Elder Neil L. Andersen Observes His 75th 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 75th 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 months.

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 40 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 35 since his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).

Elder Andersen is now the fourth in both seniority and chronological birth order among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and ranks seventh 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 Elder Andersen's 75th 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 71st Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being August 6, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is celebrating his 71st 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 Gérald Caussé: 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 at 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 Gérald Caussé in November 2025 and Elder Clark G. Gilbert in February 2026, Elder Stevenson is now the sixth in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the ninth in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the eighth among the Quorum of the Twelve and the eleventh among all 15 apostles.

In his 18 years of service as a general authority, he has given 25 addresses in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 2 more as Presiding Bishop, and the remaining 22 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.

Elder Patrick Kearon Celebrates His 65th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! With today being July 18, Elder Patrick Kearon is observing his 65th birthday. 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 8 times in General Conference, twice as a GA Seventy, once as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and 5 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 65th birthday. 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.

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 Clark G. Gilbert Celebrates His First Apostolic Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! Today is Elder Clark G. Gilbert's 56th birthday, which is also his first birthday since being ordained an apostle on February 12 (as we know, he was called to the apostleship by President Oaks the day before). Let's get into his biography:

Clark Gordon Gilbert was born on this day in 1970, in Oakland California, to Paul Ensign Gilbert and Susan Carlson Gilbert while his father was attending law school. Once his dad graduated, the family relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, at which time Scottsdale had a largely non-Latter-day Saint populace. When young Clark was 10 years old, in response to an assignment to write about a great America, he chose to base his report on the Prophet Joseph Smith. Years later, in a high school assembly, he chose not to be offended when his religious views were criticized and mocked. When he was asked what his favorite song was, he said "I Am a Child of God" and sang it for his class.

Despite being mocked in that assembly, among his close friends and families of other faiths, his views generated respect, with some of those families saying that when their children hung out with Clark, they never had to worry about them getting into trouble. The summer before his senior year, he and his younger sister attended an Especially for Youth (EFY) event at BYU, after which he wrote his sister a letter expressing a desire to be a better brother.

Following his high school graduation, Clark enrolled at BYU. Following his freshman year, he deferred his education to serve a full-time mission in the Japan Kobe Mission. His struggles to learn Japanese brought him to seek heavenly help. He developed a great love for the Japanese people. His mission allowed him to draw closer to his mission leaders, from whom he learned valuable lessons that would mold his future life.

After resuming his studies at BYU, he was introduced to Christine Calder, who had roomed with his younger sister in a BYU study abroad program in London. Impressed with her, she suggested his brother meet her.  Clark was immediately drawn to Christine, and Christine was similarly drawn to Clark. But Christine had a deep desire to serve a mission. As the couple's relationship became more serious, Christine decided to forgo missionary service in favor of marrying Clark. The two were sealed in early February 1994, just before Clark's sister began her missionary service.

Following their marriage, Clark and Christine completed their education at BYU. They then relocated to California, where Clark earned a Master's degree in Asian Studies. Clark then pursued doctoral studies at Harvard (in business administration).  When he struggled with the rigors of the program, Christine reminded him they had prayed for this opportunity. He prayed for and received the help he needed.  He completed his doctorate in 2001, after which he joined the faculty at Harvard. Christine taught early-morning seminary, while Clark served on the stake young men's presidency. The couple also mentored inner-city young men.

In 2005, Clark was recognized at Harvard for his strong research and teaching abilities and was being considered for tenure. But the Lord had another path in mind: Kim Clark, the President of BYU-Odaho, asked Clark to join him at BYU-Idaho for the purpose of expanding Church education on a more global scale. After praying about it and feeling it was the right thing to do, Clark and Christine relocated to Idaho, where Clark served as associate academic vice president of BYU-Idaho, where Clark helped to establish a scholarship program and provided leadership for online programs. 

Those efforts culminated in the eventual creation of BYU-Pathway Worldwide. Clark went on to become the CEO of the Deseret News. In 2015, he was called to serve as the president of BYU-Idaho. Just two years later, he was named the inaugural president of BYU-PW.  With the help of many others, he built up and helped expand BYU-PW further. Then, in April 2021, he was called to serve as a General Authority Seventy. In August of that year, he began serving as the Commissioner of Church Education.

As we now know, on Tuesday, February 10 of this year, he accompanied President Oaks to BYU, where the prophet gave his first public remarks. Clark could tell President Oaks had something on his mind, but the prophet didn't say anything to Clark until the next day. After a meeting of the Church Bord of Education, President Oaks pulled Elder Gilbert aside and asked to speak to him. Clark assumed it was a routine matter relating to Church education, and was shocked when he was instead called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Clark and Christine stayed up late that night, talking about what they admired about each of Elder Gilbert's apostolic colleagues. The other 14 apostles ordained Clark to the apostleship the very next day.

A short time ago, Elder Gilbert confirmed via social media that he is now assigned to the Missionary Exectuvie Council, where he is working with Elder Ronald A. Rasband. As we also now know, an introductory article about Elder Gilbert is featured in the May 2026 Liahona, written by Elder David A. Bednar, who appears to be Elder Clark's apostolic mentor. The April 2026 General Conference marked the first time that Elder Gilbert spoke as an apostle. He has only given one other talk in General Conference since being called as a General Authority.

Given that Elder Gilbert filled the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that arose from the death of President jeffrey R. Holland, who, like Elder Gilbert, was a university president who later served as the Commissioner of Church Education and was subsequently called to the apostleship, I am not altogether surprised that Elder Gilbert was the Lord's choice tofill that apostolic vacancy. There are no coincidences in the Lord's Church.

As soon as I read about Elder Gilbert's apostolic call, I immediately felt the Lord confirming to me that he was the Lord's choice for this vacancy. So I can readily testify that Elder Gilbert has been called of God and was foreordained to be an apostle of the Lord. He is the youngest apostle to be called since the 2024 call of Elder Bednar at the age of 52. And he is the first apostle to be born in the 1970s. Given his age, I would not be shocked if he serves as Church President at some point, but that is, of course, up to the Lord.

In the interim, I am grateful to have been able to put together this tribute to Elder Gilbert. I know we will not be led astray if we listen to tne cousnel of those we ssustain as prophets, seers, and revelators, including Elder Gilbert. 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 David A. Bednar's 74th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Given that today is June 15, I wanted to take an opportunity to pay tribute to Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is marking his 74th birthday today. Let's get into some details about Elder Bednar's life thus far:

David Allan Bednar was born in Oakland California on this day in 1952 to Anthony George and Lavina Whitney Bednar. His mother came from a long line of Latter-day Saint ancestors, but his father was not a member of the Church. 

Despite not having a formal Church membership, Anthony Bednar fully supported the rest of his family in their Church membership, and he would often step in and participate in meetings and Church activities, including various service projects, whereby he was in essence functioning in the same supportive way as other Church members did, but as one who was not a Church member. Young David would often ask Anthony when he would be baptized, to which his father replied that he would do so when he felt it was right.

Elder Bednar served a mission in southern Germany, during which time, then-Elder Boyd K. Packer visited his mission, and was advised that to get through the necessary border security, he would need money. The future President Packer would later recount in General Conference that a young missionary provided him with the money he needed, and later revealed that Elder Bednar had been that missionary. 

Elder Bednar attended BYU-Provo, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in organizational communication. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from the prestigious Purdue University. He met Susan Kae Robinson at an activity for young adults. He recounts that they were playing flag football and that he threw a pass, which she caught. Susan would later note that, incidentally, that was the only time she could remember catching a pass. That experience left a positive impression on both of them, and the two started dating not long afterward. 

They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and would go on to raise 3 sons together. One major highlight of Elder Bednar's life came long after his marriage. Anthony called his son one day and asked, "Would you be free on (and he named a near-future date)? I would like you to come and baptize me." He was able to baptize and confirm his father, and also ordained him to the priesthood.

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

During this time, he was recognized as being an outstanding educator through the receipt of many prestigious awards and honors. He also had a few ecclesiastical responsibilities within the Church at around the same time. He spent several months as a bishop, then went on to serve first as the president of what was then the Fort Smith, Arkansas Stake, then as the first president of the newly established Rogers Arkansas Stake. During the final months of his service as a stake president, he was called to serve as a regional representative. In 1997, he was among the first men called to serve in the new position of area seventy. 

That same year, he was also called by the Church Board of Education to serve as president of Ricks College. His tenure there spanned from 1997-2004, during which time he led the transition of that college to BYU-Idaho. In October 2004, as a result of the apostolic vacancies due to the July deaths of Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight (which occurred 10 days apart), Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that the vacancies would be filled by Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar.

At the time of his call to the apostleship, Elder Bednar, who was 52 at that time, was the youngest apostle to have been called since then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks (who had been called to the apostleship in 1984 at the age of 51). Although he immediately commenced his service in the apostleship, he also continued to serve as president of BYU-Idaho for several weeks before the appointment of an interim president. Elder Bednar's tenure as an educator has molded how he speaks and ministers as an apostle. 

One of his common traditions, as he speaks at General Conference, is to invite the Holy Ghost to bless him and the rest of us as we listen to his remarks. Since his October 2004 call to the apostleship, he has given 44 addresses in General Conference, which are always well crafted and insightful, and are well worthy of review by all of us. He is currently the second-most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, including the current members of the First Presidency, makes him the fourth in overall apostolic seniority), and the fifth oldest among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the eighth oldest among all 15 ordained apostles. 

While I have never had the honor of personally meeting him, from the moment his apostolic call was first announced and onward since then, I have had a testimony that his apostolic call has been inspired and directed by the Lord, which I reiterate to you all today. Given his relatively younger age in comparison to both the five apostles senior to him, and four of the eight apostles who are junior to him, I fully believe that Elder Bednar may serve as Church President or at least in the First Presidency at some point. That, of course, will be up to the Lord’s will and the health and longevity of Presidents Oaks, Eyring, and Uchtdorf. And I want to make it very clear that such a prospect is merely my personal opinion and not anything I can attribute to anyone else. 

I am grateful to have been able to provide this tribute to Elder Bednar as he marks his 74th 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 section 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 October 2026 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Having previously covered the results of my April 2026 General Conference predictions, I am pleased to now present my initial predictions for the October 2026 General Conference, consisting of my projected speaker lineup, my predictions for changes in general Church leadership, and my masterlist of all prospective locations in which I believe a temple could be announced.

The projected speaker lineup could use a little more explanation. It used to be that we'd hear from members of the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric during every General Conference. The last time a member of the Presiding Bishopric spoke was when then-Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé spoke in April 2025, and that was the same conference in which we last heard from a member of the Presidency of the Seventy (Elder S. Mark Palmer, who, as we know, will be released from that Presidency and granted emeritus status on August 1 of this year). 

I've been wondering if the Church has decided to put members of the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric on the same speaking rotation schedule as the other General Authority Seventies. If so, then it's almost certain we will hear from a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, based on the fact that Elder Edward Dube last spoke in April 2021, and all of the other GA Seventies who last spoke in April 2021 spoke in April of this year.

I don't know what that might indicate about the Presiding Bishopric, but I have included both Elder Edward Dube and Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell in e predictions just in case. Also, ordinarily, when a smaller number of GA Seventies is sustained in April, almost all or all of them speak in October. Given that I'm including both Elder Dube and Bishop Waddell in my predictions, there wasn't room in this lineup for all 8 of the new GA Seventies named in April.

As far as the changes in general Church leadership go, barring anything unexpected, only changes in area seventies appear likely to occur this time around. And although I do not anticipate any new temples being announced in General Conference, my masterlist shows those candidates that might be announced in between now and the weekend of the October 2026 General Conference.

Other than these notes, the predictions speak for themselves. I gladly welcome any questions or comments on them. Just to reiterate, this is my initial draft of these predictions. I could see other iterations published if much clarification or correction is needed. 

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.

President Henry B. Eyring Celebrates His 93rd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! On this last day in May, I am grateful for the opportunity I have to pay tribute to President Henry Bennion Eyring, who is celebrating his 93rd birthday. "Hal," as he is affectionately known by those close to him, was born in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1933, to well-known physicist Henry Eyring and Mildred Bennion. His father's sister, Camilla Eyring, married Spencer W. Kimball, while his father's first cousin was Marion G. Romney. 

He was generally a very good student. He recounted an experience where his father was helping to explain a scientific concept to him. When Hal still had trouble understanding the material, his father asked him whether or not he wanted to become a scientist. When Hal said he didn't, his father asked him what he thought about when he had nothing else to consider, and told him that he should pursue that subject. 

This led young Hal to an eventual career as an educator and academic administrator. His family would later relocate from New Jersey to Salt Lake City, Utah. Although he did not serve a full-time mission, he was an active member of the U. S. Air Force, and was stationed in New Mexico, where he served as a liaison between military officers and scientists, in which capacity he was responsible for analyzing data from tests done on nuclear weapons. 

Prior to his military service, he had earned a degree in physics from the University of Utah. He also studied at Harvard, where he eventually earned both a masters' and doctoral degrees in Business Administration. While he was highly sought after by business owners who admired his analytical work, he chose to continue to pursue his education. 

In the meantime, it was not until 1960 (when Hal was 26 or 27 and serving in a district presidency) that he met Kathleen Johnson at a YSA meeting in New Hampshire. She was born in Palo Alto California, and had studied at Stanford before coming to Harvard. She also spent some time studying at the Universities of Vienna and Paris. Because Hal was serving as a counselor in the district presidency, his district president (Wilbur Cox) adjusted his assignments to accommodate his desire to date Kathleen. 

Much of their dating relationship was built through long-distance communication or travel, with Kathleen making several cross-country trips prior to their engagement in the early months of 1961. They continued their courtship for the next year or so, and were married in the Logan Utah Temple on July 27, 1962, by which time Hal was 29 years old. Their marriage was solemnized by his uncle, then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

Their family would eventually include six children (four sons and two daughters). Two of their sons are Henry J. Eyring (who is also a distinguished educator) and Matthew J. Eyring (who is a Chief Strategy Innovation Officer with Vivint, a company specializing in home automation.). Both Henry J. and Matthew served for a time as area seventies, and, as we know, Matthew was one of the eight new GA Seventies sustained last month in General Conference.

Hal eventually became a professor at Stanford University. He continued his career as an associate professor at the Stanford School of Business for 9 years (between 1972 and 1981), and went on to be a Sloan Visiting Faculty Fellow at MIT, during which time he also took courses in human behavior. Sometime between late 1970 and early 1971, his wife asked him if he shouldn't be studying with Neal A. Maxwell, who was serving at that time as Commissioner of Church Education. After considering her question and following a lot of reflection, Hal accepted an offer to become president of Ricks College. Although other job offers came his way during his 6-year tenure at the college, he continued to serve until his release in 1977. 

His previous Church callings included being a bishop, serving as a member of the Sunday School General Board, and as a regional representative. In 1980, Hal was called to serve as the Commissioner of Church Education, succeeding Jeffrey R. Holland. He would continue to serve in that capacity until 1986. When the Church reorganized the Presiding Bishopric in April 1985, Robert D. Hales was called as the new Presiding Bishop, and he recommended that Hal serve as his First Counselor. After serving in that capacity for 7.5 years, he was called in October 1992 to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

When he began his new assignment, he was called for a second time to serve as the Commissioner of Church Education, an assignment in which he would continue until 2004. While Hal continued that service, Church President Howard W. Hunter passed away. Following the subsequent reorganization of the First Presidency in March 1995, new Church president Gordon B. Hinckley called Elder Eyring to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

12.5 years later, following the death of President James E. Faust, who had served as Second Counselor to President Hinckley, Elder Eyring was invited to join Presidents Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson in the First Presidency. The way that came about is an interesting story: Elder Eyring had taken the phone call from President Hinckley and had heard his invitation to join the First Presidency, but because he had occasionally taken calls on the Church's phone system that were meant for some of his apostolic colleagues, he asked President Hinckley if he was sure he was talking to the right person. "This is Hal Eyring." he said. President Hinckley quickly responded, "I know who this is." Thus it was that the first apostle appointed during President Hinckley's administration was called to serve in the First Presidency for an almost four-month period prior to President Hinckley's passing.

When the First Presidency was reorganized, new Church President Thomas S. Monson called President Eyring to continue serving in the First Presidency, this time as his First Counselor. While in that capacity, President Eyring dedicated 8 temples (San Salvador El Salvador, Gilbert Arizona, Payson Utah, Indianapolis Indiana, Philadelphia Pennsylvania (for which he had also presided at the groundbreaking), Hartford Connecticut, Paris France, and Cedar City Utah). 

The dedication of the Gilbert Arizona Temple was an interesting anomaly. Although President Monson presided at all three sessions, he requested that President Eyring read the prayer during the first session, so that was one recent example of how the dedication duties were shared by two apostles. President Eyring also rededicated seven temples (Ogden Utah, Buenos Aires Argentina, Mexico City Mexico, Montreal Quebec, Suva Fiji, Idaho Falls Idaho, and Jordan River Utah). The Ogden Utah Temple rededication is another interesting case. President Eyring conducted all three sessions and presided at the final two sessions, in which he also offered the dedicatory prayer, with President Monson having presided at and offered the dedicatory prayer in the first session. 

As we also know, roughly 9 years ago (on May 23, 2017), the Church announced that President Monson would be stepping back from an active role in the day-to-day administration of the Church. Following the release of that statement, Presidents Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf assumed oversight of all decisions except for those requiring the prophet's direct approval. 

Following President Monson's death on January 2, 2018, the First Presidency was reorganized on January 14, at which time President Eyring was called to continue his service in the First Presidency,  serving as Second Counselor a second time, working with Church President Russell M. Nelson and his First Counselor, President Dallin H. Oaks. Because President Eyring has a familial connection to both Presidents Spencer W. Kimball and Marion G. Romney, who were both involved in the 1981 dedication of the Jordan River Utah Temple, President Nelson asked President Eyring to preside over that temple’s rededication on May 20, 2018. As noted in an earlier post, President Eyring drew heavily on the original dedicatory prayer in composing the dedicatory prayer for that temple. 

Just about one year later, he was asked to preside over the one-session private rededication for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple, since he also has ancestral connections to that temple. He also presided at the rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple, which was also originally dedicated by President Spencer W. Kimball. As we know, President Nelson died on September 27, 2025, so the First Presidency was again dissolved. When it was reorganized, Hal was called for a fourth time as a counselor, serving alongside new Church President Dallin H. Oaks and Second Counselor D. Todd Christofferson.

For the last several years, his health has seemed to be declining, as evidenced by the fact that he has periodically not been present when the First Presidency has met with dignitaries at Church headquarters and by the fact that, while speaking and conducting sessions of General Conference, he has been seated and wheeled to and from his seat.  But following his most recent setting apart as First Counselor to President Oaks, and further, when he was also formally set apart as Quorum President, the blessings he was given both times has appared to cause his health to rally. 

He has been seen at all major meetings, and during the most recent General Conference, he walked to and from his seat, although a wheelchair was nearby in case he needed it. So whatever was said as he was set apart the last two times has changed some things, even though he's still seated while speaking in General Conference. Despite what I felt as he spoke in General Conference a year or two ago (that he might not live much longer), he is still alive and actively serving to the best of his ability. His lifelong devotion to education and his decades of committed Church service is an inspiration to all. 

I had the opportunity to attend a stake conference around 25 years or so ago, over which then-Elder Eyring presided. His message to us at that time focused on unity.  It is a message he has since shared repeatedly in several General Conference addresses, a focus that has since been adopted by the current First Presidency, with multiple efforts underway to unify the Church on a global scale and to streamline and standardize policies and procedures. 

That message of unity was particularly poignant during the October 2017 General Conference, when he, as First Counselor to the ailing President Monson, served as the de facto presiding authority, and his talks highlighted the important concept that the Lord is at the helm of His work, and that, regardless of the health of His chosen prophet, He continues to move the work forward. To date, President Eyring has given a total of 123 addresses in General Conference. 

Of those, 5 were given during his 7 years in the Presiding Bishopric (including his first, which, for unknown reasons, is not in the main repository page where his other talks can be found), with 25 others given during his 12.5 years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the remaining 93 since he was first called to the First Presidency in October 2007. 

During his apostolic tenure thus far, he has served as a counselor to 4 Church Presidents. He is the second in both seniority and age in the First Presidency. He second senior apostle (with only President Oaks senior to him) and the second-oldest overall. Among his fellow apostles, President Eyring has been one who has clearly shown when the feeling behind the message he is giving during each General Conference has had a direct impact on him. We are blessed to see how deeply he wants to convey such ideas, thoughts, and feelings to each of us.

I am grateful for the life, ministry, and service of this amazing man, whom I sustain with all my heart, and for the opportunity I have had in this small way to pay tribute to him on this day as he celebrates his 93rd 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.

April 2026 General Conference Predictions Results

Hello again, everyone! Several weeks later than I'd planned, I am pleased to now share the results of my April 2026 General Conference predictions. So here are my updated speaker lineup (with what actually happened noted in brackets of the appropriate fields); my updated predictions for Church leadership changes (and the statistical report figures), and my masterlist of the most likely candidate cities to get a temple.

I am pleased to also present at this time a scorecard for those predictions, based on the 3-point scoring system I mentioned for each element. If any of you have any questions on the scoring listed therein, please let me know, and I would behappy to address those. I would like tonote that I am including in that scring a score for the new locatioins that had temples announced between President Oaks' October 14 ordination as the Church President and the weekend of the April 2026 General Conference. Therefore, with only two temples announced, the maximum possible score there is 6.

My analysis of the results led me to score the accuracy of these predictions at 56.5%, slightly lower than my average accuracy rate of 60-80%. So that's it for the results of the preditctions. But I also wanted to share how my mock-up of potential table of contents for the May 2026 Liahona compared with the actual thing, in addition to my document showing the lengths of apostolic addresses, each of which was at least a few minutes shorter than they usually have run, and my updated document showing the total number of General Conference talks given by apostles. 

Each apostle spoke at least once, with both Presidents Oaks and Christofferson giving 3 addresses apiece. For President Oaks, that includes his opening and closing remarks and his Sunday Morning Session address. For President Christofferson, that includes his Sunday Afternoon Session address and his two opprotuniteies to conduct Church business. Some sources count those, while others don't. But I am choosing to do so for my purpsoes. 

Well, that's a wrap on my General Conference postmortem. 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 Gérald Caussé Observes His First Apostolic Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! With today being May 20, Elder Gérald Caussé is observing his first apostolic birthday since his November 6, 2025, call and ordination to the apostleship. So it is time to share a birthday tribute to him, as he is observing his 63rd birthday today. Let's dive right into his extensive and impressive biography: Gérald Jéan Caussé was born on May 20, 1963, in Bordeaux, France, to Jean and Marie-Blanche Caussé. The missionaries found his parents a short time after Gérald was born.

His penchant for quick learning and voracious curiosity led to many early opportunities for young Gérald. At age 12, he was the pianist in Primary. Two years later, he became both the branch pianist and a counselor in the ward Sunday School organization. He also made ministering visits with his father to various people in their time of need, and he joined the missionaries often to teach people about the Gospel.

Gérald also found success in his educational endeavors. Following his graduation from high school, he rigorously prepared for entrance into any of the top universities in France, being determined to prioritize his faith and Church membership and activity. During his oral exams, which included an interview with panels of various universities, he was asked questions that directly led to him sharing more about his faith, and about what he believed, why he believed it, and how his beliefs had shaped his life.

After one such interview, one of the interviewers told him he had a friend who was a member of the Church, so he wanted to give Gérald a chance to answer questions about his faith and his commitment thereunto. He entered his university studies with honors. During the same period of time, Gérald renewed his acquaintance with Valérie Babin, a childhood friend. One day, during a choir practice, she was singing, and he was accompanying, and their eyes met in what they called "a second for all eternity". They were married in the Bern Switzerland Temple in 1986.

Upon his graduation from college, Gérald began a 7-year career in management consulting, successfully aiding many companies to avoid bankruptcy. He served as a counselor in a stake presidency during that time. When the time approached for the release of the stake presidency, both Gérald and Valérie discerned that he would be the new stake president, and Gérald sought (and obtained) a less demanding job that would free up his schedule for his new calling. He landed a new position with a family-friendly company just two days before he was sustained as the new stake president.

President Caussé served as stake president during a period of time when the Church was looking to procure a temple site in Paris. He chauffeured President Hinckley to several candidate sites over several trips to the region until they found and procured the site on which the Paris France Temple operates. In 2008, new Church President Thomas S. Monson called him to serve as a GA Seventy. Beginning the following August, he served in the Europe Area Presidency in Germany, first as a counselor, then as the area president. His two counselors, Elders Jose A. Teiexera and Erich W. Kopischke, spoke highly of him.

In 2012, with the release of the Presiding Bishopric planned, a new Presiding Bishopric was needed. Elder Caussé was called to serve alongside Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson and Bishop Dean M. Davies. They served together for only 3.5 years, when Presiding Bishop Stevenson was called to the Quorum of the Twelve. Bishop Caussé succeeded him as the Presiding Bishop, serving as such for just over a decade. He was closely involved with the construction approvals for the Rome Italy and Paris France Temples.

And, as we know, on November 6, 2025, he was called to the apostleship. He is the first apostle born in France. Elder Caussé has spoken 9 times in General Conference: once as a GA Seventy, twice as First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, 5 times as Presiding Bishop, and, of course, once since his apostolic call. I know this overview has been quite extensive, but I hope it serves as a fitting tribute to the man who makes history as the first French apostle and brings a significant background in business and Church service to his role.

He, as all the other apostles do, has voluntarily pledged to serve the Lord to the best of his ability until his dying breath. And his life demonstrates that the Lord has well prepared him for this exact opportunity he now has. Given that I have always loved the French language, Elder Causse, as the first General Authority and now the first apostle born in France, has long been one of my favorite people in the top leadership tiers of the Church.

I gratefully testify that the Lord has called him, and that I fully sustain him in his new assignment and look forward to seeing what the Lord will do through him. I am grateful I could pay tribute to him 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.

UPDATED: April 2026 General Conference Predictions (Final Edition)

Hello again, everyone! With exactly 36 hours left before the April 2026 General Conference begins, I wanted to post the final edition of my predictions for this weekend. Given the recent confirmation that the upcoming conference will include 4 daytime sessions and a Solemn Assembly to sustain President Oaks, his counselors, and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as I recently stated on this very blog, I feel that the sustaining of the general Church leadership will occur in two parts over two sessions.

I am also surmising that selected members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will only conduct two sessions (with the two First Presidency counselors conducting the other two sessions). As far as how it will work with one less session, I am assuming that all speakers who are not in the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will speak for slightly reduced amounts of time. It is possible that theapostles may also have been asked to reduce the length of their respective talks, but that seems unlikely.

With that said, we begin with my projected speaker lineup. I believe that the October 2025 General Conference is a good model to base that lineup on. The only difference is that I am only projecting 13 speakers who are not apostles, as opposed to the 19 we saw in October.  I'm hoping I low-balled that, but we'll have to see. Next up are my predictions for changes in general Church leadership, some of which may or may not actually be acknowledged. 

That second document also has my projected figures for the statistical report, and the figures in question are either based on factual information I was able to ascertain or else estimates reached using a complex algorithm that is hard to explain. Unless I am mistaken, the actual data on the report will be released on the Newsroom at some point during the Saturday Morning Session.

Next, I wanted to note that in view of what President Oaks said in an interview on the day before he dedicated the Burley Idaho Temple, it seems probable that temples will no longer be announced in General Conference. But that being siad, I'm sure there may be an occasional exception to that, which is why I am also including my masterlist of what I have projected to be the most likely locations for a new temple.

No matter if my predictions are right or wrong, I am definitely looking forward to this General Conference weekend. 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: April 2026 General Conference Predictions

Hello again, everyone! In view of the November 17 announcement to discontinue the Saturday Evening Session of General Conference,the November 6 call of Elder Gérald Caussé, and the February 12 call of Elder Clark G. Gilbert to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I have made major revisions to my April 2026 General Conference predictions. So I now present my revised projections for the speaker lineup, my predictions for changes in general Church leadership (which also includes my estimates for the data in the Statistical Report for 2025)  and my masterlist of potential locations in which a temple could be announced.

As previously mentioned, during an interview in conjunction with the Burley Idaho Temple dedication, President Oaks said the following about the announcement of new temples: "It has occurred to me for a long time that the best place to announce a temple is in that temple district. And the best person to announce it is the file leader in that area, which can be an Apostle on assignment to a stake conference or another meeting, or it can be the area president if there’s no Apostle in the district when a decision is made by the First Presidency to have a temple there."

He further stated: "It’s a pattern that we will follow as long as I have influence in determining those things. This does not change the pattern of decision-making or gathering facts and determining the agreeable timing and the need. And all those things will continue to be analyzed. But when it comes to making a decision from all those facts, the First Presidency will continue to make the decisions. But they’ll assign someone else to make the announcement in the place where the temple will be built."

With that in mind, I don't think there will be any new temples announced in any General Conference at all under President Oaks' prophetic administration. But Iwanted to include mymasterlist anyways, though I would be  shocked if the Easter-centric General Conference included temple announcements. We may or may not see somethingelse announced, but that is harder to project. And with just 4 sessions instead of the 5, there may be fewer speakers, or the non-apostolic speakers may have shorter allotments of time.

Whatevermight happen during General Conference weekend, 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 Ronald A. Rasband Celebrates His 75th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Elder Ronald A. Rasband is celebrating his 75th birthday today. Let's get right into this post in his honor. Ronald Anderson Rasband was born in 1951 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Rulon Hawkins Rasband and Verda Anderson. He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and encompassed the whole New York Metro area, while also stretching into western New York and Pennsylvania. Sometime following his honorable return from his mission, he met Melanie Twitchell in a class they both attended at BYU. At the time, both of them were dating other people, but they soon made arrangements to go on a date themselves, and once they started dating, that was it for both of them. They got engaged eight weeks later, were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1973, and went on to raise their five children.

Following their marriage, they continued their studies at the University of Utah. He later discontinued his college experience in order to begin his professional career in the Huntsman Container Company as a Sales Representative in 1976. Still in that employment 11 years later (in 1987), he was promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, where he closely worked with Jon Huntsman Sr. and later served on the board of directors of that company. It was not until 1995 that, in tribute to his success as a businessman, he received an honorary degree in business and commerce from Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University).

As prestigious as his professional career might have been, his life, in similarity to those of his fellow apostles, has been characterized by a variety of assignments in the Church. Elder Rasband has served as a bishop, Temple Square missionary guide, member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee, and, from 1996-1999, as president of the New York New York North Mission. On April 1, 2000, he was sustained as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Over the next 5 years, he served in the Europe North and Europe Central Areas from 2000-2003. Those areas were later consolidated into a single Europe Area before subsequently splitting agin in August 2022. From 2003-2004, Elder Rasband presided over the Utah Salt Lake City Area. In August 2004, responsibility for oversight of the work of the Church in North America was transferred to the Presidency of the Seventy (with oversight for the US and Canada subsequently being delegated back to area presidencies in August 2018).

He then served from 2004-2005 as Executive Director of the Temple Department. He was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2005, at which time he was assigned oversight for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. Two years later, his assignment shifted to supervising the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas (from 2007-2009).

With the April 2008 call of Elder D. Todd Christofferson to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband had become the second most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. The following April, as a result of Elder Neil L. Andersen's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband became the Senior President of the Seventy, and, as such, was given oversight for all areas in the United States and Canada.

He was still serving in that same assignment when, in October 2015, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund called at the same time (something that had not happened since 1906), the number of those who had served as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reached a total of 100. Elder Rasband is currently the fifth in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the eigth in overall apostolic seniority. He also ranks as the third oldest among the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve, and the sixth oldest among all 14 apostles.

As I’ve noted previously, I have an indirect personal connection to Elder Rasband. When my wife was initially involved in the institute program, Elder Rasband was one of her instructors. As a result of the three apostolic vacancies in 2015, my wife was one of many who felt Elder Rasband would be called to the apostleship to fill one of those, and she (and others who felt the same way) turned out to be right.

I will never forget praying in advance of the October 2015 General Conference for my own personal witness to know that whoever was called had indeed been chosen by the Lord. The moment President Eyring read the names of the three new apostles, I received the witness I had requested. That experience is one that has been repeated for every apostle called since I entered my adult years.For that reason, I gratefully sustain not just Elder Rasband, but also each of the other 13 apostles in their divinely-appointed roles.

Having served for nearly 25 years as a General Authority, Elder Rasband has had 27 opportunities to address us in General Conference: 1 as a General Authority Seventy, 5 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 21 since his call to the apostleship. Any of those addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, is well worthy of review.

I am grateful to be able to provide both birthday tributes to and attest to the spiritual confirmation I continually receive regarding the inspired calls of those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. I am likewise grateful to have the opportunity to share the latest details on the global ministries of these Brethren.

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 Tribute to President Jeffrey R. Holland, For His 85th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being December 3, President Jeffrey R. Holland is observing his 85th birthday. I know that the Lord is no respector of persons, and doesn't play favorites, but on a personal level, I wanted to reiterate again that he is my favorite apostle. I have a couple of familial connections to him. My dad was born and raised in St. George, and his father (Dean Stokes), was Elder Holland's home teaching companion when "young Jeff" was an Aaronic Priesthood holder. According to my dad, his father often expressed his wonder that a boy like Elder Holland had become an apostle of the Lord. I know that at times, it may seem that some members of the Church, to varying degrees, have put the leading Brethren of the Church on a pedestal, but I am reminded in accounts, such as that which was shared by my grandfather, that these men may have been foreordained to the apostleship, but they are no different than any other member of the Church; the Lord just ordered their lives based on their personal choices in such a way that when such calls came to them, they were qualified through years of service in the Church and living what they believe. That is important for all of us to remember.

My mom is a freelance proofreader, and in the early days of her marriage to my dad, she worked on many projects for the Church Educational System. Since that occurred at the time when then-Brother Holland was the Commissioner of the CES, he was essentially my mom's "boss." And she speaks warmly of the experiences she had working with him on such projects. Personal connections aside, I wanted to share a brief biographical sketch of Elder Holland.

Jeffrey Roy Holland was born in St. George, Utah to Frank D. and Alice Bentley Holland on December 3, 1940. He served a full-time mission in the British Isles. His mission president was Marion D. Hanks, (who at that time was a member of the now-defunct First Council of the Seventy and later served in the First Quorum and Presidency of the Seventy). One of young Jeff Holland's missionary companions was Quentin L. Cook, alongside whom he would later serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Of now-President Holland, Elder Cook has remarked that it is interesting to him that he, as the previously-senior missionary companion to Elder Holland, is now the junior apostle to his former junior companion. Following the concusion of Jeff's missionary service, he attended BYU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in religious education. Additionally, shortly after his release from missionary service, he married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Terry, in 1963. They are the parents of a daughter and two sons.

Their oldest son, Matthew, served as the President of Utah Valley University and as president of the North Carolina Raliegh Mission. During General Conference in April 2020, Matthew S. Holland was sustained as a General Authority Seventy, marking the first time a fahter-and-son duo have served together as general authorities since the July 2015 death of President Boyd K. Packer. Once Elder Holland earned his bachelor's and master's degrees, he went on to earn a doctorate degree in American studies from Yale. He then became a professor at BYU, serving as Dean of the College of Religion. He served as Commissioner of Church Education from 1976-1980. In 1980, President Dallin H. Oaks, who was then serving as President of BYU-Provo, announced his intention to move on to other opportunities. Commissioner Holland was put in charge of the committee to find the new BYU President. 

Two days later, he was stunned when the First Presidency appointed him to that assignment. He had reportedly been favored for the position by President N. Eldon Tanner, who was then serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency, and was the protege of then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, who at that time was the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asssigned to the Church Board of Education. Elder Holland would go on to serve as president of BYU for 9 years himself, until his April 1, 1989 call as a General Authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. 

Prior to his call to general Church service, Elder Holland also served as a bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, and regional representative. After the First Presidency was reorganized following the death of President Ezra Taft Benson, President Howard W. Hunter took immediate action to fill the apostolic vacancy. In the space of a few short hours on Thursday June 23, President Hunter issued a call to the apostleship to Elder Holland, gave him his apostolic charge, set apart and ordained him to that calling, and had him join the other 14 apostles in their weekly meeting at the temple. That action was sustained by Church membership during the Solemn Assembly that was held exactly 100 days later.

As we know, then-Elder Holland experienced significant health challenges earlier in 2023 that reportedly almost ended his life and kept him from speaking in both General Conferences in 2023. Prior to that hospitalization,Elder Holland also experienced the death of his sweet wife.

As we also know, President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,died on Sunday November 12, with Elder Holland set appart to succeed him in that assignment 3 days later.

President Holland has given a total of 64 addresses in General Conference.  Of those, 3 were prior to his apostolic call. The first time he spoke during General Conference was in April 1983, while he was serving as the President of Brigham Young University. He spoke alongside his son during that session. He gave two other talks following his 1989 call as a General Authority Seventy, and the remaining 61 General Conference addresses as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

To me, it always seems as though the talks given by President Holland are specifically focused on something I have been dealing with personally at the time. As a consequence, listening to him speak every six months is one of my favorite things about General Conference weekends, and I keenly felt his absence from the two General Conferences in 2023. The last thing I want to mention about Elder Holland is that he is currently the most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the second in seniority among all current apostles. 

He is also the third-oldest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and is the ifth-oldest among all living apostles. Interestingly enough, although he is the most senior of the three apostles born in 1940 (with Elders Uchtdorf and Cook being the other two), he is the youngest of the three. His apostolic seatmate, Elder Uchtdorf,  obsrved his 85th birthday just under one month ago, with Elder Cook having done the same two months prior to that.

I am grateful for the life and ministry of President Holland, for the miraculous preservation of his life, and for the chance I had to write this post in his honor 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.