Minor Developments Reported on Several Temples

Hello again, everyone! About 9 hours or so ago, I became aware of minor developments that had been reported on several temples, but because of everything that happened today, I have not been able to pass those along until now. So what are these developments, and why are they significant? Let's talk about that.

A week and a half after the angel Moroni statue was placed on the Barranuqilla Colombia Temple, the temple grounds have been brightened by the placement of red pavers and green sod. At the same time, several sources available to me also changed the completion estimate of this temple, retaining the fact that its completion is anticipated more certainly to occur in late 2018 rather than possibly not doing so until early 2019. This development more or less confirms what I had suspected for a while.

That said, I also wanted to note that there has been no similar clarification on the Rome Italy Temple. Between expert opinions and my own research, it seems that, barring a miracle, we will only see the Rome Italy dedication in early 2019. I am not ruling out a miracle that would enable that dedication to occur before the end of next year, but it seems unlikely at this point.

Additionally, just over four weeks following the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple groundbreaking, we are still waiting for word that would confirm full-scale efforts are underway there. Because I have heard from a few sources that the construction process might only take 12-18 months, I see no reason why this temple could not be completed in early-to-mid 2019, especially if full-scale efforts begin by April or May 2018. By that same time, full-scale efforts are anticipated to begin for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple as well.

Another significant development to note is the fact that the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple renovation is moving along nicely, with a new report showing that the spire has been removed and that the removal of the exterior cladding is also underway now. I also wanted to note that, as far as I know, no progress has been reported on the Asuncion Paraguay Temple renovation process, which will have been underway for around a month later this week. I have been trying to check, but have not found anything that would indicate the extent of that process, for which I hope progress might be reported later this week as well.

With seven weeks exactly left in 2017 (we will observe New Year's Eve at that time), I don't know how much or how little progress we might see on temples for the rest of the year. I hope for significant developments on all fronts, including perhaps an official announcement of at least one (but hopefully more) temple location and groundbreaking, even if the actual events are only held in the early months of 2018.

I also hope that we might see more dedications announced (including the rededication for the Frankfurt Germany Temple), but don't know how likely that is. As many will recall, the open house and dedication dates for the Tucson Arizona, Meridian Idaho, and Cedar City Utah Temples were all announced in January of this year. I assume (but cannot say definitively) that all of those were announced so far in advance because of the interest of the general public in the relevant areas. I don't recall any temples outside the US having a dedication process announced that far in advance. If, as I suspect, the Frankfurt Germany Temple rededication is set for next August, the announcement for that event (along with any others) could come anytime within the next 4 or 5 months,

Thanks for wading through this information. I am keeping an eye out for any and all temple-related developments and will pass along any updates as soon as I am able to after learning about them. And, if all goes according to my plans, I will be back later this weekThat does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time, Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Temple Site Possibilities--Asia Area, Part Two: Potential New Temple Locations

Hello again, everyone! Having set the background in my last post about the current temples in the Asia Area that are in operation (with the one other that has been announced), I am now pleased to turn my attention to the future possibilities I see for new temples within that area. Let's dive right into that topic.

My study has shown that the following cities could potentially get a temple of their own, and that this could happen sooner rather than later: Phomn Penh Cambodia; Jakarta Indonesia; Taichung Taiwan; Ulaanbaatar Mongolia; Singapore; Hyderabad/Rajahmundry India. So why did each of these locations make my list? I'm glad you asked.

The Cambodian capital city originally made my list because my brother-in-law served his mission there. But as I did more studying on the prospect, the case for a Cambodian Temple is compelling for at least a couple of reasons. Saints in that nation currently travel to Hong Kong to attend the temple, an inordinate distance of 965 miles, almost five times further than President Monson's goal to have temples within 200 miles of every member.

When the Bangkok Thailand Temple is dedicated, that distance will be cut just about in half, to 436.6 miles. Even that is more than twice that of President Monson's goal. So Cambodia would qualify by distance alone from both its current temple district, and the one under which it would fall once the Bangkok Temple is dedicated. Additionally, Cambodia ranks as #9 of the top ten countries with the strongest LDS presence but without a temple.

Jakarta Indonesia is another location with a strong case in favor of a temple. Someone with whom I served in Aaronic Priesthood Quorums served his mission there, but the more compelling reason for a temple in this nation is once again the distance issue..Indonesian Saints currently travel a whopping 2,033 miles to attend the Hong Kong China Temple.

That distance will be cut only slightly (to 1,919.4 branches) once Indonesia is transferred to the Bangkok Thailand Temple District. But even then, the distance between the two is more than 9.5 times further than President Monson's goal. So an Indonesia Temple makes sense.

Though the Taipei Temple only covers 17 stakes (with 108 wards and 9 branches) the total 117 congregations there are spread throughout Taiwan. And the Saints in the Taichung area have to travel 104.1 miles to attend the temple. While that is below the 200 mile goal, I can certainly see the case for a Taichung Temple.

Ulaanbaatar Mongolia is another location in which a temple makes sense. In addition to the number of Church units which I cited for Mongolia in my last post, it is significant to me that the Saints in Mongolia have a journey of 1,805 miles to get to their currently assigned temple  Unless plans change, Mongolian Saints will continue to be served by the Hong Kong China Temple once other nations are shifted to the Bangkok Thailand Temple district. So based on mileage alone, a temple in Mongolia will likely be built sooner rather than later.

We next turn our attention to the possibility of a temple in the nation of Singapore. In addition to the information already cited about the number of Church units within that nation, I wanted to again note the distances involved. Right now, the Saints in Singapore are 1,609 miles away from the Hong Kong China Temple.

Once the Bangkok Thailand Temple is dedicated, that distance will be cut to 1,136 miles. That is still almost six times more distant than President Monson's goal. Additionally, President Gordon B. Hinckley publicly proposed a temple for Singapore in January 2000. As one who has followed temple developments extensively, I know that President Monson has announced several temples during his administration that were publicly proposed during that of his prophetic predecessor, so I could see a Singapore temple happening sooner rather than later.

Now, to the final possibility I have on my list: in India. In addition to the number of Church units already noted, it is significant to me that Elder Neal A. Maxwell publicly proposed a temple for New Delhi in June 1992. That said, both Rajahmundry and Hyderabad seem to have a stronger Church presence and therefore a better chance that either will be the better option for the first temple in India.

With the political unrest in India and with the bulk of the citizenry adhering to Hinduism, the Church may not yet  be mature enough in that nation to see a temple. Some have ventured their opinion that a temple in India is more likely 15-30 years down the road, That is why I have listed the India option last among these possibilities. The Lord can announce a temple wherever He wills and wherever the people are ready for it, and while I would love to see an LDS temple in India in the near future, it may be more distant than anyone thinks.

That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Particularly, do you agree with my list, are there possibilities I should eliminate, or any that I may have overlooked? I look forward to the feedback. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Temple Site Possibilities: Asia Area--Part One: Current Temples

Hello again, everyone! As many of you know, around a month ago, I began a new series of posts to share my thoughts about future temple site possibilities within each of the Church's geographical areas and to ask for your input on those locations or any others I may have missed, with a view to refining that list prior to the next General Conference in April. Because of all I have been dealing with personally, and because of all the Church and temple news I felt needed to be more of a priority, my last post in that series was done on October 30.

I apologize that I have taken so long to continue the series. This post will discuss the current temples within the Asia Area of the Church. Due to the sheer volume of data I will be presenting about this area, I will be devoting this post to discussing current temples in the area, and will do a second post later on detailing the possibilities I have put together.

Just a preliminary note before I begin my analysis of those possibilities: the Asia Area was one where I had only listed a few possibilities initially for quite a long time. It was not until I received some advice from a few experts on temple-related matters (in which I was encouraged to expand my net) that I realized just how many great potential sites exist within the Asia Area of the Church. So, which temples currently cover the area? Let's dive right into that subject.

The main reason I have felt so strongly that the Asia Area may need many new temples is that there are currently only 2 operating temples within that area (in Hong Kong China and Taipei Taiwan). One other has been announced for Bangkok Thailand, and if member speculation is correct, an existing building housing Church offices will be rebuilt and renovated into a multi-purpose edifice that will continue to have Church offices, but will also serve as a meetinghouse and the temple, in the mold of existing temples in Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York. Depending on if and when that is confirmed, we could potentially see the Bangkok Temple dedicated within the next 3-5 years or less. I am keeping my eye on that and will pass along any new information as I have it.

For now, let's turn our attention to the size of the current temple districts in the Asia Area. First, I want to talk about the Taipei Taiwan Temple. That district  currently serves the 17 stakes that have been established in that nation, where there are also a total of 2 missions (in Taipei and Taichung) and where the 17 stakes break down further into 108 wards and 9 branches. That one temple may or may not be sufficient for the Taiwanese Saints, especially those living a fair distance from Taipei. So I have my eye on a candidate for Taiwan's second temple, for which I will be sharing my thoughts in my next post about this area.

In the meantime, once the Bangkok Thailand Temple is constructed and dedicated, that will split the Hong Kong China Temple District. How will that happen? Let me answer that by sharing some data about the current units comprising that district, and which of those units will likely be transferred when the Bangkok Thailand Temple is dedicated.

Currently, the Hong Kong China Temple District is comprised of the following countries, which have the following number of Church units at present.

Hong Kong: 1 mission; 6 stakes; 1 district (which break down into 33 wards and 9 branches, or a total of 42 congregations)

India: 2 missions; 4 stakes; 2 districts (which break down into 21 wards and 22 branches, or a total of 43 congregations)

Thailand: 1 mission; 4 stakes; 2 districts (which break down into 22 wards and 19 branches, or a total of 41 congregations)

Cambodia: 1 mission; 2 stakes; 4 districts (which break down into 10 wards and 19 branches, or a total of 29 congregations)

Indonesia: 1 mission; 2 stakes; 1 district (which break down into 15 wards and 9 branches, or a total of 24 congregations)

Mongolia: 1 mission; 2 stakes; 1 district (which break down into 12 wards and 13 branches, or a total of 25 congregations)

China: No missions; 4 districts; 16 congregations total (all branches)

Vietnam: 1 mission; 2 districts; 10 congregations total (all branches)

Macau: No missions; 1 district; 3 congregations total (all branches)

Sri Lanka: No missions; 1 district; 4 congregations total (all branches)

Total units in the Hong Kong China Temple district: 9 missions; 21 stakes; 25 districts (which in turn make up 123 wards and 153 branches (a grand total of 276 congregations)

When the Bangkok Thailand Temple is dedicated, that district, which is anticipated to include Thailand, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, will take in 6 missions; 13 stakes and 15 districts, which currently break down further into 78 wards and 102 branches, for a total of 180 congregations.

Removing those units from the Hong Kong China Temple district will leave Hong Kong to cover the remaining 3 missions; 8 stakes; 10 districts, which in turn will be comprised of 45 wards and 51 branches, for a total of 96 congregations.

Having shared that data, I also wanted to note that the one problem in the Asia Area is that because Asia is the largest of the seven continents, the nations within it are also substantially larger than anywhere else, and the distance between each of those nations and their assigned temples is fairly substantial. By that fact alone, the Asia Area is prime for many potential future temple locations. Where might those be? Stay tuned for my next post in which I will share my thoughts on that.

That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.