BREAKING NEWS: Church Announces 2024-2025 Area Leadership Assignments

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency officially announced the area leadership assignments that will be effective from August 1, 2024-August 1, 2025. I am in the process of analyzing this announcement and updating some documents as a result of this announcement, and I will have a more in-depth analysis of those changes posted here later this afternoon. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

(Posted at 4:00 PM): After several hours of extensive analysis interrupted by life, I am back to share that analysis with you all here. I have an alphabetical name list of the changes that will be coming to area presidencies, and I also have an alphabetical area list thereof. Those documents should speak for themselves for the most part. 

I would just like to note that this is the first time I know of where three native West African GA Seventies will serve as the presidency of the Africa West Area and that this is the first time I'm aware that the area presidencies are more diversified than they have been in previous years. I am happy to take any questions, feedback, corrections, or requests for clarification on either or both of these documents.

I am grateful for this announcement and for the chance to share it with you all here. 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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: Analysis of Documents Related to the April 2024 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! In between awaiting the yet-to-be-announced 2024 area leadership assignments and dealing with some ongoing personal health issues, I have not yet published my analysis of documents related to the April 2024 General Conference. It is time to remedy that now. So hang on to your hats! It's going to be a wild ride!

By way of review, I'm linking to the documents showing my predictions for the speaker lineup, changes in general Church leadership and the statistical report, and potential new temple locations. I have taken the opportunity to score these predictions. If any of you need clarification on how I score those predictions, I gave a detailed explanation about that last October. 

Obviously this time around, I could not have projected that members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles would conduct 3 of the 5 sessions, so for elements I couldn't have predicted, I allowed myself a small margin of error. For example, I had theorized a few days before the April General Conference weekend that the Sustaining of General Authorities, Area Seventies, and General Officers could take place at the beginning of the conference. I gave myself half-credit for that.

As the scorecard shows, my accuracy rate this time around was roughly 60.9%. But given all that happened this conference that I had no way to predict, I will happily take that, as it is on the lower end of my usual accuracy rate (60-80%). If any of you have more particular questions about any elements of these predictions or how I scored them, I will be happy to address those in the comments. After the conference weekend, I updated a few other documents as well. Let's turn our attention to those:

First, I have noted the duration of each address given by each of our current apostles (16 total, including the Sustaining). Those 16 talks have also been added to the document showing individual and group totals of addresses given by our apostles in General Conference. And although I don't know how soon it might be available, I have also put together a possible table of contents for the May 2024 Liahona, which may be made available online in the next week or so.

These are projects I have maintained on my end for several years now. It is a privilege and an honor to share them with you every six months after each General Conference concludes. I hope they are as fun and interesting to you to read as they are for me to maintain and compile them. I anticipate that area leadership assignments might be announced at some point tomorrow, or else early next week, and I of course also anticipate the next major temple news to be released on Monday.

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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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: President Nelson Announces 15 New Temples To Conclude the April 2024 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! During the final minutes of the April 2024 General Conference, President Nelson announced 15 new temples to be built in the following locations: Uturoa French Polynesia; Chihuahua, Mexico; Florianópolis Brazil; Rosario, Argentina; Edinburgh Scotland; Brisbane Australia South Area; Victoria British Columbia; Yuma Arizona;  Houston Texas South Area; Des Moines Iowa; Cincinnati Ohio; Honolulu Hawaii; West Jordan Utah; Lehi Utah; and Maracaibo Venezuela.

I had the following exact locations correct: Chihuahua Mexico; Florianopolis Brazil; Rosario Argentina; Edinburgh Scotland; Victoria British Columbia; Des Moines Iowa; Cincinattti Ohio; Honolulu Hawaii; West Jordan and Lehi Utah; and Maracaibo Venezuela. I had projected Bora Bora Tahiti, which is just an airplane ride away, so I'll count myself half-right on that. I was also half-right, as I was expecting an Arizona Temple, but not in Yuma. And I wasn't expecting a second Brisbane or Houston temple.

So 11 correct down to the exact location, 2 half-right, and 2 that I wasn't anticipating. I'm apparently getting better at my projected guesses. This brings the total number of temples to an even 350. I will have updated copies of my documents available in the comments section as I can get those updates made. 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 

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 2024 General Conference Predictions (Final Version)

Hello again, everyone! We are now just 36 hours away from the first session of the April 2024 General Conference, so I wanted to post the final version of my predictions for this weekend. First up is my projected speaker lineup. I have notes in the document, where applicable, that speak for themselves. Next up is my projections for changes in general Church leadership and the statistical report. 

The former speaks for itself. On the latter, I used known data where available and a complex algorithm where data was not available to determine the relevant figures. The final element of these projections is my list of locations in which a temple could be announced. The list speaks for itself, but I also have a more specific list of what I feel are the most likely specific locations that will have a temple announced. (Note that my April 2024 picks are at the bottom of that second document).

I am looking forward to this General Conference weekend. You can count on me covering the latest news and updates as they are reported this weekend. 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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 Observes His 73rd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Elder Ronald A. Rasband is observing his 73rd birthday tody. 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 of last year. 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, he 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. He is currently the seventh in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the tenth in overall apostolic seniority. He also ranks as the fifth oldest among the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve, and the eighth oldest among all 15 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 14 apostles in their divinely-appointed roles.

Having served for nearly 23 years as a General Authority, Elder Rasband has had 23 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 17 since his call to the apostleship around 8.33 years ago. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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.

Tribute to Elder D. Todd Christofferson on His 79th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to provide a birthday tribute to Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who is today observing his 79th. As with the posts I have written for every other apostle, I will be sharing a biography herein with highlights about his life. Let's get right into all of that. David Todd Christofferson was born on this day in 1945 in American Fork, Utah (a place I proudly claim as my hometown) to Paul Vickery and Jeanne Swenson Christofferson . He spent his formative years in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, and his family subsequently relocated to Somerset New Jersey.

While there, he participated in the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant, and, having been urged by his bishop to do so, he earnestly sought a personal testimony of the gospel. Although he felt for a while that his prayer at that time had not been answered, the witness he was seeking came about a month later. At around this same time, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery for it. While his father learned later that he had gathered his brothers to pray for their mom, it would be years later before Elder Christofferson learned about his father's personal sacrifices to supply what his wife needed to help her with the housework.

Young Todd Christofferson also stepped in to help his mom by making homemade bread for his family, after being taught how to do so by his grandmother. After graduating from high school, he studied for a year at BYU prior to serving full-time in the Argentina North Mission, where he had two mission presidents, Ronald V. Stone, and his future colleague in the Quorum of the Twelve, Richard G. Scott. Following the conclusion of his missionary service, Elder Christofferson returned to BYU, and there he met Kathy Jacob, whom he married in May 1968.

He earned his bachelor's degree from BYU, and went on to get a doctor of law degree from the School of Law at Duke University. During his years as a young attorney, he clerked for Judge John J. Sirica at the time the Watergate hearings were occurring. When his clerkship ended, he took active duty with the US Army for a year, after which he served in the Army reserves for 8 years, by which time, he had achieved the rank of Captain. His professional career took his family to Washington DC, Nashville Tennesee, and Charlotte North Carolina.

During that same period of time, he would serve as a bishop, stake president, and in the now-defunct calling of regional representative to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. After being called as a general authority in April 1993 (at the same time as Elder Neil L. Andersen, alongside whom he now serves in the apostleship), he served in a variety of capacities (including as a member of area presidencies outside the US) until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in August 1998. During his service in that presidency, he first served as the executive director for the Church's Family and Church History Department (which have since been split into two departments), where he worked to negotiate with Jewish religious leaders on the matter of performing temple ordinances for Holocaust victims, which in turn shaped the policy of Church members only being allowed to perform such ordinances for direct-line family members.

In 2004, the First Presidency announced that the Presidency of the Seventy would be relieved of responsibility for the Church Departments and would instead oversee areas in the United States and Canada. Elder Christofferson was given responsibility for the North America Southeast Area of the Church from August 2004-August 2007, at which time he was reassigned to oversee the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. He continued that assignment for 8 months, then, as we know, he was the first apostle called by President Thomas S. Monson in April 2008. At the time of his release from the Presidency of the Seventy, which came in conjunction with his call as an apostle, he had become the second-most senior member thereof.

During his first seven years as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as noted, Elder Christofferson served alongside his former mission president, Richard G. Scott. Since his ordination as an apostle, Elder Christofferson has filled a wide variety of assignments, and he was serving as the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve assigned to oversee the Church Public Affairs Committee when he was asked by President Nelson to introduce the new First Presidency in a worldwide broadcast on January 16, 2018. He has given 38 addresses in General Conference so far, 1 of which was given in the conference following his call as a General Authority, with 5 others given during his near decade in the Presidency of the Seventy, and thhe remaining 32 as a members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Elder Christofferson currently ranks as the fifth most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and as the fourth oldest. He is now the eighth in overall apostolic seniority and the seventh oldest among all of the apostles.

I am grateful for the life and ministry of Elder Christofferson. I had a couple of choice opportunities to meet him. His niece and her family lived in my parent's ward, so when their newest baby was blessed, Elder Christofferson presided at our Sacrament Meeting. A few years later, our paths crossed again while I was a temple worker, and he was the speaker at our yearly devotional. As one who has had the opportunity to chat informally with him on these two occasions, I testify that his call as one of the Savior's special witnesses is divinely inspired.

I greatly appreciate the chance to share these thoughts with you. 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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: New Leadership Assignments in the Presidency of the Seventy

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency announced this afternoon that Elder Carl B. Cook has officially succeeded Elder Patrick Kearon as Senior President of the Seventy, following Elder Kearon's call last month to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Further, to fill the existing vacancy in the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Marcus B. Nash, a GA Seventy who had been serving as the Exectuvie Director of the Church's Missionary Department, will now serve in that Presidency.

The biographies of these men speak for themselves. While I was a little surprised that the Church appointed an American-born individual rather than an international GA Seventy to fill the vacancy caused by the call of Elder Kearon, as has been the case for years now, the moment I read about these changes, I knew they were in harmony with the Lord's will for the Church at this time. 

I should also note that I don't know who has succeeded Elder Nash as Exectuvie Director of the Church's Missionary Department, but I assume we will find out in the days ahead. 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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 Gerrit W. Gong Observes His 70th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a birthday tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is celebrating his 70th today. His is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2024 will be Elder D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 79th 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 14 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 12 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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: Elder Patrick Kearon Called to Fill the Vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Hello again, everyone! I had shared my opinion that President Nelson wouldn't wait to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and I was right. This morning, the Church announced that Elder Patrick Kearon, who had been serving as the Senior President of the Seventy, was ordained an apostle yesterday and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. At 62 years old, he takes his place as the currently youngest apostle in the Church.

Born on July 18, 1961 in the United Kingdom, he was raised there and in the Middle East. He has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. He is an adult convert to the Church. He has served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2010 (called in the same General Conference as his now apostolic colleague Elder Gerrit W. Gong). He has served in the Presidency of the Seventy since August 2017, and as Senior President since August 2020. He married Jennifer Carole Hulme on January 12, 1991, in the Oakland California Temple. They are the parents of four children, one of whom is deceased.

I am very pleased by this news. Elder Kearon hopped on a plane today and flew to Hawaii, where he will give his first public address as an apostle during the BYU-Hawaii commencement. At some point in the next month or two, I anticipate he will meet with the press. And of course, he will speak to us during the April 2024 General Conference. This leaves a vacancy in the Presidency of the Seventy, and Elder Carl B. Cook now becomes the de facto Senior President of the Seventy. I expect that the vacancy will be filled before General Conference as well. 

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. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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: President Jeffrey R. Holland Set Apart as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news was just shared by the Church a short time ago. Yesterday (Wednesday January 15), President Russell M. Nelson officially set apart Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The announcement was made by the Newsroom and the Church News. So it is officially President Holland now, and he will be sustained in that capacity during the April 2024 General Conference. This is the news I expected, but it is coming sooner than I expected. 

I assume the new Acting President will be introduced as such if he speaks during the funeral services tomorrow for his predecessor. 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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 2024 General Conference Predictions

Hello again, everyone! Following President Ballard's death, I have once again updated my predictions for the April 2024 General Conference. The updates have been made to the projected speaker lineup and my projections for changes in general Church leadership. I will provide a brief overview of what I've changed. First, I think that President Nelson will personally present the new apostle. 

There is precedent for that. President Hinckley presented three of his four apostolic picks at the top of the Saturday Morning Session. President Monson similarly presented Elder Andersen in the same way. So that presentation and any other opening message from the prophet will likely open the next General Conference. I also took into consideration the fact that the first two new apostles called by President Nelson were the first two speakers in the final session, so I think that the new apostle will give brief remarks to open that same session this time around. 

If President Nelson does present the new apostle personally in the first session, it seems probable that his main address will be delivered to close the conference (at which point he will announce new temples), and that he thus won't also speak to conclude the Sunday Morning Session. So I have put President Oaks as the concluding speaker for that session. That in turn will allow two other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to speak during the final session.

With 3 apostles each speaking during the Saturday Afternoon, Sunday Morning, and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, and with my projection that President Holland will speak in the Saturday Evening Session, that means that the remaining two members of the Quorum of the Twelve will speak in the opening session. As far as the changes to general Church leadership are concerned, if the Church does call someone from within the ranks of the current general Church leadership, that in turn will affect whatever other changes may need to be made.

If the Church does stick to tradition and appoint a direct descendent of Hyrum Smith, as I noted previously, the top candidate in my view would be Brother Jan E. Newman, currently the Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency. That wouldn't impact anything else but the Sunday School General Presidency, who will be released in August anyway, no other organizations will be impacted. But if President Nelson sticks to the current General Authorities to select the new apostle, then any impacted group would be subject to additional changes.

We know that, starting last year, the Church sustained in advance changes that would be effective on August 1. So if the new apostle is a current member of the Presidency of the Seventy, 1 GA Seventy will be called effective immediately to replace him, and 2 others will be named to begin their service on August 1 (replacing Elders Brent H. Nielson and Paul V. Johnson, who will be granted emeritus status on that date).

Likewise, if the new apostle is a GA Seventy, that GA Seventy will be released effective immediately, with the advanced presentation of the 8 GA Seventies who will be released and granted emeritus status on August 1. Similarly, if a current member of the Presiding Bishopric is called to the apostleship, there will be a change there. The other changes I anticipate in general Church leadership speak for themselves. And there are no changes noted in my estimates for the statistical report data.

Anyways, just wanted to provide that context to my documents. I also 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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.

Tribute to Elder Dale G. Renlund on His 71st 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 17 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.

It's also worth mentioning that, in view of Elder Renlund's 70th birthday today, only 3 of the 15 current apostles are now under 70 years old (Stevenson, Gong, and Soares). 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 do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will keep doing my level best to bring word of those to you all as I receive it.

In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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 enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

In Honor of Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's 83rd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being November 6, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf is rcelebrating his 83rd birtyhday, so I am pleased to offer this post in tribute to him. Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf was born to Karl Albert and Hildegard Else Opelt Uchtdorf on this day in 1940 in the city of Ostrava in what was known at that time as the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, but is now identifease t the Czech Republic. With his family twice becoming refugees, he grew up in Germany, where his family joined the Church in 1947. 

Due to developing an early interest in airplane flying, he studied engineering, business administration, and international management, after which he joined the German Air Force in 1959, where he trained to be a fighter pilot. In 1965, he joined Lufthansa German Airlines as a pilot, working as an airline captain from 1970-1996. He held many responsible executive positions with German Airlines. He reported feeling discouraged about having to learn English, but has also described how he was able to do so.

He married Harriet Reich (whom he had met when the missionaries brought her and her family to Church while he was a young man) on December 14, 1962,and they both have different recollections of the details whereby they actually got together). They raised two children and now have several grandchildren, along with a few great-grandchildren. He served as a stake president before his call as a General Authority. During that time, he gave an instrumental interview to the press in which he tackled tough topics related to his faith as the Frankfurt Germany Temple prepared to open. 

He was subsequently sustained as a General Authority on April 2, 1994, and was initially assigned to the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Roughly two years later, on April 6, 1996, he was sustained to the First Quorum of the Seventy. He became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on August 15, 2002 and was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 2, 2004 and ordained an apostle 5 days later (becoming the eleventhth apostle born outside the United States).

On February 3, 2008, he was set apart as the Second Counselor in the First Presidency to President Thomas S. Monson. Although 12 men born outside the United States have served as apostles, he became only the sixth apostle born outside the United States to be called to serve in the First Presidency. At the time of his call to the First Presidency, he was the thirteenth in apostolic seniority. During the period of almost a decade in which he served alongside President Monson and First Counselor President Henry B. Eyring, the deaths of six apostles senior to him meant he had become the seventh in apostolic seniority. 

And with the death of President Monson occurring just three months after the death of Elder Robert D. Hales, the First Presidency was dissolved.The new Church President, Russell M. Nelson, chose as his counselors his seatmate Elder Dallin H. Oaks and President Eyring. As a result, Elder Uchtdorf returned to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When he departed that Quorum to serve in the First Presidency, he had been the tenth most senior member of that Quorum, and he returned to it as the third in seniority, with only Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland ahead of him. 

In recognition of his administrative capacities and capabilities, his assignments as a recently-reassigned Quorum member were those that had previously been held by the three who had been the most senior members of the Quorum prior to that time (Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Ballard). He became the chairman of the Missionary and Correlation Executive Councils, ad was also assigned to oversee the work of the Church in the Europe and Europe East Areas.

In 2021, he concluded his oversight of the Missionary Executive Council and was assigned as the Chairman of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council.Elder Uchtdorf has spoken frequently about ways in which Church members should consider themselves called to action. I enjoy hearing what he has to say in his General Conference addresses every six months.

Throughout his 29.5 years as a general authority, and his now-19.5 years as a special witness of the Savior, (including almost a decade of service in the First Presidency), he has now given 79 addresses in General Conference. Of those, 2 were given prior to his apostolic call, though the Church's list for some reason omits the first address he gave as a new General Authority Seventy.  He also gave 7 addresses between the time of his call to the apostleship and his subsequent call to the First Preidency. He then gave 58 more addresses in General Conference during the near-decade in the First Presidency, and has given 12 more addresses since resuming his position in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Elder Uchtdorf is a man of great personal warmth and charm, and we are blessed indeed to have him among the Special Witnesses of Christ at this time. He has always struck a very warm and welcoming tone in his public discourses, and his current assignments are a clear testament to the great faith the Brethren have in him. In addition to being the third-most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he is also the third-oldest, behind only President Ballard and Elder Quentin L. Cook. He is also the seventh-most-senior apostle overall, and the sixth-oldest of the 15 apostles overall. I am grateful for the life and ministry of this charismatic servant of the Lord, and appreciate the opportunity I had to offer this post in tribute to his 83rd birthday today.

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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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 2024 General Conference Projected Speaker Lineup

Hello again, everyone! I was a bit unsettled as far as my General Conference predictions were concerned, and I couldn't figure out why. Then it came to me: I needed to revise my thoughts about the projected speaker lineup. The last General Conference wasn't the start of a new trend. It was a conference in which the prophet and an apostle were absent. The last time President Nelson spoke in the opening session of General Conference was in October 2022. I now believe that if he is able to preside at the next General Conference in-person, he will speak in the opening session.

I also now believe that he will give his customary longest address on Sunday Morning, and that a final short address will conclude the final session. That in turn means that President Oaks will open the final session rather than closing the Sunday Morning Session. As a result of these changes, I have also adjusted how many GA Seventies I think might speak, and who those might be. Other than that, the revisions speak for themselves.

Just by way of information, I will be posting a birthday tribute to Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf tomorrow morning, then will plan on covering the major temple update in the afternoon. I will also be publishing a birthday tribute to Elder Dale G. Renlund next Monday morning, before covering the next major temple news in the afternoon. And my final 2023 apostolic milestone update will be provided on Sunday, November 19.

Lots to look forward to. 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. 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 2024 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Having recently published my documents relating to the October 2023 General Conference, and bearing in mind that I still anticipate several major temple construction updates throughout the last quarter of this year, I wanted to now provide a look ahead and share my initial predictions for the April 2024 General Conference. 

We start with the speaker lineup. The last time that President Nelson spoke in the Saturday Morning Session was in October 2022, when he was the concluding speaker. Given his efforts to reduce and simplify, and give more general leaders the opportunity to speak, I think we may see him do what he did last conference again: only speak in the concluding session and have a full-length address.

I am also operating under the assumption that his two counselors and all 12 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will give one talk apiece, although I anticipate that President Oaks will present the Sustaining of Church Officers. Since the Presiding Bishopric only speaks once a year now, and since April has typically seen only 2 female General Officers speaking, I think we will see 11 GA Seventies speak.

Other than these notes, the lineup should speak for itself. Next up is potential changes I'm anticipating in general Church leadership. I still feel strongly that a third counselor in the First Presidency may be warranted at some point, in which case a new apostle would also be called. That in turn would necessitate other changes in general Church leadership. Also, last April, aside from new GA Seventies, the Church also called for a vote of appreciation for the GA Seventies who were granted emeritus status on August 1. This time around, that would include 8 GA Seventies, including 2 remembers of the Presidency of the Seventy. So those changes will likely be noted in advance.

If a new apostle needs to be called, that will lead to other potential changes in general Church leadership. But whether or not that happens, I am also anticipating a new Sunday School General Presidency, the release of at least a few area seventies, a longer list of those who will be released on August 1, and several new area seventies called. That document also contains my estimates for the figures in the statistical report for 2023. I have made estimates based on what I've been able to ascertain and what I was otherwise able to calculate using a rather complex algorithm that would be difficult to explain.

And the final element of my predictions for the April 2024 General Conference is the list of locations in which a temple could be announced. We have seen a total of 35 temples announced each year since 2021. In 2021, 20 temples were announced in April, one more in May, and the remaining 14 in October. In 2022, 17 were announced in April, with 18 more announced in October. And this year, 15 were announced in April, with the remaining 20 in October. 

I would just note here that I project 15-20 new temples to be announced in April 2024. It's also worth noting that this initial April 2024 list includes only those locations that were on my list for October of this year that did not have a temple announced. I will be on the lookout for other prospects and will be sure to add them to my list for subsequent drafts. If any of you are aware of any locations I have failed to consider or omitted, please let me know.

As always, any questions or comments on these predictions are both welcomed and encouraged. I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass those along to you all here as I become aware of 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 M. Russell Ballard Observes His 95th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With the wonderful spirit of the October 2023 General Confeence still strongly impacting all of us, I wanted to post in honor of President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is observing his 95th birthday today. Among the 20 total nonagenarian apostles, President Ballard is currently the seventh-oldest and he will next move up on that list in September 2024. That said, let's get to some biographical details: Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. was born in Salt Lake City Utah to Melvin Russell Sr. & Geraldine Smith Ballard, on this day in 1928. Both his paternal and maternal grandfathers (Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum M. Smith) were apostles, and Elder Ballard is thus a direct descendant of the early leaders of the Church (Hyrum M. was the son of Joseph F., who was the son of Hyrum Smith, brother of the Prophet Joseph).

As I previously mentioned, the Church has, by tradition, had at least one apostle currently serving who has ancestral ties to the Smith family. It is further interesting to note that Bruce R. McConkie, who was the last apostle indirectly related to the Smith family (being the son-in-law of Joseph Fielding Smith, who was the son of Joseph F. who was the son of Hyrum, who was the brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith), was the apostle whose death resulted in the apostolic vacancy that necessitated Elder Ballard's call.

As a young man, now-President Ballard served as a missionary in England, as has been noted in previous blog posts. Upon his return, he served in the US Army Reserves, where he rose to the rank of First Lieutenant. As a result of obtaining his secondary education from the University of Utah, he met a young lady named Barbara Bowen, whom he married on August 8, 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. Sister Ballard passed away roughly five years ago.

They became the parents of 7 children, and one of their daughters, Brynn, married Peter Huntsman, whose mother, Karen Haight Huntsman, is the daughter of Elder David B. Haight, one of Elder Ballard's apostolic colleagues. It is interesting to see the additional relationship Elder Ballard has to other LDS apostles. Brother Ballard worked professionally in auto sales. His Church service included serving as a counselor to his mission president, as a bishop twice, and as president of the Canada Toronto Mission. He completed the final year of that assignment as a General Authority Seventy, having received that call in April 1976.

Less than four years later, on February 20, 1980, he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy. Both before and as a result of that assignment, he served in a wide variety of capacities. Particularly, the Church had established an International Mission in the late 1970s, and in 1985 then-Elder M. Russsell Ballard was called to serve as president of that mission, overseeing the isolated congregations within it from Church headquarters. During his roughly 5 years and 7 months or so in the Presidency of the Seventy, he had moved up in that Presidency from being the junior member thereof to the third most senior member.

A few short weeks after rising from his sickbed to give his powerful final testimony, Elder Bruce R. McConkie passed away, and Elder Ballard was then called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Now-President Ballard is known and respected for the emphasis he has placed on missionary work in his apostolic ministry. Since October 1985, he has moved from the position of the junior apostle to now being the third in apostolic seniority. In his 45 years as a general authority (with 38 years as an apostle), he has given a grand total of  88 addresses in General Conference, including the one he gave just this last weekend. Of those 88, 7 were given prior to his apostolic call.

And, as we know, the death of President Thomas S. Monson in early January of 2018 resulted in the First Presidency being reorganized on January 14, with President Russell M. Nelson choosing his apostolic seatmate and the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Dallin H. Oaks, as his First Counselor. Consequently, President M. Russell Ballard was set apart as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve. He thus is tasked, with the approval of the First Presidency, with giving the other 11 members of that Quorum their various assignments around the world and at Church headquarters. I am grateful for the life and apostolic ministry of President M. Russell Ballard, and on this, his 95th birthday, testify of the divine inspiration that attended both his apostolic call and the way and timing by which he has moved up in ranks of apostolic seniority and among all apostolic nonagenarians. I gladly sustain him and the other apostles in their foreordained roles. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will bring word of all such developments to you all here as I learn about them.

In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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 enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

October 2023 General Conference: Post-Conference Document Analysis

Hello again, everyone! As I have indicated on a few occasions, with General Conference weekend concluded, I anticipate a significant uptick in major temple construction announcements. Among those to which I think we can look forward in the near term are opening arrangements for the Red Cliffs Utah, Puebla Mexico, Layton and Taylorsville Utah, Urdaneta Philippines, Salta Argentina, and Coban Guatemala Temples. 

We could also potentially see groundbreakings set for the Knoxville Tennessee, Cleveland Ohio, Tarawa Kiribati, Cali Colombia, and Cape Town South Africa Temples (with the first two likely to be the only other temples likely to have groundbreakings before the end of this year), and something more official (whether just a rendering, or in addition to a groundbreaking) for the Teton River Idaho, Vitoria Brazil, and Charlotte North Carolina Temples, based on their latest updates). 

And I'm hoping it's not too long before we hear information about the Dubai UAE Temple, since the land for it was supposed to be turned over to the Church before the end of 2022.  These potential announcements aren't relevant to what I want to share in this post, but the anticipated announcements are the reason I am choosing to post a new update now. This post will share my post-conference document analysis. So let's get right into it. 

First of all, I have updated my document showing how many talks have been given by each of our apostles. That document reflects one more apiece for 13 of our 15 apostles. President Eyring's presentation of the sustaining of Church officers gives him 2 for this conference, and Elder Holland's number has not changed since last Octoer, since he was absent from and didn't speak during either conference this year. By next conference, the number of talks given by our apostles should total just above 800.

Second up is my document showing the length of each of the 15 talks given by our apostles, which should speak for itself. I have also put together my projection for what the table of contents for the November 2023 Liahona (General Conference edition) might look like. I also wanted to provide a look back at my projections for the speaker lineup, the projected changes in general Church leadership, and potential temple locations.

Based on my analysis on each of the predicted elements, the results are displayed in a scorecard. Longtime followers of this blog will know how I calculated the scores on each element, yielding the total. 

But in a nutshell, I assigned each predicted element a total of 3 points. For the speaker lineup, every time I correctly predicted the right person in the right order in the right session, 3 points were awarded. If I had the right person in the right session but the wrong slot, 2 points were awarded. 1 point was awarded if I correctly projected any speaker, even if that was in the wrong session and the wrong position within that session. 0 points were awarded if something happened that I didn't predict.

I noticed something interesting that I hadn't noticed before this go-round. With the exception of the first two General Conferences of President Nelson's prophetic administration and the April 2022 General Conference (which featured a Women's Session) Presidents Oaks and Eyring have alternated between conducting 3 and 2 sessions apiece per conference. But for the last few General Conferences, President Oaks has conducted 3 and President Eyring the other 2. That will likely be a trend that continues.

For the changes in general Church leadership, since I and several others had been convinced that an additional counselor in the First Presidency might soon be called, I gave myself half-credit for a potential change in the First Presidency and the resulting change that would then have been necessary for the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Every other element was graded on whether I correctly predicted each change, whether I was half-right, or whether I was incorrect. And for the new temples, 3 points meant I had the right exact location, 2 meant I had the right general area but the wrong specific one, and 0 was for anything I wasn't expecting.

The results are otherwise self-explanatory, but if any of you have questions, feel free to ask. As I stated at the beginning of this post, I wanted to get this post-conference document update out of the way before what I expect will be a windfall of major temple construction announcements to round out the final quarter of the year. I will be sure to report on any such updates as they are announced. In the interim, when I am not focused on updates for this blog, I will be starting to work on my predictions for the April 2024 General Conference, and I will have an initial version of those predictions available ASAP.

One key consideration for those predictions will be the likely prospect that any GA Seventies likely to be granted emeritus status on August 1 of next year who have not spoken within the last few years or so will likely do so, which includes 2 current members of the Presidency of the Seventy. It is also likely that only 2-3 female speakers will be featured as a result. Stay tuned for those predictions as I can formulate 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: President Nelson Announces 20 New Temples

Note: An initial version of this post was published at 4:07 PM as scheduled. Due to circumstances, which I explained here, a full report on this update wasn't published between 5:00-6:00 PM. This post bears the original timestamp.

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to report that my theory was incorrect. President Nelson didn't speak until Sunday Afternoon, and in his prerecorded remarks concluding General Conference, he announced 20 new temples, the exact number of temples I had theorized would be announced. 

The temples will be built in each of the following locations: Savai’i Samoa, Kahului Hawaii, Fairbanks Alaska, Vancouver Washington, Colorado Springs Colorado, Tulsa Oklahoma, Roanoke Virginia, Cancún Mexico, Piura & Huancayo Peru, Viña del Mar Chile, Goiânia and João Pessoa Brazil, Cape Coast Ghana, Calabar Nigeria, Luanda Angola, Mbuji-Mayi Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laoag, Philippines, Osaka Japan, and Ulaanbaatar Mongolia.

I correctly predicted temples in Savaii Samoa, Fairbanks Alaska, Colorado Springs Colorado, Cancun Mexico, Viña del Mar Chile, Goiânia and João Pessoa Brazil, Cape Coast Ghana, Calabar Nigeria, Mbuji-Mayi DR Congo, Osaka Japan, and Ulaanbaatar Mongolia (12 of the 20) to the exact location. I had the right general area but the wrong specific one for the newest temples in Hawaii, Peru, and the Philippines, but the wrong specific cities. 

Angola had been on my list, but I had removed it, which was also the case for Tulsa. OOPS! I was blindsided by Roanoke Virginia, Vancouver Washington, Piura and Huancayo and Piura Peru. The accuracy calculation will be included in my General Conference predictions results post, which will come out at some point in the next two weeks.

It seems the plans of President Nelson regarding the temple program of the Church have not been exaggerated. I have received feedback that the Church could potentially have 400 temples operating by 2030, but I have not been able to substantiate that further. I anticipate that tomorrow, there will be another major temple construction update. Stay tuned for coverage on that.

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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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.