Temple Updates

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to post today to bring you updates I have found for a few temples now under construction or undergoing renovation. There is a lot to talk about, so let's get right into it all.

First, there has been a somewhat significant change to report. While I reported on December 1 of last year that full-scale construction had begun for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, and while there has not been an update on its status between that day and now, there is apparently reason to believe that that temple will be dedicated prior to that occurring for the Durban South Africa Temple. So the two have switched positions on the list. I am still in the process of evaluating if and how might change my estimates for both.

In the meantime, I was not aware of this, but apparently South African construction workers take the summer months (which would be the winter months for those of us here on the northern hemisphere) off in view of how hot it gets working on such projects during that time. With summer 2017-2018 having concluded in South Africa, it has been reported that work on the roof of the Durban temple has resumed.

Additionally, the completion estimate for this temple, which as recently as yesterday was anticipated during early-to-mid 2019, has now been shifted to the latter part of that estimate, meaning that the Durban temple, similarly to the one in Lisbon Portugal, is now anticipated to be completed in mid-2019. So there will be a few things for me to reevaluate in regards to the estimates I have previously provided, which I hope to do at some point later today.

With that said, I also wanted to note that there has been a slight update to the status of the Frankfurt Germany Temple renovation process. While the estimated time-frame for its completion has not been shifted or altered, at one point, I had reported that the process of having the basement addition concrete waterproofed had been completed. New information  received today indicates that process is still in progress. That should not alter my estimate for its completion at this time, but I will evaluate that as well and let you know if I do change it.

It is possible that, among the topics President Nelson will address in his one-hour remarks prior to tomorrow's press conference that he will announce the dates of upcoming temple events that will occur later this year. I will be sure to return and report tomorrow (if not before then) on the address and my impressions of the press conference.

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.

Church News Report on Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults

Hello again, everyone! I am posting yet again today to pass along the Church News report on the Uchtdorf's addresses at the devotional. You can find that article here. In the meantime, the Mormon Newsroom has published this article which shared some of the same parts of that devotional, and also some others not shared in the Church News Report.

In the comment threads for my previous post, I mused about the fact that, prior to his address to young adults, he had been introduced as "Elder Uchtdorf" but that he used his trademark statement "You may ask, President Uchtdorf". Because the official announcement of the new First Presidency is still 36 hours away, (though it seems to be widely assumed what has occurred), the Church News has removed any questions on the subject by omitting any title from their report of that part of the address. And the Mormon Newsroom report refers to him as "Elder Uchtdorf" as well.

Just wanted to note these things, for what they may worth to any of you. But the article summary is well worth the read, so I had to pass it along. 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.

How Dieter F. Uchtdorf was introduced at the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults

Hello again, everyone! I am posting with the answer to the anomaly I noted in how different Church resources referred to Dieter F. Uchtdorf in preparation for tonight's Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, which is now in progress. In the introduction of the Uchtdorfs, the former Second Counselor to President Monson was introduced by the honorific title of "Elder", and it was mentioned that he was there as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

And while it might have been easy for him (had he been given leave to do so) to mention how and if the First Presidency has been reorganized, he neatly sidestepped any mention of that by saying that he brought with him the love and greetings of all the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He then offered another beautiful tribute to our beloved prophet, and went on to testify and reemphasize to all in attendance that the Lord controls who comes to the Church presidency and when that occurs. And that was just about all he said, which, in my opinion, was very nicely done. Clearly the Church has been very careful about revealing any specifics until Tuesday, and that is as it should be.

So that settles the question for now. While I anticipate blogging again on Tuesday with the specific report of President Nelson's address and my reaction to the press conference that will follow, if anything else comes up in terms of Church and temple news between now and then, I will be sure to pass that along as well.

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.