Personal Update/Upcoming Projects For This Blog & Church Events

Hello again, everyone! It has been 12 days since my last post, and I feel I owe all of you an explanation. In the late night hours when Saturday November 18 became Sunday November 19, I became violently ill. For a while, I resisted my wife's insistence that we take me to the emergency room, but after reevaluating my symptoms and motivations, I agreed with her assessment, and we headed out.

A few hours later, while at the ER, we discovered I had a couple of kidney stones. After some very rapid investigations and doctor consultations, we were able to get the worst of that problem dealt with, though I will have to go back in at some point to finalize that process. Over the following 8-9 days, I initially was in recuperation, but then became ill again. After some additional tests, we learned that my appendix had become enlarged, and were told that, while there was no imminent danger of additional problems from that condition, getting it removed would likely be beneficial.

And so my wife and I discussed what was to be done. At first, I remained a little stubborn and didn't want to go through with it. But after the two of us had a prayer together, my wife ran home to take care of some errands. Left alone with my thoughts, I received a very strong and direct rebuke from the Lord, which was so clear it could not be mistaken as anything else: I needed to have the procedure done. First thing  yesterday morning, I was wheeled into the OR where we got that taken care of. My progress was steady enough that the doctors arranged for my release to go home in the mid-to-latter part of the evening. I have been recuperating at home ever since.

With that explanation given, I wanted to apologize for a few things, whether or not anyone else feels I need to do so. First, with my condition being what it was, I did not have the health or physical capacity to track/report on Church news and temple developments within this period of time. Second, while I did see the latest comments added to this blog, I was unable to reply to them before now (though I did try repeatedly to do so while my in-hospital recuperation continued).

Third, since i couldn't get replies posted to the comments recently added to this blog, I was likewise unable to post this personal update within the last week or so. And finally, with my having spent the last 10 days in the hospital, I have lots of updates to make to some of the personal files I keep (most notably those related to apostolic milestones and temple construction. What that means for this blog over the next little while is that it may be a minimum week or two (but possibly longer) before I will be able to get back to the meticulous, minute reports on day-to-day Church news and temple developments which have been typically found on this blog throughout the last year.

That said, I will be sure to bring all major developments to you (including any and all breaking Church news and major temple developments, in addition to the latest apostolic milestones). Among those specific projects I have in mind for the immediate and near future will be the birthday tributes for Elders Jeffrey R. Holland (who is set to observe his 78th birthday on December 3) and Gerrit W. Gong (who will celebrate his 65th birthday on December 23).

The week before Elder Gong's birthday (December 16, which will coincide with my own birthday), it is my hope to bring you the final apostolic statistical update for this year. But my top priority after updating the files I referenced earlier will be fulfilling my promise to finalize and publish my April 2019 General Conference predictions. The main hold-up on those is the work that remains in annotating the important information supporting the candidates on my list of locations which could have a temple announced next April.

But hopefully ax I continue to heal from my most recent health adventure, those things will quickly be able to be put together and published here on my blog, and, as noted, if all goes well, I would anticipate being able to resume the more complete reports of Church news and temple developments sometime within the next month or two. In the meantime, for those who want to track the developments which I won't be able to report on during this time, you can find them via the Church News website, the Church of Jesus Christ Temples page, the News & Events page on the Church's official website, and, of course, the Church's official Newsroom.

Also upcoming this weekend will be the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional, which is anticipate to include 3-4 speakers, one each from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and one or two others from among the other general authorities and general officers of the Church. President Nelson has shown a willingness to deviate from typical patterns when the Lord prompts him to do so, so something similar may occur this Sunday. Then, a week after that, Church leaders are set to dedicate the Barranquilla Colombia Temple.

I mentioned earlier that Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Ruth L. Renlund would be the featured speakers for the first Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults next year (which will be held on Sunday January 13). But the Church has also since noted that Elder Ronald A. Rasband, also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will be the featured speaker at the annual "Evening with a General Authority", which, as some of you may be aware, is the broadcast for seminary and institute instructors and their spouses. Less than one month later, on March 2, RootsTech, which is a Church-sponsored organization supporting family history, will hold their annual Discovery Day.

April General Conference will be held over the weekend of Saturday April 6-Sunday April 7. Then on May 2-3, BYU will hold its' annual Women's Conference, which will feature speakers from among the general leadership of the Church. The following Sunday, on May 5, Elder Carl B. Cook of the Presidency of the Seventy will be the featured speaker for the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults. The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will present their annual Pioneer Day Concert on July 20.

The final Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults in 2019 is set for September 8, with the speaker to be announced within the next few months. October General Conference will occur during the weekend of October 5-6. And the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional for 2019 will be held on Sunday December 8. This list of upcoming events does not include scheduled temple events, which will be detailed in full on the next version of my temple construction progress report which I also hope to post at some point within the next week (if not sooner).

Thank you all for bearing with me through my recent ordeal, and even moreso as I continue to recover therefrom. I do continue to monitor any and all major Church news and temple developments as I can, and will bring word of the most significant updates to you ASAP. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments align with the purposes and goals of this blog.

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 Temple Developments and Church News Stories Reported

Hello again, everyone! Although I am more than 24 hours later than I'd hoped or intended to be in starting this post, I wanted to pass along, as promised, some additional temple developments and Church news stories. There are quite a few significant developments to report, so let's get right into all of that. We will start with the temple updates, then turn in conclusion to the additional Church news.

Two significant temple developments have been reported. On Thursday, the new artist's rendering for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple was released. You can see the significant differences as follows: The Church's report on the groundbreaking for that temple (which occurred on December 3, 2016) shows the initial exterior look for that temple (which you can find in the second-to-last image accompanying that report.)

Then yesterday, the subpage for that temple on the Church of Jesus Christ Temples website provided a look at the new design for that temple. Although Tyndall stone was incorporated in both of those designs for that temple, most of the exterior of the temple in the newly-released design will utilize brick, rather than stone. I am not entirely sure as to why that redesign was necessary, but if the changes have enabled the Church to begin full-scale construction on this project, the process of changing the design will have been well worth it in the long run. I am not sure whether copyright law in relation to these two images would allow me to post them here, so to err on the side of caution, I hope it is sufficient enough for me to post the information on where those images can be viewed.

The second temple development on which I wanted to focus relates to one of the announced temples. I mentioned previously that the process of preparing the final building for its' demolishment on the grounds of the Bangkok Thailand Temple site was underway. Earlier today, it was reported that debris netting has now been placed around the building. I am not quite sure how long the actual demolition process is anticipated to take. But given the fact that it is now just past 6:40 AM on Sunday morning in Thailand, it will likely be another 24 hours before we hear anything more on that process.

I still think it would be awesome if the Church could break ground for this temple and if construction can get underway on it before the end of this year, but it may be a while before we know whether or not that can feasibly happen. Other than these developments, nothing else has changed in terms of temple developments. But I hope we will hear more news about the Bangkok Thailand Temple and the Urdaneta Philippines Temple in the coming weeks. I am similarly anticipating that we might hopefully hear soon that the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple and the rededications of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma and Memphis Tennessee Temples have been set.

In the meantime, let's turn our attention to Church news updates.  First, from the Church's official Newsroom website, we have a report shared from the Pacific edition of that site on how Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon and Primary General President Joy D. Jones are taking time to get to know and minister to many Latter-day Saints in the Pacific Area of the Church.

Other Church news stories describe how 8 couples have been called by the First Presidency to oversee and direct tours for Church members and friends of other faiths who are visiting prominent Church history sites, and also a wide-ranging conversation with former Relief Society General President and Young Women General Presidency member Julie B. Beck as she prepares to publish a new book.

The Church News has also shared this account of how 3 apostles (Elders Holland, Bednar and Cook), along with Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy, Relief Society General President Sister Jean B. Bingham, Elder Kim B. Clark, the Commissioner of Church Education, BYU-Pathway Worldwide President Clark S. Glibert and his wife Sister Christine Gilbert were all featured in a devotional broadcast held for students involved in the BYU-Pathway Worldwide program.  With the exception of President and Sister Gilbert and Elder Clark, all other participants in that broadcast serve as members of the Executive Committee of the Boards for the Church Educational System.

Finally, from the News & Events page on the Church's official website, Latter-day Saints living in southern Texas are anxiously anticipating the visit of Church President Russell M. & Sister Wendy W. Nelson, Elder David A. and Sister Susan K. Bednar, and Elder Adrian and Sister Nancy Ochoa, who are set to speak to Saints in a devotional scheduled tomorrow which will be held at the Alamodrome.

Also, Sister Vicki G. Jackman, who serves as a member of the Young Women General Board, shares some thoughts on her most influential teacher, someone whose life and example demonstrated a life woven with threads of testimony. And in the wake of the wildfire and campfires that decimated Paradise, California, local bishops continue to minister to members of their congregations whose homes were destroyed. What a wonderful time in which we live, where the latest Church news and temple developments are so consistently available to us on such a significant scale.

I continue to monitor all such reports and remain committed to bringing word of those to you all as I receive it. I also continue to work on my initial predictions for the April 2019 General Conference and hope to bring those to you for discussion here at some point next week, if all goes well. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Announces Change in Church Service Missionary Procedures

Hello again, everyone! Earlier today, the First Presidency announced changes to the way Church service missionaries will get their calls and assignments going forward. An official letter has been sent with the signature of the First Presidency. In both the announcement and the letter, it is explained that all who desire to serve a mission for the Church will go through the same process of filling out missionary papers, having doctor and dental examinations, and submitting that material to Salt Lake for consideration.

Upon receipt of those papers through the website, the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with representatives from the Missionary Department, will weigh the available information as they seek for inspiration. Those who are found to have health conditions which would make full-time service impractical will then receive a letter of call, signed by the Church President, with the designated field of labor being noted as "Church Service Missionary", on either a full- or part-time basis. At that point, such prospective missionaries will work with their local leaders to determine an appropriate way in which they can serve locally.

But there is more to these changes than that. Those full-time missionaries who are honorably released to go home early in view of outstanding health issues will have the option, as they are able to do so, to complete the length of their mission as Church service missionaries as well. And the Church will continue the established tradition of honorably excusing anyone who is unable to serve as a missionary either full-time or in a Church Service Mission.

As one whose personal health required me to be honorably excused from full-time missionary service, I can tell you that the part-time Church Service Missionary opportunities I had were a good fit for my personal situation. But I had been honorably excused from serving full-time by my local leaders and had been able to choose my own opportunities.

While some family members wanted me to consider serving in the Family and Church History Mission in Salt Lake, now known as the Church Headquarters Mission, I had prayed about it and had felt impressed to assist with local humanitarian efforts 2-3 days per week and to serve 2 shifts per week as a veil worker in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. I spent two years filling the former assignment, during which time I also served in the temple as well, and I extended my temple service for four years after my formal assignment ended.

And those opportunities worked out well for me personally, since the continuation of my temple service after the end of my tenure as a Welfare Services Missionary ultimately led me to meet the woman I would later marry in that same temple. During my two-year service period, I often lamented that the one thing which never happened for me was to have that official call letter signed by the President of the Church. Only that would have made the opportunities I did that much more meaningful.

But it seems that the First Presidency is recognizing that that official letter has been a missed part of the experience for the past and current Church Service Missionaries around the world, and I am glad that this step has been taken to rectify that situation. I am likewise grateful to have been able to pass word of this development on to you all here. I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments on an ongoing basis and will do my level best to keep bringing word of those to you all here as I receive it. Look for another Church news/temple update later today.

In the meantime, 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.