Musings on the Progress of the Arequipa Peru Temple & Potential New Temples

Hello again, everyone! Yesterday, I passed along (among other things) an update on the Arequipa Peru Temple. I wanted to post a brief note to share something I did not notice until today. It would appear that with exterior work nearing its' completion for that temple, attention will turn to the temple's interior work. I also heard in passing that this temple may be slightly ahead of schedule, and depending on the degree to which that may be true, I might have to rethink yet again those estimates I have offered for anticipated temple-related events.

It continues to amaze me how temple progress has evolved, even at times on a day-to-day basis. I will be keeping my eyes open for any and all related temple information and pass those updates along as I become aware of them. In the meantime, I continue to work on my list of potential temple locations in preparation for General Conference.

In that regard, it has been a while since we have seen a new Church President announce new temples in his first General Conference. As some of you may recall, the first temples announced during President Monson's administration came between late April and late May 2008, and the first three locations were all in Arizona.

So it would be understandable if President Nelson opted to not announce any new temples until either sometime after General Conference or until his second General Conference as Church president.

With that said, I don't anticipate that occurring for President Nelson. Both Presidents Nelson and Monson acted fairly quickly (in President Monson's case, prior to his ordination as Church President) to announce the first temple news of their administrations. Many of you may recall my mentioning that the Rexburg Idaho Temple was originally scheduled to be dedicated on February 3, which was postponed one week in view of President Hinckley's passing, making the Rexburg dedication the first over which President Monson presided.

And while no temple event had to be shifted in view of this year's reorganization of the First Presidency, it is interesting to note that this new First Presidency acted right away in making major announcements related to temples, including the closure of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple (which was likely in the works prior to President Monson's death), the closure of temple visitor's centers in conjunction with their nearby temples, and, just yesterday, the rededication announcement for the Houston Texas Temple, it very much seems as though the first temple announcements during President Nelson's administration are likely to occur at his first general conference.

This is especially true when we consider that President Monson was 85 days into his presidency when he made the first temple announcements of his administration. Based on the volume of temple news that  we have seen released by the Church since President Nelson became the Church President on January 14 of this year, it wouldn't surprise me to see him announce new temples at his first General Conference as such, although he will only have been Church President for 77 days when that occurs.

When we add to that Elder Wilson's statement (made last April a couple of weeks after General Conference) to the effect that 80 potential locations were under consideration to be announced in the 15 years following (which would be late April 2032), I very much doubt that President Nelson would opt to delay announcing temples in his first General Conference. And since he is taking such an active role for someone who is the second oldest man to ever become Church president, I feel confident that we will see such announcements during this General Conference.

Regarding the subject of future temples, I also should note that I have been hard at work in the last little while to fine-tune my list of potential locations in which a temple may be built. I know I promised to post it before now, but the need to extensively overhaul the format of the list has delayed my ability to do so. Just know that I am in the process of getting that ready to publish here, which I hope to do before the end of this month, if not sooner. Just wanted to note that it is in progress.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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 Estimates for Future Temple-related Events

Hello again, everyone! Roughly 36 hours or so after I last did so, I am posting right now with another revision to my estimates for future temple-related events. Making these adjustments has involved some extensive study on my part concerning climate factors and when weather and travel experts say is the best time to travel to such areas, the progress (and lack thereof) in temple construction efforts, and any other relevant information I could find to mold my thoughts about these potential time-frames. Here are those results:

Future estimates for known temple-related events

2018:

Monday February 19: Oakland California temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday March 4: Washington DC Temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday April 22: Houston Texas Temple Rededication (private; date has been confirmed; President M. Russell Ballard will preside at this event)

April or May: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin on the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Sunday May 20: Jordan River Utah Temple Rededication/Mesa Arizona Temple Renovation Closure (both have been confirmed)

July: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Renovation Closure (official closure date confirmation is pending)

Sunday August 12 or 19: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple)

Sunday October 14 or 21: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple)

Sunday December 9 or 16: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple)

2019:

Mid-February: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (163^rd operating temple)

Mid-to-late March: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Mid-April: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

Late April-early May: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

Mid-May: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

Late May-early June: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

Mid-June: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

Mid-August: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication

Mid-September: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late October: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

Mid-November: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Mid-December: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (168^th operating temple)

                       

2020:

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

Mid-to-late April: Oakland California Temple Rededication

NOTE: Although the First Presidency has indicated that this temple would be rededicated prior to the end of 2019, the fact that it is a considerably older temple leads me to believe that will not take place until early 2020 at earliest, but I could see that being pushed back further as well.

Mid-May: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid June Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

Mid-August: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late October: Washington DC Temple Rededication

2021:

Mid-to-late April: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Rededication

Final Note about these estimates: I heard that 2018 and 2019 could be big years for temple groundbreakings. If that proves correct, then many other new temples could also be dedicated during 2020 and 2021. It also seems safe to assume that other temple renovations will be announced, which will in turn necessitate subsequent rededications. As the next two years unfold, I will have a better idea of when such events may occur, and they can then be added to the other estimates above.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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 News & Developments Include Time-frame Alterations

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to report that, in addition to the rededication of the Houston Texas Temple, the status of the Arequipa Peru Temple has been updated, as the cupola for the temple has been installed atop the tower walls.

Additionally, several time-frames for the completion of temples have been slightly tweaked. There is now apparently sufficient reason to believe that the Fortaleza Brazil Temple will be completed prior to the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple. In the meantime, while they have not shifted in their order, there is also reason to believe that the Lisbon Portugal and Durban South Africa Temples may have their dedications more towards the final half of 2019 than in the middle 4 or 5 months of next year.

I am evaluating how these developments will change my estimates for next year's sequence of events, and I will post those updated estimates ASAP. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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 Houston Texas Temple Rededication

Hello again, everyone! When I did my initial check of the Church websites today, I was pleased to discover that the First Presidency announced the day on which the Houston Texas Temple would be privately rededicated. According to this article, that will occur on Sunday April 22, and the First Presidency has asked President M. Russell Ballard to preside at that event. Since it is a private dedication, attendance will be by invitation only, and no Church block meetings will be impacted.

I am grateful to have learned about this, and to have been able to share this information with you. I am likewise gratified to have found out that my estimate for this event was right on. I will keep my eyes open for more temple-related information and pass that along as I am able to.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

Newest Revised Estimates for Future Temple Events

Hello again, everyone! Based on newly reported temple developments, further research into the relevant climate factors, and some rudimentary deductive reasoning, I have made further alterations to my estimates for future temple-related events. Those updated estimates follow below. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

Future estimates for known temple-related events

2018:

Monday February 19: Oakland California temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday March 4: Washington DC Temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday April 15 or 22: Houston Texas Temple Rededication (private)

April or May: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin on the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Sunday May 20: Jordan River Utah Temple Rededication/Mesa Arizona Temple Renovation Closure (both have been confirmed)

July: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Renovation Closure (official closure date confirmation is pending)

Sunday August 12 or 19: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple)

Sunday September 16 or 23: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple)

Sunday October 14 or 21: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple)

Sunday December 9 or 16: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (163^rd operating temple)

NOTE: If the completion of the Kinshasa Temple is delayed for any reason whatsoever, that would obviously delay its’ dedication until the early months of 2019. With that said, further research on my part seems to point to mid-December as the best time for this event. I will keep my eyes open for more information and will post updates as further information is provided.

2019:

Mid-February: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late April: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid May: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late May: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid June: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

Mid-August: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid September: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late September: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late October: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

Mid-November: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Mid-December: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (168^th operating temple)

                       

2020:

Mid-February: Oakland California Temple Rededication

NOTE: Although the First Presidency has indicated that this temple would be rededicated prior to the end of 2019, the fact that it is a considerably older temple leads me to believe that will not take place until early 2020 at earliest, but I could see that being pushed back further as well.

Mid-to-late March: Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Dedication (169^th operating temple)

Mid-May: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid June Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication

Mid-August: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

Mid-November: Washington DC Temple Rededication

2021:

Mid-to-late April: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Rededication

NOTE: I heard that 2018 and 2019 could be big years for temple groundbreakings. If that proves correct, then many other new temples could also be dedicated during 2020 and 2021. It also seems safe to assume that other temple renovations will be announced, which will in turn necessitate subsequent rededications. As the next two years unfold, I will have a better idea of when such events may occur, and they can then be added to the other estimates above.