Report On the General Women's Session, including how my predictions turned out

Hello. As you are all aware, the General Women's Session concluded just a little bit ago. As expected, it was an inspiring meeting.

When the sister who was conducting stood up to begin the meeting, it was Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women General President, instead of Relief Society General President Linda K. Burton. I was baffled by this at first. I had been so sure that I had the rotation pattern for speaking and conducting in that session down. Then something told me to check another document of mine, on which I have kept a record of those patterns since they started doing the General Women's Meeting. By doing so, I learned that I had the pattern down correctly, and that, when I wrote down my predictions when I originally made them, I did list Sister Oscarson, but that somehow between the time I wrote that down and the time I transferred those predictions to the main document for my other conference-related predictions, I had mistakenly input Sister Burton. This was an oversight and error on my part.

The long and the short of this explanation is to say that, since I had it correctly in the areas where I track my predictions for the session, but I somehow input the wrong name when putting together the rest of my predictions for the speaking order, I am giving myself credit for having it correct. I do apologize for the oversight.

In the meantime, it was good to see that most of my other predictions turned out to be correct. We did hear from Bonnie H. Cordon, who was sustained as Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency last April. Since we had heard from Jean B. Bingham, First Counselor in that new presidency, during the last General Women's Meeting that was held in October, and since we have not heard from the new General President of the Primary, Joy D. Jones, as of yet, my thinking is that we will for sure hear from her during either the Saturday or Sunday Morning General Sessions next week.

I also correctly predicted that Carol F. McConkie would be the one to speak from the Young Women General Presidency, and that President Henry B. Eyring would represent the First Presidency in speaking tonight.

That said, what did surprise me is that General Relief Society President Linda K. Burton was the one who represented her presidency in speaking. In following the rotational pattern that has typically prevailed in terms of the Relief Society Presidency, they have spoken in the General Women's Meeting at an interval of every three conferences. Since Sister Burton last spoke last April, and her first counselor, Sister Stephens, spoke last October, I was certain it would be her second counselor, Sister Reeves. Unless Sister Burton is asked to speak twice during this General Conference, which has happened on rare occasions for general auxiliary leaders, the Church could have decided to let this be the last address by a member of her presidency, and to have the General Primary and General Young Women's presidency members take the two traditional slots. Time will tell. At this point, I could see either happening.

The messages were inspiring, and it was awesome to hear the counsel that was shared. Additionally, one other fact about this meeting solidifies my feeling that we will have a new General Relief Society Presidency announced during the Saturday Afternoon Session next weekend: Both the opening and closing prayers for the meeting were offered by members of the Relief Society General Board, signalling that something is in the works.

A couple of things struck me as odd about this meeting: At the beginning, when she opened the meeting, Sister Oscarson mentioned that President Monson had asked her to conduct this meeting, but there was no mention of him presiding or even being in attendance. This made me worry more than just a little, and for the two or three hours that followed the end of the meeting, I wondered if we would have a similarly anomalous situation as existed during the declining years of Presidents Kimball and Benson, where the prophet was not well enough to attend, and his counselor(s) took care of things instead. However, those fears were allayed completely when my trusted local news (KSL, which is partially or entirely owned and controlled by the LDS Church) reported that President Monson is fine: he is just conserving his energy in preparation for next week's General Conference.

This takes away my worries on that count, but it does mean that either President Monson's funeral tribute to Elder Glenn L. Rudd was not as lengthy as many (including myself) were originally led to believe, or that he merely forced himself to rally long enough to pay that tribute to his good friend and colleague. President Eyring, who spoke with strength and emotion, looked very worn and more than a little gaunt, and even President Uchtdorf is looking older and considerably more burdened, no doubt due to the extra strain and work they have had in view of whatever President Monson's condition might be at this point. I would venture to say that it is getting more serious, which is somewhat expected as he has not been well for years, and spoke for less than 10 minutes total last conference.

And we must also consider that, no matter how ill he has been in the last couple of years, he has always been in attendance at every General Conference session. There was one General Conference a few years back (I verified through checking that it was in October 2011) where President Monson was late to the first session and gave his "opening address" after the mid-session congregational hymn. And he did have a security guard close behind him when he did stand up to speak then. As far as I know, the exact reason for this unusual occurrence was never fully explained, though Church public affairs did note that he was somehow delayed in en route to the session.

Getting back to tonight, the fact that he did not attend is indicative that his condition, such as it is, may be worsening, but we will know more about that based on what happens next weekend. In the meantime, I will do a post this weekend that is long overdue to give an update on the latest apostolic averages, but it is sufficient now to note that the Brethren are getting older, and whatever slack there is is having to be picked up by the other rank-and-file Church leaders on down the line. I continue to be grateful for a perfect system of succession that allows for what should happen in the event of the decline of any of the leading Brethren.

But to get back to speaking of those of the leading Brethren of the Church who were in attendance at tonight's meeting, instead of listing specific names, Sister Oscarson merely said that the General Women's auxiliary presidency members appreciated the support of the General Authority brethren who are members of the Priesthood and Family Council, who were in attendance. A look at the end of the meeting indicated that these brethren are Elders Jeffrey R. Holland, D. Todd Christofferson, and Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse. I too appreciate their service on the Priesthood and Family Council.

Even though there are so many questions in my mind right now about why things were done the way they were done during this General Women's Meeting, I am not at all disappointed by the way things turned out. I am now looking forward more than ever to General Conference next weekend, and I am most excited to share the news and developments thereof with all of you who are always so willing to read and respond to my thoughts on subjects like these that are so important to me.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support, concern, and feedback. It is in knowing that my thoughts are being read and having influence and impact that I can continue to offer them. More to come later this weekend as time and circumstances allow. Thanks again to you all.

General Conference Predictions--Final Version

As the General Women's Meeting gets underway in about two hours, I am posting the final version of my General Conference predictions, complete with the final list of my temple predictions. After quite a bit of feedback that has molded my choices in that regard, I have rounded it off to be the best I feel it can be. I have also reorganized it and prioritized it better. So I have no doubts that I will have some things right, and I am also very certain there will be lots of surprises as well. It will be great to see what happens.

That said, here it is. Stay tuned later on tonight for my report of the general women's meeting. As always, comments are welcome. I appreciate the feedback and support.

April 2017 General Conference Predictions

Speaking Order (Text in brackets indicated what actually happened.)

Session	Conducting	Speaker
General Women’s	Linda K. Burton	Bonnie H. Cordon
		Linda S. Reeves
		Carol F. McConkie
		President Henry B. Eyring
Saturday Morning	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf	President Henry B. Eyring
		Ulisses Soares
		Linda K. Burton
		President Russell M. Nelson
		Elder O. Vincent Haleck
		Elder Weatherford T. Clayton
		Elder David A. Bednar
Saturday Afternoon	President Henry B. Eyring	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Sustaining of Church Officers)
	Church Auditing Department Report, 2016	Kevin R. Jergensen
	Statistical Report, 2016	Brook P. Hales
		Elder Robert D. Hales
		Elder M. Russell Ballard
		Elder Larry Y. Wilson
		Elder Ian S. Ardern
		Elder Ronald A. Rasband
		Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Saturday Priesthood	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf	Elder Dale G. Renlund
		Douglas D. Holmes
		President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
		President Henry B. Eyring
		President Thomas S. Monson
Sunday Morning	President Henry B. Eyring	President Thomas S. Monson
		Elder L. Whitney Clayton
		Joy D. Jones
		Elder Neil L. Andersen
		Bishop Gerald Causse
		Elder Dallin H. Oaks
		President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Sunday Afternoon	President Dieter F. Uchtdorf	Elder Gary E. Stevenson
		Elder Gary B. Sabin
		Elder Yoon Hwan Choi
		Elder Quentin L. Cook
		Elder Jose A. Alonso
		Elder S. Mark Palmer
		Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Changes in General Church Leadership

General Authority Seventies: New General Authorities sustained from Area Seventies or Church at large. NOTE: Since the Church has stopped differentiating between those of the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy, any new General Authorities will simply be sustained under the general title of General Authority Seventies. RESULT:

Relief Society General Presidency: Linda K. Burton, Carole M. Stephens, and Linda S. Reeves released as Relief Society General Presidency, new Relief Society General Presidency sustained. NOTE: It has been customary of late for general presidencies to be changed every 5 years. Since the above-named individuals have served since 2012, it would make sense if they were released and a new presidency called. It is anyone’s guess, however, as to if any of the current presidency will be retained in a new presidency. RESULT:

Area Seventies: Releases and sustainings. NOTE: It has been customary for most changes in area seventies to take place in April, when President Uchtdorf leads out in the sustaining vote, and for only a few to take place in October, when President Eyring leads out in the sustaining. Since we are talking about an April General Conference, it would make sense if a lot of changes happened this go-round. ADDITIONAL NOTE: The following Area Seventies have been called to serve as mission presidents and will be among the many releases: Pedro U. Adduru, Angel H. Alarcon, Winsor Balderrama (Sejas) and Abenir V. Pajaro. RESULT:

2016 Statistical Report

Stakes	3,266
Missions	421
Districts	545
Wards and Branches	30,207
Total Church Membership	15,932,508
Increase in Children of Record	114,655
Converts Baptized	310,646
Full-Time Missionaries	90,517
Church Service Missionaries	33,410
Temples Dedicated during 2016 (Provo City Center, Sapporo Japan, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Fort Collins Colorado, Star Valley Wyoming, Hartford Connecticut)	6
Temples Rededicated during 2016 (Suva Fiji, Freiberg Germany)	2
Temples in Operation by the end of 2016	155

Temple Predictions:

3+ temples announced in any of the following locations (first in alphabetical order of the Church’s geographical areas under which they fall, then by city and country):

Africa Southeast: Nairobi Kenya

Africa West: Freetown Sierra Leone; Lagos Nigeria; Kumasi Ghana

Central America: Managua Nicaragua

Europe: Budapest Hungary; Vienna Austria

Idaho: Pocatello Idaho

Mexico: Puebla Mexico

North America Central: Missoula Montana; Rapid City South Dakota; Des Moines Iowa; Madison Wisconsin;

North America Northeast: Richmond Viriginia; Augusta Maine

North America Northwest: Salem Oregon

North America Southeast: Bentonville Arkansas; Jackson Mississippi

North America Southwest: Fort Worth Texas;

Pacific: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

South America Northwest: Santa Cruz Bolivia;

South America South: Neuquen Argentina; Valparaiso Chile

Utah North: Layton Utah

Utah South: Lehi Utah

NOTE: Temples in Brazil are usually a great possibility, given the ongoing, extensive rate of growth there. However, with one currently under construction (Fortaleza); one with construction pending (Rio de Janeiro); and one announced (Belem Brazil), a new Brazilian temple doesn’t seem likely for at least a couple of years. I won’t rule it out, but it seems others might take precedence. When new Brazilian temples are next announced, the most likely order for the next four or five temples are: Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Salvador; and/or a second for Sao Paulo, which is the fastest growing Brazilian city with the strongest Church presence. Additionally, a temple in Kampala Uganda seems warranted at some point in the near future, but the temple in Nairobi Kenya would serve the Saints in both countries for at least a few years. I wouldn’t rule out a Ugandan temple by 2030 if not before, and I will keep an eye out on things and make a determination on that later. I anticipate at least one temple announcement in the United States, because we have one under renovation in Utah, and two more US temples scheduled for renovation, but the dedications that will happen later this year mean that we will have no US temples in any stage of construction after the Cedar City Utah temple is dedicated in December. And that would be a first in a very long time, assuming it has happened at all previously.

RESULT: The following (# of temples goes here) were announced, much to my great delight:

Temple Construction Progress Report Update

Hello, all! As additional progress has been reported on several temples, it is once again necessary to post an update about those developments. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think. Thanks.

Temple Construction Progress Update (current as of 3/23/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 4 scheduled for dedication; 7 under construction; 3 more have construction pending, but all of them are anticipated to commence construction before (or at least by) the start of Summer 2017; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 2 renovations scheduled; 8 announced. NOTE: With two groundbreakings having already taken place this year, we could see several others before too much longer. For all of the announced temples that have not yet had a groundbreaking, I offer my best-guess estimate for when that might happen, to which I have recently made adjustments and corrections. One correction is noting that we might only see one other groundbreaking this year, though it seems that one is not as imminent as I originally was led to believe.

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple: Plaza water features operational; accepting reservations for public open house (which will run from Saturday April 22-Saturday May 13 (excluding the Sundays of April 23 and 30 and May 7)); dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

157. Tucson Arizona Temple: Additional lighting tests underway; accepting reservations for public open house beginning Monday May 15, 2017; (which will run from Saturday June 3-Saturday June 24 (excluding the Sundays of June 4, 11, and 18)); dedication scheduled for Sunday August 13, 2017.

158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Monument sign installed; interior work progressing; dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Installing glass; hanging drywall on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017.

Under Construction:

160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2018.

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Making concrete pours for window openings and to seal tops of concrete block walls; completion anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2018.

NOTE: For the two temples above, they seem to be interchangeable in terms of which one might potentially be completed and dedicated first. I am trying to keep an eye on any and all developments and will adjust their listings as necessary once more is known.

162.  Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Sheathing exterior walls with rigid foam insulation; steel framework for cupola installed; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

163. Concepcion Chile Temple: Exterior cladding progressing on north wall; planting palm trees on west side; monument sign poured; waterproofing membrane attached to east wall; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

164. Durban South Africa Temple: Setting rebar and concrete forms for temple exterior walls; preparing to pour floor slab for missionary housing; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

NOTE: For the two temples above, they seem to be interchangeable in terms of which one might potentially be completed and dedicated first. I am trying to keep an eye on any and all developments and will adjust their listings as necessary once more is known.

165. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Erecting structural framing for temple tower; completion anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

167.  Lisbon Portugal Temple: Excavation completed for temple foundation; structural framing going up for meetinghouse; completion anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Construction pending:

166. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; awaiting commencement of full-scale operations, which may occur in April or May 2017 (construction currently delayed by a very bad Canadian winter); completion anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

NOTE: Once construction commences, it is anticipated to last around 20 months (approximately 1.67 years.) It is a smaller edifice that is being built to at the moment serve just the one stake in Manitoba. So it might be completed sooner than that. It all depends on how soon construction will be able to start, and how quickly it progresses after that.

168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday March 4, 2017; awaiting commencement of full-scale operations (which is anticipated ASAP); completion anticipated sometime during mid-2019.

NOTE: Once construction commences, it is anticipated to last around 24 months (2 years) in view of it being the one and only building on the project.

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday March 4, 2017; awaiting commencement of full-scale operations (which is anticipated ASAP); completion anticipated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

NOTE: Once construction commences, it is anticipated to take roughly 28 months (2.25 years) to complete. This is because there are neighboring construction projects involved that will all be worked on simultaneously.

Rededication Scheduled:

8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; accepting reservations for public open house beginning Monday April 3, 2017; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2018.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; building basement addition for new baptistry; rededication anticipated sometime during early-to mid-2018.

Renovation Scheduled:

13. Oakland California Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in February 2018; rededication anticipated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in March 2018; rededication anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

                                                                  

NOTE: In view of the fact that we have already had two temple groundbreaking events so far this year, it is entirely possible that we might see site announcements and groundbreakings for other temples in the near future. That said, it is interesting to consider that, while some of those groundbreakings might be more likely than others, ultimately, it is more difficult than I originally believed to try and pinpoint how soon those groundbreakings are likely to take place. Wanting to be as conservative in my estimates as I am able to be, I have adjusted some things. As always, I would be gratified to hear of such events happening much sooner than anyone expects. But for the moment, it seems wise to make some adjustments. Thanks.

Announced:

170. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Approval and construction preparation phase; site announcement and groundbreaking anticipated sometime later this year.

NOTE: While the site announcement for this temple has been anticipated since the president of the Church’s Africa Southeast Area stated it would happen sometime this year, and while I would love to see a site announced just before, sometime during, or shortly after General Conference and to see a groundbreaking happen sometime between the dedication of the Paris France Temple and the rededication of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, I am not as confident as I once was in predicting that it will happen within that time frame. I will be more conservative, therefore, and say that whenever we do have a site announcement, the groundbreaking could take place sometime between mid-and-late 2017.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; temple site confirmed; groundbreaking not announced.

NOTE: On Sunday March 12, while presiding at a stake conference for the area in which the first Haitian temple will be built, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles officially announced and confirmed that, just as members in the area had speculated, the plot of land behind an existing meetinghouse on the Route de Freres (French for “The Route of Brothers”) had been purchased as the official site for the first Haitian temple. While such site announcements generally signal that a groundbreaking might shortly follow, there is reason to believe that it will take the Church at least a year to plan and design the edifice to conform to government regulations and to be acceptable to the locals. It therefore makes sense to adjust my estimate here and to say that a groundbreaking could happen by early-to-mid 2018.

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

NOTE: There is more than sufficient reason to believe the current speculation being perpetuated to the effect that, in the mold of the already-existing multi-purpose buildings that house not only an office building but a meetinghouse and a temple as well (they are now known as the Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York Temples), a similar renovation and rebuilding might happen to a Church-owned office building in Bangkok. If it happens that way, we could see construction there commence with a groundbreaking by early-to-mid 2018 as well.

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

NOTE: This temple is the last of the four announced in 2016, and is unique already for two reasons: First, this temple will make Lima Peru the third city in the world to have a second temple announced. The other two are in Utah: South Jordan and Provo. Second the name for this second temple for the capital city of Peru is Los Olivos, and the fact that there is a Los Olivos district in Lima gives us some indication as to the general area in which this temple will be built. These facts are sufficient grounds to surmise that this temple is ahead of the others listed below that were announced first. Considering all of this leads me to conclude that we could see a groundbreaking held for this temple sometime during mid-2018, if not indeed before.

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

NOTE: The growth in Cote d’Ivoire has really taken off in the last several years. It is interesting to note that, even though this first Ivory Coast temple has not yet had a site announcement or groundbreaking, the astonishing growth developments that are ongoing have led some to speculate that the Ivory Coast could have another temple or two announced at some point before the first one is completed. Time will tell. In the meantime, it seems more than likely that construction could commence on this first one with a groundbreaking ceremony held sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

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

NOTE: Ecuador’s second temple is set to be built in that nation’s capital city. The new temple was announced around 33 years after the first Ecuadoran temple in Guayaquil. The time intervening between the announcement of that temple and when it was actually dedicated still stands as the longest such period in Church history. It is my personal hope that the second temple for this nation will not be subjected to so many delays. Given how much the Church has expanded throughout South America of late, I will venture my estimate that we could see a groundbreaking for this temple sometime during late 2018-early 2019.

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

NOTE: Because Brazil ranks as one of the very fastest growing nations in terms of the Church’s presence there, the announcement of the ninth temple in Brazil brings it closer than any other nation to the number of operating temples in Utah. (The December dedication already scheduled in Cedar City will bring the number of Utah temples to 17, which means that Brazil is more than halfway there. If there is any merit at all into what I have heard about possible future temple sites for Brazil, the number of Brazilian temples could increase by at least five within the next 15-20 years or so, and perhaps more than that may be under active consideration right now. Getting back to the Belem temple, construction might officially be underway there sometime during early-to-mid 2019, which would ensure that Brazil would continue to have at least two temples simultaneously under construction for the next two years

177. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Stalled in planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

NOTE: While it is true that this temple is technically ahead of those above by virtue of it being in the planning and approval phase, it has been almost 6.5 years since this temple was announced. That is a most significant delay. As noted above on the listing for the Quito Ecuador temple, the first Ecuadoran temple (built in the city of Guayquil) is remembered for being the temple that had the longest known interval in Church history between its announcement and its groundbreaking (a time period that spanned 14 years, 4 months, and 10 days, which rounded to the nearest hundredth of a year is 14.36. It is my sincere hope and belief that we will never again see such a lengthy period of time between any other site announcement and groundbreaking. All going well, I could definitely see a groundbreaking for the Urdaneta temple somewhere around mid-to-late 2019, if not before.

NOTE: Given how much progress we have seen with temples recently, it is not hard to believe that we will see many more temples announced in the near future. There have been reports of several cities that have already had a site purchased already. These four have been identified by name: Managua Nicaragua, Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Bentonville Arkansas, and Missoula Montana. If other potential temples have had a site purchased, they have yet to be identified as such. As the apostles travel, they sometimes have felt impressed to publicly propose a temple for the areas they visit. Such temples have been proposed in New Delhi India (in June 1992 by Elder Neal A. Maxwell; may not be likely due to the prevailing political and religious obstacles to such an edifice); Vilnius Lithuania (in May 1993 by Elder M. Russell Ballard); Nairobi Kenya (in February 1998 by President Gordon B. Hinckley; this temple might have an official announcement within the next year or so, as Kenya ranks as the 10^th of the top ten countries with the most Church members without a temple); Maracaibo Venezuela (in August 1999 by President Hinckley); Singapore (in January 2000 by President Hinckley); for the Southwest Salt Lake Valley (in October 2005 by President Hinckley; NOTE: While some contend that this temple announcement has already happened, verifiable sources widely available prove otherwise); Managua Nicaragua (in January 2012 by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson; the fact that it has not only been publicly proposed but has had a site purchased for it makes it very likely; it is also the 1^st of the top ten countries with the largest LDS presence without a temple); Missoula Montana (sometime in 2014 by Elder David A. Bednar; while the report of this proposal has yet to be verified, the fact that there has been a purchase of a temple site seems to indicate that it is a most imminent possibility); and for the Kasai Region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (in February 2016 by Elder Neil L. Andersen). I have heard many reports of several more temple sites being procured, but the nature of those reports are such that they have yet to be verified.

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 report.