BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Next Major Temple Construction Announcement Made

Hello again, everyone! With the trend of major temple construction announcements being made every Monday at 2:00 PM continuing, this post is being prepared in advance of the next such announcement today. It will be updated with official details as time and circumstances allow today. While those updates are in progress, the ability to comment on this post may be temporarily unavailable. My thanks once again to you all.

UPDATED: Current Apostolic Data

Hello again, everyone! It has been a tradition on this blog for me to provide updates on apostolic data every 7 weeks. Having last done so on Sunday, September 8, it is time to publish the newest such data. As with every two-part update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 17 Church Presidents, in addition to updated information on the tenure lengths for each of the 28 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

The first document likewise notes information on the tenure length rankings for three sets of apostolic groups: the longest-serving First Presidencies (with the current First Presidency now moving up on that list), the longest-serving groups of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles (the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), and an overview of when each of those current groups will move up on the list. As previously noted, the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and apostolic group will not join that list until 2027, assuming no other apostles pass away between now and then.

Meanwhile, the second part of today's update shows the long-form and decimal ages for the members of the current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the same data for the combined First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to the average ages of each group and apostolic nonagenarians (with 3 of the current 15 apostles being on that list), and a final table showing the remaining time between today and when each of the other 12 apostles will become nonagenarians and join that list. Please note that, although his 100th birthday is not until tomorrow, President Nelson's decimal age is already 100.00, rounded up to the nearest hundredth.

With these apostolic data updates coming every 7 weeks, the next update will be posted here on the morning of Sunday, December 15 (which will be the last such update for this year).

Hopefully, this post is of interest to you all. Again, I offer an open invitation to ask anyone who has any questions about those documents to ask them here. I continue to monitor any and all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines.

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Next Major Temple Construction Announcement Made

Hello again, everyone! With the trend of major temple construction announcements being made every Monday at 2:00 PM continuing, this post is being prepared in advance of the next such announcement today. It will be updated with official details as time and circumstances allow today. While those updates are in progress, the ability to comment on this post may be temporarily unavailable. My thanks once again to you all.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Next Major Temple Construction Announcement Made

Hello again, everyone! With the trend of major temple construction announcements being made every Monday at 2:00 PM continuing, this post is being prepared in advance of the next such announcement today. It will be updated with official details as time and circumstances allow today. While those updates are in progress, the ability to comment on this post may be temporarily unavailable. My thanks once again to you all.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Next Major Temple Construction Announcement Made

Hello again, everyone! Although 20 new temples were announced just yesterday, with the trend of major temple construction announcements being made every Monday at 2:00 PM continuing, this post is being prepared in advance of the next such announcement today. It will be updated with official details as time and circumstances allow today. While those updates are in progress, the ability to comment on this post may be temporarily unavailable. My thanks once again to you all.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: President Nelson Announces 20 New Temples

Hello again, everyone! As I had projected, President Nelson just concluded General Conference by announcing 20 new temples. The temples will be built in the following locations:

Of the newest 20 temples, I had the following temples down to the exact correct location:

I had the correct general area but the wrong specific location for the following temples: 

I was not anticipating the following temples:

In view of this announcement, there are now 370 temples in any phase. Of those 370, President Nelson has announced 50.8% of them. 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.

For my part, 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.

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.

Elder Ulisses Soares Observes His 66th Brithday

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased at this time to honor Elder Ulisses Soares, who is celebrating his 66th birthday today. As I've mentioned previously, Elder Soares has a most unique life story and background, and I am grateful to share some thoughts about him with you all. Ulisses Soares was born on this day in 1958 in São Paulo Brazil to Apparecido Soares and Mercedes Carecho Soares. He has European and Amerindian ancestry. When an aunt joined the Church, that was how the Soares' family first learned of the gospel. His parents, after being taught by the missionaries, were baptized when young Ulisses was five years old.

Regarding his experience with worshipping in the Church during his growing-up years, his small branch would meet in a tiny rental place that was located above a bakery. He served a full-time mission in Rio de Janeiro, Upon his return, he connected with Rosana Fernandes Morgado, who had served in the same mission at around the same time, but whom he had not met until after they both had returned. The two were married in the São Paulo Temple, and together they raised three children

His academic experience involved studying at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, from which, in 1985, he received a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting. He then continued his studies at the;National Institute of Postgraduate Study, where he earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration. He spent his professional career working for several multinational companies (one of which was Pirelli Tire Company) as an accountant and an auditor. Donald L. Clark, who at that time was serving as director of temporal affairs for the Church in Brazil, convinced him to take a job with the Church as a senior auditor.

When Brother Clark was asked to serve as a mission president, Brother Soares took over for him as director of temporal affairs. He went on to fill a special assignment for the Church's Presiding Bishopric. Within the Church, Elder Soares has served as an elder's quorum president, counselor in a bishopric, stake high councilman, and as a regional welfare agent.

When the São Paulo Brazil Cotia Stake was created in 1995, Elder Soares was called as the first president thereof. 5 years later, he served a three-year term as president of the Porto Portugal Mission. Less than two years after his return (during the April 2005 General Conference), he was called as a General Authority Seventy.

As a General Authority Seventy, he served as First Counselor in the Brazil South Area.from 2005-2007, as First Counselor in the Brazil Area from 2007-2009, and as President of that area from 2009-2011. He served from August 2011-January 2013 as First Counselor in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency, at which point he was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy, with responsibility for the North America Southeast Area. Then, in November 2015, Elder Soares was reassigned to oversee the Idaho and North America Central Areas of the Church. He still had oversight of both of those areas in 2018.

On March 31, 2018, Elder Soares was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he was ordained an apostle on Thursday April 5, 2018. He thus became both the first Latter-day Saint apostle from Brazil and the first one from Latin America. Elder Soares has had many opportunities to grow into his assignment. In the time he has has served as a general authority, he has given a total of 18 General Conference addresses, with the first 2 given as a General Authority Seventy, 3 more as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 13 given since his call to the apostleship. His talk during this weekend's General Conference will bring his apostolic total to 14, and his grand total to 19.

I testify without reservation or hesitation that the Lord inspired President Nelson to call Elders Gong and Soares as apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I gratefully and wholeheartedly sustain all 15 “special witnesses of Christ” in their divinely-inspired and doctrinally-supported roles prophets, seers, and revelators in their roles and responsibilities as special witnesses of Christ, and am grateful to have been able to provide this birthday tribute to Elder Soares today. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Ground Broken for the Cody Wyoming Temple

Hello again, everyone! According to new reports in the Newsroom and the Church News, ground was broken this evening for the Cody Wyoming Temple. The reports indicate that Elder Steven R. Bangerter, First Counselor in the North America Central Area, presided, while Elder Kevin R. Duncan, Executive Director of the Temple Department, conducted the services. 

Given the public opposition to the temple, I can understand why the groundbreaking was not announced in advance. As previously mentioned, this temple will be a modular one, and the modules are currently on an adjacent property. 

Once construction gets underway,  it could take only 18-24 months, which would put its' completion sometime in mid- or mid-to-late 2026, assuming construction can begin soon and continue without disruption. With this unexpected additional temple groundbreaking, a total of 13 have been announced thus far for 2024, in contrast to the 8 from 2023.

I am grateful to have learned of this unexpected development and to be able to pass it along to you all here. 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.