba Linda California Temple dedication to be announced today, but I am grateful for today's unpexted announcement either way. This temple dedication has been added to my document tracking current apostles' temple dedications during President Oaks' prophetic tenure.

As I said, today's announcement gives me hope that other temple dedications will occur sooner than I thought or have projected. The latest announcement reminds me that it is a given that the Lord's ways and thoughts are higher than mine. I was slightly disappointed that we didn't get an announcement about any other temples today, but I think we will see other major temple construction announcements over the next two weeks to close out the year.

And I remain convinced that more temple dedications, groundbreakings, exterior renderings, and site location confirmations are in the works for the near term. With the two other weeks we have before the Christmas/New Year's observances, hopefully major momentum can round out the year. 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 Willamette Valley Oregon Temple; Location and Rendering Released for the Yuma Arizona Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency officially announced opening arrangements for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple and released the location and rendering for the Yuma Arizona Temple. Let's dive right into the relevant details:

The media day for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple will be held on Monday, April 20. 2026. with invited guests touring the temple over the next two days. Public tours will follow from Thursday, April 23 though Saturday, May 9, 2026, excluding the Sundays of April 26 and May 3. The dedication will follow on Sunday, June 7, 2026, with Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. The single-session dedication will be held at 10:00 AM, but will be rebroadcast at 2:00 PM. with both the dedication and rebroadcast shown in all congregations in the temple district.

This is just about when I had estimated the temple dedication would be, so it's nice to have that confirmed. And Elder Uchtdorf may have apostolic oversight for the Church's North America West Area, so it makes sense that he will preside over this temple dedication. I have updated that assignment on my document tracking temple dedications and rededications during President Oaks' prophetic tenure.

What I will be interested to see is, if any other completed temples are dedicated before August of next year. There has been precedent for temple dedications to occur in July (the typical recess month for the apostles), but there is also precedent for no temple dedications in July, so it could go either way. I will be interested to see what happens in that regard.

We biw turn to the information about the Yuma Arizona Temple. Originally announced by President Nelson in April 2024, an almost 7-acre site at the corner of East 36th Street and South 8 East Avenue, in Yuma, Arizona, will be home to the single-story temple of roughly 18,500 square feet and an ancillary building. The exterior renddering speaks for itself, but if any of you have any thoughts about it, I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below

This brings the number of temples with no official information confirmed down to 59, and hopefully that number will shrink more in the weeks between now and the April 2026 General Conference. I am grateful for today's announcements, and am glad to have been able to provide this analysis thereof here. 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 NEWS: Women Can Now Serve Missions at the Age of 18

The First Presidency just announced that, effective immediately, women can now serve missions at the age of 18. This puts the minimum age at which women can serve as equal to that of men. The announcement reiterates that for men, missionary service is a priesthood responsibility, and for women, it is an optional opportunity. The First Presidency writes: "We recognize that for those young women who desire to serve a full-time mission, the choice of age to begin service will not be the same for everyone. We extend our love to the youth of the Church and commend them for their faithfulness."

I am grateful for this update, which allows women and men to serve at the same age. It follows the change mentioned previously that young people can receive their own endowment once they have graduated from high school. This is the next step in an evolving missionary program. And I believe it will have a widespread effect worldwide as far as missions are concerned. Others more qualified than I am can speak more to the perspective on the effect this could potentially have for the worldwide missionary program, so I will leave that to them to do so.

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 NEWS: First Presidency Announces Changes in Mexico & United States Area Presidencies

Hello again, everyone! Effective immediately, the Church has announced changes in its Mexico & United States Area Presidencies. Let's break down the details: Bishop Sean Douglas, the new Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, has been released as Mexico Area President. Elder Jose L. Alonso has been released as the President of the United States Northwest Area. Elder Michael A. Dunn has been released as Assistant Executive Director in the Church Communication Department and as a member of the Church Communication and International Coordinating Committees.

Elder Moises Villanueva, who had been serving as the First Counselor in the Mexico Area Presidency, will now serve as the Area President. Elder Jose L. Alonso will be his new First Counselor, and Elder Brik V. Eyre continues his service as Second Counselor. In the United States Southwest Area Presidency, Elder Michael A. Dunn, the former First Counselor, will now serve as the Area President. Former Second Counselor Jonathan S. Schmitt will now serve as First Counselor, and Elder Steven C. Barlow has been called as the new Second Counselor in that area presidency.

Information on who has succeeded Elder Dunn in his former department and committee assignments remains unavailable. But it is good to at least have these changes identified. 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.

Initial Predictions for the April 2026 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! As I mentioned in my previous post, I had already done a rough draft of my initial predictions for the April 2026 General Conference before today's announcement discontinuing the Saturday Evening Session of General Conference. 

That announcement took me back to the drawing board as far as those predictions were concerned. I am pleased to now present my revised initial predictions for the April 2026 General Conference. As per my usual custom, I have my projected speaker lineup, my predictions regarding changes in general Church leadership (which also includes my projected data for the 2025 statistical report), and my masterlist of possible locations in which temples could be announced.

With reference to the last document, I would not be surprised to either just see a few new temples announced or for the current hiatus on temple announcements to continue until the queue of announced temples is significantly smaller, although I am hoping by the time this General Conference rolls around that the queue will be much smaller than it is right now. This masterlist is being included in these predictions just in case there are new temples announced.

The rest of the predictions speak for themselves, I think. If any of you have any questions, I welcome the opportunity to address them in the comments section below. 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 NEWS: First Presidency Discontinues Saturday Evening Session of General Conference; Places Renewed Focus on 4 Daytime Sessions

 Hello again, everyone! Roughly 45 minutes ago, the First Presidency officially announced that, in an effort to place renewed focus on the 4 daytime sessions of General Conference, the Saturday Evening Session of General Conference will be disctoninued, effective immediately. I had already put together a tentative projection for what I expected the lineup of General Conference to be. Now it's back to the drawing board.

But since the Church has already reduced the number of talks given by the First Presidency and increased the number of general Church leaders speaking in General Conference, that may give some indication of what the schedule will look like going forward. It will be interesting to see what happens in this regard. In any case, I do not expect the current First Presidency to reverse course in a month, as happened the last time the Saturday Evening Session was discusntinued. I thinik this one will stick. What that means for the future is anyone's guess.

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 NEWS: First Presidency Names New Presiding Bishopric

 Hello again, everyone! On this Friday (following the call of Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles a week ago yesterday), the First Presidency has announced the new Presiding Bishopric. As anticipated, Bishop Causse's First Counselor, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, is the new Presiding Bishop, and Bishop Causse's Second Counselor, Bishop L. Todd Budge, is the new First Counselor to Bishop Waddell. And current GA Seventy Bishop Sean Douglas has been announced as the new Second Counselor to Bishop Waddell.

Presiding Bishop Waddell served from 2011-2015 as a General Authority Seventy, from 2015-2020 as Second Counselor, and from 2020 to now as First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. He will be 70 in 2029, so either this will be a very short-term assignment, or he will continue to serve past his 70th birthday. The same is true for Bishop Budge (that he will be 70 in 2029). Bishop Budge was a General Authority Seventy from 2019-2020, and has served as Second Counselor from 2020 up to now. Bishop Douglas has been a GA Seventy since 2021, and his 70th birthday will occur in 2034, so he will likely be in the Presiding Bishopric until at least that time.

I would just note that Bishop Douglas' call will necessitate his release as a GA Seventy, effective immediately, and that the Mexico Area Presidency will be reorganized in the near term (if that has not already happened), since Bishop Douglas has been serving as the Mexico Area President. Other than these notes, the extensive and impressive biographies of these brethren speak for themselves. I am glad that these changes were announced today. I look forward to this Presiding Bishopric's ministry in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.

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.

Elder Dale G. Renlund Observes His 73rd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back with a post in tribute of Elder Dale G. Renlund, who, as noted, is marking his 71st birthday today. Let's get right into all of that. Elder Dale Gunnar Renlund was born to Mats Ake and Marianna Andersson, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on this day in 1952. His parents had emigrated from Finland (Mats) and Sweden (Marianna) respectively in order to be married in the temple. In view of that, Elder Renlund grew up primarily speaking Swedish. 

The fact that he did not speak English as a primary language gives him a certain degree of international appeal. In his teenage years, Elder Renlund lived with his family in Sweden while his father was a building missionary for the Church Several years later, Elder Renlud returned to Sweden, this time as a full-time missionary. Following his missionary service, Elder Renlund continued his scholastic endeavors at the University of Utah, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and his M.D.

Approximately 3 or 4 years after he concluded his missionary service, he met and married his eternal companion, Ruth Lybbert, who was the daughter of another General Authority Seventy, Merlin R. Lybbert. Elder Renlund went on to do a three-year cardiology residency and a three-year fellowship in cardiology, both at Johns Hopkins University, and served as a bishop while he did so.

During that very same period of time, his wife was earning her law degree, and Ruth also gave birth to their only child, a daughter, Ashley. At some point in 1986, Elder Renlund became a professor at the University of Utah. From 1991 to the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy in 2009, he served as the medical director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program.

In 2000, he was also appointed the director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at Intermountain Health Center headquartered in Salt Lake, while his wife was working as a law partner in the firm of Dewsnup, King and Olsen. In the Church, in addition to serving as a bishop, Elder Renlund also served locally as ward Sunday School president, high councilman, and as a stake president. From 2000 to 2009, Elder Renlund served as an area seventy. 

He became a general authority seventy in April 2009, at the same conference in which Elder Neil L. Andersen was sustained as an apostle. The August after his call, Elder Renlund began serving in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency, which is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. He concluded that service as the area president from 2011 to 2014. 

Just over a year after concluding that service (during which time he served in other general capacities at Church headquarters), he was the third man to be called to fill the three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve in the wake of the passing of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scot (with his call occurring the same day as that of Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson). 

Some have claimed (rightfully so, in my opinion) that since Elder Scott was the last of the three to pass away, Elder Renlund, as the last of the three new apostles called, was the one filling the apostolic vacancy occurring from the death of Elder Scott. Others may disagree on that, as is their right, but I think that is a fair statement.

Elder Renlund's apostolic call was significant for a few reasons. The calls of Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund made them the 98th, 99th, and 100th members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called in this dispensation. There have been more men ordained as apostles, but only 102 of those men have officially served in the Quorum of the Twelve. There is another significant aspect of Elder Renlund's call.

As most of you are probably aware, at times in the past where 2 or more apostles have been called, tradition is that they will be called, sustained, and ordained according to their age, from oldest to youngest. That tradition, as has been the case a couple of times before, was slightly adjusted, as Elder Stevenson, almost three years younger than Elder Renlund, was called, sustained, and ordained as the senior apostle to Elder Renlund. That kind of thing is not in any way unprecedented, but it is a significant anomaly to note.

Given that all apostles from Elder David A. Bednar through Elder Renlund were born in the United States, some have taken issue with the Church for the perceived lack of diversity in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. But as was observed in this article, Elder Renlund's diverse background certainly qualifies him as having strong international ties and experiences. Elder Renlund has given a total of 23 addresses in General Conference, 2 of which were prior to his apostolic call (the second of which was given in the General Conference prior to the one in which he became an apostle).

I am grateful to have been able to offer this birthday tribute in his honor, and am also grateful for his service. I gladly sustain him and the other 14 apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators.

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: Groundbreaking Announced for the Jacksonville Florida Temple; Site Locations Confirmed and Exterior Renderings Released for the Couer d'Alene Idaho and Calabar Nigeria Temples

Hello again, everyone! A short time ago, the First Presidency officially announced the next major temple construction updates: a groundbreaking for the Jacksonville Florida Temple, and the site locations and exterior renderings for both the Couer d'Alene Idaho and Calabar Nigeria Temples. There is a lot to get into, so let's get started!

The first temple groundbreaking in 2026 will be for the Jacksonville Florida Temple. The service will be held on January 24, 2026, with Elder Massimo De Feo, First Counselor in the United States Southeast Area presidency, presiding thereover. The groundbreaking announcement follows the temple announcement by then-Church President Russell M. Nelson in October 2023, the site location confirmation in February 2024, and the release of its exterior rendering in mid-December 2024. 

I had recently estimated that the groundbreaking for that temple would occur in either late 2025 or early 2026, so this announcement was not surprising.I don't know if that means we may not see any other groundbreakings this year, but I have my documents for 2024 vs. 2025 and 2025 vs. 2026 for your review. That being said, there are a rew temples I have my eyes on for more information, so we'll have to see what happens in that regard.  

With that said, let's move on to the site locations and renderings that have been released for the other two temples. We start with the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple, which was announced by President Nelson in October 2024. The single-story edifice of approximately 29,630 square feet will rise on a 10.91-acre site at the corner of Hanley Avenue and Coeur Terre Boulevard in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In addition to the temple, the construction project will also include an adjacent meetinghouse and ancillary building.

We now conclude with the information on the Calabar Nigeria Temple, which was originally announced by President Nelson in October 2023. A 7-acre site at Atekong Drive, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, will be home to the single-story edifice of approximately 26,000 square feet, in addition to patron housing and arrival facilities and a meetinghouse. In view of these latest announcements, there are now only 60 temples for which the confirmation of any official information is pending.

I am sure that number will continue to decrease in the 19 or so weeks between now and General Conference weekend. There are approximately 19-21 Mondays between next Monday and the Monday before General Conference. If an average of 5 temples have their official information released every 3 weeks or so, then around 35 more could have official information confirmed prior to General Conference weekend.

Of course, I have no way to know for sure that we will see that kind of progress by then, but it is interesting to think about. I am sure the prophet is doing all he can to reduce the existing backlog. I had hoped we'd get the announcement of opening arrangements for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple today, but I am happy to see what was announced. And maybe those arrangements will be announced in the next week or two.

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.

UPDATE: PDF Versions of November 2025 Magazines Bring Surprises; October 2025 General Conference Predictions Results & Associated Document Updates

Hello again, everyone! The PDF versions of the November 2025 Magazines are now available. Along with the latest editions of the magazines come a few surprises, including one of the first changes signed off on under President Oaks' prophetic guidance: A decision has been made that, rather than listing the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by name in every edition of each magazine, instead, going forward, it will merely be noted that "Church mgazines are produced under the direction of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles." 

2 of the 3 November magazines reflect that change. There have likewise been changes noted to the editors/advisers for each of the Church magazines. I have tracked those adjustments as they have occurred. But another change has taken place as well: starting with the November 2025 Liahona. Instead of the traditional three columns per page, the General Conference Liahona now has two. This means that some talks that would have ordinarily been featured in 3-4 pages are now featured in 2-3. The change in layout now gives those who put together that edition of the Liahona more space for photographs and text.

So those changes have been noted. I find them to be very effective. Having said that, I am pleased to be able to finally share the results of my October 2025 General Conference predictions. Sorry it has taken me so long to do so, but obviously, other reports were more important. As always, we have my projected speaker lineup, predicted changes in general Church leadership, and my masterlist of prospective temple locations. Based on my traditional method (which any of you can inquire further about if you have any questions), I have scored these predictions.

I didn't count against me anything I either did not predict (President Oaks opening the conference as well as closing it) or was not counting on (as I had correctly asserted that the First Presidency would not be reorganized until after President Nelson's funeral), and I also did not factor my temple predictions into this year's result (as I could not have anticipated there would be no new temples announced). As the scorecard shows, this time around, I was on the lower end of my typical 50-70% accuracy rate. But I am grateful for the events of General Conference weekend, and it was very special to have that overseen by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as the presiding authority of the Church this time around.

I had made some predictions about the possible table of contents for the November 2025 Liahona, but obviously, I also could not have anticipated the shift to 2 columns, which changed the typical layout we have seen. That projection was not included as part of my General Conference predictions, but I thought it might be of interest to some of you. I should also note that I have created my initial predictions for the April 2026 General Conference, but will be presenting those here at a later time.

I am grateful to have been able to put together this report today. As I noted in comments on other recent posts, I anticipate that a new Presiding Bishop will be announced this week, and also anticipate that a new official photograph of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be released. And since there are no new temple open houses starting this week, I think we will see the traditional major temple construction announcement during the 2:00 PM MDT hour here in Utah. I anticipate the potential announcement of opening arrangements for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple, along with perhaps 1 or 2 additional temple groundbreakings (which may or may not be the final ones for this year), 1 or 2 new exterior renderings, and 1 or 2 new site location confirmations.

Stay tuned here for my coverage of these developments, in addition to my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, the Newsroom, and the 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: Elder Gérald Caussé Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

 Helllo again, everyone! Just 20 minutes ago, the Church officially announced that Presiding Bishop (now) Elder Gérald Caussé is the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was ordained an apostle today by President Dallin H. Oaks and the other 13 apostles.  I am thrilled by this news. Bishop Caussé (now Elder Caussé again) was one of my top 3 theorized candidates for the existing apostolic vacancy. 

And I had a feeling the new apostle would be announced in short order after the First Presidency was reorganized. In fact, when the only temple news this week was about the Burley Idaho Temple media day, I theorized (I can't remember whether publicly or privately) that the newest apostle might be announced this week.

Elder Caussé becomes the third current European apostle of the Church (joining Germany's Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and England's Elder Patrick Kearon). Elder Caussé was born on May 20, 1963, so he is now also the Church's newest youngest apostle. Elder Caussé is also the second current apostle (after Elder Gary  E. Stevenson) to have been the Presiding Bishop at the time of his apostolic call.

Elder Caussé is also the second current apostle with a May birthday, joining President Henry B. Eyring (whose birthday is on May 31). His impressive biography speaks for itself. His wife is also a French native, so they join Elder and Sister Uchtdorf to become the second current apostolic couple where both spouses were born outside the US (if memory serves, Sister Jennifer Kearon is American).

The Presiding Bishopric will be reorganized at a later date. Until that time, Elder Causse's counselors will together share the load of the Presiding Bishopric. I could not have been more surprised, elated, and excited by this news. I just knew that the Church wouldn't leave the apostolic vacancy unfilled until April.

I will let the rest of Elder Causee's impressive biography speak for itself. I am pleased by this news of the newest apostle and by the opportunity to share it with you all here. 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 Lindon Utah Temple; Site Location and Exterior Rendering Released for the Piura Peru Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, the First Presidency officially confirmed the opening arrangements for the Lindon Utah Temple and provided a site confirmation and exterior rendering for the Piura Peru Temple. Let's get into the relevant details:

We start with the Lindon Utah Temple. The media day will take place on Monday, March 9, with invited guests touring the temple over the next two days.  The public open house will run from Thursday, March 12 through Saturday, April 11, excluding the Sundays of March 15, 22, and 29, and General Conference weekend (Saturday April 4 & Sunday, April 5). The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, May 3, 2026, with the dedicatory session broadcast to all stakes within the temple district. The presiding apostle will  be announced at a later time, but that fact makes me strongly suspect that President Oaks himself will dedicate Utah County's newest temple.

We now move on to the details about the Piura Peru Temple: The single-story edifice (with an estimated 18,850 square feet), along with an adjacent ancillary building, will rise on a 2.6-acre site on the northwest corner of Ave. Tallanes and Ave. Prolongacion in Piura, Peru. The temple was originally announced iduring the October 2023 General Conference. The exterior rendering largely speaks for itself, but if any of you have anything to share about it, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

In the interim, one other note that may be of interest to you all. With the information released about the Piura Peru Temple today, there are now 63 temples for which no information has been officially confitmed yet. That number will continue to decrease in the coming weeks, I am sure. And given the fact that there are now 21 Mondays between now and the Monday before the April 2026 General Conference, there could be a drastic reduction of that number by then, especially if there are several weeks wherein multiple new temples have official information confirmed.

With all of that in mind, I suggest we buckle up and do as President Nelson advised in terms of eating our vitamins and getting our rest. It truly is exciting that the new First Presidency is making major headway on the construction queue. I am particularly personally grateful for the announcement of the opening arrangements for the Lindon Utah Temple, as my nephew has been waiting for news on that for a while.

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 NEWS: 55 New Missions to Open in 2026

 Hello again, everyone! I am back with a stunning announcement from the First Presidency: Due to the continually rising number of missionaries, the Church will add 55 new missions in 2026. These additional missions will bring the total mission count worldwide to 506. Church President and Prophet Dallin H. Oaks offered the following statement: 

"It is inspiring to see the number of young Church members who continue to answer the call to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. These missionaries are helping to bless the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year who are choosing to be baptized into the Lord’s Church."

The total coount of young teaching, servicee, and senior missionaries has steadily risen and is currently at a total of more than 84,000. Elder Quenntin L. Cook, who chairs the Missionary Executive Council, offered the following statement: "It’s a blessing to see how each missionary contributes to the individuals they teach and serve as they share the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. These additional missions help to balance the number of missionaries in each mission, allowing mission leaders to better support and mentor the missionaries they lead."

Here is the list of new missions, grouped by alphabetical geographical Church areas, then alphabetically within those areas:

Africa Central

1. DR Congo Kinshasa North

2. DR Congo Mwene-Ditu

3. Kenya Kisumu

4. Uganda Kampala East

Africa South

5. Angola Luanda North

6. Malawi Lilongwe

7. Mozambique Nampula

8. South Africa East London

9. Zimbabwe Harare West

Africa West

10. Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan South

11. Cote d’Ivoire Daloa

12. Ghana Accra South

13. Ghana Sunyani

14. Liberia Monrovia West

15. Senegal Dakar

16. Togo Lomé

Asia North

17. Mongolia Ulaanbaatar West

Brazil

18. Brazil Guarulhos

19. Brazil São Bernardo

20. Brazil Sorocaba

Canada

21. Canada Halifax

22. Canada Toronto East

Europe Central

23. France Paris South

24. Greece Athens

25. Spain Madrid East

Europe North

26. Cape Verde Mindelo

México

27. México Tula

Pacific

28. Australia Brisbane South

29. Papua New Guinea Daru

30. Papua New Guinea Madang

31. Samoa Apia East

32. Solomon Islands Honiara

Philippines

33. Philippines Lingayen

34. Philippines Lipa

35. Philippines Ormoc

36. Philippines Ozamiz

37. Philippines Puerto Princesa

South America Northwest

38. Perú Lima Northwest

39. Perú Tacna

South America South

40. Paraguay Asunción South

41. Uruguay Salto

United States Central

42. Missouri Kansas City

43. Wyoming Cheyenne

United States Northeast

44. Indiana Fort Wayne

45. Virginia Norfolk

United States Southeast

46. Mississippi Jackson

United States Southwest

47. Arizona Phoenix East

48. Oklahoma Tulsa

49. Texas Dallas North

50. Texas Houston North

51. Texas San Antonio South

United States West

52. California Oceanside

53. California Ontario

54. California Victorville

55. Idaho Coeur d’Alene

This announcement is a huge surprise, but also a welcome one. I am grateful for the many missionaries that are making tthe announcement of these 55 new missions possible. I will just add here that, apparently, since the Church's last announcement of new missions in 2024, one new mission has been created that I can't quite account for. On another note, I was kind of hoping that, if the Church had breaking news to report today, it would be the announcement of the newest apostle. But clearly it's not time for such an announcement now.

So I will just cap off today's news by saying I am grateful for this announcement, despite the fact that it wasn't what I had expected/hoped for. There will be a lot of new mission presidents for the First Presidency to call, in addition to however many other missions are due to have a new mission president. And I expect that the announcement of almost 200 new mission presidents will soon follow. I will just addthat while I was composing this post, the Church News also reported on today's announcement.

I am grateful for today's announcement, even though it wasn't what I had hoped for. 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: Groundbreaking Announced for the Brussels Belgium Temple; Renderings Released for the Savaii Samoa and Tulsa Oklahoma Temples; and Site Location Confirmation and Exterior Rendering for the Houtson Texas South Temple

Hello again, everyone! With the First Presidency reorganized, they have hit the ground running and have made significant announcements on this Monday relating to four temples: a groundbreaking for the Brussels Belgium Temple, exterior renderings for the Savaii Samoa and Tulsa Oklahoma Temples, and the site location confirmation and exterior rendering for the Houston Texas South Temple. So let's get right into exploring these latest updates:

Elder Jack N. Gerard, First Counselor in the Euorpe Central Area Presidency, will preside at the Saturday, November 22, 2025, groundbreaking for the Brussels Belgium Temple, While the groundbreaking in question will not include any turning of the soil (as the edifice is being built within an existing building rather than on empty ground), there will be a short program followed by a dedicatory prayer over the construction process. 

It appeasrs that the Church is still trying to obtain the necessary approvals to turn the existing building intto a religious building with accommodations, but that the Church was able to get the go-ahead for this program and dedicatory prayer. Unless any other groundbreakings are scheduled between this Saturday (the groundbreaking for the Cape Town South Africa Temple) and November 22, 2025, the "groundbreaking" for the first temple in Belgium will be the 20th groundbreaking in 2025. But I still have a few temples I am anticipating will have groundbreakings this year, so we'll see what happens there.

Moving on to the Savaii Samoa Temple, the release of the exterior rendering today follows the March 11, 2024 site confirmation and the October 2023 announcement of that temple by President Russell M. Nelson. Hopefully a groundbreaking will follow either later this year or soemtime next year.  Meanwhile, the Tulsa Oklahoma Temple was also originally announced in October 2023, and the confirmation of its' site location on August 12, 2024. I have no particular insights about the temple renderings in question, so I will let them speak for themselves. if any of you have anything to share about either rendering, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

Finally, we wrap things up with the details on the Houston Texas South Temple. Following its April 2024 announcement, also by President Nelson, the dual confirmation today of the location and the exterior rendering is fantastic. The single-story edifice of approximately 46,000 square feet, along with a meetinghouse and an ancillary building, will rise on a 15.7-acre site along Fort Bend Parkway, just north of Sienna Parkway in Missouri City, Texas. I guess I wsas somewhat confused by the rendering because it looks in some ways similar to the modular temple designs we've seen, but since it is the wrong size for a modular temple, I'm not sure why that was my first assumption.

With the release of the information about the Houston Texas South Temple, this document shows the latest count of temples for which no information has been released. That number now sits at only 64, and I'm sure that will go down further in the coming weeks. I am grateful to see that the First Presidency is (thus far) sticking to the Nelsonian practice of 2:00 PM Monday announcements. Hopefully that continues. And the fact that we got major announcements about four temples meanss we had just about everything I projected, except temple dedications. Hopefully those will follow in the coming weeks. 

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.

2,500th Blog Post: BREAKING NEWS: New First Presidency Announced

Note: This post was originally published at 9:30 AM, when the broadcast was announced, and was updated following the broadcast, just after 1:00 PM the same day.

Hello again, everyone! As was reported this morning, a new First Presidency was announced just after 1:00 PM MDT today. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles conducted the broadcast to announce that. It goes without saying that President Dallin H. Oaks is the 18th Church President in this dispensation, having been ordained and set apart in that role on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. He has selected Presidents Henry B. Eyring and D. Todd Christofferson as his respective First and Second Counselors. 

President Jeffrey R. Holland is the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I did not see President Christofferson's call coming, but as the Lord said to Isaiah, His ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts. I fully sustain this new First Presidency, and I hope that is true for each of you.

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, August 17, it is time to publish the newest such data on this General Conference Sunday. 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, November 23 (which will be the last such update for this year)..

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.