Church News Article about New Primary General President Joy D. Jones

Hello. I am posting again today to let you all know that this weekend, the Church News ran an article about Joy D. Jones, who was called and sustained in April General Conference as the new Primary General President. As part of that article, it does give her exact birth date. I don't know the reason for this, but for some reason, the last several years, the Church has omitted information on the exact birth date from official Church publications except the Church News. I don't think any of the female auxiliary leaders are bothered if the Church knows their exact birth date, and it doesn't make much sense that in most cases the Church is just providing either just their birth years or their birth months and years. It makes no sense that the Church does this for women, but always gives a month, day and year for men. To read this most excellent article, please click here. Thanks.

4th edition of cities that are most likely to get a temple soon

In light of new information I've heard of and comments and feedback I have been given, I am posting to give a 4th edition of the list of locations most likely to get a temple in the near future. Enjoy!

1. Managua Nicaragua Temple (proposed in 2012 by Elder Russell M. Nelson; note that Nicaragua is the nation with the strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase; note also that Rick Satterfield, webmaster of the most excellent LDS Church Temples site, has informed me that a temple site has been purchased in this city for when membership warrants it )
2. Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby; note that Papua New Guinea is the nation with the second strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase; note that this is another location for which Brother Satterfield said a potential temple site has been purchased when membership warrants it. )
3. Puerto Rico (San Juan; note that Puerto Rico is the nation with the third strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase
4. Russia (Moscow; the Church seems to really be expanding in Russia; note that Russia is the nation with the fourth strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase)
5. Kiribati (Tarawa; note that Kiribati is the nation with the fifth strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase)
6. Sierra Leone (Freetown; may be announced soon due to extensive Church growth in Africa; note that Sierra Leone is the nation with the sixth strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase)
7. American Samoa (Pago Pago; note that American Samoa is the nation with the seventh strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase)

8. Uganda (Kampala; may be announced soon due to extensive Church growth in Africa; note that Uganda is the nation with the eighth strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase)

9. Cambodia (Phnom Penh; please note that Cambodia is the nation with the ninth strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase; I favor this location because my brother-in-law served his mission there)
10. Nairobi Kenya Temple (proposed in 1998 by President Gordon B. Hinckley; note that Kenya is the nation with the tenth strongest LDS presence that doesn't have a temple in any phase)

11. Bentonville Arkansas (According to my team leader at work who served a mission in that region and who follows Church milestones there religiously (pun intended), a lot for a temple has already been purchased there and an announcement of that temple will happen when Church growth warrants it. How soon that will be remains to be seen.)
12. Montana (Missoula; identified by Elder David A. Bednar as a potential temple site)
13. Southwest Salt Lake Valley Temple (proposed in 2005 by President Gordon B. Hinckley; the site has already been purchased and an official announcement will happen when Church activity warrants it)
14. DR Congo (Kasai region/Likashi; recent extensive and expansive growth in the DR Congo seems to bear out the inevitability of a second and even third temple for this region. A temple for Kasai region was publicly proposed by Elder Neil L. Andersen in February of this year)
15. Hungary (Budapest; the difficulty in getting to the Kyiv Ukraine temple, along with growth in the area, makes it a good candidate for a temple)
16. Nigeria (Lagos/Benin City)
17. Ghana (Kumasi)
18. Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar; I favor this location because a good friend served his mission there. The growth of the Church there may be indicative of the need for a temple.)
19. Bolivia (La Paz; I favor La Paz because my favorite bishop, a close friend, served his mission there. He shared a little bit of Bolivian culture with our ward during his service as bishop because, in addition to giving each returning missionary their plaque, at the conclusion of their service, he also gave them a Bolivian abrasso)

20. South Dakota (Rapid City; I favor this location because my dad served his mission there)

21. New Zealand (Auckland)

22. Indonesia (Jakarta; a site I favor because a good friend served his mission there)
23 Wyoming (Cody; makes more sense for a potential temple than Cheyenne)

24. Idaho (Pocatello; the one major city in Idaho that does not already have a temple)

25. Spain (Barcelona, which seems more likely as a temple site than Malaga, where a good friend served her mission; note that I feel there will be a temple in both cities in the future)
26. Tooele Utah (a somewhat overlooked site that makes sense)

27. Heber Utah  (could be a dark horse choice, as it would be unexpected but needed)
28. Mapleton Utah (another site that could benefit from a temple; how likely it is remains to be seen)

29. Scoland (It was brought to my attention that Ireland or Scotland would be a good location for a temple. Of the two, I think Scotland is more likely, and Brother Satterfield agrees with me; though it's admittedly another dark horse candidate.)

30. Czech Republic (Ostrava; I’m sure President Uchtdorf would love to see a temple in his homeland)

31. Lehi Utah (I favor this location because my wife grew up there and it seems to be expanding at an astonishing rate, including the LDS presence)
32. Texas (El Paso/Corpus Christi/Fort Worth; of the three I don't know which I favor more or might be more likely: El Paso has more of a Church presence, but Corpus Christi is a region familiar to my mom who served part of her mission there and a good friend of mine served her mission in Fort Worth , so any one of the three would be good)

33. Austria (Vienna; I favor this location because my wife served her mission there)
34. Norway (Oslo; another dark horse choice)

35. Guatemala (Guatemala City (2nd temple))/San Cristobal)

36. Mexico (Mexico City (2nd temple))/Quezon City)

37. Chile (Santiago (2nd temple))/Valparaiso)

38. Philippines (Manila (2nd temple))/Quezon City/Davao
39. Argentina (Buenos Aires (2nd temple)/Bellville/La Plata)
40. Brazil (Sao Paulo (2nd temple)/Belo Horizonte/Brasilia (Note on Brasilia: Brother Satterfield has told me he thinks this is a very likely possibility)
41. Ivory Coast (One or two additional temples; might be needed due to extensive growth in the area)
42. Honduras (San Pedro Sula)
43. India (New Delhi; temple publicly proposed by Neal A. Maxwell in June 1992)
44. Lithuania (Vilnius; temple publicly proposed by M. Russell Ballard in May 1993)
45. Venezuela (Maracaibo; temple publicly proposed by Gordon B. Hinckley in August 1999)
46. Singapore (temple publicly proposed by  Gordon B. Hinckley in January 2000)
47. Vietnam (Hanoi; may be a bit early for a temple; but the odds for it are increased by the fact of Vietnam granting official recognition to the Church earlier this year, especially as any Vietnamese Church members are travelling a long distance to the nearest temple.

I am predicting that the Church will announce at least 3 temples this General Conference, whether they be in the US or other parts of the world. I would love to see new temples announced in the US, as it has been 3 years since any temples were announced here. I have tried to prioritize the information based on fact, but a lot of it is just how I feel. Please let me know what you think. One thing is sure: only 23 temples have to be announced before we reach 200.

As an overview of temple progress, it appears we are looking at 155 completed temples by the end of this year, with 159 by the end of 2017, and potentially as many as 164 by the end of 2018. We have 2+ temples that may be scheduled for groundbreaking soon, with another 4 that may soon also have a site announcement and groundbreaking scheduled. The remaining 4 are still in the planning phase. With such remarkable strides in temple progress, hitting 200 operating temples by April 6, 2030 (the 200th anniversary of the Church's organization) may be very doable. And if, within the next 10 years, even half of those on this list along with some others are announced for unexpected locations, that makes it even more likely.

I will keep an eye on all temple-related developments and you can be sure to find them here. Hope you have enjoyed this post. Thanks for reading and, if you feel so inclined, leaving comments/suggestions for improvement and consideration.

Important Temple Milestone Reached/Articles about Tabernacle Choir European Tour

A significant temple milestone was reached today as the majestic figure of the Angel Moroni was hoisted to the top spire of the Tucson Arizona temple. This milestone is significant. In fact, Rick Satterfield, the webmaster of the LDS Church Temples sites reports that the temple is more likely to be finished late in 2017 than early in 2018. I will keep an eye out for all further temple news and post it here. This was exciting to hear, especially since I thought with the July apostolic recess, no temple news would be reported or milestones reached. I have never been more delighted to be proven wrong.

In other Church News, the Tabernacle Choir has continued its European tour. Please see this article and this article for details.

What an exciting time to be alive!