Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Celebrates His 78th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! As it is now past midnight Utah time, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf is marking his 78th birthday today. So let's get right into this post, which will share some highlights of his life in honor of this milestone. Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf was born on November 6, 1940 in Ostrava, which at that time was defined as the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, but is now known as the city of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. His parents were Karl Albert and Hildegard Else Opelt Uchtdorf.

With his family twice becoming refugees, he grew up in Germany, where his family joined the Church in 1947, and  went on to study engineering, business administration, and international management, after which he joined the German Air Force in 1959, where he trained to be a fighter pilot. In 1965, he joined Lufthansa German Airlines as a pilot, working as an airline captain from 1970-1996. He held many responsible executive positions with German Airlines. He reported feeling discouraged about having to learn English, but has also described how he was able to do so.

He married Harriet Reich on December 14, 1962 (whom he had met when the missionaries brought her and her family to Church while he was a young man),and they both have different recollections of hwo they actually got together). Their family is comprised of two children and several grandchildren. He served as a stake president before his call as a General Authority.

He was sustained a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy on April 2, 1994. On April 6, 1996, he was sustained to the First Quorum of the Seventy. He became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on August 15, 2002 and was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 2, 2004 and ordained an apostle on October 7, 2004 (becoming the 11th apostle born outside the United States).

On February 3, 2008, he was set apart as 2^nd Counselor in the First Presidency to President Thomas S. Monson. Of those 11 apostles born outside the United States, he became the 6th international apostle to serve in the First Presidency. At the time of his call to the First Presidency, he was the 13th in apostolic seniority. During the period of almost a decade in which he served alongside President Monson and First Counselor President Henry B. Eyring, the deaths of six apostles senior to him meant he had become the 7th in apostolic seniority.

And with the death of President Monson occurring just three months after the death of Elder Robert D. Hales, the First Presidency was dissolved. The new Church President, Russell M. Nelson, chose as his counselors his seatmate Elder Dallin H. Oaks and President Eyring. As a result, Elder Uchtdorf returned to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

When he departed that Quorum to serve in the First Presidency, he had been the tenth most senior member of that Quorum, and he returned to it as the third in seniority, with only Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland ahead of him. And in recognition of his administrative capacities and capabilities, his assignments as a recently-reassigned Quorum member were those that had previously been held by the three who had been the most senior members of the Quorum (Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Ballard)..

Elder Uchtdorf has spoken frequently about ways in which Church members should consider themselves called to action. I enjoy hearing what he has to say in his General Conference addresses every six months. Throughout his almost 24 years as a general authority, almost 14 years as a special witness of the Savior, and nearly a decade of service in the First Presidency, he has now given 69 talks, only 2 of which were given prior to his apostolic call. To review any of these remarkable and noteworthy addresses, click here (it should be noted that his first talk given as a General Authority, has somehow been omitted from that larger list).

Elder Uchtdorf is a man of great personal warmth and charm, and we are blessed indeed to have him among the Special Witnesses of Christ at this time. He has always struck a very warm and welcoming tone in his public discourses, and his current assignments are a clear testament to the great faith the Brethren have in him. In addition to being the 3rd most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he is also the third oldest, behind only President Ballard and Elder Quentin L. Cook. He is also the 7th senior apostle overall, and the 6th oldest of the 15 apostles overall.

Although he may never personally read this tribute, it was an honor to provide it for him on this, his 77th birthday. I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. 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 all that you do.

Major Developments Reported on Temples Undergoing Renovation

Hello again, everyone! Earlier today, some game-changing information was reported on the temples undergoing renovation. This post will share the highlights of these changes. Let's get right into all of that. First, given the relatively extensive progress seen on the Hinckley-era temples currently undergoing renovation (Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Memphis Tennessee, Raleigh North Carolina, and Baton Rouge Louisiana) when compared with the older and larger temples currently undergoing renovation (Frankfurt Germany and Oakland California), the former four have been moved ahead of the latter two.

Therefore, the general estimates for these temples has been altered, and there have been a few new developments reported. The estimates for OKC and Memphis have been changed to mid-2019. For the former, it has been reported that stone cladding and art glass installation are nearing completion. In relation to the latter, it has been noted that stone cladding is nearing completion.

In relation to the Raleigh and Baton Rouge Temples, the general estimate has been changed to mid-to-late 2019. Aside from that estimate change, nothing new has been reported for either temple, as stone cladding for the exterior walls continues on the former, and a waterproofing membrane has been attached to the exterior of the latter in preparation for its' stone cladding process.

For the Frankfurt Germany and Oakland California Temples, more information will apparently be needed before a more general estimate is offered. For now, it has been noted that both temples are anticipated to be rededicated at some point next year. And an update on the Frankfurt Temple shows that curbing is being poured now for the expanded parking lot, while the exterior walls of the on-site villa are being renovated.

Because these unexpected developments were reported earlier today, I have not yet had a chance to analyze how the information will alter the more specific estimates I have previously offered for the future rededication of these temples. Look for that at some point this week as I have time to put that together. I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to keep passing word of such news on to you all as I receive it.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. 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.

Additional Information on Possible Consolidation of North America Areas

Hello again, everyone! As many of you are aware, shortly after the April 2018 General Conference, the First Presidency had announced the area leadership assignments which became effective as of August 1. Among those changes, it was announced that areas in North America would once again be overseen by a presidency of three General Authority Seventies. Six such presidencies were announced for what had been 10 areas to serve the Saints in the United States and Canada.

As at least some of you also might recall, I have posted previously with evidence I found that seemed to further indicate the number of those areas had been consolidated from 10 to 6. But given the fact that some sources (particularly many of the biographies of the 18 men who have been assigned to oversee those areas) were somewhat ambiguous, I had not been able to definitively settle the question of what was actually the case.

Accordingly, a day or two ago, as I did one of my usual checks on the Church's official website for word of any new developments in terms of Church news, I found a recent address given by President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The address, given one week ago today (on the same day the dedication of the Concepcion Chile Temple took place), was one of four given during a regional conference for the Utah North Area.

Given that fact, it appears that any ambiguity on this point has been cleared up once and for all, and that the original source (which announced these changes) was in error in reporting that there are only 21 areas of the Church now. The number of areas within North America instead remain at 10, which means there are a total of 25 areas still within the Church.

Having noted this new information, hopefully that settles any additional questions on this point. It looks as though I will need to again rework my list of area seventies (including the demographic information I put together) in accordance with that clarification. I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple updates, and will do my level best to keep passing word of those along to you all as I receive it.

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 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.