UPDATED: Temple Construction Progress During the Second Quarter (and First Half) of 2026

Hello again, everyone! As the second quarter (and first half) of 2026 draws to a close, I am pleased to provide a look back at temple construction progress during this quarter. This report shows where things stood at the beginning of the year, with  this report showing where the temple construction progress stood a few days prior to the April 2026 General Conference, and this report  showing where things stand at the end of this second quarter (and first half) of 2026. There have been several pretty significant updates during this quarter. Anhd heading into the third quarter (and second half) of 2026, there is a lot to which we can look forward.

I am assuming that will continue to include Monday or Tuesday announcements most weeks. So to the best of my ability, I will try to continue to share updates on that front here as soon as possible. I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. 

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Initial Predictions for the October 2026 General Conference

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

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

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

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

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

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

I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: New Temple Announced in Otavalo Ecuador

Good evening, everyone! I am pleased to share that Ecuador's third temple has been announced in Otavalo. The announcement came courtesy of South America Northwest Area President Elder Juan Pablo Villar. The announcement was made this evening in a devotional with Latter-day Saints in that city. The First Presidency announcement of that temple, read by Elder Villar, is as follows:

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

Although Elder Villar read the announcement, the devotional in question was presided over by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who may have apostolic oversight of the South America Northwest Area. Elder Renlund was joined at the devotional by his wife, along with Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife. This may have been one of Elder Palmer's final assignments before he is granted emeritus status on August 1.

I am overjoyed at this announcement. A temple for Otavalo was on my list of near-term prospects, so I am grateful that it was announced. The total number of temples now rises to 385, and this is the third temple announced under the new method instutited by Church President Dallin H. Oaks. I had thought and said when the last temple was announced last month that we might not get another announcement until August or so, and I am elated that I was wrong in that assertion.

These updates will be reflected in relevant documents, to which I will link in the comments section below. I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. 

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. 

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

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Presidency Announces Marysville Washington Temple

 Good evening, everyone! This evening, as some of you may already be aware, the First Presidency announced a new temple to be built in Marysville Washington this evening. The First Presidency announcement was read by Elder Hugo E. Martinez of the United States West Area Presidency, during a devotional in the Marysville Washington Stake. The full text of the First Presidency announcement follows below: 

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

This announcement continues a pattern laid out by President Oaks at the dedication of the Burley Idaho Temple: a member of the area presidency, as authorized, reads the announcement in the area in which the temple in question will be built. There are now 384 temples worldwide, and this will be the seventh temple in Washington State. 

And this unexpected announcement comes just over 4 months after the first such temple announcement (for Portland Maine). Couldd this suggest a pattern for when we might expect the next new temple to be announced? If so, then the third temple announced under President Oaks' presiding direction could be announced in August of this year. I for one am hoping to see the next announcement sooner than that, but time will tell.

The Church News has not yet reported on this update, but when they do, that report will be shared in the comment section below. In any case, this announcement makes it clear that this is indeed the new method of announcing temples that, as President Oaks stated, will be observed for as long as he has any say in such matters.  I still don't think that this additional temple announcement will be all we get this week. But time will tell. 

I invite you all to keep watch on this blog during the 2:00 PM MDT hour for my analysis of anything else that is announced. I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. 

All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. 

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

Initial Predictions for the April 2026 General Conference

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

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

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

The rest of the predictions speak for themselves, I think. If any of you have any questions, I welcome the opportunity to address them in the comments section below. I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. 

All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned here for my coverage of these developments, in addition to my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, the Newsroom, and the Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

October 2025 General Conference Predictions (Final Version)

Hello again, everyone! With just 36 hours left until the October 2025 General Conference, I wanted to present the final version of my General Conference predictions. I would like to note that I once again made adjustments that I felt would be appropriate. So with that introduction, let's review those:

First up, my projected speaker lineup (which has been slightly tweaked and restructured)/ Next is my predictions for changes in general Church leadership (which now includes the prospective call of one or twp additional counseelors in the First Presidency, one or two potential new membes of the Quorum of the Twelve as a result of the prospective First Presidency changes, possible changes to the Presiding Bishopric, and definite changes to area seventies).

And the final two elements of these projections are my master list of all prospective locations in which I feel a temple could be announced soon, and the more specific locations I most anticipate being announced in this General Conference (my selections for October are at the bottom of the document). As I've noted before, I fully anticipate that 18 temples will be announced, which will bring the worldwide total to 400 in any phase.

Well, there you have it: my complete predictions for the upcoming General Conference. This is the final version, so I don't plan on making any additional changes unless there is a very good reason to do so. I welcome any questions or comments on these predictions that any of you might have. As much as I enjoy making and sharing these predictions, I am most looking forward to the opportuniies we will have to hear from and sustain our leaders.

I will be watching General Conference weekend carefully, and will bring any major announcements and my analaysis thereof to you all here in either new comments or posts, including the much-anticipated announcement of new temples. Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. 

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. 

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

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

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

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

Africa Central–Likash/Ruashi Democratic Republic of the Congo

Africa South–Pretoria/East London South Africa 

Africa West–Port Harcourt Nigeria

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

Brazil–São Paulo (Fourth)/Santa Maria Brazil

Canada–Ottawa Ontario

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

Europe Central–Zurich Switzerland

Mexico–Mexico City South Mexico

Pacific–Christchurch New Zealand

Philippines–Angles or Olangapo Philippines

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

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

United States Northeast–Concord New Hampshire or Charleston West Virginia

United States Southeast–Jackson Mississippi or Shreveport Louisiana

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

United States West–Juneau Alaska or Long Beach California

Utah–Herriman Utah or Preston Idaho/Evanston Wyoming

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

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

UPDATED: October 2025 General Conference Predictions (Second Edition)

Hello again, everyone! Something wasn't quite sitting right with me about my predictions for the October 2025 General Conference. So I took another look at them, doing some further research to refine them. I have now completed my second edition of these predictions. We have the revised projected speaker lineup, an expanded list of projected changes in general Church leadership, and an expanded list of prospective new temple locations.

The commenting period on these predictions remains open until Thursday, October 2, at 10:00 PM MDT. So if any of you have any feedback on anything, including questions, suggestions, enhancements, and improvements, please feel free to share them here. Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. 

All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. 

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

Initial Predictions for the October 2025 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Yesterday, I took another hiatus from crafting new content on this blog. I will be posting a comment about the Church News, Newsroom, and Church Temples updates ASAP this evening, but for now, I wanted to share my initial predictions for the October 2025 General Conference. Although I will, in general, let them speak for themselves, I am more than happy to engage in answering any questions any of you may have about them.

As usual, we have my projected speaker lineup, an overview of potential changes in general Church leadership, and my latest updated list of prospective locations in which a temple could be announced. I have taken the liberty to expand my net a little bit, based on the trends of Nelsonian temple announcements.

If I am overlooking any potential or likely locations, please let me know. I will also add that I am projecting that 18 new temples will be announced in October, which will bring the number of temples in any phase to an even 400. I will have a more specific list of what to me are the most likely temple announcements by area at some point between now and the October 2025 General Conference weekend.

I will be happy to add any viable locations that I may have missed if there is a strong enough rationale for doing so. I look forward to any feedback any of you have for me. I am pleased to declare that the window for any feedback on these predictions is now open, and it will remain open until Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM. 

Stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 

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

UPDATE: Documents Relating to the April 2025 General Conference

 Hello again, everyone! Much later than I had originally planned (and even later than I promised to do so), I wanted to provide a look at my updated documents relating to the April 2025 General Conference. I think I have provided sufficient explanations for these documents previously, so this will just be a quick look at those updated documents. If any of you have any questions about anything, please let me know in the comments below.

We start with my predictions for the April 2025 General Conference, including the speaker lineup, the predicted changes in general leadership (which includes the projected numbers for the statistical report), and my projected prospective temple locations. Based on the scoring methods I have previously outlined, I put together this scorecard to analyze how well I did. 

With that result calculated at 71.05%,even with the curveballs thrown at me this time around (like failing to project that Bishop Causee would speak, or erroneously projecting that Sunday School President Paul V. Johnson would speak), my predictions still surprisingly remained in the middle range of my usual accuracy (60-80%). 

After General Conference weekend, I updated this document showing the total number of addresses given by our current apostles in General Conference, and created this document, which shows the length of each address given by each of our current apostles (16 in total this April, including the sustaining led by President Oaks on Saturday Morning). I also prepared this document, a projected table of contents for the May 2025 Liahona, which was updated with the actual page numbers once the PDF version thereof became available online.

This concludes my proverbial post-mortem for the April 2025 General Conference. I am already hard at work on my projections for the October 2025 General Conference. I also continue to monitor the latest updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. 

I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now.  All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 

Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: President Nelson Announces 15 New Temples

Hello again, everyone! A short time ago, during his concluding remarks in the Sunday Afternoon Session of General Conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced 15 new temples, just as I had predicted. This post has been preset to publish at 4 and will be updated with more particular analysis within the next couple of hours. While those updates are in progress, the ability to comment on this post may be unavailable. With my thanks to you all for your understanding and patience on this, the rest of my complete analysis follows.

A temple was announced for each of the following locations: Reynoso Mexico; Chorillos Peru, Rivera Uruguay, Campo Grande Brazil, Porto Portugal, Uyo Nigeria, San Jose Del Monte Philippines, Noumea New Caledonia, Liverpool Australia, Caldwell Idaho, Flagstaff Arizona, Rapid City South Dakota, Greenville South Carolina, Norfolk Virginia, and Spanish Fork Utah.

Of those 15, I correctly predicted the following 6, down to the exact location: Campo Grande Brazil, Porto Portugal, Uyo Nigeria, Flagstaff Arizona, Rapid City South Dakota, & Spanish Fork Utah.

I had the right general location but the wrong specific city for the following 5 temples: Reynoso Mexico, Chorillos Peru, San Jose Del Monte Philippines, Liverpool Australia, & Caldwell Idaho,

And I wasn't anticipating the following 4 temples at all: Rivera Uruguay, Noumea New Caledonia, Greenville South Carolina, & Norfolk Virginia.

Truly, the Lord's wisdom is superior to mine. I am grateful for each of these newly announced temples. Because of this announcement today, I don't know whether or not to expect any other major temple construction updates tomorrow, or if this will be it for the next week. Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. 

I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. I am grateful for the veritable spiritual feast we have enjoyed this weekend, and for the opportunity I have to share such news as this. Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. 

All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

April 2025 General Conference Predictions (Final Version)

Hello again, everyone! 36 hours before the April 2025 General Conference weekend starts, I wanted to post the final version of my predictions for it. Here is the speaker lineup, the potential changes in general Church leadership (which also includes estimates for the 2024 statistical report), and my list of potential new temple locations. The predictions speak for themselves.

For my part, I continue to monitor updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. And I am also keeping an eye out for any other major news up to and during General Conference and I will provide those updates here ASAP after I learn 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 all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

UPDATED: April 2025 General Conference Predictions

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post an updated version of my predictions for the upcoming April 2025 General Conference. Here is the revised speaker lineup, my revised potential changes in general Church leadership (which also includes my revised estimates for the 2024 statistical report), and my list of potential new temple locations. The information speaks for itself.  The final version of these predictions will be posted at 10:00 PM on Thursday, April 3, 2025, until which time a commenting period remains open.

For my part, I continue to monitor updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

UPDATE: October 2024 General Conference Predictions & Results; Introduction to Initial Predictions for the April 2025 General Conference

 Hello again, everyone! Although I anticipate the annousncement of the next major temple construction update during the 2:00 PM MST hour and I will do a new post featuring my analysis of that announcement whenever it is made and whatever it might entail, I have been asked some questions about the results of my predictions for the October 2024 General Conference, as well as some queries about how soon I might have my April 2025 General Conference predictions available for review.

This post comes in response to those inquiries. So let's start with the results of my October predictions. As you might recall, those included the  speaker lineup, projections for changes in general Church leadership, and a list of potential locations in which new temples could be announced. Based on my analysis of those results, I have scored them accordingly per the usual method. Rather than reviewing what that involves and entails, I invite anyone with questions in that regard to post them in the comments, where I would be happy to address them.

With that in mind, we move on to my initial predictions for the April 2025 General Conference. Those include the speaker lineup projections, my predictions for potential changes in general Church leadership and the figures for the 2024 statistical report, and a revised and expanded list of potential locations in which new temples could be announced. Again, I offer an open invitation to any of you to ask any questions you might have about these newest predictions. This is by no means the final version of those projections, so any changes I deem appropriate will be made based on your feedback.

Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: President Nelson Announces 17 New Temples

Note: On October 6, 2024, before President Nelson announced new temples in General Conference, I was rushed to the Emergency Room and had an acute medical crisis that culminated in a month-long hospital stay. This post was originally set to publish at 4:15 PM, but I could not correct it at that time. So today, (January 14, 2024), I am pleased to complete my analysis of the newest announced temples. My thanks once again to you all.

Hello again, everyone! As I had projected, President Nelson just concluded General Conference by announcing new temples. But he announced 17 new temples rather than the 20 I had originally predicted. The temples will be built in the following locations: Juchitán de Zaragoza Mexico, Santa Ana El Salvador, Medellín Colombia, Santiago Dominican Republic, Puerto Montt Chile, Dublin Ireland, Milan Italy, Abuja Nigeria, Kampala Uganda, Maputo Mozambique, Coeur d’Alene Idaho, Queen Creek Arizona, El Paso Texas, Huntsville Alabama Milwaukee Wisconsin, Summit New Jersey, and Price Utah.

Of the newest 20 temples, I had the following temples down to the exact correct location: Juchitan Mexico (though I didn't include the "de Zaragoza" part), Santa Ana El Salvador, Medellin Colombia, Santiago Dominican Republic, Dublin Ireland,  Milan Italy, Abuja Nigeria, Kampala Uganda, Maputo Mozambique, Coeur d’Alene Idaho, Queen Creek Arizona, El Paso Texas, and Price Utah. I got 13 of the 17 correct to the exact location.

I had the correct general area but the wrong specific location for the following temples: Puerto Montt Chile (I had prioritized Osorno/Punta Arenas/Valparaíso), Milwaukee Wisconsin (I had prioritized Green Bay), and Summit New Jersey (I had prioritized East Brunswick), so I got 3 of the 17 halfway correct.

I was not anticipating the following temples:Huntsville Alabama, which wasn't on my radar at all. In view of this announcement, there are now 367 temples in any phase. Of those 367, President Nelson has announced  185 (roughly 50%). I am grateful that our prophet continues to announce new temples, and that he continues to encourage the Temple Department and Special Projects Division to keep the queue moving steadily.

Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

October 2024 General Conference Predictions (Final Version)

 Hello again, everyone! Since we are now officially 36 hours away from the next General Conference, I am pleased to be able to post the final version of my predictions for the upcoming weekend. We start, as always, with the projected speaker lineup. 

I fully believe the First Presidency will have three members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles conduct three of the five sessions (and that, for reasons I have outlined previously, the three will be Elders D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen, and Ronald A Rasband). I likewise believe that the Sustaining of Church Officers will be at the top of every General Conference going forward.

I am projecting that Elder Patrick Kearon, who has not yet spoken at all in the Saturday Morning Session, will do so this weekend, and that this weekend will see the highest number of black participants ever in any General Conference (my projection is for 4 black speakers). The only other note on the speaker lineup is that I believe that only 5 of the 11 GA Seventies called in April 2024 will speak this time around and that I'm projecting that we will hear from 6 other "veteran" GA Seventies. 

And as has been the case in just about every October General Conference for the entirety of President Nelson's prophetic tenure, the only changes in Church leadership which I am anticipating are that a few area seventies will be released with a few more sustained, while the announcement of new temples is always a given. 

So I have prepared my thoughts on an area-by-area list of all the prospects I could see in the near term, and a more specific list of the top prospects I see being announced this weekend (that list can be found at the bottom of that final document). I hope all of you enjoy following along with these predictions, such as they are.

I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below.

If you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are never required but are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Third Quarter 2024 Temple Construction Progress Update

Hello again, everyone! As September concludes, I am pleased to be able to provide an update on temple construction during this third quarter of 2024. By way of review, this report shows where things stood at the beginning of 2024, while this one reflects the progress made within just a few days of the April 2024 General Conference, this one highlights developments that occurred by the mid-point of 2024 and this one shows where things stand now, just a few days before the October 2024 General Conference.

That would ordinarily, at this point, cap my coverage of temple construction progress, but I have one more link to share. For anyone who wants to track temple construction progress as I provide those updates, you can find that coverage in this document. I don't necessarily update that document right as changes are implemented on the Church Temples site because that would require round-the-clock monitoring. But I do try to the best of my ability to check for updates a few times daily to ensure I'm not missing anything.

And it's also worth acknowledging that even the latest updates will be outdated by this upcoming Sunday, when President  Nelson will announce more new temples to conclude the October 2024 General Conference. Having shared those caveats, this update is concluded. I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below.

TIf you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are never required but are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Initial Predictions for the October 2024 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Given the weekend lull in major Church news between now and Monday, when the next major temple construction announcement is anticipated, I have taken the time to put together my initial predictions for the October 2024 General Conference and would like to present those to you now. Let's dive right in! We start, as always, with my projected speaker lineup. 

As mentioned, the First Presidency will continue to have members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles conduct 3 of the 5 General Conference sessions. Given that Elders Cook, Stevenson, and Renlund did so last time, I am projecting that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband will do so this time. This is because the three junior members of the Quorum are still somewhat "green" and in deference to President Holland's health, because Elder Uchtdorf already has experience doing so, and since it is likely that Elder Bednar will do so in future First Presidencies.

I was a little concerned about balancing the first addresses of new GA Seventies with an adequate number of "veteran" GA Seventies, but I think I struck a good balance. It's also worth noting that since the entire Young Women General Presidency spoke to us over the last two General Conferences, I have left them out of the rotation for this go-round, with the other four General Presidencies represented. Other than these notes, the speaker lineup largely speaks for itself.

We now turn to potential changes in general Church leadership. Because so many changes were presented last April, my prediction is that only a few area seventies will be released, with a few more new ones sustained. There is also a possibility, however remote, that the Church could also take the opportunity to release Elder David S. Baxter, who has been on medical leave from his assignments for the last several years. But since he will turn 70 next year, I think it is far more likely that his release will be presented with those others turning 70 in 2025, which will occur in April of next year.

The final element of my predictions for the next General Conference is, of course, potential temple locations. I have expanded that list somewhat for this go-round. For the record, I believe that 20 new temples are likely to be announced. The upcoming General Conference will be most memorable because it will be the first time the Church has had a centenarian prophet and apostle. And with additional temples to look forward to, and with the prospect of 3 apostles conducting 3 of the 5 sessions again, it's going to be amazing, regardless of how correct or incorrect these predictions may be.

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, especially with any questions or comments about any of these predictions. 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.