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.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband Celebrates His 67th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! Due to the volume of Church & temple news I have covered lately and in view of some health issues I have had to deal with in recent days, it almost slipped my mind that Elder Ronald A. Rasband's birthday was today. So as he has marked his 67th birthday, it is time to share some information about his life here on this blog in commemoration. Let's dive right in to all of that.

Ronald Anderson Rasband was born to Rulon Hawkins Rasband and Verda Anderson in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 6, 1951. He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and encompassed the whole New York Metro area, while also stretching into western New York and Pennsylvania. 


He married Melanie Twitchell in 1973, and together they raised five children. He studied at the University of Utah, and would later receive an honorary doctorate degree in business and commerce from Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) in 1995. Joining the Huntsman Container Company as a Sales Representative in 1976, he was appointed president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation 11 years later, working closely with Jon Huntsman Sr. and later serving on the board of directors of that company. 


He has been a bishop, Temple Square missionary guide, member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee, and, from 1996-1999, president of the New York New York North Mission. On April 1, 2000, he was sustained a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. His assignments have taken him all over the world. He served as First Counselor in the Europe North Area from 2000-2001; as First Counselor in the Europe Central Area from 2001-2003; as President of the Utah Salt Lake City Area from 2003-2004. He served from 2004-2005 as Executive Director of the Temple Department. 


On August 15, 2005, he was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy. As a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, he had supervisory responsibility for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas (from 2005-2007), and the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas (from 2007-2009). When Elder Neil L. Andersen was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in April 2009, Elder Rasband became the Senior President of the Seventy, and, as such, was assigned a role to assist in all areas in the United States and Canada.

In October 2015, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund called at the same time, he became the 13th in apostolic seniority. Within the last 4 months, the deaths of Elder Robert D. Hales and President Thomas S. Monson have resulted in his becoming the 11th most senior apostle. He is also the 8th most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the 6th oldest member of that Quorum, and the 9th oldest overall of the currently 13 apostles.

Depending on the ages of the two new apostles that will be called in April, the standings above could change. In the meantime, I also wanted to note that Elder Rasband has had 11 opportunities to address us in General Conference, 5 as an apostle, 5 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and 1 following his April 2000 call as a General Authority Seventy. You can review any of those here.

As soon as Elder Rasband's call to the apostleship was announced, I had confirmation from the Lord that He had approved and directed that call. I always appreciate hearing what Elder Rasband has to say, and it has been my privilege to put together this post in tribute to his birthday.

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.

Mesa Arizona Temple Visitor's Center To Close Indefinitely

Hello again, everyone! I learned just a short while ago that Daniel Woodruff, the Church spokesman that commented on the closures of the Visitor's Centers that I mentioned on this blog a few days ago, also released information that the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitor's Center will close in conjunction with the previously-announced closure of the temple on May 20 of this year.

The interesting thing about that is that, according to the statement released by Brother Woodruff, this closure will be for an indefinite period, since the Church will be evaluating the need for its' continued operation and will plan accordingly. This article provides more detail on all of that.

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.

Full-Scale Renovation Efforts Begin on the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple

Hello again, everyone! A week or two ago, after once again adjusting my thoughts on the probable time-frame for future temple-related events, I noted that, depending on whether or not the renovation efforts for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple were reported as being underway prior to that occurring for the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple, I might have to switch my thoughts again. I found out just a short while ago that full-scale efforts have begun on the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple, while nothing has been reported as changed on the status for the renovation of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple.

The update of which I have become aware is that the construction fence has gone up and that the equipment for the renovation process is on the site of the temple. While the general time-frame for the completion of both the Baton Rouge Louisiana & Asuncion Paraguay Temples both remain at mid-2019, I may need to adjust the more specific time-frames I have offered.

Those estimates were mid-to-late August for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple and mid-to-late October for the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple. I will do some additional study as I am able to do so, and will post adjustments once I have them.

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,

President Nelson Presides Over His First Stake Conference As Church President

Hello again, everyone! One of the main roles of the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is to assign the members of that Quorum to preside at various stake conferences throughout the year. At some point or other, President Nelson indicated he would preside at the Stake Conference that was scheduled to be held today for the Salt Lake Granger Stake. As we know, President Nelson became the President of the Church three weeks ago today, and he elected to keep that assignment, which marked the first Stake Conference over which he presided as Church president. The report of the remarks he and his wife made during that conference can be found in this article.

Another interesting tidit that I found in that article was the fact that President Nelson's personal secretary was in attendance as well. Brother Don H. Staheli is no stranger to secretarial work. Some of you may know that he was President Hinckley's personal secretary. Following the death of the 15th Church president, Brother Staheli went on to serve a mission with his wife, and, following their return, he served as the Secretary to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he was still in that position at the time that President Nelson became Church president. It seems very fitting that President Nelson would want to have Brother Staheli as his personal secretary now, since he has been proven through years of devoted service to the leading Brethren of the Church.

This all seemed significant to me, and I am grateful to have been able to pass it on to you. 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 Updates

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again now to share some updates on various temples worldwide. So let's dive right in and discuss those latest developments. First, I wanted to note that, as of today, there are 12.17 years between now and April 6, 2030, which will mark the Church's 200th anniversary. As I have previously noted, whether or not the Church makes an official goal to do so, because of Elder Wilson's statement about the list of 80 temples that are being considered for an announcement between now and late April 2032, the Church would just need to announce 18 other new temple locations, and complete each of those, along with the 23 others in various phases. If that can be done within those 12,17 years, the Church will have 200 temples operating by that bicentennial anniversary. That could very easily be accomplished.

Next, I wanted to pass along the news that, on Friday, the Church noted in this article from the Ghana Mormon Newsroom that the statue of the angel Moroni on the temple in Accra had been replaced. Plans to replace that statue were originally made in 2011, but for a variety of reasons, that was not able to occur until now.

Towards the end of last month, this article about the progress on the Rome Italy Temple quoted some of those men working on that project as saying that that temple was anticipated to be turned back over to the Church by May of this year at earliest.

With that in mind, it seems clear that any finish work the Church needs to complete on it after that happens could easily be completed as the fourth quarter of this year begins, which in turn would enable a dedication of that temple before the end of this year. I am keeping an eye on this temple and will post any updates as I receive them.

In the meantime, while we know that the dedications for the Concepcion Chile and Barranquilla Colombia Temples are likely to occur at some point prior to that of the Rome Italy Temple, new information that was the result of further study on my part seems to point to the idea that the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple may have its' construction conclude before the end of this year, but that its' dedication may not occur until the early months of next year. I will also be monitoring that.

And, as I reported late last week, new information received about the Fortaleza Brazil Temple indicates that its' completion is more likely during early-to-mid 2019 than mid-to-late 2019 as was thought as recently as a few days before that.

Aside from these things, the only other temple-related developments that have occurred in the last few days relate to those temples undergoing renovation. I noted a couple of days ago as well that the rededication estimate for the Frankfurt Germany Temple has been pushed back yet again, and is now anticipated to be delayed until the early months of 2019.

In the meantime, a minor update on the status of the Memphis Tennessee renovation shows that structural framing for the steeple has been completed. And in a major update on the status of the renovation process in Oklahoma City, it has been noted that structural framing has gone up for the steeple base, that exterior walls are being sheathed, and that the process of roughing in the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems is making progress.

And while we have yet to see any additional progress on the Raleigh North Carolina renovation, and are also waiting for updates on the renovation process underway in Asuncion Paraguay and Baton Rouge Louisiana, some additional study on my part indicates that, depending on what occurs in the next two weeks, the Baton Rouge renovation could be underway at any point before that process begins in Asuncion. I am also monitoring these developments and will be sure to post updates when I receive them.

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.

Miscellaneous Church News Articles

Hello again, everyone! There has been a lot of Church news stories in the last week or so which, because I was covering other subjects here, I was not able to pass along. It is time to remedy that right now. There's a lot to discuss, so let's dive right in.

First of all, the Church has continued its' cooperative efforts with friends of other faiths. This article describes how, in Central America, members of the Church joined with Muslim representatives in a gathering to discuss the importance of religious freedom. It was neat to read about that.

Next, descendants of Mormon pioneers that participated in the 1846 Exodus of the Church from Nauvoo Illinois (which, as we know, culminated in the Saints entering the Salt Lake Valley here in Utah on July 24, 1847), put on a program commemorating the sacrifice made by those early Saints in order to escape persecution. You can read more about that here.

The Church News also reported a couple of devotional addresses at Church-owned institutions, including this one given on the campus of BYU-Provo regarding the subject of sexual assault, this one highlighting the importance of lifelong learning (which was given on the BYU-Hawaii campus), and this one from the campus of the LDS Business College, which focused on how we can become people of substance and worth.

The Church News also shared an article about new features in the Friend magazine during 2018, which can be found here. It has been interesting and gratifying to see how Church magazines have changed over the years to more effectively meet the needs of a growing and more diverse Church.

Another article noted the 60+ years in which the Church has had a presence in Taiwan, including highlights of important Church milestones that occurred in that nation, and a look at what the Taiwanese members of the Church hope for in the future.

Then, just within the last few days, the Church News published this article by Sister Neill F. Marriott, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, who highlighted the importance of adult leaders engaging their youth groups in meaningful discussions on lesson topics.

As I may have previously noted, I was blessed in my years of being in various Aaronic Priesthood quorums to have adult leaders that were already very much following most (if not all) of the suggestions that are now being given more focus in these Church news articles by the General Presidencies of the Young Men and Young Women, and it is wonderful to hear the confirmation from these brothers and sisters of the high importance of such principles.

As the "Meet the Mormons" Church campaign is preparing to mark its' fourth year running, the Church News ran this article to pass along the news that this campaign will culminate in one last video later this year, and those vignettes will continue to run in Visitor's Centers around the world following the end of the campaign.

Continuing the series of articles about the new Church leadership, the Church News shared this article that reintroduced President Eyring to the Church membership. As some of you may know, he is the only man to have served in the Presiding Bishopric, as a General Authority Seventy, as an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and in the First Presidency. So it was really neat to read that article and to be reminded of how well President Eyring has been prepared for the callings that have come to him throughout his life.

And the final article I wanted to focus on for this post covered the funeral services for Elder Von G. Keetch. As some of you may know, President Nelson's first wife passed away in 2005, and he remarried around a year later. From what I read in this article, it appears that when funeral arrangements were being planned and when the Keetch family expressed their desire to have the Church leadership represented at this funeral, President Nelson, as one who lost a spouse himself, elected to represent the leading Brethren in presiding at and speaking during this service.

Also in attendance were Elders Bednar, Cook, Christofferson, and Andersen, all members of the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric, other currently-serving and emeritus Church leaders, and several auxiliary presidency members. And Elder L. Whitney Clayton, as the Senior President of the Seventy, was asked to conduct the service. In addition to President Nelson and the children of Elder Keetch, Elder Lance B. Wickman, who serves as the Church's general counsel as an emeritus General Authority, and who knew Elder Keetch well, spoke during the service.

It was awesome to read about all of this wonderful Church news, and I am pleased to have been able to bring a report of it to you today. 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 Known Temple-related Events During the Next 3-4 Years

Hello again, everyone! As I promised to do, I did some additional research into factors that may affect the timing of temple-related events, and I updated my estimates for those events based on my findings. This process involved considering what was known about the status of the temples involved, the best information I could find on climate and weather issues that may affect the timing of these events, and anything else I was able to ascertain regarding how feasible such estimates might be.

The updated estimates follow below. Since so much has changed in this regard just within the last 24 hours or less, I have no doubt that there will be plenty of other changes as this month progresses. The only constant in such estimates is that they continuously change. Those updates 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 (confirmation of official closure date is pending)

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

Sunday October 14 or 21: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple)

Sunday December 9 or 16: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple)

2019:

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

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

Mid-March: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late April: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

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

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

Early-to-mid June: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid August: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late August: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

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

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

Mid-December: Oakland California Temple Rededication

NOTE: While the Church has indicated that this temple’s rededication is anticipated during 2019, it is one of the older ones, and, as such, if the renovation process is delayed for any reason whatsoever, its rededication could be pushed back into 2020.

                       

2020:

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

Mid-to-late April: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

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

Early-to-mid September: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication         

Mid-November: Washington DC Temple Rededication

2021:

Mid-May: 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 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.