Some Preliminary Thoughts and Questions About the October 2018 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again right now to throw out some preliminary thoughts and questions I have been considering about the October 2018 General Conference. Your input on this would be appreciated.

1. I have gone back and forth with my thoughts on the potential layout of the Women's Session. There has been a lot to consider, such as the following questions:
a. The Church originally noted that the Priesthood Session for the April 2018 General Conference would run around 1.5 hours, but it actually ran for nearly 2 hours, which was its' standard length before President Monson started doing shorter addresses in 2015. With that in mind, is it likely that the Women's Session will be that long?
b. It has been customary for at least one member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to speak during the Priesthood Session. Would it be safe to assume that will also be true for the Women's Session each October?
c. The entire First Presidency has traditionally spoken to conclude the Priesthood Session. Would that also be the case for the Women's Session, or might the Church continue the established tradition of only having one First Presidency member speak?
d. If only one First Presidency member does speak during the Women's Session, how might that affect the typical patterns by which First Presidency members have typically spoken (with the Church President generally giving 4 or 5 addresses, and each of his counselors giving 2 or 3 talks, one of which will be for the Sustaining of Church Officers).
d. Would the Church opt to have any other leaders speak during the Women's Session, or is it likely that only three female auxiliary members, the First Presidency member(s) and/or a member of the Quorum of the Twelve speak?
2. If the Church does not opt to have a member of the Quorum of the Twelve speak during the Women's Session, how might the number of apostles speaking in each session change? (We have typically seen 2 during the Saturday Morning Session, 4 on Saturday Afternoon, 1 in the Priesthood Session, 2 on Sunday Morning, and the final 3 in the Sunday Afternoon Session.)
3. Since both of President Nelson's counselors led a portion of the Sustaining of Church Officers (with President Eyring leading the Solemn Assembly, and President Oaks presenting the other changes), which of the two might potentially lead that sustaining vote in October? I have felt it will likely be President Eyring, and my reason for saying that is that President Oaks (in my opinion) did very well reading the long list of Area Seventy changes, so he may continue to do so each April, when most of those changes are announced, leaving President Eyring to lead the October sustaining vote, which, by comparison, generally sees far less area seventy changes to present.
3. The Church has typically had 2 members of the Presidency of the Seventy speak during each General Conference. In October of 2017, two that were in the Presidency but had been released at the beginning of the previous August spoke, and both in April of last year and this year, only one member of the Presidency spoke. Is one the new normal now?
4. The Church has seemed to be giving the general auxiliary presidency members more opportunities to speak regularly in General Conference. In April 2017, only two general officers spoke. Last October, we heard from 4 general officers, and in this last conference, 5 general officers spoke to us. Might the Church continue to allow its' general officers more opportunities to speak? And would the fact that the General Women's Session is being held in October affect the number of other general officers who speak during the other four sessions?
5. In my preliminary efforts to put together the predictions for next October, is there anything I need to keep in mind regarding the general authority seventies who might potentially be asked to speak? I know we will likely hear from 4 of the 8 new General Authorities called, and I have taken a look at other General Authority Seventies who either have not yet given a second address, or who have not spoken in General Conference within the last 5 years or so, and I want to be sure I am not overlooking anything.

It is interesting to consider how much the April General Conference altered what has been typical patterns in previous General Conferences. It was what it needed to be, of course, but these questions are interesting to consider. I look forward to your feedback.

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.

Update Noted on the Status of the Arequipa Peru Temple

Hello again, everyone! I am back in the early-morning hours of April 17 to share newly-updated information which has been provided for the Arequipa Peru Temple. An update of which I have just become aware notes that the exterior is being clad with granite over the vapor barrier that was recently placed, and that curbing and surface parking are currently being poured. As I noted in previous posts, this temple's general completion estimate was pushed back into early 2020, which I anticipate will be among the first temple events held during that year.

It may also be of interest to some of you to know that, with April 6 of this year having come and gone, there are just under 12 years left between today's date and Saturday April 6, 2030, on which the Church will mark its' bicentennial anniversary. Whether or not an official goal is made to do so, I fully believe the Church will have a minimum of 200 temples in operation by or before that date.

The Church would simply need to complete the 30 temples currently in various stages of construction and announce and complete 11 others before that time. Since that is a total of 41 temples that would need to be dedicated in the 11.97 years between now and then, it could be done as long as around 3.43 temples are completed in every one of those years.

As also previously noted, while the Church will only be dedicating 2 temples this year, next year, we already have one temple dedication set, and 5 others are likely to be dedicated before the end of 2019 as well. And we have two more that are anticipated to be completed by early 2020. If full-scale construction begins in Winnipeg by the end of this month, that would be another potential dedication to factor in as well. And it is highly likely that at least one (but likely more) temples will have a groundbreaking this year as well, which would add to the number that might be completed in 2020 and in the years following.

This is an exciting time in which so much is happening in terms of temple news and developments. For my part, I will do my level best to stay on top of such developments and will pass them along to you all as I receive them.

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.

President Nelson and His Traveling Companions Share Important Messages with the Saints in Kenya

Hello again, everyone! During his visit to Kenya earlier today, President Nelson shared a message specifically directed to the people in attendance, which included thoughts about the importance of the Book of Mormon and how the Saints in attendance should prepare to receive the blessings of the temple (he particularly said that it is easier for Church leadership to prepare for and build a temple anywhere than it is to ensure that the people for whom the temple is being built are prepared for it by the time it is dedicated), He also indicated that he does not yet know how soon construction will begin on the Nairobi Kenya Temple, which was announced one year ago, but that he hoped the Saints who would hear and relay his message to others will ensure they are ready when the temple is dedicated.

He also gave a strong message: The practice of "bride price" should not be observed by those who have accepted the gospel. For those not aware, bride price is an arrangement wherein a prospective groom or his family will barter with the family of a prospective bride on a gift of either money or livestock for which the prospective groom will be able to marry the prospective bride. While there are many countries that still practice it, the idea is not, as President Nelson reminded those hearing his message, in keeping with the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That message has been shared before in nations that still observe the practice of bride price, but President Nelson obviously felt that it needed to be reiterated as the word of the Lord to the people hearing it. I like that he observed that he might have missed out on 5 of his 10 children if he had to barter for his first wife, since he was only debt-free when his final 5 came along.

President Nelson's visit to Kenya is significant, as he becomes only the second Church president to ever visit there (the first was, of course, President Hinckley, who, during his visit in 1998 (for which Elder Holland was also his traveling companion) first publicly prophesied of a day when a temple would be built in Nairobi. He said, "Don't count on [a temple announcement] for a few years, but it will be so." President Monson fulfilled that prophecy last year in announcing the temple proposed by his predecessor, and his successor, President Nelson, has now visited that nation to reiterate the importance of preparing for the temple that has been announced.

Elder Holland also stressed the importance of preparing for the temple, and that the Saints listening to or relaying these messages should prepare for, be worthy of, and retain a temple recommend, and should, as frequently as circumstances permit, attend the nearest temple until the one in Nairobi is dedicated.

Sister Nelson focused her remarks on three prophets of the Lord: Nephi, who, in the Book of Mormon, had faith to build a boat even though he had never done so before; the Prophet Joseph Smith, who, at a time when it had not been done before, envisioned the original Nauvoo Temple with circular windows, and who lived to see such windows installed for the temple prior to his martyrdom, and President Russell M. Nelson, who trusted the Lord's inspiration rather than the natural laws of medicine, which discouraged a practice he pioneered that is still in use by heart surgeons today. Her message was that the Lord's wisdom should be trusted and His voice obeyed, even when He inspires things that seem impossible.

And Sister Holland's address provided a personal perspective on the wonderful qualities President and Sister Nelson have. She particularly highlighted the maternal instinct she sees in Sister Nelson, that will now be felt Church-wide as she ministers by her husband's side, and that President Nelson speaks strongly but never harshly, having the Savior's gentleness and compassion.

It was wonderful to read of the great impact the visit and these messages had on the people of Kenya. You can find a more complete report of that meeting for Kenyan Church members here. I am grateful that President Nelson and his companions were able to spend some time with the Saints in Kenya, and I hope that many of you will find this report of their time there to be helpful.

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.