Minor Progress Reported on the Arequipa Peru Temple

Hello, all! This will just be a brief post to provide a minor update on the construction of the Arequipa Peru Temple. While I last reported that that temple was having rebar set for the main floor structural walls (as of yesterday), I got word today that rebar had expanded to the second floor structural walls. That was great to hear about, and I am happy to pass that minor update along. For now, any comments are welcome and appreciated, as they always are. Thank you for the privilege of your time, and until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Church Announces Removal of Restrictions on Who Can Serve As Temple Workers

Hello, everyone! Though this is somewhat older news (an article about it was originally published a few days ago), I was reminded of it just a few minutes ago and realized I hadn't focused on it in a blog post. This article, published in the Deseret News (the parent company of LDS Church News) describes how Church leaders have determined that both divorcees and single adult men over 30 years of age can serve as temple workers. This is somewhat big news. As a former temple worker myself, I remember how some of my former colleagues had to discontinue their temple service either because they reached the age of 30 or because, through no fault of their own, their marriages ended abruptly. This news especially touched me because I remember one particularly good brother who had served several years in the temple with his wife who had to be released because she found someone else. It was heartbreaking to hear about that. This news continues to demonstrate the Church making great strides to recognize that people in both of these unique situations may not always be so by choice. I applaud the Church's compassion in making this adjustment. Just wanted to note that, for what it may be worth to anyone. For now, thank you for the privilege of your time. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Average Age Update For the Apostles

Hello, everyone! Given how I am feeling right now (my wife and I have felt unwell all weekend, and I was unable to get up and get going until about an hour ago), I won't be able to do the promised full-scale update on apostolic statistics. I did, however, want to share an update on the average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the 15 apostles overall.

With President Eyring having marked his birthday last May, President Monson six days ago, and President Uchtdorf's birthday coming up in November, their total years of life experience have now reached 251.07 years, and that averages out to 83.69 years.

As we are all aware, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is ranked not by age as it was originally, but by date of call and ordination. The birthdays of our quorum members go from January (for Elder Christofferson) to December (for Elder Holland), and the busiest month for apostolic birthdays is August each year, when 5 (1/3) of our current 15 apostles celebrate their birthdays. With that in mind, the life experience of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve stands at a total of 902.82, with the average age of that Quorum standing now at 75.24 years.

With simple addition, we conclude that the total life experience of all 15 apostles stands just short of 1154 years (it will probably be just above that by next week), it now stands exactly at 1153.90, which averages out to 76.93 years.

While we can clearly see how the deaths of President Packer and Elders Perry and Scott in 2015 and the subsequent calls of Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund in October that year have lowered those averages substantially, there are still so many who claim that the Church should enact some kind of emeritus status for the apostles (I have heard both 85 and 90 floated around commonly). But the practice of apostles serving for life is divinely directed, as is the process by which Church administration passes from one group of apostles to the next. Since the Lord is the one who put that into place, He is the only one who can change it, and I can guarantee he never will. Elder Bednar spoke in 2015 about the importance of the practice of LDS apostles serving for life, and he shared at that time the valuable lessons he had learned from the last General Conference addresses of the following Brethren:

Presidents James E. Faust (who passed away on August 10, 2007), and Gordon B. Hinckley (who passed away on January 27, 2008), Elders Joseph B. Wirthlin (who passed on December 1, 2008),and L. Tom Perry (who passed away on May 30, 2015), President Boyd K. Packer (who passed away on July 3, 2015), and Elder Richard G. Scott (who passed away on September 22, 2015).

If an emeritus status had been enacted for any of these Brethren, we would have missed the wonderful lmessages they were able to share in their final conference talks. I remember how much I was touched by each of these final messages. There is a reason why the Brethren always have and always will serve for life. I testify that this is true. And, as I have mentioned more frequently of late on this blog, you can be sure that anyone who suggests anything else, unless they are the President of the Church or representing him, are not being moved upon by the spirit of the Lord. It will never happen.

I testify that this is true and leave this information and this post with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.