Additional Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! This post will cover recent Church news developments which have come to my attention. I had intended to also share some updated temple information but will need to do that in a separate post later tonight. So for now, let's get right into the Church news stories which have been reported recently..

First, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently returned from an extended trip in the Europe Area, which included stops in the United Kingdom, France, and Austria.  As many of you may recall, the United Kingdom covers Great Britain, Ireland, and Scotland. And in my latest updated list of potential future temple locations, I had one listed for Scotland, and another listed for Austria.

My reason for mentioning this is that last year, apostles visited several cities before the April and October General Conferences which subsequently had temples announced during those conferences. With that in mind, it seems more likely than not that temples could be announced within the next 1-4 General Conferences for Edinburgh Scotland and Vienna Austria. I recognize that the Europe Area may have seen a certain degree of stagnant growth in recent years, but if nothing else, I could see smaller temples in both cities that could easily get quick approval and move on to the construction process.

Given the precedent we saw this month with the announcements of the Yigo Guam and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples, I think we may be seeing a greater number of smaller temples again, which would be a rapid way to increase the number of operating temples in a very short period of time, and to eliminate greater distances of travel for Saints around the world in a logical and very doable way.

The Church News also released a video entitled "Beauty for Ashes" to describe how members in the area of the Paradise Campfire have reached out to serve their needy neighbors, even in the aftermath of their own personal, familial, and congregational losses. And another article describes how the new curriculum has been helping families throughout the Church to become more unified through more extensive conversations about and study of the gospel.

In the latest edition of "This Week on Social", posts from Church President Russell M. Nelson, Elders Jeffrey R. Holland and Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Sisters Jean B. Bingham, Sharon Eubank (who serve as President and First Counselor respectively in the Relief Society General Presidency), and Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency were highlighted. Those messages, covering several important gospel topics, are well worthy of your review.

The Church News also continued another series of articles called "My Most Influential Teacher", and this week's iteration came from someone who was able to have her questions effectively answered by her youth Sunday School teacher. A few days ago, the Church News had also reported that a Brazilian missionary has passed away after collapsing during a soccer game. The young man had been serving since July 2017, and would have returned home in six more months.

Next, from the Newsroom website, we have a couple more new articles. One highlights how JustServe has helped provide 1 million meals to hungry children in various parts of the world. The other article comprises the latest edition of the Newsroom blog series "Latter-day Saints Around the World", with stories from the Philippines (focusing on Elder Holland's recent visit there), Yemen, Peru (from which two articles were featured), Panama, and Guatemala.

With that said, those were the Church news updates I wanted to share, so that does it for this post. 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 TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreakings Announced for Pocatello Idaho and Yigo Guam Temples

Hello again, everyone! I was just made aware of two more temple groundbreakings which were announced today for the Pocatello Idaho and Yigo Guam Temples. According to the news release, the Pocatello Idaho Temple will have its' groundbreaking on March 16, and the Yigo Guam Temple groundbreaking will follow on May 4, the same day as the previously-announced groundbreaking for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple.

The Yigo groundbreaking will be presided over by Asia North Area President Yoon Hwan Choi. and while it has yet to be announced who might preside at the Pocatello groundbreaking, I would imagine that President Eyring, Elder Bednar, or Elder Andersen could do so, since each of them have ties to that state. I am not sure which of the current members of the Presidency of the Seventy have ties to Idaho, but another possibility is that any member of the Idaho Area Presidency could preside at this event. That would include Elders Wilford W. Andersen, S. Gifford Nielsen, and Brian K. Taylor.

I have no doubt whatsoever that we will see many more temples have a groundbreaking later this year. I would go into more detail on the construction plans, but wanted to get this posted right away, so that does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.

Temple Updates Provided; Tool Created to Assist Prospective Missionaries

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to bring you several temple updates and an article from the Newsroom which was published earlier today relating to the missionary program. Let's get right into all of that. First, the temple updates. At the Durban South Africa Temple, in addition to what I noted in my last update on that temple, it has also been noted that ceiling tiles are being installed and that floors are being assessed currently for carpet installation. That temple appears to be on track to be one of the first dedicated following the annual July recess for the General Authorities, though it is not as clear whether that might occur before or after the September 1 dedication for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple.

At the Arequipa Peru Temple grounds, window frames are being installed, while the installation of exterior lighting on the grounds of the temple appears to be complete. While there is still an outside chance that this temple won't be dedicated until early 2020, if it stays on track, I can see it being dedicated prior to the end of this year. I have estimated that could occur in December of this year, but could see that being pushed back into the early months of 2020 depending on what happens between now and then.

Next, I had previously mentioned that the Pocatello Idaho Temple was likely to have a groundbreaking in spring of this year. New information received today indicates that plans have been submitted to the city to undergo a plan review process. I have mentioned a prospective timing of April or May for this temple's groundbreaking, and we will see how and if that theory holds.

The one other update I have is on the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple. Since I last mentioned any information on it, it appears that the site President Nelson visited in October has been conclusively verified as the location for that temple. Last Sunday, the meetinghouse on the grounds of that temple (which housed the Habish and Cayetano Heredia wards) closed in preparation for demolition, which will clear the way for that temple's groundbreaking.

Until more is known about that, I am sticking with the general estimate I previously offered for the groundbreaking (mid-to-late 2019). As more information comes to light in this regard, I will update that estimate as needed. That said, I still anticipate 2019 will be a big year for temple groundbreakings, and I look forward to seeing what happens in that regard.

Shifting gears slightly to general Church news, a new planning tool has been made available for prospective missionaries which will enable them to more fully consider the timing of their service. Elder Brent H. Nielson, who continues to serve as Executive Director of the Missionary Department, noted that while most missionaries enter the MTC shortly after the end of each academic school year, those who feel they can defer that to sometime between November and May will find the opportunity to work with a more seasoned companion, and to have more one-on-one attention in the training process. The tool also allows prospective missionaries to approximate their release dates based on when they are thinking of commencing their service. It was good to hear of this development in the Church's missionary program.

One other item of Church news. At a Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional on January 27, Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife, Lesa, shared their testimonies of the life and mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the divine origin of the Book of Mormon, and how the truth of those two ideas lends support to the idea that we have a living prophet today. This devotional allowed Elder Stevenson a "home court" advantage, as it was held in Logan Utah, where he grew up.

I appreciated my opportunity to bring word of those developments to you all here. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will keep passing those along as I receive word of them. That does it for this post. 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.

Updated Future Estimates for Known Temple Events

Hello again, everyone! While any of you can feel free to continue to comment on any previous post, I wanted to pass along here some updates I have made to the list of future estimates I am keeping for known or anticipated temple events in the near future. That updated list follows below. So as not to disturb the flow of this information, I will end here and now as I always do:

That does it for this post. 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.

Specific Estimates for Known Temple Events in the Near Future

2019:

Sunday March 10-Tuesday March 12: Dedication of the Rome Italy Temple (162^nd operating temple; confirmed)

Note: The First Presidency announced the amended dedication dates for this temple on November 8, 2018. Given that this dedication will now be held over three days rather than the previously-announced 8-day period, there may be only 2-3 of our 15 apostles participating in this event. That said, it would not surprise me in any way if this dedication was either the start or conclusion of another leg of President Nelson’s ongoing Global Ministry Tour.

Saturday & Sunday April 6 & 7: 189^th General Conference

Note: Because 19 temples were announced in 2018 (which may have been President Nelson’s way of starting slowly), and because one of his major focuses during his first year as Church President has been highlighting the importance of temples, I’m sure we will see several new temples announced during this General Conference.

Sunday April 14: Dedication of the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple (163^rd operating temple; confirmed)

Note: In view of the facts that the dedication of this temple will occur after the April General Conference, and that following the April 2018 General Conference, President Nelson began his Global Ministry Tour, I could see President Nelson doing another leg of his tour in conjunction with this temple’s dedication, whether that tour starts or ends with this dedication, or whether this dedication is held sometime in the mid-point of that tour.

April or May: Groundbreaking for the Pocatello Idaho Temple

Note: In January 2019, many sources I had available noted that this temple would have a groundbreaking in the spring. That could occur at some point after General Conference (and thus be held before the already-scheduled groundbreaking for the San Juan Temple), or it could occur in May, either on the same day as that for the San Juan temple, or at any other time during the month. Although an apostle (particularly any with ties to Pocatello) could preside at this groundbreaking when it occurs, or that could be done by any of the 3 members of the Idaho Area Presidency (Elders Wilford W. Andersen, S. Gifford Nielsen, or Brian K. Taylor).

Saturday May 4: Groundbreaking for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple

Note: On January 12, 2019, the First Presidency released the artist’s rendering for this temple (which was announced in October 2018). 5 days later (on January 17), the groundbreaking for this temple was announced to occur on this day in May. Elder Walter F. Gonzalez, president of the Church’s Caribbean Area, will preside at that ceremony.

Sunday May 5: Private rededication of the Memphis Tennessee Temple (confirmed)

Note: On January 16, 2019, the First Presidency announced the private rededication of this temple would take place in a single session on this date, that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland would preside at the rededication, and that no open house or youth devotional would be held prior to this event.

Sunday May 19: Private rededication of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple (confirmed)

Note: On January 16, 2019, the private rededication for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple was announced. President Henry B. Eyring will preside at the single-session rededication, which will not be preceded by an open house or youth devotional.

Sunday June 2: Dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple (165^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On January 10, 2018, the First Presidency announced this temple’s dedication. In an unusual (but not unexpected) move, that dedication has been scheduled to occur two weeks prior to the rededication of the Oakland California Temple. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a dedication has been set to occur prior to a rededication which has previously been announced. Usually, a temple’s rededication has been set to occur prior to a previously-announced temple dedication. As noted on other temples, President Nelson could preside at this event himself, or he could delegate one of his counselors or a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to do so.

Sunday June 16: Rededication of the Oakland California Temple (confirmed)

Note: This temple’s rededication was announced on December 18, 2018. As noted above, the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple, announced almost a month later, has been set to occur before this temple’s rededication.

Monday July 8: Hong Kong China Temple Renovation Closure

Note: On January 30, 2019, the First Presidency announced the renovation closure for this temple, with the plans to be detailed more fully at a later time. I am anticipating that that process will take between 2-4 years.

August: Private rededications for the Raleigh North Carolina and Baton Rouge Louisiana Temples

Note: Given the unexpected announcement of the private rededications for the Memphis Tennessee and Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples (and the fact that both will be operating again before the General Authorities take their annual July recess), it is not hard to believe that both of these temples, for which their renovation processes seem to be on track, could have a rededication within the month following that recess.

Sunday September 1: Dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple (165^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On November 14, 2018, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication information for this temple. Then, on January 18, 2019, the dedication was pushed back to this date in view of all that still needed to be done on the construction process.

Mid-to-late September: Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (166^th operating temple)

Note: If the construction of the Durban South Africa Temple continues on schedule, then it is not hard to believe that a dedication for it could occur before General Conference. In fact, if the construction process continues uninterrupted, then this temple’s dedication could occur sooner than suggested here.

Saturday & Sunday October 5 & 6: 189^th Semiannual General Conference:

Note: Depending on what is done by this time to clear the existing backlog of announced temples, it seems more likely than not that several new temples will be announced during this weekend.

Mid-to-late October: Rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple

Monday November 4: St. George Utah Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Note: This temple’s renovation was announced on January 25, 2019. Given the fact that seismic and systemic updates are anticipated to occur, I have set a preliminary general completion estimate of mid-to-late 2022.

Mid-November: Dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple (167^th operating temple)

December: Dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple (168^th operating temple)

Note: The Arequipa temple has progressed swiftly. Given the earlier timing that has been announced or is anticipated for the private rededications of Hinckley-era temples this year, that fact, combined with the fact that construction may be ahead of schedule, has me confident enough to conjecture that this temple could likely be dedicated during the last month of this year. But I could also see the Church waiting to dedicate this temple until after Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020.

Final note on 2019: Given what I have heard about 2019, it seems more likely than not that several temples will have a groundbreaking at some point during that year. As noted above, the groundbreaking has been set for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple, while the groundbreaking for the Pocatello Idaho is anticipated to occur during spring of 2019. I am also anticipating that a groundbreaking for the Saratoga Springs Utah (and perhaps also) Brasilia Brazil Temples will be held in mid-2019. Additionally, based on what I know at the present time, I am keeping my eyes open for information on the Nairobi Kenya, Lima Peru Los Olivos, Harare Zimbabwe, and Greater Manila Philippines Temples, most (if not all) of which could have a groundbreaking by the end of 2019. But given the fact that we unexpectedly saw a groundbreaking set for the San Juan temple, then that opens the prospect that other temples announced by President Nelson in 2018 could also have a groundbreaking if their size expedites the approval process.

2020:

Mid-February: Rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple

Saturday & Sunday April 4 & 5: 190^th Annual General Conference

Note: Barring anything unexpected, I would anticipate several new temples being announced during this weekend.

Mid-April: Dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (169^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late May: Rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple

June or early-to-mid August: Dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple (170^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 3 & 4: 190^th Semiannual General Conference

Note: Temple announcements are always possible, so it is not hard to believe that a few could be announced during this General Conference.

Mid-October: Rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple

Mid-November: Dedication of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple (171^st operating temple)

Note: At the groundbreaking for this temple (which occurred on November 8, 2018), Elder Neil L. Andersen, who presided at this event and gave his remarks in French, noted that construction of the temple was anticipated to take around two years. For that reason, I am moving my previous estimate for this temple’s dedication up to this point.

Mid-December: Rededication of the Washington DC Temple

Final note on 2020: Some of the announced temples that will have a groundbreaking between now and the end of 2019 could potentially be dedicated during this year. And several other announced temples (I currently have 7 on my radar) could have a groundbreaking during 2020 as well.

2021:

Saturday & Sunday April 3 & 4: 191^st Annual General Conference

Note: Depending on what happens between now (early December 2018) and the dates for this General Conference, I could easily see several new temples announced.

Mid-to-late April: Dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (172^nd operating temple)

Early-to-mid June: Rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple

Mid-August: Dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple (173^rd operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 2 & 3: 191^st Semiannual General Conference

Note: I am hoping that by the time this particular General Conference weekend rolls around, the temple construction program of the Church will have progressed to the point where some temples will continue to be announced every six months.

Mid-November: Rededication of the Hong Kong China Temple

Note: This is just a projected estimate, based on what is currently known. As more information is revealed, this estimate could be pushed forward or back as needed.

Mid-December: Rededication of the St. George Utah Temple

Note: What I shared above about the probable timing of the rededication for the Hong Kong China Temple also applies here: As more information is made available, and as the renovation process proceeds, I will be sure to make any adjustments to this estimate that might be needed.

Final note on 2021: If, as anticipated, several more temples are announced in 2019 and 2020, and any which have not yet had a groundbreaking have that occur within that same time period, that in turn will multiply the number of known temple events which will likely occur in 2021 and the years beyond. As more is learned about future temple renovations, that will also have an impact on the number of future events.

2022:

Saturday & Sunday April 2 & 3: 192^nd Annual General Conference

Note: Since the face of the Church’s temple construction program will likely look entirely different by this time, I would anticipate the announcement of several new temples.

Mid-August: Dedication of the Bangkok Thailand Temple (173^rd operating temple)

Note: Because this temple is significantly larger than temples which have been built in recent years, delays in that construction process are more likely than not. It is also worth noting that the official number for this temple is almost certain to change as other temples have a groundbreaking and construction and are potentially completed before this one is.

Saturday & Sunday October 1 & 2: 192^nd Semiannual General Conference

Note:  As noted above (for the 2022 April General Conference), by this time, it is more likely than not that the face of the Church’s temple construction program will be looking entirely different. With that in mind, it seems more likely than not that other temples could be announced during this General Conference.

Mid-to-late November: Dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple (174^th operating temple)

Final note: As noted a few different times here, within the 3.9 years or so between now and the end of 2022, the face of the Church’s temple construction program will likely look very different. We currently have a Church President who has clearly prioritized bringing the temples to the people, and the fact that he announced 19 new temples within his first year as such verifies that beyond doubt. I also am equally certain he will do all he can to clear the existing backlog of announced temples. With that in mind, there will likely be many more temple events to add to this list in the future. I am committed to bringing updates in that regard to you all as I receive them.

Updated List of Temples Which May Be Renovated in the Near Future

Hello again, everyone! Given the fact that the renovation closure for two temples has been announced within the last 7-10 days or so, and that there are many other temples which seem likely to have a renovation done in the near future, I thought I would provide an updated copy of the list I have assembled of temples which seem most likely to be renovated in the near future.

By this time last year, the First Presidency had announced several temples would close for renovation in 2018 (with some of those announcements even being made during 2017), so I would anticipate that more temple renovations are bound to be set for the near future, whether for temples on this list or others I have not considered. The updated list follows below. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do:

That does it for this post. 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.

Preliminary Note: The list below is based on previous statements by apostles and the Executive Directors of the Church’s Temple Department to the effect that temples need to be renovated roughly every 30-40 years or so to keep them seismically and systemically up-to-date.

Temples which may be renovated in the near-future:

1.      Logan Utah (dedicated in 1884; first rededicated in 1979)

2.      Manti Utah (dedicated in 1888; first rededicated in 1985)

3.      Salt Lake (dedicated in 1893; is anticipated to close for its’ first major renovation in the near future)

4.      Cardston Alberta (dedicated in 1923; addition only rededicated in 1962; fully rededicated in 1991)

5.      Bern Switzerland (dedicated in 1955; first rededicated in 1992)

6.      Los Angeles California (dedicated in 1956)

7.      London England (dedicated in 1958; first rededicated in 1992)

8.      Provo Utah (dedicated in 1972)

9.      Seattle Washington (dedicated in 1980)

10.  Sydney Australia (dedicated in 1984; addition only rededicated in 1991)

11.  Manila Philippines (dedicated in 1984)

12.  Dallas Texas (dedicated in 1984; addition only rededicated in 1989)

13.  Taipei Taiwan (dedicated in 1984)

14.  Guatemala City Guatemala (dedicated in 1984)

15.  Stockholm Sweden (dedicated in 1985)

16.  Chicago Illinois (dedicated in 1985; addition only rededicated in 1989)

17.  Johannesburg South Africa (dedicated in 1985; renovation might be delayed until after the Durban South Africa Temple is dedicated in mid-to-late 2019)

18.  Seoul Korea (dedicated in 1985)

19.  Lima Peru (dedicated in 1986)

20.  Denver Colorado (dedicated in 1986)

21.  Portland Oregon (dedicated in 1989)

22.  Las Vegas Nevada (dedicated in 1989)

23.  Toronto Ontario (dedicated in 1990)

Smaller temples built during the Hinckley-era boom (which may be redesigned):

1.      Spokane Washington

2.      Columbus Ohio

3.      Bismarck North Dakota

4.      Columbia South Carolina

5.      Detroit Michigan

6.      Halifax Nova Scotia

7.      Regina Saskatchewan

8.      Edmonton Alberta

9.      St. Paul Minnesota

10.  Kona Hawaii

11.  Ciudad Juarez Mexico

12.  Hermosillo Sonora Mexico

13.  Oaxaca Mexico

14.  Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico

15.  Louisville Kentucky

16.  Palmyra New York

17.  Fresno California

18.  Medford Oregon

19.  Reno Nevada

20.  Tampico Mexico

21.  Nashville Tennessee

22.  Villahermosa Mexico

23.  San Jose Costa Rica

24.  Fukuoka Japan

25.  Adelaide Australia

26.  Melbourne Australia

27.  Merida Mexico

28.  Veracruz Mexico

29.  Birmingham Alabama

30.  Porto Alegre Brazil

31.  Montevideo Uruguay

32.  Guadalajara Mexico

33.  Perth Australia

34.  The Hague Netherlands

35.  Brisbane Australia