BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Confirms Area Changes Affecting South America and the Caribbean

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency confirmed area changes affecting South America and the Caribbean. The South America Northwest Area nation of Venezuela will be part of the Caribbean Area of the Church effective August 1 of this year. This adjustment is intended to bless and strengthen the Church in the Caribbean. 

The number of stakes in the Caribbean will double, and the number of missions and temples in the Caribbean Area will increase. This will leave the South America Northwest and South America South Areas with four nations apiece. I am grateful to have read about this announcement and for the opportunity to share that 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.  

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.

BREAKING NEWS: Church Will Create 36 New Missions in 2024

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has made a stunning announcement this morning. In order to accommodate an ever-growing missionary force, effective July 1 of next year, 36 new missions will be created. The total number of missions will thus rise to 450, the highest it has ever been in the Church. While I'm sure Matthew Martinich will cover this himself on the Church Growth Blog, and I will defer to him for better analysis of this stunning development, I wanted to break down the details:

Each new mission will be created from an existing mission. Each of the following Church areas will see the addition of the following missions:

Africa Central

Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa South

Democratic Republic of the Congo Kolwezi

Kenya Nairobi East

Africa South

Madagascar Antananarivo North

Africa West

Ghana Accra North

Ghana Takoradi

Nigeria Calabar

Nigeria Port Harcourt North

Sierra Leone Bo

Asia

Cambodia Phnom Penh East

Thailand Bangkok East

Asia North

Japan Sendai

Brazil

Brazil Manaus South

Caribbean

Dominican Republic Santo Domingo North

Europe Central

Germany Hamburg

Europe North

Portugal Porto

México

México Mexicali

México Puebla East

North America Central

Montana Missoula

North America Southeast

Florida Tallahassee

South Carolina Charleston

North America Southwest

Nevada Henderson

Texas Dallas South

Texas El Paso

North America West

California Modesto

Philippines

Philippines Dumaguete

Philippines General Santos

Philippines Tuguegarao

South America Northwest

Bolivia Cochabamba South

Ecuador Quito West

Perú Lima Northeast

South America South

Argentina Tucumán

Chile La Serena

Utah

Utah Salt Lake City East

Utah Saratoga Springs

Utah Spanish Fork

I will just add a note here that the creation of new missions may also point to a major realignment in area boundaries in August of next year, and that I anticipate some of these locations with new missions might soon have temples announced (if temples are not already announced there). The missionary force is increasing in direct response to President Nelson's call for more missionaries, and it is good to see this development.

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: First Presidency Provides Directive for Christmas Eve; Next Leg of Multiyear Global Tour Announced for Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

Hello again, everyone! With Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday this year, the First Presidency has issued a directive for that Sunday. In a letter released on Monday, the First Presidency has indicated that all meetings except for Sacrament Meeting are canceled for Christmas Eve. In consultation with bishops and branch presidents, stake and district presidents have the option to adjust meeting times to best meet the needs of the members over whom they have stewardship.

I am grateful for the First Presidency's directive on this matter. I look forward to the Christmas season and all that it will bring with it. If that were the only breaking news, it would be reason enough for this new post. But while I was preparing this post to be published, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square announced the next leg of its' multiyear global ministry tour, which will take the Choir to the Philippines for the first time in its' 95-year history.

That tour will span from February 20-29, 2024. Local Filipino artists will join the Choir in the 9-day tour, which may include multiple venues. The Choir's concerts, which will also incorporate local music, will be available to livestream online. The Choir will continue to go to one location per year every year for at least the next 4, and venue information about the Choir's performances will be released later.

So there you have it: two major developments in one post. I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you all here as I become aware thereof. 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.

In Honor of Elder Gary E. Stevenson's 68th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being August 6, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is celebrating his 68th birthday. Gary Evan Stevenson was born to Evan and Jean Stevenson on this day in 1955 in Ogden, Utah. He grew up in the Cache Valley. He served full-time in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, after which he continued his secondary education at Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. 

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

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

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

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

2015 marked the first time since 1906 that the Church needed to fill more than two apostolic vacancies. 1906 that the Church had more than two apostolic vacancies to fill 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 fell in age 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 saw 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 Elders Gerrit W. Gong (another apostle with strong connections to Asia) and Ulisses Soares in April 2018, Elder Stevenson is now the 9th in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the 12th in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the second-youngest among both the Quorum of the Twelve and the apostles overall.

In his 14 years of service as a general authority, he has given 19 addresses in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 2 as Presiding Bishop, and the remaining 15 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.

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 69th 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 69th today. His is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2023 will be Elder D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 78th 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. Given the recent shifting of apostolic assignments, it wouldn't surprise me to see confirmation that he is serving on either the Missionary Executive Council or the Temple & Family History Executive Council.

Elder Gong has given a total of 12 addresses in General Conference thus far, which includes 1 as a General Authority, 1 other as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 10 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 of this year 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.

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: Church to Create 6 New Missions (and Rename 1 Other) in 2023

Note: An original one-paragraph version of this post was published at around 11:30 AM, just after the announcement was made. Additional details and analysis in subsequent paragraphs were added during the 1:00 PM hour.

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has announced this morning that 6 new missions will be created next year: 5 in Africa and one in Europe. Of the 5 in Africa, 2 are in Nigeria. I will have further analysis on this here later this afternoon, and I'm sure the news will also be covered by the Church Growth Blog. For now, my thanks once again to you all, 

I am back, as promised, with the additional analysis I mentioned. While I will certainly defer to Matthew Martinich at the Church Growth Blog to provide important context on today's updates, I can provide some initial thoughts I have, for whatever they may be worth to you all here. So let's break down the details: 

The first mission, the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan North Mission, will be created from a division of the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan East Mission, and will also take in some areas currently pertaining to the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission. Given the fact that 3 missions will now cover the capital city in Côte d'Ivoire, it did occur to me to wonder if this newest mission, with or without any additional missions being created, could eventually lead to a second temple in the capital city of Côte d'Ivoire. 

We now shift to Central Africa, where the Church will divide the current Democratic Republic of the Congo Mbuji-Mayi Mission to create the Democratic Republic of the Congo Kanaga Mission. Since the Church has announced plans for a temple in Kananga, the creation of this mission makes sense. That is because we have seen several recent examples of those involved in the construction of a temple for the Church being converted to the gospel in the course of being involved with such projects. So I wouldn't be shocked if the new temple there plays a vital role in expanding missionary efforts in that newest mission.

The next two missions will be based in Nigeria, with the Nigeria Aba Mission being created from a division of the Nigeria Owerri Mission. Additionally, parts of the current Nigeria Benin City and Nigeria Enugu Mission will be reassigned to the Nigeria Owerri Mission. I am a little surprised a mission was not created in Aba before now, since the temple there was dedicated 17 years ago. In addition to the Nigeria Aba Mission, the Church will also create the Nigeria Abuja Mission by dividing the current Nigeria Lagos Mission.

The announcement doesn't indicate that parts of any other Nigerian missions will be incorporated into the Nigeria Abuja Mission, but I see that as a potentially likely scenario. During a period of time when the Church has 3 temples in Nigeria in various planning stages, it's not surprising that 2 new missions will serve that nation. Additionally, I have mentioned in the recent past that, per feedback from Matthew Martinich on the Church Growth Blog, it appears likely that the Church will split Nigeria off into its' own area at some point. 

Based on these two new missions, and on the fact that the Church has called at least 1 new GA Seventy from Africa every April for the last several years, the Church could conceivably have 3 GA Seventies who are native Nigerians by either next year or the year after. Whether or not that happens, I wouldn't be shocked if the 2023 or 2024 area leadership assignments include the announcement of a new Nigeria area.

The final new mission in Africa will be the South Africa Pretoria Mission, which will be created through a division of the Botswana/Namibia and South Africa Johannesburg Missions, while also taking in parts of the South Africa Durban Mission. Since the April 2021 General Conference, when the Cape Town South Africa Temple was announced, I have felt and said that I think the next temple in South Africa will be in Pretoria, and the creation of the South Africa Pretoria Mission may certainly strengthen the case for a temple in that city.

The final mission will be located in Europe. The Hungary/Romania Mission will be renamed the Hungary Budapest Mission, and the Church will create the Romania Bucharest Mission, which may in due course lead to a new temple in Romania at some point in the near term. The one other thing I wanted to note is that all of these missions will be operative on July 1, and the announcement of new mission presidents for 2023 is anticipated in January or thereabouts. These additional missions will bring the worldwide total to 416 as of July 2023, which means that the worldwide total for the year-end 2022 is 410.

And the fact that 5 of the 6 new missions are in Africa, with 2 in Nigeria alone, indicates to me that the Church continues to expand well throughout Africa. As I've mentioned a few times in this post alone, it will be interesting to see how existing, planned, or yet-to-be-announced temples might impact missionary work going forward. Having noted all of this, I will be sure to post a note in the comments of this post when Matthew Martinich has provided his analysis, as he will have more contextual information.

I also continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple construction developments and will 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.

BREAKING NEWS: Latest Updates from the Presidency of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

Hello again, everyone! I mentioned previously that, since opening arrangements were announced on Monday for the Richmond Virginia and Columbus Ohio Temples, the Church might subsequently make another announcement this week relating to opening arrangements for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. While we didn't get that announcement, the presidency of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has redefined its' mission. Let's get right into the relevant details: 

In a recent meeting with Church President Russell M. Nelson, the prophet shared his vision for the Choir, as cited in the news release today: "The Church will continue to grow. It will fill the world. It will continue to bless more and more nations, tongues, and people. The Lord is hastening his work in the promised global gathering of Israel. You can be sure that the Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra, and Bells at Temple Square will be a pivotal part of that era.” 

With the goal to expand the reach of the Choir worldwide, the Choir presidency has revised the Choir's mission statement and outlined three new initiatives to extend the Choir's global reach: First, the Choir will create Spanish and Portuguese editions of the weekly "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast, with customized visuals and graphics relating to the areas where the international broadcasts will be shown, and native speakers in both languages providing the weekly "Spoken Word" message. Editions in other languages will be created at a later date.

The Choir will utilize travel more frequently with shorter tours requiring less travel per trip, but will provide the opportunity to perform in more locations worldwide. The first of those "targeted tours" will occur between June 13 and 19 next year, where the Choir will do multiple performances in Mexico City Mexico. And thirdly, to represent more regions globally, qualified Church members in Latin America, West Africa, the Pacific, and the Philippines will have the opportunity to audition to sing with the Choir during the April 2023 General Conference.

The Choir will evaluate after that conference whether that should be a one-time thing, something done more frequently, or something that will be done in every General Conference going forward. The Choir presidency will continually seek the counsel of Church leaders and the inspiration of heaven to ascertain additional ways to expand the reach of the Choir going forward. And thus we see that the concept of a Choir presidency has been inspired by prophetic direction.

I was grateful to learn about this development and will be sure to pass along any others to you all as I become aware thereof, whether they are related to the Church in general or temples in particular.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.

Tribute to Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf on His 82nd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being November 6, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf is celebrating his 82nd birthday today. 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, which, at that time, was known as the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, but is now identified as 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 on October 7, 2004 (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). 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 26 years as a general authority, and his now-16 years as a special witness of the Savior, (including almost a decade of service in the First Presidency), he has now given 72 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 57 more addresses in General Conference during the near-decade in the First Presidency, and has given 6 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 80th birthday today.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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 all that you do.

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 on October 7, 2004 (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). After chairing the Missionary Executive Council and supervising the Europe and Europe East Areas for the first 3 years following his return to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he has since been given a change in assignment to now chair the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, and he appears to now have apostolic oversight for the Church's two Asia Areas. 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 28 years as a general authority, and his now-17 years as a special witness of the Savior, (including almost a decade of service in the First Presidency), he has now given 77 addresses in General Conference. Of those, 2 were given prior to his apostolic call. 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 57 more addresses in General Conference during the near-decade in the First Presidency, and has given 10 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 81st birthday today.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will be sure to pass word of those along 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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Announces Two New Missions for 2022; The Division of the 2 European Areas into 3; and the 2022 Area Leadership Assignments

Note: This post was originally published on 4/7/2022 at 3:57 PM, with additional analysis added on 4/8/2022 at 1:12 AM. 

Hello again, everyone! Around 10 minutes ago, the First Presidency made some remarkable announcements: effective July 1, two new missions are coming to Europe: one in the UK, and one in Spain. Additionally, the 2022-2023 area leadership assignments have been announced, with those changes going into effect on August 1. 

In conjunction with the area leadership assignments, the First Presidency additionally announced that the two current Europe Areas (Europe and Europe East) will be divided into 3: Europe Central, Europe East, and Europe North. The division of the European Areas is effective immediately. 

Additionally, for the time being, the nations of Ukraine and Moldova will be separate from the 3 new European Areas, and Elder Kyrylo Pokhylko, an area seventy, will oversee them as an assistant to the Europe North Area Presidency. As I mentioned previously, a separate Church area including Russia had been noted on Classic Maps a week or two ago. Today's announcement supersedes anything I have previously noted or conjectured here on this blog.

Obviously, there is a lot to break down here, but I am preparing for an appointment presently, so I will plan on publishing further analysis on this development later this evening. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

(Added on April 8 at 1:52 AM) Hello again, everyone! Much later than I intended, I am back with the additional analysis I promised. First, regarding the two newest missions of the Church, the Spain Madrid North Mission will be formed from a division of the Spain Madrid and Spain Barcelona Missions. Christopher L. Eastland and Trista S. Eastland have been called to preside over that mission, which will open in early July of this year.

Also opening in early July of this year is the England Bristol Mission, which is being reinstated. The mission will be reformed from parts of 3 other missions in England: England Birmingham, England Leeds, and England London. The Church has reassigned Kevin E. and Janine D. Gallacher, who have presided over the England Birmingham Mission since July of last year, to oversee the opening of this new mission, with Adam and Heather West set to preside over the England Birmingham Mission as replacements for President and Sister Gallacher. The creation of these two missions bring the total number of missions worldwide to 411.

That brings me to my analysis of the area leadership assignments. The Church has split the Europe and Europe East Areas into what will now be known as the Europe Central, Europe East, and Europe North Areas. The presidency of the Europe Area (Massimo De Feo, Erich W. Kopischke, and Ruben V. Alliaud) will serve as the presidency of the new Europe Central Area (with the headquarters remaining in Frankfurt Germany), with the Europe Central Area including the following nations: 

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The realigned Europe East Area will consist of the nations of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, with the area headquarters remaining in Moscow. 3 area seventies (Alexey V. Samaykin, Nikolai Ustyuzahaninov, and Aleksandr A. Drachyov) will serve as the presidency of that area. Meanwhile, Elders Hans T. Boom and Scott D. Whiting, who have been the President and First Counselor in the Europe East Area, will shift over to become the President and First Counselor in the Europe North Area, joined by Second Counselor Alan T. Phillips, an area seventy.

Elder Kyrylo Pokhylko, an area seventy who most recently was the Second Counselor in the Europe East Area presidency (working with Elders Boom and Whiting) has been reassigned as an assistant to the Europe North Area Presidency, where he will have primary oversight for the nations of Ukraine and Moldova, which will not be directly assigned to any of the three European areas for the time being.

The Europe North Area, with headquarters in the United Kingdom, will consist of the following nations: Cape Verde, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Aside from these notes, I have taken time to analyze the new area leadership assignments for the now-23 geographical areas of the Church. I have compiled the relevant data into two documents.

The first shows an alphabetical list (by last names) of General Authority Seventies and Area Seventies who are being called to and/or released from area leadership roles. The second shows the alphabetical order of the 23 areas of the Church and details the changes (or lack thereof) for each of those area presidencies. Hopefully both documents are informative to you all in providing the details about area leadership changes. And again, the changes in the 3 Europe Areas are effective immediately, with the changes to the other 20 presidencies being effective on August 1 of this year. I am grateful to have been able to analyze and report on these changes. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates. Unless there are 1 or more major Church news or temple updates provided later today (Friday), the next development will occur on Saturday, when ground will be broken for the Bahia Blanca Argentina Temple. Then on Sunday, it will be time for the next apostolic milestone update. I am reasonably certain other major updates will be provided later this month.

To the best of my ability, I will track them all and be sure to pass word of them along here as soon as I can once I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback offered is consistent with 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. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Issues Statement on Armed Conflict

Hello again, everyone! On the heels of my report last night about the Kyiv Ukraine Temple, the First Presidency has issued an official statement on the armed conflict currently underway by the government of Russia targeting Ukraine. The Church News app alerted me to this development. While the First Presidency was not under any obligation to weigh in on the matter, I am grateful for and comforted by their calming words at this time.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with 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. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Kyiv Ukraine Temple Closes Until Further Notice

Hello again, everyone! Late-breaking temple news was reported a short time ago. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Kyiv Ukraine Temple has been closed, effective immediately, until further notice. While it is generally safer for Church members to be in the temple during a natural disaster or upheaval,  with the current ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Church is acting out of an abundance of caution.

All missionaries of the Church serving in Ukraine were relocated last month. In noting this development, the page for that temple was updated with the following note: "On Tuesday, the presidency of the Eastern Europe Area reassured members that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were fully aware of the unfolding events in Ukraine and that the situation is being closely monitored on an hourly and daily basis."

The situation that necessitated the closure of this temple is in flux at the present time. While we don't exactly know when the dust will settle, or when that temple will be able to reopen, the Lord is aware of what needs to happen here. My prayer is that we will all petition the Lord for His blessings to be upon all those affected by this current crisis. As we unite in prayer at this time, the Lord will bless that region with whatever is needed at this time. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Calls 164 New Mission Presidents

Hello again, everyone! As reported by the Newsroom  and the Church News, 164 new mission presidents have been called. I will haive furter analysis on this news posted h. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

Added at 1:45 PM: I have completed my analysis of the new mission leafers. Here are some facts I pulled together about the newly-called mission leaders: Elders Peter M. Johnson and Ricardo P. Giminez will be released as the respective presidents of the England Manchester and California San Diego Missions,  

GA Seventy Elder Ciro Schmiel, currently serving as First Counselor in the Africa South Area Presidency, will serve as President of the Florida Orlando Mission.

In view of Elder Schmiel’s call as a mission president, and since Elder Christoffel Golden will turn 70 this year and will almost certainly be granted emeritus status in October, it seems likely that First Counselor Elder Edward Dube will be the new area president, with two other GA Seventies called as his counselors (perhaps Elder Alfred Kyungu and either Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran or Peter M. Johnson).

Current area seventies: Pablo H. Chavez, Aleksandr A. Drachyov, Pedro X. Larreal, K. Roy Tunnicliffe, and Luis G. Zapata.

Former area seventy: Elder Rulon F. Stacey

Brother Douglas D. Holmes, former First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

I personally know two of the new mission presidents: David Sturt (whose parents are unofficially adopted grandparents for me and my siblings, and who, along with his siblings and their spouses, are unofficially adopted uncles and aunts to us) and Dave Hansen (who served for just one year as the president of my parents’ stake). My mom informed me today that she was notified of but sworn to secrecy about my Uncle David's call, and per her report, part of his role as president of the Kenya Nairobi Mission will be to supervise the construction of the temple in that city, so hopefully that can soon get underway

I am grateful to have assembled this data and that I have been able to pass that along to you all here. I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will pass word of those along to you all as I become aware thereof. In the meantime, that does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines.

Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

A Look Back at 2021 and a Look Ahead to 2022

Hello again, everyone! With the recently-published overview of 2021 temple construction progress being  published here a short while ago, as the final minutes of 2021 are nearing their conclusion, I wanted to provide a look back at this last year and look ahead at the incoming year. In addition to numerous breaking news or temple updates, I also focused on several updates about apostolic age and tenure milestones, and also covered several significant updates involving the ministry of our apostles. 

Another major hot topic for this blog was the ongoing adjustments made necessary by COVID-19. In-person Church has returned, and temple worship has been restored with the necessaray precautions intact. 34 new temples were announced, while ground was broken for 12 others. 2 new temples were dedicated, and 1 was rededicated. The First Presidency called 8 new GA Seventies in April, released 6 in October, and adjusted the way area seventies were released and sustained.

I could go on, but the blog history of this last year speaks well for itself.  I did want to note here that this year, I marked the milestones of 2000 blog posts (on January 19) and 2100 blog posts (on October 1). Depnding on what needs to be covered, I am tentatively predicting that I might hit the milestone of 2200 posts by sometime in May or June of next year, which could mean I will reach the milestone of 2300 blog posts before the end of next year.

In rhe interim, I wanted to take a look back at scheduled updates I provided throught this year (2021) and to provide an advanced look ahead at known developments I havr scheduled in for updates within this next year (2022). I continue to monitor all major Church news updates and temple construction developments and will be sure to pass those along as I become aware thereof.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

Honoring Elder Gerrit W. Gong on His 68th 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 68th today. His is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2022 will be Elder D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 77th 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 his mother had lived with while studying at BYU-Provo. Both of Elder Gong's parents trace their ancestry back to China, although his father's family emigrated from China to the US during the late 19th century, and his mother's family are ethnic Chinese who lived in Hawaii.

After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, young Gerrit served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He went on to earn 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 (who was 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 went on to be 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. Towards 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 was in the course of Church service over several decades, during which he was a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. During his time in the 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 personal 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 as a General Authority Seventy. 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 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, marking 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 representatives of the media for the first time as new apostles, at which time Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. He also served as a member of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee, and has apostolic oversight for the Asia and Asia North Areas. Given the recent shifting of apostolic assignments, it wouldn't surprise me to see confirmation that he is serving on either the Missionary Executive Council or the Temple & Family History Executive Coincil.

Elder Gong has given a total of 10 addresses in General Conference thus far, which includes 1 as a General Authority, 1 other given while he served in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 8 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 just over 7 weeks ago. I am grateful to have been able to honor Elder Gong on this, his 67th 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 whole-heartedly sustain him and the other 14 apostles.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: Church Creates New Mission in Rwanda

Hello again, everyone! One week ago, the Church announced a new mission, Hawaii Laie, that will be effective next month. I had thought that might be the only new mission created  in 2022, but that is not correct. A few minutes ago, the Church announced the creation of the Rwanda Kigali Mission, which will go into effect on July 1, 2022 as the 409th mission worldwide. The mission comes as a division of 3 other missions: Uganfa Kampala, Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa East, and Democratic Republic of the Congo Lubumbashi Mission.

The news release also notes that the new president of this mission will be announced in Januaey 2022, along wirh all other new mission assignments for 2022. I am grateful to have been able to share this news with you all. I continue to monitor all such updates, including those relating to general Church news and temple announcements, and will bring word thereof to you here as I become aware theof.

In the meantime, that does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.