Minor Update Noted on Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Renovation Process

Hello again, everyone! While we have not in recent days seen a lot of progress reported on temples worldwide, there was one milestone of which I learned earlier today that I wanted to pass along. According to reports I have received, those working on the renovation process for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple have completed the removal of the marble cladding on that temple's exterior. It is amazing to see how much that temple has progressed since its renovation closure started just over two months ago on October 14.

By contrast, the Asuncion Paraguay Temple renovation process began about two weeks after that, and there has not been any news of progress on that temple since its October 29 closure. In so saying that, I do not mean to imply that no progress has been made whatsoever. Rather, it means that if any progress has been made on that project, it has not been reported in the sources I turn to for such information.

That said, I was able to confirm that, unless something more official is released verifying that is not the case, it would appear that the exterior of the Asuncion Paraguay temple will be altered to match the new look of the Memphis Tennessee and Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples, and that this has been and will be the same exterior look for all temples build between the late 1990s and the early 21st century under President Hinckley's smaller temple design.

Aside from these developments, there is nothing new to report. It may be that with the world observing Christmas and New Year's Day within the next two weeks, those working on such projects will have a holiday hiatus so they can be home with their families. But I am doing my best to keep myself (and, by extension, each of you) informed on the latest developments and I will be sure to pass along any developments as I become aware of them.

That said, it might not happen today, but at some point prior to Christmas Day in one week, I hope to have a few more posts up in my series that I have done about current temple districts and potential future ones within each of the Church's geographical areas. I have seven such areas left to cover: the Pacific, Philippines, South America Northwest, South America South, and the three areas in Utah (Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South).

When I began that series, I could not have envisioned the amount of interest and thoughtful and thorough commentary that has been taking place for those areas of the Church which I have already covered, and I hope it will continue, not just for those areas I have already covered, but for any and all of those areas that I have yet to cover.

That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Minor Update Noted on the Fortaleza Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! I just noticed a few minutes ago that a change has been reported on the construction status of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple. While it is still noted that the cupola framework has been installed atop the temple, the additional update is that palm trees are being planted around the parking area of that temple. As I have previously stated, given the fact that full-scale work on this temple began just last year following an almost-5-year delay after its groundbreaking, this temple has made tremendous progress. If it stays on track, it's almost guaranteed that a dedication could follow in mid-to-late 2019. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Summary of Sources Relating to the Church's decision to expand youth service opportunities in the temple

Hello again, everyone! Though I have already done a post covering the Church's announcement about how the youth would be given more opportunities to serve in the temple, today the Church News provided specifics, including links to the official letter and quotations from Church leaders regarding these changes.

You can click here to read the Church News article, here to access a copy of the letter read worldwide in Church services today, and here for an article from the Church's official website that shares more of an interview that was quoted in the first article I cited above in which Elder Quentin L. Cook, who chairs the Temple and Family History Executive Committee, along with the response of auxiliary leaders to these changes.

What a great opportunity the youth now have to expand the ways they serve in the temple. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.