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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Reprioritized list of cities most imminently likely for a future temple

In the comment thread on the LDS Church Growth blog, the discussion has recently turned to what cities might be most imminently likely for a temple announcement in the near future. I took the opportunity with that discussion to reprioritize my list of possible cities and am posting the results of my labor. I have tried to list them in the order I feel they are most likely to be announced. As always, if I am in error on any of these locations, please let me know. I appreciate the feedback.

Managua Nicaragua (publicly proManagua Nicaragua (publicly proposed by Elder Russell M. Nelson in 2012; land has been purchased for such a temple there when Church membership and activity warrants it; it is the #1 country with the most LDS members without a temple)

Port Moresby Papua New Guinea (again, such a site has already been purchased and is awaiting the need for it; it is the #2 country with the most LDS members without a temple)

Bentonville Arkansas (site purchased and awaiting till Church membership and activity warrants it; appears to be the #1 contender for the next temple in the United States)

Freetown Sierra Leone (the #6 country with the most LDS members without a temple; may be needed due to extensive Church growth)

Kampala Uganda (the #8 country with the most LDS members without a temple; may be needed due to extensive Church growth)

Nairobi Kenya (the #10 country with the most LDS members without a temple; may be needed due to extensive Church growth)

Lehi/Layton Utah (we have not had a new temple announced in Utah since 2015; among the many possibilities, Lehi and Layton seem to be the most imminent)

Budapest Hungary (according to a comment on my blog, this will be the next temple announced in Europe; seems to be the most imminent possibility)

Pocatello Idaho (this is the largest Idaho city without a temple; Rick Satterfield’s home city)

La Paz Bolivia (I favor this location because my former bishop and good friend served his mission there)

Fort Worth Texas (this is the city in Texas with the largest LDS presence without a temple)

Puebla Mexico (according to a comment on my blog, this is the most likely city for the next temple in Mexico)

Missoula Montana (according to reports, Elder Bednar publicly proposed this temple during a stake conference; while the nature of that proposal is questionable, this appears to be a very likely city for Montana’s second temple)

Brasilia/Belo Horizonte/Salvador Brazil (in the order listed, they are the top three Brazilian cities with the strongest Church presence without a temple)

Jacksonville Florida (this is, according to Rick Satterfield, the most likely location for Florida’s third temple)

Benin City/Lagos/Port Harcourt Nigeria (in no particular order, they are the top three Nigerian cities that may be considered good candidates for temples)

Richmond Virginia (on my blog, three cities in Virginia were mentioned as possibilities to host a temple, and of the three, Richmond appears to be the best option, in addition to being the capital city)

Chile (Antofagasta/Valparaiso/Santiago (2nd temple), any of which may be excellent candidates for the next Chilean temple)

Kumasi Ghana (#1 Ghana city with the strongest LDS presence without a temple)

Neuquen Argentina (mentioned as a possibility on my blog)

Edinburgh Scotland (someone mentioned on my blog that a temple was likely in the near future for either Scotland or Ireland, and Rick Satterfield said on my blog that, of the two, Scotland was more likely)

Rapid City South Dakota (while a possible temple might serve only one or two stakes at best, the temple in Winnipeg makes this a very likely possibility; I personally favor this city for a temple because my dad served his mission there)

Salem Oregon (mentioned as a near-future possibility through a comment on my blog; also is the capital city, which makes a great center for a future temple)

Tacoma Washington (the same comment that mentioned the previous city mentioned this one as well, which appears to be as good as any other possibility)

Montpelier Vermont (as the capital city, seems to be the best place for Vermont’s first temple)

Missing detail about our courtship/Our yearly renewed engagement/My anniversary present to Amy

In reading over what I had written regarding the story of how Amy and I got together, I forgot one important detail. Those who may have read that post already will recall that, when I proposed to Amy, I apologized for not having a ring for the occasion, which she said was okay. During the week that followed, we searched for such a ring that would be perfect for the woman who had given me her hand. In the process, we tried several rings. Amy had told me that she wasn't one of those girls who measured the level of the love her man had for her by the size and price of the ring. She made it clear that, while she wanted some say in what I bought her, ultimately, it would be my decision. When she said that, I made a list of my qualifications. As corny as it may sound to anyone else, the requirements were exactly as follows: simple but elegant, inexpensive but priceless. And with that in mind, the ring saleswoman found the perfect one. Before slipping the ring on her finger, I took the opportunity to propose again, this time much more simply.

Proposing was such a wonderful experience that, when I contemplated the love we shared and the wonder I felt at her continuing acceptance, love, and devotion, I expressed to Amy my desire to propose anew to her every year on the anniversary of our engagement. So, for the last six years, on the night of Independence Day, Amy takes me to the grounds of the Mount Timpanogos Temple and I propose to her again. The words are always different each year, and some years have been better than others, but it is a most wonderful tradition. For 2016, while she slept or was involved in doing her own things, I felt that the turmoil of the last year warranted a special proposal, so I got my thoughts and feelings down in a letter, in which I included a song whose tune I had borrowed from a country song, but for which I had written  new lyrics that highlighted the way we met and married. If any of you would like to review those lyrics, please click here.

I felt that this year for our anniversary, since Amy had last year found us rings inlaid with the traditional fifth-year wedding gift of wood, and because we have been having such a hard time lately, a special gift was in order. I was able to order that gift on my birthday via a special offer that only applied for that day. I hope Amy will like it, and that it will, even in the smallest part, atone for and make up for my many mistakes and my selfishness, which has been an issue to a certain degree during the entirety of our marriage. Believe me when I say that this was the very least I could do to show my love for her. I am hoping that the gift will arrive before Christmas. Thanks.

Apostolic Age Statistics

Having needed to lay low over the weekend, and, due to not being able to do much as a result of my negative reaction to the medication I have now been taken off, I have let many possible blog topics slide for a few days, one of them this one I am doing now, and the other one a massive general Church news update, which I hope to be able to get to within the next few days.

It is time once again for that time-honored tradition I have of letting my readers know about the latest apostolic age averages. Note that the averages I will mention here are current as of Sunday the 18th.

As of last Sunday, the age of the First Presidency is averaged at 83 years even. In the meantime, the average age of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is 74.55 years, while the average age of the 15 apostles together is 76.24. Nothing has changed in terms of who is closest to these averages. It is President Eyring for the First Presidency, who marked 83.55 years on Sunday. The Quorum of the Twelve is an even split between the Quorum of the twelve Apostles, with Elder Holland (at 76.04 years) as the youngest of the oldest half, and Elder Christofferson (at 71.90 years) as the oldest of the youngest half. Of the 15 apostles, Elder Cook (who, at 76.28 years, is the 7th oldest and the 10th in seniority) and President Uchtdorf (who, at 76.12 years, has the distinction of being in the 8th position in terms of both age and seniority) who are the closest to that average.

With the unpredictability of my health situation and what will happen in terms of celebrating the holiday season with both my family and Amy's family, I can't honestly say at this point whether or not there will be another such report before the year changes. But I will weigh everything appropriately in the balance and will post again on these averages as soon as I feel I can. Thanks for your readership. Any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated.