Further Progress Made on the Concepcion Chile Temple

Late last night and again this afternoon, in checking the LDS Church Temples website, I was elated to discover that further progress has been made on the Concepcion Chile Temple beyond what I had reported yesterday.

Yesterday, I noted that the steeple framework was being installed. That installation has finished. Additionally, walls have been poured for the guardhouse and they are working on paving the main entrance.

As I noted yesterday, it is wonderful to see such stunning progress happening in temple construction. This will always be special to me not only because of my six-year service as a temple worker, but also because it was at the same temple I worked where I met and later married the woman of my dreams. I had always been fascinated by temple progress before then, but now I glory in each wonderful construction milestone.

I will never forget the statement made by George Q. Cannon (though I had always heard it attributed to Brigham Young) to the effect that every temple built and dedicated lessens the power of Satan on the earth. I

n an era of the dispensation of the fulness of times when we will shortly have 156 temples dedicated, think how much the power of Satan has been lessened since we started building temples. It is staggering to think of.

And I am of the opinion that it is more than likely that we will see 200 temples by the 200th anniversary of the restoration and reestablishment of the Lord's Church here on the earth (which will happen on April 6, 2030). Just think how much that will lessen the power of Satan. And to think of faithful saints worldwide frequently sacrificing everything just for one visit to these sacred places of worship is awesome to think about.

As I have previously mentioned, in my six years serving at one of these temples, in two shifts per week, I calculated I was helping roughly 100 patrons per week in the labor of redeeming the dead. Multiply that by millions of workers working millions of shifts and helping millions of patrons, and the number of the redeemed dead becomes staggering.

I look forward to the day when the Savior will return on the earth. Can you imagine sitting in an April General Conference of the Church presided over by Jesus Christ and hearing a statistical report detailing a Church billions of members strong? It will be wonderful.

Let us work towards such a goal with all our hearts. Let us move forward unceasingly in the labor of redeeming the dead with the knowledge that the work we do is recorded in heaven and will one day be known to all the world. That this may be our goal and our glorious end result is my humble prayer in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Updated Temple Construction Progress Report

Though it has only been four days since I last posted a temple construction progress report, so much has gone on that I need to post the newest version of that report again. Some notable milestones have been reached, and we are blessed to be firsthand witnesses of that progress. I love posting these updates, and in so doing, I sincerely hope I am not boring anyone. My main desire in making this a focus of my blog posts is to let my readers know about the remarkable progress of a work that, in view of my six-year service as a temple worker, is so near and dear to my heart. As always, let me know your thoughts. I can't guarantee I will no longer post about this if it is tiresome to you, but I always appreciate your honest feedback. That said, here is my latest report:

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 11/15/16)

Current Temple Status: 154 operating; 2 scheduled for dedication; 10 under construction; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 11 announced (With up to 3 that may soon have a groundbreaking scheduled).

Dedication scheduled:

155. Hartford Connecticut Temple: Preparing for dedication; dedication scheduled on Sunday November 20, 2016.

156. Paris France Temple: Interior work underway; open house and dedication dates announced; scheduled to be dedicated on Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:

157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Adding landscaping structures; installing fence posts and lamp posts; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.

158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Installing sprinkler systems and planting bushes; installing window frames and art glass; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.

159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Pouring concrete parking lot; adding landscaping structures; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.

160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime in the first half of 2018.

161. Concepcion Chile Temple: Steeple framework going up; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.

162. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Building the exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.

163. Durban South Africa Temple: Foundation columns poured; fencing the property; storm water system in place; landscaping entrance mounds; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.

164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Exterior walls rising; completion anticipated sometime between 2018 and 2019.

165. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Erecting structural framing; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.

166. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Temple site cleared; preparing to pour meetinghouse footings; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.

Scheduled for rededication:

8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; finish work underway; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in late 2017.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in 2018.

Announced:

167.  Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Permitting phase; temple fireside held September 11, 2016; groundbreaking anticipated in early 2017.

168. Arequipa Peru Temple: General contractor selected; groundbreaking pending.

169. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Construction preparation phase; plans approved by local government; groundbreaking pending.

170. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

173. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

174. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

175. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

176. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

177. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Key:

Bolded numbers and text denote temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.

Italicized numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.

Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Red text denotes changes from the last posted temple progress update.

Important Posts by Matthew Martinich

Matthew Martinich, webmaster of many blogs, has one blog about Church growth that has become a favorite of mine. He recently did a couple of interesting posts: this one about how there may be as many as 100 new stakes by the end of 2016, and this one about the stakes outside North America that are most likely to split in the near future (some perhaps by the end of this year). Both are very interesting posts well worth reading. Rather than commenting here on these posts, I invite you to share any comments you have on the LDS Church Growth Blog itself. Thanks so much for your readership.