Temple Construction Updates Noted

Hello again, everyone! While I am still planning on providing a look at temple progress which occurred in 2018 later today, I wanted to do a new post first to share some temple updates which have come to my attention within the last half-hour or less. Let's get right into all of that. First of all, I have previously referenced my belief that the Church will have at least 200 operating temples by (if not before) the 200th anniversary of the Church's reestablishment (which will be observed on Saturday April 6, 2030). With 39 temples to dedicate between now and then, as long as the Church dedicates an average 3.46 temples in each of the 11.26 years between today and that day, it will easily be done.

That said, while only 2 temples were dedicated last year, 3 temple dedications have already been scheduled to occur by the end of May 2019, and 3 others are anticipated to be dedicated in the remaining 7 months of next year as well. That brings me to discussing the first of those 3 temples, the one in Fortaleza Brazil, which has been under construction since early 2016. (Although a groundbreaking had been held for that temple in 2011, full-scale construction was stalled for almost 5 years after that). The latest information I have indicates that construction on that temple has concluded, and that the temple is being furnished and prepared for its' open house.

I haven't seen any official announcement of the dates for the open house and dedication of that temple, but it could be that we will see that announcement officially made anytime between Wednesday of this week and Sunday of next week, which would be the first major temple announcement in 2019. As far as I have been able to determine, there are no other further updates on new temples under construction. That said, I do have some updates on temples undergoing renovation, so let's talk next about those.

It has been noted that the work of cladding the Memphis Tennessee Temple in exterior stone has been completed. I would anticipate that announcements about the timing for the open houses and rededication of that temple and the Oklahoma City Temple, which may still be considered ahead of Memphis in terms of its' progress will also be forthcoming within the next 2-3 months or less. The one other update I have on temples undergoing renovation relates to the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple, where the process of installing lamp-posts on the temple grounds has begun.

Right now, in addition to the 6 temples which will be dedicated next year, and with a rededication also having been announced for the Oakland California Temple, there are up to 6 other temples currently undergoing renovation which could (and likely will) be rededicated next year. In 2020, 3-4 temples are already anticipated to be dedicated, and 3 temples closed for renovation are anticipated to be rededicated, with one other temple that is anticipated to be rededicated the following year.

If, as I am anticipating, several announced temples have a groundbreaking next year, that in turn will result in new temples that could be dedicated in 2020 and the years beyond. And President Nelson continues the process of planning renovations for other temples, which we may learn much more about in the early months of 2019. Since more has been said about President Nelson's temple-building plans lately, we are almost certain to see many more temples announced next year and the years that follow as well.

Whatever might happen in that regard, as I learn of it, I will be sure to pass it along. 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 are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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 (which should be coming within the next 4 hours or so and will highlight the major temple developments which occurred this year), I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Updated Groundbreaking Estimates for Announced Temples

Hello again, everyone! While I hope any of you will feel free to continue to comment on other posts, (particularly my recently-posted April 2019 General Conference predictions), I wanted to post again now with some updated groundbreaking estimates for temples which have currently not gone beyond an announcement. Some preliminary information on those, if I may. First, as previously mentioned, with the groundbreakings for the Urdaneta Philippines and Bangkok Thailand Temples set to occur within the next month, the "oldest" announced temples will then be those 4 announced in April 2016. Second, with new information (or a lack thereof) reported on some of these temples, the latest revision of this list involved resorting them. Third, I have a feeling that between General Conferences, President Nelson will, among other things, be working on the current backlog of 28 announced temples, however that will occur. The order in which temples are listed below, therefore, is based upon information that is now known. If and when more information is relayed about any of these temples, I will be happy to resort them again. Fourth, there is clearly much that is not currently known about the extent of President Nelson's plans. While I would hope that part of those plans overall will be reducing the time between when each temple is announced and when it has a groundbreaking (which, according to some of the Executive Directors or Assistant Executive Directors of the Temple Department, has been roughly 2-3 years), until there is more evidence that that length of time has shortened considerably, most of these estimates will factor in the current estimate of 2-3 years. And finally, there are temples for which I will be needing more definitive and specific information to determine how soon a groundbreaking could occur for them. The announced temples remain in two separate groups: for the first, based on what is known, I have offered a tentative more specific estimated time-frame within which a groundbreaking could occur. And for the second, I will need more information about those temples before I can make even a preliminary, semi-educated and more specific groundbreaking estimate.

With all of that in mind, the updates I have made to the announced temples section of my temple construction progress report follow below. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do. 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 feedback is made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.

Announced Temples (for which sufficient information has me confident enough to venture a general groundbreaking estimate):

174. Pocatello Idaho Temple: Government approval process; streets around temple site opened; groundbreaking anticipated in mid-2019.

175. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Government approval phase; probable site identified; awaiting official confirmation and artist’s rendering; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

176. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson visited potential site on April 17, 2018; groundbreaking anticipated in late 2019.

177. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning and preliminary construction phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson visited probable site on October 20, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

178. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

179. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; site inspected by Church engineers on June 21, 2017; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

180. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

181. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

182. Richmond Virginia Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

183. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

184. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

185. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson toured potential locations on April 19, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.

186. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.

187. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in ­mid-to-late 2020.

188. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020-early 2021.

Announced Temples (for which more information is needed before I provide an estimated groundbreaking time-frame):

189. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

190. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

191. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

192. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

193. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

194. Praia Cape Verde Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

195. Yigo Guam Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

196. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

197. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

198. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

199. San Juan Puerto Rico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

200. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city and site announcement.

201. Washington County Utah Temple:  Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city and site announcement.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong Marks His 65th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is celebrating his 65th birthday today. As I mentioned in a previous post, this is the last apostolic birthday to occur in 2018. The next apostolic birthday (which will be the first for 2019) will be marked on January 24, at which time Elder D. Todd Christofferson will be 74. But getting back to Elder Gong, let's get into some biographical information.

Gerrit Walter Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on this day in 1953, to Walter and Jean Char Gong. While he was given his father's name for his middle name, his first name was given in honor of and respect to Gerrit de Jong, whose family his mother had lived with while studying at BYU-Provo. Both his parents trace their ancestry back to China, although his father's family emigrated from China to the US during the late 19th century, and his mother's family are ethnic Chinese who lived in Hawaii.

After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, he served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree at BYU, then continued his education at Oxford University, where, as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy. He first met Susan Lindsay, the woman he would later marry, while giving presentations at the MTC focused on the culture of Taiwan, to groups of missionaries assigned to serve in that nation (Sister Lindsay, at that time, was preparing to serve her mission in Taiwan).

At some point following her return from missionary service, while he was on summer break from Oxford, the two began dating. After Gerrit returned to Oxford, he and Susan (who was a BYU student) continued their courtship. The couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 1980, and raised 4 sons. They spent most of their married lives in Virginia and Maryland. Brother Gong became a special assistant to the US Secretary of State in 1985. He went on to be a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.

He would go on to serve as a special assistant in the US State Department and as a special assistant to the US embassy in China. In 1989, he served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was tapped to participate in multiple education summits, in addition to serving on the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. He went on to serve as Assistant to the President of BYU for Planning and Assessment.

In the Church, Elder Gong served as a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. During his time in the latter assignment, he accompanied the presiding authority to my parent's Stake Conference. As he spoke, I was impressed by his warmth, knowledge of the scriptures, and ability to teach from them. While I may not remember any specifics of what he said, the power of the Spirit which I felt when he was speaking was unmistakable. After that conference, I had the opportunity to greet and chat with him informally. What I had seen at the pulpit while he spoke was even more apparent in his personal interactions with me and other members of my parent's stake. This is a man who feels and teaches by the Spirit.

During the April 2010 General Conference, Elder Gong was among those called as a General Authority Seventy (to serve in the First Quorum). He filled various assignments at Church headquarters for the first year or so after his call. From August 2011-August 2013, he served in the Asia Area Presidency as a counselor. In 2013, he was called as president of that same area.

As a result of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the October 2015 General Conference, Elder Gong was called to the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. He transitioned out of his role as Asia Area President and into his new assignment in that Presidency effective January 4, 2016. He had responsibility for overseeing the work of the Church in the North America Northeast Area. He also served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards.

After serving in the Presidency of the Seventy for roughly 2.5 years, and following the deaths of Elder Robert D. Hales and Church President Thomas S. Monson, new Church President Russell M. Nelson called both Elder Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares to serve as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They were first sustained in that assignment on March 31, 2018, and both were ordained to the apostleship the following Thursday (April 5, 2018). The two are the first Asian American and Latin American apostles of the Church.

In June 2018, Elders Gong and Soares met with representatives of the media for the first time as new apostles. At that time, Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. He also serves as a member of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee. He had additionally indicated that he had been asked to oversee the Church's Asia and Asia North Areas, but official Church resources say those areas are supervised by Elder Gary E. Stevenson.

Elder Gong has given only 4 addresses in General Conference thus far, 1 following his call as a General Authority, 1 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and 2 others since beginning his service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, all of which are worthy of review, and each of which I can endorse without hesitation. Although it is unlikely Elder Gong might ever read this personally, I am grateful to have been able to write this post in honor of his 65th birthday today. Because of my previously-referenced personal interaction with him, I can testify that the Lord has prepared him for his present assignment, and I whole-heartedly sustain him and the other 14 apostles.

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 are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.