Additional Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! There have been several significant articles reported in the various Church news outlets, which I finally am able to pass along to you all today. So let's get right into it. First of all, as some of you may know, before Sister Wendy Nelson married then-Elder Nelson, she was a professor at BYU-Provo. As such, she had at least one opportunity to speak at a BYU Devotional. This article summarizes her remarks from a 1998 devotional about how it is always possible for any of us to change. It is a remarkable address, and the article summarizing it is well worthy of your attention.

At the BYU-Idaho commencement, Brother Douglas D. Holmes, First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, offered 3 suggestions regarding how graduates could put their trust in God. This summary of his remarks is well worth your attention as well.

A few days later than I hoped or planned, I am finally providing a summary of the "Days of '47" KSL Parade. The theme for this year was "Foundations for the Future". As mentioned previously, President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who has pioneer ancestry, served as Grand Marshal for the parade. You can read more about the parade here/

There was a bit of local outcry from the LGBTQ community about the application for the participation of their group being denied, but that was primarily due to the fact that the parade is meant to honor and highlight pioneer heritage, while that community seemed to be wanting to participate to advance their own agenda.

As I may have mentioned a few times previously on this blog, it has been traditional for each Pioneer Day to commence with a Sunrise Service that has featured an address from a general Church leader. This year, that address was given by Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the Seventy, who also has pioneers in his ancestry. As I also previously mentioned, Elder Arnold, who had his 70th birthday earlier this month, is one of those I am anticipating will be released and granted emeritus status in October, so this may have been his last public address as a General Authority. You can read more about what he said here.

I will be providing only brief summaries of the next few articles. Mexico City recently held an education fair which supported Church values, and about which you can read more here. The Church News also continued (and may have finished) its' series of articles about new Church leaders with this one about Lisa L. Harkness, who was sustained last April as the new First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency.

The Church News also provided more details regarding the video series in which Sister Reyna I. Aburto, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, opened up and shared some details about hardships she has experienced that have strengthened her faith. This next article was of interest to me due to my dad's connections to St. George, and I believe some of you have mentioned your connections to that city as well. With the Tabernacle in that city having recently concluded a renovation process, Elder Holland returned to his hometown to rededicate it, and you can find more details on both the renovation and rededication here.

More news regarding Elder Holland. I reported earlier this month that he had gone to England at the invitation of Baroness Emma Nicholson to address an AMAR gathering. When the Baroness was in Salt Lake recently, she met with Elder Holland, President Nelson, and Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency. You can read more about that meeting here.

In yet another report from the Seminar for New Mission Leadership, this article features highlights from the closing address given by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who, as previously noted, chairs the Church Missionary Executive Council. In his address, the former airline pilot took his aviation references to new heights (pun intended).

After the horrific meetinghouse shooting in Fallon Nevada last week, that community has seen an increased outpouring in expressions of love and support from various outlets, which you can read more about here. In an article that is part of their "History Revisited" series, the Church News commemorated 20 years since President Hinckley dedicated the first of his inspired "smaller temples" with this article, which highlights why that plan was a game-changer. As we enter an era where an additional "game-changing" temple building plan may be initiated, it was good to be reminded of what occurred under President Hinckley's leadership.

More research from a study done at BYU found the truth of the idea that the family that prays together stays together. This article highlights the results of that study, and offers six reasons why family prayer is important.

The Church News also continued their series titled "This Week on Social" with this article sharing comments on remembering the sacrifice of pioneers, how to define real faith, and the importance of ministering. Those comments came from President M. Russell Ballard and Elders Quentin L. Cook, Neil L. Andersen, and Ulisses Soares.

Rounding out my coverage of these articles is this one about a Pakistani refugee who has undertaken an ambitious service project at an African-American cemetery in Houston, this one summarizing 7 quotes from female Church leaders on how to make better choices and decisions, and this one which shares how Catholic priests and nuns recent helped a man to find his Italian ancestors.

I continue to monitor all Church and temple news and will do my level best to bring you word of those developments as I become aware of 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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 Provided on the Renovation Process for the Mesa Arizona Temple

Hello again, everyone! The LDS Church Temples Facebook page has provided another update on the Mesa Arizona Temple's renovation process. As demolition on the ground continues, the parking lot on the northwest side and the west reflecting pool have been removed. The retaining wall and the entrance stairs are being removed around three sides of the temple as well, although there is no indication as to what is occurring on the fourth (east) side of the temple, since the Arizona heat prevented the individual posting that update from inspecting that .area.

It is good to see the small but still significant progress that is being made on temples everywhere. In addition to studying future temple sites, my ongoing evaluation of the timing within which each temple event might occur in the future continues. I will do my level best to keep bringing such updates to you all as I become aware of 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of newly-added content. 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.

Revised List of Additional Temple Prospects That Could Potentially Be Announced Next October

Hello again, everyone! There have been several additional Church news stories shared within the last 48 hours which I hope to share with you all. Stay tuned for that  update, because I am posting n again right now for an entirely different reason. Over the last 3-5 hours, I have taken time to revisit the list I have assembled of additional temple prospects that could have an announcement during General Conference in just over two months.

As many of you may recall, on July 10 of this year, I had shared a list of additional temple prospects which I was considering adding to my main list of those locations that could have a temple announced next October. In the 15 days since that post, I have periodically looked into both those locations that were suggested to me, and also some other locations which may, for various reasons, be prime candidates for a temple.

I also looked extensively at the feedback that has come in from you, my readers, in that regard. And based on that, I expanded my list quite a bit (including moving some candidates on the other two lists I have been keeping of less imminently likely locations and also long-shot prospects onto this list.

Based on the additional feedback which may be provided on this altered list, I can then look more deeply into which of these locations should be added to the main list for October, which would include adding the relevant notes about such locations to my predictions for the upcoming General Conference.

The main unknowns about any potential temple prospects are, of course, to what extent the temple-building legacy of President Nelson will expand the number of temples, how frequently we might see temples announced, the number of temples that could be identified each time there are new ones announced, whether President Nelson's plan involves a smaller-scale design that will still be serviceable, and the speed at which the current and potential future backlog of temples announced and under construction can continued to be cleared.

As I noted in other posts, by mid-2020, all temples currently under construction (from Concepcion Chile to Winnipeg Manitoba) will be dedicated. By that time, hopefully at least 12 others might also be under construction,. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens between now and then. I will continue to monitor all such developments and will do my level best to bring those to you as I receive word of them.

The updated list of locations I am currently determining whether or not to add to my main list of those that could potentially be announced in October follows below. Most notably, while previous lists did not include candidates for the next temples in Canada and California, this version includes 2 Canadian and 1 Californian prospect. 

One thing that might potentially affect the current and future temples of the Church in California is whether or not that state ever successfully splits into 2 or more smaller states. I have been reading more lately about a venture capitalist that has tried and failed at least twice to split that state into several smaller ones.

The most recent proposal to do so got enough signatures to appear on the ballot for the November 2018 General Elections, but apparently the Supreme Court of the State of California pulled the measure from the ballot to allow more study on the proposition. So for now, that is essentially a dead initiative, but if California (or other states) wind up splitting, or if the US admits any other states into the Union, the temples in such regions could potentially be renamed, which, insofar as I have been able to ascertain, has never occurred.

That said, the updated version of the list follows below. Please feel free to let me know whether I need to eliminate any of these locations, replace them with more likely prospects, or have overlooked any other feasible options for the near future. Again, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list to cover all possibilities that ever may get a temple. This list focuses only on those prospects which I should specifically add to the other locations for my October 2018 General Conference. Your comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated.

So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here now as I traditionally do. That does it for this post. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

List of additional potential locations that may get a temple in the near future:

Africa Southeast: Kampala Uganda; Maputo Mozambique; Lubumbashi DR Congo; Cape Town South Africa

Africa West: Monrovia Liberia; Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast

Asia: Ulaanbaatar Mongolia; Taichung Taiwan

Asia North: Osaka Japan

Brazil: Rio Grande Brazil; Florianopolis Brazil; Alphaville Brazil (or a second in Sao Paulo)

Europe: Edinburgh Scotland; Vienna Austria

Idaho: Preston Idaho

Mexico: Queretaro Mexico

North America Central: Wichita Kansas; Lethbridge Alberta; Green Bay Wisconsin; Des Moines Iowa

North America Northeast: Augusta Maine; Hamilton Ontario; Morristown/East Brunswick New Jersey; Concord New Hampshire; Montpelier Vermont

North America Southeast: Jacksonville Florida; Knoxville Tennessee

North America West: Bakersfield California

Pacific: Tarawa Kiribati; Pago Pago American Samoa; Savai'i Samoa; Neiafu Vava'u Tonga

Philippines: Davao Philippines

South America Northwest: Maracaibo Venezuela; Iquitos Peru; Cali/Medellin Colombia

South America South: Antofagasta/Valparaiso Chile; Neuquen Argentina