KSL Story: LDS Church condemns sexual assault; BYU Student Response Council Announced

KSL has been closely following developments related to the reported cases of sexual assault at BYU. The Church has been unequivocal about its condemnation of these heinous acts. In order to better deal with cases of sexual assault at BYU, a council has been formed from among the BYU leadership that will handle all facets of investigating such instances. I was happy to see the Church's response to this matter. Sexual assault is never okay, and my heart bleeds for those who have been affected by such things. I try to think how I would feel if I found out that someone I knew had that happen to them. I'd want to find those responsible and tear them apart with my bare hands. Some people are inclined to blame the victims, saying that they "brought those things upon themselves." It is far better for all concerned when this issue can be publicized and when steps can be taken to ensure this behavior does not go unpunished in anyone. You can find out more about this public response to this epidemic by following this link. Thanks for your readership and interest.

Missionary Dress Code updated to allow sun-protected gear

This just in: The Church has announced that, in an effort to ensure missionaries can be protected from the hot sun, especially during the summer, "simple and conservative sunglasses" and :wide-brimmed hats" may now be worn. This is the first time in Church history that I know of that has seen protective sunwear has been added to the missionary dress code. If I am in error on that point, please let me know. How wonderful it is to know that the Church is so concerned about protecting our missionaries from the elements. Have a great night!

Major Church News Items

Hello, dear readers! Several items of import relating to Church News have crossed my radar, and I wanted to share some of this wonderful news with you.

First of all, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, returned to his homeland in the Czech Republic this last weekend to create the first stake in that nation. This is a monumental achievement for the Church. He was accompanied by some members of the Europe Area Presidency and several Area Seventies. You can read more about this here.

New temple presidents have been announced for the Cochabamba Bolivia, Gilbert Arizona, Anchorage Alaska, Curitiba Brazil, Kyiv Ukraine, and Panama City Panama temples. I am not at home at the moment and will post an updated list of new temple presidents later on today, as time and circumstances allow.

A Church News article featured a biography of Joaquin Esteban Costa, which you can find by clicking on the link above. I can't find a source to prove it, but I believe that the new Elder Costa may be somehow related to Claudio R. M, Costa, who was called to the Seventy in the '90's.

Finally, the biggest change: With a newly-published list of temple-related developments, it will be noted that many temples that fornerly had a potential site announced, with the exception of the two nearest to having a groundbreaking announced, have been updated to say that a site announcement is still pending/ As I am still at work, I will not be able to post an updated list to show you what temple progress looks like now. Instead, I will direct you to this link, where temple progress can be viewed.

There is a lot going on on the Church News front. I will keep my eyes and ears peeled for such news and will let you know, as time and circumstances allow, what the latest is. In the meantime, I haven't forgotten my promise to post a much-needed personal update--that has just been put on hold indefinitely until I have more time to write it. As always, any news of the Church will trump personal updates for me every time. Thanks yo much to you all for your readership and interest.