Update: President Monson's Health Condition

I know that my report of general conference news and information is still pending, but I wanted to share news I just received and my assessment of it, which partially has to do with my General Conference observations. More developments from General Conference are coming shortly, but I am working on a couple of post-conference things that are important to me. That said, here's what I know:

As has been the custom in the four general conferences prior to the one that took place this weekend, President Monson only spoke twice, and the combined length of his remarks was less than 10 minutes. Additionally, he was only in attendance at 3 of the 6 sessions of General Conference last weekend.

During his brief remarks in the Priesthood and Sunday Morning Sessions, he spoke of topics of import. While my wife and I had no problem whatsoever understanding what he was saying, I was initially surprised that his remarks were captioned. But my wife observed that the intent there might have been to prove to the Church and its many critics that President Monson is capable of accurately delivering verbatim the messages he has prepared. In spite of the brief and captioned remarks and his not being in attendance at sessions in which he did not speak, I was pleased to hear his messages.

That said, on both occasions, I had the distinct feeling come to me that these might be his last addresses as Church President. I have been wrong before in so saying and feeling, as many of you have been so kind as to observe, but I cannot help feeling that he might not live to see his 90th birthday. I hope I am off base here, but it seems to be possible.

This is even more true in light of the brief breaking news that was shared near the end of the 5:00 pm newscast on KSL. It was reported by the Church about an hour ago that President Monson has been hospitalized.

The news releases I have read have been reassuring as to his condition, with the statement from the Church spokesman that President Monson is all right, and that the hospital stay is anticipated to be very brief.

That said, another local news outlet, the Deseret News, also released an article about our prophet's health condition, both what it has been in general recently, and what it now is. So I am not sure what to make of that report. Click here to read that article, which includes emphasis on what happens in the event a Church President is ill, if and when he passes away, and also what happens when other leading Brethren fall ill. Also, click here to read the report that was posted on KSL.com, which is the website for my favorite local news (that local station is, as before noted, at least partially or fully owned and operated by the Church).

It is looking more and more likely that President Monson might pass away very soon, if not as imminently as many think or speculate. I hope that he will have the chance to see his 90th birthday (which is about 4.5 months away) and the 10th anniversary of his tenure as Church President (which will happen in less than 10 months), but I am not as sure as I once was that he will reach either milestone. I will post more on this as I find out more.

For now, this is the update I wanted to share. Feel free to share your thoughts about President Monson's condition. I am trying my best to moderate comments as they occur. I am not wiling to enable required approval prior to allowing such comments to be posted, because it is a hassle I don't need. But to make things easier for me, I would ask and request that any comments stay respectful. I would urge us all to follow the advice of Thumper's mother in Bambi: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Any comments that are disparaging or criticizing about our prophet, me or anyone else who comments on this thread will be deleted as spam as soon as I learn of them. Thanks for helping to keep the discourse civil.

It is my hope that we will all continue to keep our beloved prophet and Church President in our prayers. Thanks again.

Two Significant Temple Related Articles/Updated Temple Construction Progress Report

In light of the wonderful progress that has been made in temple construction, it has once again become necessary to post an update to my temple construction progress report. Before doing so, however, I would like to share two articles that have recently come to my attention, both about temples. This one is about temples that have been, are being, or will be renovated in the near future. This one is an article featured on Mormon Newsroom about the progress that has been made in temple construction in the last six months or so since last General Conference. Both are well worth reading.

That said, here is my latest temple construction progress report. Let me know what you think. Thanks for taking time to read and respond to this. I appreciate you all!

Temple Construction Progress Update (current as of 3/29/17)

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: Construction completed; 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: Interior finish work 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; architectural finishes being installed; dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Interior paint and millwork installation underway; dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017. 

Under Construction:

160. Rome Italy Temple: Angel Moroni installed on March 25, 2017; Christus and apostle statues installed at visitor’s center; completion anticipated sometime during early-to-mid 2018.

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Concrete block set in place for base of tower; 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: Pouring main floor exterior walls; support structure for baptismal font poured; 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 at least 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 years. 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. 

Final Version of Near-Future Temple Possibilities

After further excellent feedback on my list of temples that are most likely to be announced soon, I have felt to revise my choices in the following manner. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated, but I doubt I will be making any additional changes to this list until after General Conference unless it is absolutely necessary. Thanks.

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

Asia: Phnom Penh Cambodia; Jakarta Indonesia

Central America: Managua Nicaragua

Europe: Budapest Hungary; Vienna Austria

Idaho: Pocatello Idaho

Mexico: Puebla Mexico

North America Central: Missoula Montana; Green Bay Wisconsin

North America Northeast: Richmond Virginia

North America Northwest: Salem Oregon

North America Southeast: Bentonville Arkansas

North America Southwest: Fort Worth Texas

Pacific: Auckland New Zealand; Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

Philippines: Davao Philippines

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.