Apostolic Ministry Updates

Hello again, everyone! I learned of some updates that have been provided on the ministry of our apostles a short while ago, and wanted to pass those along to you all now. We begin with a discussion of the Seminar for New Mission Leadership, for which the Church News shared this article highlighting remarks made by President Oaks on 10 of the many ways that Joseph Smith inspired Christian doctrine.

In the meantime, on the Church's official website (lds,org), remarks made by Elder Andersen during that seminar were summarized. As some of you may recall my mentioning a few days ago, we recently got a complete list of names of our Church leaders who serve on the Missionary Executive Council, and Elder Andersen is one of four members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who is serving on that committee.

He focused his remarks on how repentance, rather than being a backup plan that is provided in case it is needed, actually is the plan which our Heavenly Father put into place because He knew that, aside from His Only Begotten Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, "all [would sin] and fall short of the glory of God." That is a sobering and yet very inspiring thought.

Since our Father knew that we, without memory of our Heavenly home, or recollection of what the plan was, and being flawed and imperfect as a consequence of living in an imperfect world, He not only provided a Savior to redeem us from what has been termed as "our lost and fallen state", but He and His Son also patiently give us every opportunity to recognize our shortcomings and failings, show genuine remorse and regret for those mistakes, make amends for them, and try again.

So I appreciated reading about Elder Andersen's comments on that subject. You can find those remarks summarized here. Additionally, on the Church News section of lds.org, there have been a number of other articles well worthy of your review, which I may summarize more fully in another post within the next couple of days.

But just within the last 18 hours or so, a number of very interesting stories fitting that description have been published. You can find that news page here, and it is worth noting that the number of stories posted there just today take up most of the first page of that link, and part of the second.

That said, I have one more article to report on that is directly related to the ministry of our apostles. Elder Holland is currently in England, where he spoke at Chatham House during a meeting of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at the invitation of  Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne, who chairs the AMAR International Charitable Foundation. Elder Holland's ties to England in view of his missionary service there as a young man has resulted in his frequently being invited by Baroness Nicholson to address various topics with various groups.

Elder Holland highlighted the important role faith- and non-faith based groups should have in the current ongoing refugee crisis around the world. In his remarks, he drew parallels between the persecution of the Saints in the early days of the Church to the persecution currently being levied towards that Yazidi people of Iraq.

He said that in drawing those parallels, he had no desire to minimize what was occurring for the Yazidi people, but was instead hoping to underscore the fact that persecution based on religion, especially when that is tied to and results in political oppression, is wrong, and he also touched on the current crisis many nations, including the US, is seeing regarding the treatment of those currently fleeing either religious persecution or political oppression. His remarks are well worthy of review, which you can read more about here.

I have been somewhat intrigued by one thing, however. As many of you may be aware, July marks the typical one-month annual recess for General Authorities. While I am confident that some of the news I have reported in the last two or three days has been for developments that occurred prior to the end of June, the story of Elder Holland being in England was posted today and referred to events that are occurring right now.

So at least for the moment this year, we may be hearing of Church news relating to our apostles well into July. And I am not ruling out the prospect that the Church could continue to make any major announcements even during the traditional break, which we have seen occur at least a few times previously.

Whether on the subjects of the ministry of our apostles, general Church news, or temple developments, you can depend on my bringing word of those developments to you 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.

Church News Highlights

Hello again, everyone! I mentioned a day or two ago that I was hoping to do another post devoted to the latest Church news that had been published on the LDS Church News website and on the Church's official website. There are a number of new articles that have been published, all of which are worthy of mention here on this blog, but due to the voluminous amount of articles involved, this post will merely share what, to me, are the most significant highlights, and readers of this blog are welcome to consult either of the two links above for any articles not listed here.

Before we dive into the articles I will be featuring here, I also wanted to mention that I am still very much committed to continuing my series of posts discussing the most likely prospective locations that may have a temple announced in the upcoming General Conference, and that I will be starting the earnest work on putting together posts in that series hopefully later this week.

But my wife and I have also been under the weather again (or, to put it in a better way, still) so I will be focusing on those posts (and any others covering topics of interest) as my current circumstances will allow.

That said, let's get this update started. Several of the women auxiliary leaders of the Church recently represented the Church in presenting a donation to Utah's Children's Justice Centers to aid in the work done by those centers to prevent child abuse (where possible) and to enable them to help previously-abused children have access to the tools they need to recover (where necessary).

The Church has been more proactively involved in such issues lately, and so the acknowledgement of all that those centers do in such situations was wonderful to hear about. You can find more information on that via this Church News article or from this official release from Mormon Newsroom.

On June 29, the Church News published another article covering summaries of content posted to social media by several Church leaders. In this most recent article, some of those posts covered thoughts on Joseph Smith in conjunction with June 27 having marked the 174th anniversary of the Prophet's martyrdom in Carthage Jail, while others spoke of how we as Church members can strengthen our relationship to and our testimony of the Savior.

The Church News and Mormon Newsroom also covered stories on how the filming of the Church's Book of Mormon video project has recently wrapped up. Bishop Dean M. Davies, who currently serves as First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, was the featured speaker at the commencement exercises for BYU-Hawaii's recently-held graduation ceremony, and during his remarks, he talked about the process the Church goes through to get temples built, which at times includes a lot of patience and trust that the Lord knows what needs to happen and when. His remarks are well worthy of review.

Retired Church News editor Gerry Avant continued her retrospective articles examining the many experiences she had witnessed during her career, with this look back at President Monson's strong connection to Germany, and how many apostolic promises he made to the German Saints were fulfilled to the letter.

Continuing the tradition that has been observed for a while, another article written by general officers has been published. The Primary General Presidency shared these thoughts regarding how parents can and should help their children from a very early age to have a relationship with God.

Both Mormon Newsroom and the Church News continue to carry articles about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's "Classic Coast Tour", and there are many articles covering highlights from their travels. The Church has  become the first religious organization to ever receive the Good Neighbor Award from the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. More details on that are provided in this article.

The Church News shared this report, which noted the results of a recent survey taken by several Church members regarding the changes that will be coming to the hymnbook. For those not satisfied by those results, as previously noted, feedback will continue to be accepted for the next year, until the end of July 2019.

Those of you who follow the LDS Church Growth Blog in addition to this one are no doubt aware that this recent post highlighted a three-milestone record that was being observed within the Church's Africa West Area. The Church News published their own article providing additional context regarding that same subject. It is wonderful to read about what the Lord has done for that area of the Church.

It is also plain to see why Matthew Martinich, who publishes the LDS Church Growth Blog, has shared his opinion that the Africa West Area, which currently has two operating temples and one other announced, is likely to have 13 temples either in various stages or dedicated by 2030. If the ongoing growth is any indication, that is a very reachable prospect that we are sure to see.

And, to round out my coverage of the latest Church news, I want to note some updates on the recent ministry of our apostles. Elder D. Todd Christofferson just returned a short while ago from a visit to the Philippines Area of the Church, and this report shares his thoughts and observations on all that transpired during his time there.

Finishing my coverage of recent news, I have highlighted in previous posts the efforts and contributions the Church is making to prevent suicide. Articles from the Church News and Mormon Newsroom highlight new resources the Church has released on that subject, which includes video clips with thoughts from Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Carol F. McConkie, who was released as First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency last April.

I should mention that the Church will continue to publish highlights from the recent Seminar for New Mission Leadership, but at the time I was putting this post together, no additional reports have been provided. I continue to monitor all Church and temple news and developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you 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.

October 2018 Temple Site Possibilities: Series Overview

Hello again, everyone! As long-time readers of this blog may recall, between each General Conference, I have offered my thoughts and invited comments from all of you about the most likely locations in which a temple might be announced in the near future. Between the October 2017 and April 2018 General Conferences, the course of that dialogue came as a series of posts I did which discussed the most imminent such prospects in each of the Church's 25 geographical areas.

Given the fact that the October 2018 General Conference is just over 3 months away, I want to revisit that series to discuss the most likely prospective locations that could be announced during that General Conference.

In kicking off this iteration of that series, I would hope that those of you who will read and participate in the discussion of the locations currently on my list will keep the following information in mind:

1. As it is next to impossible to identify every single location that may ever get a temple at any point, this series will focus on the most imminent prospects that seem most likely to be announced this October.
2. If a certain location seems to be missing from this list, it may either be on a second list, which I am holding in reserve for when the possibility of that location becomes more imminent, or may be on a third list of locations that may have a temple announced at some point, but may be more of a long-shot possibility.
3. If a location is mentioned that is not on any of the three lists I referenced above, that does not in any way mean it is out of the question, nor does it mean that (in my opinion), a temple in such locations will never be announced. The Lord reveals to His prophets where to announce and build His temples, and I embrace the news of all new temples whether or not they are on any of those three lists I am keeping. And since President Nelson already surprised most of us (including himself) with one or two of the locations he announced in April 2018, any location may be fair game.
4. For any comments made on the posts in this series, I may post responses to most (if not all) of them. This is not in any way meant to end or limit the discussion, but rather will constitute my efforts to acknowledge the feedback I receive, and will include any observations I have in response to those comments.
5. This series may be slightly different in content from the information I provided in the first edition of that series, primarily because, at the moment, some of the information I would ordinarily use (such as the current composition and size of the Church's temple districts) is currently unavailable to me.
6. While the prospects I will discuss this go-round are based on a few factors with which I have successfully predicted previous temple locations, I do not have the capability nor the time at present to consider every possible factor. Few if any lay Church members have a complete list of all criteria the Church and its' prophets use to make such determinations. That said, if there are any factors I have clearly overlooked or failed to consider when assembling the current list of locations, the order in which they are listed or in consideration of changes I should make to any of the three lists I referenced above, please let me know.

That said, let's dive into the current layout of my list, such as it is. You can find it below. So as not to disturb the flow of information within it, I will end here as I always do: 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.

Temple Predictions: 3+ temples announced, with the most likely locations (in my opinion), on the list below.

Preliminary note: With seven temples having been announced last April (the second-highest number of temples ever announced at once), it may be that President Nelson will opt to wait until April 2019 to announce any others. But in view of President Nelson’s expressed intention to continue to bring temples to the people, there may be at least a few announced during this conference. The locations listed below represent my best efforts to anticipate such announcements, and I have requested feedback on this list on my blog. The Lord can and does continue to inspire temple announcements in the right locations at the right time, and if any new temples are announced, I will be just as happy if none of them are for the locations listed below as I will be if any or all of the temples that are announced are for locations on this list. Also, as I prepared to request initial feedback for the locations on this list, it made more sense to me to once again group the locations on this list by the geographical area under which they fall, then by potential likelihood within those areas.

Africa Southeast[i]: Antananarivo Madagascar[ii];

Africa West[iii]: Freetown Sierra Leone[iv]; Kumasi Ghana[v] Lagos Nigeria[vi]

Asia: Phnom Penh Cambodia[vii]

Brazil: Belo Horizonte/Salvador[viii]

Caribbean: San Juan Puerto Rico[ix]

Central America[x]: San Pedro Sula Honduras[xi]; Senahu Guatemala[xii]

Europe[xiii]: Budapest Hungary[xiv]; Praia Cape Verde[xv]

Mexico: Puebla Mexico[xvi]

Pacific: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea[xvii]; Auckland New Zealand[xviii];

South America Northwest[xix]: La Paz/Santa Cruz Bolivia[xx]

United States[xxi]

North America Central: Missoula Montana[xxii]; Rapid City South Dakota[xxiii]

North America Southeast: Jackson Mississippi[xxiv]; Shreveport Louisiana[xxv];

North America Southwest: Bentonville Arkansas[xxvi]; Elko[xxvii]/Ely[xxviii] Nevada; Fort Worth Texas[xxix]; Las Cruces New Mexico[xxx]; Flagstaff Arizona[xxxi]

Utah Salt Lake City: Herriman[xxxii];

Utah South: Heber City[xxxiii]; Tooele[xxxiv]

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[i]The African continent is experiencing substantial and significant growth. That has proven particularly true for the this area of the Church, in which 1 temple is currently operating, but 4 others have been announced (2 of which are under construction, and the other 2 of which are anticipated to start construction at some point within the next 3 years or less.

[ii]Since Madagascar is disconnected from the rest of the African continent, anywhere in Africa to which the Saints might journey will be somewhat of a challenge for those in Madagascar. For that reason, I have added Antananarivo to this list for the first time. Madagascar is currently the last of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that does not have a temple in any phase, which adds to the rationale for building a temple there. The only other African nation within this area that is in the top ten is Uganda at #6 on that list. But since a temple has been announced for the neighboring nation of Kenya, Uganda may not get a temple until the one in Kenya is either under construction or dedicated, as the Church will probably want to gauge how busy the temple in Kenya is before announcing one for Uganda. Thus, Madagascar is the only prospect on this list for this area.

[iii]The Church in the Africa West Area has also experienced massive and rapid growth. The LDS Church Growth Blog recently reported that, if current growth trends in the Africa West Area continue as they have been, the Church could go from the 2 operating and 1 announced temple to 13 in operation by sometime during 2030. With that in mind, several possibilities have a lot of merit to the rationale behind my belief that they could each get a temple in the near future, as I will explain in the subsequent references for the locations I have listed for this area.

[iv]Sierra Leone is now the fourth of the top ten nations that have the strongest Church presence but do not yet have a temple in any phase. With the recent expanded growth in Sierra Leone (particularly with so many districts that have been upgraded to a stake), a temple there may simply be a matter of time.

[v]Since the dedication of the Accra Ghana temple in January 2004, Ghana has seen sufficient enough growth (in my opinion) to potentially get a second temple. And Kumasi has emerged as the most likely city for such a temple.

[vi]Since the dedication of the Aba Nigeria temple in August 2005, Nigeria has seen extensive Church growth. While many have offered their opinions that Benin City might be a more likely prospect, the elements I have studied leads me to conclude that when Nigeria gets a second temple, it will likely be in Lagos.

[vii]Cambodia is now the seventh of the top ten nations having the strongest Church presence without a temple in any phase. So the idea of a temple in Phnom Penh makes sense. But with the Bangkok Thailand Temple planned to be on the larger side, and with another temple announced for Bengaluru India, the question will be whether a temple might be needed in Cambodia as well in the near future. For now, I am confident enough to include it here, but that could change.

[viii]Brazil has also seen extensive Church growth, and rapid expansion. With temples currently under construction in Fortaleza (which is anticipated to be dedicated in 2019) and in Rio de Janeiro (which is anticipated to be dedicated in 2020), and with two others announced (for Brasilia and Belem, both of which may be under construction within the next few years), it is not hard to believe that additional Brazilian temples may be needed. Salvador and Belo Horizonte seem to be the cities most mentioned as having the best prospects for a temple announcement in the near future. Of the two, a temple in Salvador seems to be more imminently likely, but we have seen unexpected things occur, so for now, both locations are on my list.

[ix]Puerto Rico now ranks as the second of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that does not have a temple in any phase. And now that the construction of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple is underway, and since that temple is on the smaller side, it makes sense that the Church might opt to announce a temple for San Juan in the near future. Time will tell how safe it is to so assume, but for now, it has made my list.

[x]With a temple having been announced in April for Managua Nicaragua, it may be some time before we hear of other temples being announced for the Central America Area of the Church. The case in favor of the locations on my list being announced is a strong one, so for that reason, they have made the list, but it would not surprise me in any way if the Church waits on these potential locations until the temple in Managua is further along.

[xi]The Church in Honduras has seen extensive growth in recent years, so a third temple in that nation seems likely. And while there may be many good potential locations where one could be built, the consensus appears to be that San Pedro Sula is the most likely prospect, and that a temple for that city could be announced sooner rather than later.

[xii]As noted above in relation to Honduras, Guatemala has also seen significant Church growth in recent years. And there are likewise many potential locations where a third temple could be built to serve the Guatemalan Saints. But the city of Senahu has emerged as the most likely prospect for that honor, and the consensus seems to be that a temple there may simply be a matter of time.

[xiii]Europe, particularly in the eastern countries of its’ continent, has seen some stagnation in terms of the growth of the Church. With temples currently under construction in Rome Italy and Lisbon Portugal, and another announced for a major yet-to-be determined city in Russia, the Church may opt to wait to construct other temples on the European continent until those 3 are either dedicated or at least further along in the process. That said, on the off-chance the Church does not so opt, the cities in this section, for the reasons I will explain in the subsequent notes that will follow this one, have the greatest chance of being announced in the near future.

[xiv]When I began sharing my thoughts on potential future temple locations, someone who has knowledge of the growth of the Church in Europe indicated that Budapest would likely be the next European city to get a temple. My study on the matter confirms that opinion, so it has been on my list for a while.

[xv]Cape Verde now ranks as the eighth of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that does not have a temple. Based on that fact, a temple in Praia is likely just a matter of time.

[xvi]The growth of the Church in Mexico has somewhat stagnated to the point where Church leaders began last year to do a mass consolidation of the Church units there. That said, many people (including one of the readers of my blog who lives in Mexico) concur that the next temple in Mexico will likely be in Puebla, and that such a temple will likely be announced sooner rather than later.

[xvii]Papua New Guinea now ranks as the nation with the strongest Church presence that does not yet have a temple. I also learned several years ago that land has been held in reserve in Port Moresby for a temple for a while now. With that in mind, it may simply be a matter of time before a temple is announced there.

[xviii]As with Papua New Guinea, I had heard years ago that land has been held in reserve in Auckland for a temple. How soon that might actually occur will depend on if the renovation of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple involves any kind of expansion for that temple. If it does, that might potentially eliminate the immediate need to use the land in Auckland. I have felt confident enough to keep it on my list for now, but will be watching for any developments that could change my mind.

[xix]The entire South American continent has seen extensive growth, as manifested by the fact that, of the 19 temples currently announced, 5 of them are in South American nations. And of the 11 temples currently under construction, Brazil has 2 (with two others announced), this area (South America Northwest) has 2 under construction (1 of which has a dedication announced), and 2 others announced, and the South America South area has 1 temple announced, 1 with a dedication scheduled, and 1 that is currently closed for renovation. Based on these numbers, the Church may opt to wait until all temples under construction or being renovated are finished, or Church leaders could (and in my opinion, likely will) opt to announce more temples as they are needed. In a previous note above, I shared my rationale behind two temple locations that may be used for future Brazilian Temples. While the Church could surprise us and announce other temples for the South America South Area (which would not be unheard of by any means), it is my feeling that the most likely prospect for South American temples in the near future is this area, for the reasons I will explain in the notes below.

[xx]Since the dedication of Bolivia’s first temple in Cochabamba, the Church in Bolivia has seen significant growth and expansion. That has been especially true of regions that would be served by temples in Santa Cruz or La Paz. Of the two, although I favor La Paz (since a good friend served a mission there), my research indicates a Santa Cruz temple may be more imminent. But I fully anticipate temples in both cities within the next 15 years or less, thus both are on this list.

[xxi]While it has been repeatedly observed that the growth of the Church has stagnated somewhat here in the United States, 4 of the 19 temples that have currently not had a groundbreaking were for the United States. This gives me hope, however slight that hope might be, that other locations within the US that have a compelling case in their favor for a temple (as outlined in the remaining notes). While there are literally hundreds of these potential locations with a strong likelihood, the locations on this list are those that, in my opinion and for the reasons outlined, have the highest likelihood.

[xxii]According to reports I received through the comments on my blog, Elder David A. Bednar publicly proposed a Missoula Montana Temple while on assignment to a stake conference in that city. My subsequent research indicates that land has been held in reserve for such a temple for several years now, and that an official announcement will occur once the right conditions are met. For that reason, Missoula has been on my list for a while now, and I could see an official announcement in the near future.

[xxiii]Although South Dakota only has 2 stakes and one district, and although the districts of the Bismarck North Dakota and Winter Quarters Nebraska, which cover South Dakota, may not be inordinately large, the Saints in Rapid City travel almost 300 miles to worship at the Bismarck temple, so it seems likely that the Church will opt to build a temple there sooner rather than later.

[xxiv]Mississippi is one of the few states in the US that does not have a temple in any phase. My recent study points to the idea that a temple in Jackson may just be a matter of time.

[xxv]The Saints in Shreveport currently travel just under 200 miles to their assigned temple in Dallas, but I have still felt confident enough that this city could get a temple sooner rather than later.

[xxvi]A good friend with connections to Arkansas told me a while ago that the Church has held land in reserve for a temple in Bentonville for a while now, and that an official announcement was likely once the right conditions were met. For that reason, I believe we will see this temple announced sooner rather than later. Some have opined that Rogers might be a more likely location for the first temple in Arkansas, but my study confirms that a temple is likely in Bentonville sooner rather than later.

[xxvii]The Saints in Elko currently travel just over 200 miles to their assigned temple (Salt Lake). It is enough of a commute that a temple there may just be a matter of time.

[xxviii]The note above applies to the Saints in Ely as well, as they commute just over 200 miles, but their assigned temple is in Cedar City. A temple in Ely would cut the commute substantially. And I fully believe that temples in both Elko and Ely are possible in the near future, since the distance between the two is just under 200 miles.

[xxix]In sharing my thoughts about potential future temple locations, I learned from someone living in Texas that Fort Worth would likely be the best prospective city for the next temple in Texas, and a temple there would be the best way to break up the current Dallas Texas district.

[xxx]The Saints in Las Cruces currently travel 224.6 miles to the temple in Albuquerque, so a temple there may just be a matter of time. A temple in that city could also likely serve the Saints in El Paso Texas, if they are unable to access their currently assigned temple (in Ciudad Juarez Mexico).

[xxxi]At the dedication of the Tucson Arizona Temple, Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Executive Director of the Temple Department, stated that that dedication had Arizona pretty well covered for temples. But I have heard from many sources that Flagstaff will likely be the next Arizona city to get a temple, and that this could happen sooner rather than later. Thus, I am confident enough to put it on my list.

[xxxii]In 2005, President Gordon B. Hinckley noted that land was being held in reserve for a temple in the Southwestern Salt Lake Valley, which would have an official announcement when that became necessary. Subsequent study on my part in late 2017 and early 2018 pointed me to the conclusion that the land in question was in Bluffdale, but that it has since been annexed into the city of Herriman, although it has been the subject of more than a few border disputes. I am confident enough to list it here, and since President Monson announced temples publicly proposed during President Hinckley’s tenure, I feel that President Nelson may likely do the same. Thus, a temple there may just be a matter of time.

[xxxiii]A temple in Heber City (the prospect of which has been suggested a few times) would help provide a closer option for Saints in the Heber Valley, and it would likely split the district of the Provo Utah Temple, which, by all reports, is still one of the busiest in the Church.

[xxxiv]Tooele has also been mentioned repeatedly as a potential prospective city for a temple. While the Saints in Tooele do not have to drive an inordinate distance to reach their assigned temple in Salt Lake City, I feel a temple there may simply be a matter of time. And since a temple in Herriman would still create a drive (along a U-shape) for those Saints, it seems safe to assume that Tooele could (and likely will) get a temple soon.