Latest Apostolic Milestone Observed; Upcoming Developments Which Will Be Reported on This Blog

Hello again, everyone! On this last day of July, I would be remiss indeed if I did not focus a new post on upcoming developments which will be a focus of future coverage on this blog. So let's go over those. The highlights will include 3 apostolic birthdays, the beginning of one temple open house, the end of that open house coinciding with the day of the next temple groundbreaking ceremony and the beginning of another open house, and the end of that same open house.


Before we talk specifics about that information, I would also be remiss if I did not note that today, the next apostolic milestone is being marked. As of today, the lifespan of President M. Russell Ballard matches that of President Boyd K. Packer. Barring anything unexpected, President Ballard will still be very much alive tomorrow, so I have moved him ahead of President Packer on the list of apostolic nonagenarians. President Ballard now thus ranks as the 14th oldest apostle overall. His next milestones on that list will be observed roughly three weeks apart in late March and mid-April of next year.

With that sidenote out of the way, let's talk specifics about what will be upcoming. First, I wanted to note that some of these developments will be the focus of new posts on this blog, while others will be merely mentioned in the comments on existing blog posts. I can say that I am planning new posts for the latest apostolic milestone update (a two-part series on that subject will be published on this blog this upcoming Sunday, August 4).

Next, I also intend to provide posts in tribute to the 3 apostles who will have birthdays in August. Two days after my aforementioned apostolic update (on Tuesday August 6), Elder Gary E. Stevenson will be observing his 64th birthday. Just three days later (on Friday August 9), Elder Neil L. Andersen is set to mark his 68th birthday. And three days after that (on Monday August 12), the final August apostolic birthday will be observed: President Dallin H. Oaks' 87th.

In addition to these developments, several temple milestones will be observed as well. On Thursday August 8, the open house for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will begin. The conclusion of that open house on Saturday August 17 will coincide with two other temple events: the beginning of the open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple (which will end two weeks later on Saturday August 31) and the groundbreaking for the Belem Brazil Temple.

Regarding the Belem Brazil Temple, with that groundbreaking being 2.5 weeks away, I am more than slightly surprised that we have not yet seen an official acknowledgement of any kind from the Church about this event, nor a release of its' artist's rendering or any indication of how long construction is anticipated to last. It could be that the last two elements may be detailed more fully by Elder Aidukaitis as part of the groundbreaking ceremony itself.

While I may only give a passing mention of the open house developments for the Haiti and Portugal Temple open houses, as coverage is made available, I will be sharing analysis of the Belem Brazil Temple groundbreaking. So just with these developments alone, I will be busy providing content for this blog. But I also intend to cover all Church news and other temple developments, either through new posts or through comments on existing posts.

I wanted to note in relation to that temple that new information indicates that the site is being cleared, and that surveyors are staking the site in preparation for that event. Based on the photographs of the process of the site staking, it appears that the Belem Brazil Temple might be slightly larger than I originally thought, which may impact how long the construction process for that temple might take. It was also recently noted that a choir is conducting practice sessions in preparation for their involvement in the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.

BREAKING NEWS: Boundary Changes for Asia & Asia North Areas Announced

Hello again, everyone! Around an hour ago, I was made aware of a breaking news development relating to the Asia and Asia North Areas. In a formal joint letter to members and priesthood leaders from the Asia and Asia North Area Presidency members, with the approval of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and also probably with input from members of the Church's Boundary and Leadership Change Committee, the nation of Mongolia has been officially transferred from the Asia Area, where it had been for at least the last decade or more, to now being part of the Asia North Area.


The move makes perfect sense to me. I also want to note that, as recently as earlier this year, I was almost certain that, at some point within the next 2-3 years or less, the Asia North Area would be merged into the Asia Area. In light of Mongolia's relocation to the Asia North Area, the nation may provide a strong-hold for the area that will put off the need to do that in the shorter or even longer term. And while I don't know at this point whether the offices for the Asia North Area, which are currently based in Tokyo Japan, may be relocated to Ulaanabaatar Mongolia. I shouldn't think that they will, since Mongolia is the geographical downstairs neighbor nation to China, and the headquarters of the Asia Area are in Hong Kong, but I thought I'd mention that thought, since I'd entertained it briefly.

This move will, as I said above, add strength to the Asia North Area, which the nations thereof have lacked to a certain degree in particular ways before now. And since I strongly suspect that Ulaanbaatar Mongolia will be the next Asian city to have a temple announced, I will need to move that prospect from the Asia Area to the Asia North Area for the next time I publish my list. Just as a reminder, I continue to welcome comments on my latest list of future temple prospects until Monday September 30, at which point I will need to finalize that list before the weekend of the October 2019 General Conference.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.

Grand Marshal of the Days of '47 KSL Parade Identified; Preliminary Insights Gleaned From August 2019 Ensign

Hello again, everyone! While I hope any of you will continue to feel free to continued to comment on my revised and expanded list of potential locations for which a temple may be announced in October, I wanted to share two things in this post. First of all, the grand marshal for the "Days of '47" KSL Parade has been identified. In somewhat of a break frrom tradition, neither a member of the First Presidency nor any member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will serve in that capacity this year. 


Instead, Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy with pioneer ancestry, who is also currently serving as President of the Utah Area, has been asked to fill that assignment. KSL carried a one-on-one interview between one of the anchors and Elder Christensen, who discussed the honor he felt at having been asked to represent the Church and the Brethren in responding to this assignment.

Additionally, I have a couple of preliminary insights to offer due to the August 2019 Ensign being made available in its' HTML format earlier this afternoon. As has been the tradition for at least the last 20 years or so, the area leadership assignments, as they were announced in late April, were confirmed therein. Two takeaways from that: For the first time in a year or two, there have been no changes whatsoever in those assignments since the original announcement was made.

Also, beyond a general statement confirming the merging of seven North American areas into three, the specifics were not spelled out. One or two sidenotes as well: first, for the last several years, the August edition of the Ensign has featured the area leadership assignments on pages 14-15, but this year, that edition of the Ensign has those featured on pages 36-37, which I assume is where they had space for them.

And secondly, until the PDF version of the magazine is made available, there is no way currently to tell if there has been any change in the magazine editors and advisers, as has typically been the case each year. But I will be watching for that information and will pass it along here once I learn of it. In that respect, I am only anticipating 3 changes.

Brian K. Ashton, who served as Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency until April of this year, was released as an adviser to the Church magazines as a result of his release as a general officer of the Church, so he is likely to be replaced by a new member of that same presidency. Last month, Elder Erich W. Kopischke was also released as an adviser to the Church magazines, in view of his new assignment ias a member of the Europe Area Presidency.

And Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, who has been an adviser to the Church magazines for a couple of years now, will observe his 70th birthday in just 4 days. Since he will likely be granted emeritus status during the upcoming October 2019 General Conference, I would anticipate his release as an adviser has occurred as a result. Insofar as I have been able to ascertain, official confirmation of this information is still pending. But when I find anything more solid in that respect, I will be sure to bring it up here.

I continue to also monitor any and all Church news and temple updates and will bring word of the significant highlights to you all here as well. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.

In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do: That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.