BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church Identifies Location of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple; Has Submitted Preliminary Plans to City

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news has been reported again by the Church. Church leaders today confirmed the official location and provided preliminary plans in detail for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. The plans include the temple, which will cover an approximate 87,000 square foot area, and an adjacent 21,000 square foot meetinghouse. No groundbreaking date has been announced.

But this was a most welcome development, as it gives some idea as to how soon we could see a groundbreaking. As I mentioned earlier, I anticipate that we may hear something on the Brasilia Brazil Temple next, unless any other temple surprises are announced. I would then anticipate the Richmond Virginia Temple being next, followed by the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. But time will tell whether or not that proves to be correct.

I will take some time over the next few days as I am able to do so and will revisit the order in which temples are listed both on my temple construction progress report and in terms of specific estimates for known temple events, and will hope to have something published in both cases within the next week or less. I am grateful for this unanticipated but most welcome development.

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.

Several Major Church News Items Reported

Hello again, everyone! This post will cover my thoughts on a wide variety of Church news which has been reported, much of it having major significance in nature. So let's dive right in. As many of you may already be aware, the First Presidency announced today that couples married civily first will now no longer need to wait a year before subsequently being married in the temple. In a Church that teaches its' members to "obey, honor, and sustain the law", it makes perfect sense to me that leaders would adjust this. That is because in so many nations around the world, civil marriages are often required to take place first.

For most of the nations which have such a requirement, a temple marriage following directly after a civil marriage has been the status quo for a while. This change may have the biggest impact in the United States, and also surely for those couples who don't want to alienate family members who are either not members of the Church, do not have a temple recommend, or both. Also, as I observed in the comment threads of a previous post on this blog, one of the forremost reasons for this change is likely to continue the process of creating greater Churchwide unity and uniformity in policies, procedures, and practices. For that reason, I welcome this change. As soon as I heard about it, I knew it was inpsired by the Lord.

In other temple news, the Oakland California Temple is being prepared to welcome visitors during its' 3-week open house (which is set to be held from this Saturday, May 11, through Saturday June 1, excluding the relevant Sundays. Reportedly, Elders Quentin L. Cook and Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the latter of whom serves on the Temple and Family History Executive Council) are in Oakland this week to lead the preliminary tours.

Church leaders also announced earlier today that full-time missionaries preparing to return home will be pre-approved to attend BYU-Pathway Worldwide. And in a first-of-its'-kind broadcast, the three presidernts of the female-led auxiliaries answered questions live in real-time during a broadcast of the BYU Women's Conference.

With those Newsroom stories noted, we now turn our attention to articles from the Church News website. Our native German apostle, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, recently returned from a visit to the Europe Area, and specifically included visits to Germany and Austria. Based on the report of that visit, I may consider looking further into the merits of a first temple for Austria and a third for Germany. Stay tuned on that.

In the meantime, several more articles have been published about the BYU Women's Conference, and rather than listing them all here, I'd refer you to these search results from the Church News. All stories I have not covered are well worthy of your time and attention.  Aside from those, Gerry Avant takes a look back at Elder Bruce R. McConkie's "keen sense of humor". Continuing the series of articles about new leaders called to serve in April 2019, an article has been published about Elder Jorge M. Alvarado.

Elder Carl B. Cook of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Lynette, spoke to young adults last night in the second of three Worldwide Devotionals for Young Adults in 2019. They focused their remarks on how to succeed in an eternal marriage.  The Church News also provided coverage of Elder Holland rededicating the Memphis Tennessee Temple. And an hour ago,  the Church News published an article sharing interior photos of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple. I was grateful to learn about and bring these updates and my thoughts thereon to you all. I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all here as I learn of them.

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 enjoyoed 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.

April 2019 General Conference Predictions Results: Part Three—Temple Predictions Results/Overall Results

Hello again, everyone! I am back to share the final part of the results of my April 2019 General Conference predictions. All that remains is to pass along another copy of the list of locations I put together, those that were announced, how that compared to those that were actuallly announced, and the overal score and percentage of accuracy on the predictions overall. Let's get right into all of that. In order to not 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 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.

Temple predictions: At least 12 new temples announced for any of the following locations[1]:

Africa Southeast[2]: Antananarivo Madagascar; Second DR Congo Temple (in Mbuji-Mayi or Lubumbashi); Maputo Mozambique; Kampala Uganda; Cape Town South Africa

Africa West[3]: Freetown Sierra Leone; Kumasi Ghana; Monrovia Liberia; Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast; Benin City Nigeria

Asia[4]: Ulaanbaatar Mongolia; Jakarta Indonesia; Singapore; Taichung Taiwan; Hanoi Vietnam

Asia North[5]: Osaka Japan

Brazil[6]: Belo Horizonte, Florianopolis, João Pessoa, or Ribeirão Preto Brazil

Caribbean: Kingston Jamaica[7]

Central America[8]: Coban Guatemala; San Pedro Sula Honduras

Europe[9]: Budapest Hungary; Edinburgh Scotland; Vienna Austria; Oslo Norway

Europe East[10]: Vilnius Lithuania

Mexico: Torreon or Queretaro Mexico[11]

Middle East/Africa North: Dubai or Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates[12]

Pacific[13]: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea; Tarawa Kiribati; Pago Pago American Samoa; Neiafu Vava'u Tonga; Savaii Samoa; Christchurch New Zealand

Philippines[14]: Tacloban, Bacolod, or Angeles Philippines

South America Northwest[15]: Santa Cruz or La Paz Bolivia; Iquitos or Cusco Peru; Cali or Medellin Colombia

South America South[16]: Antofagasta or Valparaiso Chile; Santa Fe, Rosario, or Neuquen Argentina; Ciudad del Este Paraguay

North America (including the United States and Canada) [17]:

Canada[18]: Victoria British Columbia; Lethbridge Alberta

North America Central[19]: Missoula Montana; Pueblo or Colorado Springs Colorado; Wichita Kansas; Green Bay Wisconsin; Des Moines Iowa; Rapid City South Dakota

North America Northeast[20]: Cleveland Ohio; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania; East Brunswick New Jersey; Augusta Maine; Montpelier Vermont

North America Northwest: Fairbanks Alaska[21]

North America Southeast[22]: Jackson Mississippi; Shreveport Louisiana; Jacksonville Florida; Knoxville Tennessee; Savannah Georgia; Charlotte North Carolina

North America Southwest[23]: Bentonville Arkansas; Fort Worth Texas; Las Cruces New Mexico; Flagstaff or Queen Creek Arizona; Elko or Ely Nevada

North America West: Bakersfield California[24]

Utah[25]: Herriman Utah; Evanston Wyoming or Preston Idaho; Tooele Utah; Heber City Utah; Washington County Utah (Third Temple)

Result: Temples were announced for the following locations: Pago Pago American Samoa; Okinawa City Okinawa (may be called the Okinawa Japan Temple); Neiafu Tonga; Tooele Valley Utah; Moses Lake Washington; San Pedro Sula Honduras; Antofagasta Chile; Budapest Hungary

Predictions Results:136 /198=68.69%

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[1]Some have offered their opinion that, with 19 new temples announced last year alone (which has resulted in a current backlog of 27 temples, though 3 others have a groundbreaking scheduled to occur roughly one month after this conference), no new temples may be announced this go-round. While I understand (and appreciate) the rationale behind such comments, from what others and I myself have directly or indirectly heard, President Nelson may unveil his temple expansion plans during this conference. Whether he does or not, the locations below (grouped by area, then by likelihood within that area) represent the most likely locations in which I feel such temples may be announced during this conference.

[2]The Africa Southeast Area has experienced significant Church growth. With 1 dedicated temple in the area currently, there are 2 under construction (1 of which will be dedicated the week after conference, with the other anticipated to follow in 4-6 months), and 2 others announced (both of which have had sites procured, and could therefore have a groundbreaking either later this year or early next year), I have found 5 other potential locations which may get a temple in the near future. Most of these candidates are based on the mileage to the current temple(s), travel rigor, or oversized temple districts. Additionally, Uganda, Madagascar, and Mozambique are fifth, seventh, and ninth respectively on the list of top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that do not have a temple in any phase. Madagascar is my top pick for this area. And in reference to a second DR Congo Temple, I have personally favored Lubumbashi, but a recent report on the Church growth blog pointed to the idea that a temple in Mbuji-Mayi might be more imminently needed, so I have prioritized that pick.

[3]The same factors I referenced above in previously (about significant Church growth, the mileage and rigors involved, and temple district sizes) also applies to the Africa West Area, as reflected by the five candidate cities listed here. With only 2 temples currently operating, one more other construction, and one announced, the Church growth blog noted recently that West Africa could have at least 13 operating temples by 2030. There are a couple of big differences, though. Only two of the five candidates do not have a temple in any phase. The two are Sierra Leone and Liberia, which rank as the second and sixth respectively on the aforementioned top ten list.  Sierra Leone is my top pick for this area. And while it may be difficult to know how soon a second Ivory Coast temple and a third Nigerian temple may be announced, I have felt confident enough in my picks to justify their selection.

[4]The Asian Saints, whose ability to practice their faith has been somewhat limited at times by governmental regulations, are nonetheless very faithful, as evidenced by recent temple announcements for that continent. With the Hong Kong and Taipei temples serving the Saints currently, the one in Bangkok is under construction, and two others have been announced for Bengaluru and Phnom Penh. The factors first mentioned in previously above also apply to the Asia Area, which is the largest geographically in the Church. Of the locations listed, Mongolia is my favored pick, since that nation is eighth on the aforementioned top ten list. Also, President Hinckley publicly proposed a temple in Singapore, and Vietnam is a dark-horse pick that I included based on reports of Church growth in the area.

[5]The Asia North Area of the Church has seen some stagnated growth, to the point where some have suggested that that area could be merged with the Asia Area. While I understand the thinking behind that, and while I would not be surprised if such a merge occurs in the near future, I have evaluated the area and seen at least one prospective location where a temple could be built, with the main reasoning being the factors previously mentioned in previously.

[6]Brazil has been a Church stronghold for a while now. With six temples currently in operation, both the Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temples will be dedicated within the next year, during which time the Brasilia Brazil Temple is likely to have a groundbreaking occur. With two other temples (Belem and Salvador) awaiting a site announcement and groundbreaking, some may feel that more Brazilian temples may be delayed. But my research indicates that, due to the factors mentioned in previously, these cities are the next most likely locations to have a temple announced. I personally favor Belo Horizonte, but would be happy if any or all of these cities have a temple announced this go-round.

[7]This city is another dark-horse pick, but is on the list due to the factors mentioned in previously, but also due to someone suggesting it elsewhere. And given what President Nelson has done in terms of the 19 temples he announced last year, Kingston could be another location for a smaller temple. 

[8]A Church member living and working in the Central America Area kindly informed me that a second temple to serve the current Guatemala City temple district is the most imminent prospect for the future in this area. As I studied that opinion, I concurred with him that Coban would likely be the next Central American city in which a temple will be announced. But I also feel (based on general consensus and according to my research) that a San Pedro Sula temple may be on the horizon sooner rather than later, so both cities are listed.

[9]The situation of Saints living on the European continent is somewhat interesting. Where there are centers of strength, significant growth has occurred. But in many European nations, the Church has experienced some stagnated growth, which has necessitated discontinuing some congregations in order to strengthen others within the last year or two. But due to the factors I mentioned previously, it appears likely that most (if not all) of the candidate cities that follow in this section could get a temple, even if only a smaller one.  

[10]This area of the Church has also experienced stagnated growth to the point that some have suggested that the Church could consolidate it into the Europe Area. Additionally, although President Nelson boldly announced a temple in April of last year for a major yet-to-be-determined city in Russia, the political and religious oppression existing in that nation makes it hard to know how soon that temple will be built. With that in mind, a temple in Vilnius makes a lot of sense. And that is especially true given the public proposal for such a temple which was made by then-Elder M. Russell Ballard in May 1993. Although Elder Ballard noted that prospect might not occur for 50 years or so, based on what has been said about President Nelson’s temple expansion plans, the prospect seems imminent enough to include it on my list for now.

[11]The relevant factors in notes 13 and 20 also apply in a way to Mexico (where centers of strength have seen excellent growth in some respects, but in others, massive congregational consolidates have also occurred within the last couple of years. Based on these facts, it may be difficult to know how soon another temple may be announced for Mexico, especially since one was announced for Puebla last October. But the cities of Queretaro and Torreon have been identified by a Church member living in Mexico as likely to get a temple in the near future, so both are on this list.  

[12]As recently as a year ago, if someone had suggested a temple for the Middle East/Africa North Area, I would have dismissed it as an impossibility. But within the last year, we have seen President Nelson announce temples for areas which I felt would not get a temple for 15-20 years, and with that in mind, a temple in this area seems feasible, if only a smaller one. Although the bulk of Church membership in this area is comprised of military personnel, the United Arab Emirates represent a stronghold of the Church in this area. And with that in mind, a smaller temple in either of the two most populous cities in the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively), feels like it may be more practical than I would have believed this time last year.

[13]The Pacific area is another stronghold of Church growth. With 10 temples currently operating there (and one other announced), it seems logical to assume that other temples will be needed to serve the area. Most (if not all) of the factors I mentioned previously apply equally to this area. Additionally, New Guinea, Kiribati, and American Samoa are ranked first, third, and fourth respectively on the aforementioned top ten list of nations. So I have no doubt the Pacific Area will see temples announced in each of these cities within the next decade, if not sooner.

[14]The Church has two operating temples in the Philippines (Manila and Cebu City). The temple announced in October 2010 for Urdaneta had a groundbreaking ceremony in January. And with the last 3 sets of temple announcements, the Philippines has seen temples announced for the greater Manila area (which will be located in Muntinlupa City), Cagayan de Oro, and Davao. If that is any indication of what might happen in the future, then other temples may be needed for the Philippines, and the cities mentioned here seem to have the best likelihood.

[15]The entire South American continent has experienced massive Church growth. Having previously discussed Brazil, in reference to the South America Northwest Area, I wanted to observe that there are 7 operating temples there. 1 more is currently under construction in Arequipa Peru (for which a dedication is anticipated before the end of this year) Two others have been announced: the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Quito Ecuador Temples, both of which could have a groundbreaking within the next 2-3 years, though hopefully sooner if all goes well. And while I have personally-favored candidates here, a second temple in Bolivia may be the most imminent prospect. For Bolivia and Colombia, I have listed two potential locations each due to my inability to narrow those down to one.  

[16]The South America South Area has likewise seen very significant and rapidly expanding growth. So again, with President Nelson’s extensive temple-building plans in mind, I have considered the most imminent prospects for future temples in this area, and the factors mentioned in previous notes hold true here as well. Currently, this area of the Church is served by 6 operating temples (1 of which is closed for renovation), and there were 2 more announced for this area last year. With that in mind, the 5 locations listed in this section seem to have the strongest case in their favor of a temple announced in the near future. And for Argentina and Chile, I list two cities each because the sets for each nation are about even in terms of their likelihood.  

[17]Although the North American continent (primarily in the United States) has seen somewhat of a stagnating growth situation, in light of the recent increased mentions of President Nelson’s ambitious temple-building plans, the likelihood is extremely high that the US and Canada will be included in whatever the plans are to expand the number of temples worldwide. The locations listed below represent what I believe are the most imminent prospects for each of the now-8 North American areas of the Church.

[18]For purposes of simplification, I have chosen to list my temple candidates for Canada in a separate section from those elsewhere in the United States. So the North American areas listed below will not include these Canadian candidate cities. Of the two, Lethbridge may be more of a long shot. But Victoria has been mentioned to me as a prospect due to the cost and arduous nature of the journey to worship at the Vancouver British Columbia Temple.  

[19]As mentioned in previous notes, on the one hand, it may be difficult (if not impossible) to gauge the imminent likelihood of any locations. But as also mentioned, in view of some of the relevant factors, I can see the merits of each location listed here. Particularly, I heard a report of a public proposal of a temple for Missoula Montana. Pueblo made the list due to a report I received of high attendance numbers at the Denver Colorado Temple. For Kansas, Iowa, and South Dakota, mileage is the main factor driving my choices, and a temple (if only a smaller one) seems likely for all three states in the near future. A temple in Iowa could be named for Mount Pisgah, a significant landmark in the pioneer history of the Church.

[20]Given the steady growth of the Church in Ohio and Pennsylvania, second temples for each seem to be likely sooner rather than later. And New Jersey, Maine, and Vermont may each be eligible for a temple of their own given the distance factor, and the rigors of travel involved in getting to their currently assigned temples.

[21]The Saints in both Fairbanks and Juneau have an arduously lengthy journey to get to their assigned temple in Anchorage. While both may have equal merits in terms of their eligibility for a temple of their own, my research shows Fairbanks may be first in line for such a prospect. But I would anticipate temples in both cities within the next 5-15 years, if not sooner.

[22]Since the Saints in Jackson currently have an arduous journey to get to their assigned temple, it is my opinion that a temple will be announced in that city sooner rather than later. And an arduous journey also factors in to my reasoning for temples in Shreveport, Jacksonville, Knoxville, and Savannah. If, as I anticipate, President Nelson plans to prioritize the mileage factor and also filling in the gaps that exist in temple district coverage, then any or all of these may simply be a matter of time.

[23]Things are a little tricky for this area of the Church. Given that the Saints assigned to the districts of temples over the Mexican border might possibly have a harder time accessing those temples in the future, some have offered very specific opinions about the merits of some of the candidate cities which are listed here. But I am basing my theories on the potential location of an Arkansas temple on information from a friend indicating that land has been held in reserve in that city for a temple for several years now. And I am basing my picks for temples in Texas and New Mexico on the opinion of someone living within the current Dallas Texas Temple district. This individual noted that Fort Worth would almost certainly be the next Texas city to get a temple. So if border issues arise, those could be ameliorated by a temple in Las Cruces, which would likely also cover El Paso for the time being. Arizona and Nevada both fall under the “Mormon corridor”, and I have heard that Flagstaff may well be the most likely Arizona city to get a temple. Both Elko and Ely have arduous journeys to their assigned temples in Utah, so It seems to be just a matter of time before one (or both) of them get a temple of their own, and I feel the next Nevada temple location is too close to call.

[24]With a temple announced last October for Yuba City, a temple in Bakersfield might potentially be delayed, but however long it might take, I am reasonably confident that that city will be the next one in California to get a temple of its’ own, as I have been anticipating such a prospect for almost as long as I have been offering my thoughts on future temple locations.  

[25]A temple site was publicly mentioned as being held in reserve in April 2005 for a temple in the Southwest Salt Lake Valley. Though no official confirmation has occurred, if my research is correct, the land in question has been the subject of a border dispute between Herriman and Bluffdale cities, but is currently owned by the city of Herriman. For Heber City, Tooele, Preston, and Evanston, they all seem to have an equal likelihood of having a temple announced in the near future. And Elder Steven E. Snow, who was born in Washington County, recently told the Saints there at a stake conference that someone from the Temple Department had indicated to him that a third Washington County temple would be needed in the not-too-distant future. For these reasons, I couldn’t narrow any of these selections down, at least not for the moment.