BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Artist's Rendering Released for the Alabang Philippines Temple

Hello again, everyone! Two big days of temple developments in a row have occurred. Just yesterday, the open house and dedication information were announced for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple. Then this morning, the Church of Jesus Christ Temples site reported the release of the artist's rendering for the Alabang Philippines Temple. I could not find that confirmed anywhere in new content posted on the Church's official Headquarters Newsroom or the Philippines edition thereof. But a little more digging on my part led me to realize that an earlier release from the Philippines Newsroom had been updated to show the rendering for that temple in question.
The really confusing thing is that, while the rendering was included in that article at some point earlier today, there was nothing on that Philippines Newsroom release to indicate that the rendering had been added thereunto today. Above and beyond that, however, after my analysis of the Alabang Philippines Temple rendering, I believe some elements thereof are reminiscent of the temples in Port-au-Prince Haiti and Kinshasa DR Congo, but I will defer to the analysis of others on the degree to which that is the case.

In the meantime, I have recently offered updates on my more specific estimates for known temple events in the near future, and I don't see this new information altering the estimate I have most-recently offered for the Alabang Philippines Temple. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all as I receive them. 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 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! Roughly two hours ago, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication arrangements for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple. The timing on both is far earlier than I had suggested in it would be, which I am not at all surprised by. Open house tours will run from Friday April 17 through Saturday May 2, excluding the relevant Sundays of April 19 and 26. The youth devotional will follow the open house after a two-week final preparation period. All youth in the temple district are invited to attend. The temple will be dedicated on Saturday May 17 in three sessions at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM Rio de Janeiro time, which is 5:00 AM, 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM Utah time. The biggest question mark is who might preside at this temple's dedication. Given the fact that Elder Ulisses Soares actually served as a full-time missionary in Rio de Janeiro, dedicating that temple would be even more personal for him than the opportunity he had to dedicate the Fortaleza Brazil Temple on June 2 of last year. It is also possible that any senior apostle could be sent to do so, with Elder Soares accompanying that more senior apostle, or that any of the apostles who have not yet presided at a temple dedication (which may be down to Elders Stevenson and Gong by that time) could do so.

But given President Nelson's statement that he was more pleased by the fact that Elder Soares had the chance to dedicate the Fortaleza Brazil Temple than he would have been if he had that opportunity himself, my gut feeling is that Elder Soares will be the go-to apostle for any major Church matters arising throughout Latin America, or at least Central America and Brazil. Above and beyond that, however, the fact that this temple will be dedicated far earlier than I anticipated means that could be the case for other temple events this year, particularly the open house and rededication of the Washington D.C. Teeredmple, which I may consequently move up.

And the official announcement also suggests that, if the Rio temple dedication and Tokyo temple rededication are both held earlier than I anticipated and projected, the odds are very good that that will also possibly be the case for the Tokyo Japan and Mesa Arizona Temple rededications, and the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple. I will be reevaluating that later today, and have any updates posted within the next couple of days. I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates, and will be sure to pass along word of those to you all as I become aware of such developments.

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 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.

UPDATED: Specific Estimates for Known Temple Events in the Near Future

Hello again, everyone! Although I am still planning on publishing the latest apostolic statistics on this blog this upcoming Sunday (in addition to providing coverage throughout this weekend on the Durban South Africa Temple dedication), based on my latest updates to my temple construction progress report, I have also taken time to update my specific estimates for know temple events in the near future. A first-time preliminary note I have added to that indicates that the estimates are based on what is currently known about the progress (or lack thereof) on certain temples, and that future projections are subject to change based on what changes going forward. As the preliminary note also explains, the timing of all such events is subject to confirmation in every detail through official announcements directed by the prophet, as the only one authorized to ascertain the Lord's will on that subject. That said, although this year will see half as many temples both dedicated and rededicated (3 and 3 versus the 6 and 7 respective dedications and rededications of temples last year), from 2021-2024, the number of temple dedications that are known will more than make up for the fact that 2020 will be a relatively slower year in that respect. I previously mentioned my hope that, before the end of this month, arrangements for the open house and dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple will be officially announced, along with the arrangements for the groundbreaking of the Auckland New Zealand Temple (the latter of which I currently believe will occur prior to the weekend of the April 2020 General Conference).

For myself, I will be sure to monitor my available resources for all temple developments and will do my level best to ensure that I bring such updates to you all as I become aware of them, and that also applies to all Church news updates. 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 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.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband Marks His 69th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! On this morning of February 6, 2020, I am pleased to bring you all here a post in tribute to Elder Ronald A. Rasband, who is marking his 69th birthday today. Here is some biographical information about him: Ronald Anderson Rasband was born on this day in 1951 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Rulon Hawkins Rasband and Verda Anderson. He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and encompassed the whole New York Metro area, while also stretching into western New York and Pennsylvania. He married Melanie Twitchell in 1973, and together they raised five children. He studied at the University of Utah, and would later receive an honorary doctorate degree in business and commerce from Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) in 1995. He began his professional career in the Huntsman Container Company as a Sales Representative in 1976. Still in that employment 11 years later (in 1987), he was promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, where he closely worked with Jon Huntsman Sr. and later served on the board of directors for that company. He has served extensively in the Church throghout his life, having previously been a bishop, an institute instructor (during which time my wife was in one of the classes he taught), Temple Square missionary guide, member of the Church’s Pioneer Sesquicentennial Committee (which was observed in 1997), and, from 1996-1999, presided over the New York New York North Mission. On April 1, 2000, he was sustained as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, where he would serve in the Europe North & Europe Central Areas from 2000-2003. From August 2003-August 2004 (at which time oversight for all North American areas was transferred to the Presidency of the Seventy), he served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City He then served from 2004-2005 as Executive Director of the Temple Department. He and his future fellow apostle, Elder Neil L. Andersen, were called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2005, at which time Elder Rasband was assigned oversight of the North America Northwest and North America West Areas for two years, then was reassigned to preside over the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas. By August of 2008, he had become the second most-senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. The following April, as a result of Elder Neil L. Andersen's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband succeeded him as the Senior President of the Seventy, and, as such, was given oversight for all areas in the United States and Canada.

He was still serving in that capacity when, in October 2015, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund called at the same time (something that had not happened since 1906), the number of those who had served as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reached a total of 100. He is currently the eighth in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, making him the eleventh in overall apostolic seniority). By age, he ranks as the sixth-oldest among the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. and is resultantly the ninth-oldest of all 15 current apostles. As long-time readers of this blog can confirm, prior to the filling of the 3 apostolic vacancies in October 2015, and again when two others were filled in April 2018, I offered some thoughts about who might be called to fill those vacancies. But I also advocated for the practice of praying in advance for a personal witness that whoever was called had indeed been chosen by the Lord. And in every single one of those 5 most-recent calls to the apostleship, no sooner had their names been presented than I felt the Lord's spirit confirming to me that their calls came from Him. As a result of those witnesses, anytime a new apostle is called, I know the Lord's hand is deeply involved with that process.

Because Elder Rasband has spent nearly 2 full decades as a General Authority, (including a decade of service in the Presidency of the Seventy, and 4.5 years in the apostleship), he has given 15 addresses thus far in General Conference: 1 as a General Authority Seventy, 5 others during his tenure in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 9 since his call to the apostleship almost 4.5 years ago.  I am grateful for this opportunity I have had, in my own small way, to pay tribute to and reflect on the life and ministry of Elder Rasband today as he is celebrating his 69th birthday. I do continue to monitor all apostolic updates, general Church news, and any temple-related developments and will keep bringing word of those to you all here as I become aware of such reports.

In the meantime, looking ahead on my planned schedule for upcoming projects on this blog, aside from anything unexepeced, and ongoing reports of the usual kind, although the next apostolic birthday will not be observed until May 31 (at which time President Henry B. Eyring will be 87), I am preparing to post my first 2020 apostolic milestone update on this blog, which I plan to do on Sunday February 16 (that update coming on the same day the Durban South Africa Temple will be dedicated). 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 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.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson Observes His 75th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! I am back this morning for the purpose of posting a birthday tribute to Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who is today observing his 75th. As with the posts I have written for every other apostle, I will be sharing a biography herein with highlights about his life. Let's get right into all of that. David Todd Christofferson was born to Paul Vickery and Jeanne Swenson Christofferson in American Fork, Utah (a place I proudly claim as my hometown) this day in 1945 He spent his formative years in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, and his family subsequently relocated to Somerset New Jersey. While there, he participated in the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant, and, having been urged by his bishop to do so, he earnestly sought a personal testimony of the gospel. Although he felt for a while that his prayer at that time had not been answered, the witness he was seeking came about a month later. At around this same time, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery for it. While his father learned later that he had gathered his brothers to pray for their mom, it would be years later before Elder Christofferson learned about his father's personal sacrifices to supply what his wife needed to help her with the housework. Young Todd Christofferson also stepped in to help his mom by making homemade bread for his family, after being taught how to do so by his grandmother. After graduating from high school, he studied for a year at BYU prior to serving full-time in the Argentina North Mission, where he had two mission presidents, Ronald V. Stone, and his future colleague in the Quorum of the Twelve, Richard G. Scott. Following the conclusion of his missionary service, Elder Christofferson returned to BYU, and there he met Kathy Jacob, whom he married in May 1968. He earned his bachelor's degree from BYU, and went on to get a doctor of law degree from the School of Law at Duke University. During his years as a young attorney, he clerked for Judge John J. Sirica at the time the Watergate hearings were occurring. When his clerkship ended, he took active duty with the US Army for a year, after which he served in the Army reserves for 8 years, by which time, he had achieved the rank of Captain. His professional career took his family to Washington DC, Nashville Tennesee, and Charlotte North Carolina. During that same period of time, he would serve as a bishop, stake president, and in the now-defunct calling of regional representative to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

After being called as a general authority in April 1993 (at the same time as Elder Neil L. Andersen, alongside whom he now serves in the apostleship), he served in a variety of capacities (including as a member of area presidencies outside the US) until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in August 1998. During his service in that presidency, he first served as the executive director for the Church's Family and Church History Department (which have since been split into two departments), where he worked to negotiate with Jewish religious leaders on the matter of performing temple ordinances for Holocaust victims, which in turn shaped the policy of Church members only being allowed to perform such ordinances for direct-line family members. In 2004, the First Presidency announced that the Presidency of the Seventy would be relieved of responsibility for the Church Departments and would instead oversee areas in the United States and Canada. Elder Christofferson was given responsibility for the North America Southeast Area of the Church, holding that assignment from August 2004-August 2007, at which time he was reassigned to oversee the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. He continued that assignment for 8 months, then, as we know, he was the first apostle called by President Thomas S. Monson in April 2008. At the time of his release from the Presidency of the Seventy, which came in conjunction with his call as an apostle, he had become the second-most senior member thereof.

During his time as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as noted, Elder Christofferson served alongside his former mission president, Richard G. Scott. Since his ordination as an apostle, Elder Christofferson has filled a wide variety of assignments, and he was serving as the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve assigned to oversee the Church Public Affairs Committee when he was asked by President Nelson to introduce the new First Presidency in a worldwide broadcast on January 16, 2018. He has given 30 addresses in General Conference so far, 1 of which was given in the conference following his call as a General Authority, with 5 others given during his near decade in the Presidency of the Seventy. Elder Christofferson currently ranks as the fifth most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he is also the fifth oldest.

He remains the ninth in overall apostolic seniority and the seventh oldest among all of the apostles. I am grateful for the life and ministry of Elder Christofferson. I had a couple of choice opportunities to meet him. His niece and her family lived in my parent's ward, so when their newest baby was blessed, Elder Christofferson presided at our Sacrament Meeting. A few years later, our paths crossed again while I was a temple worker, and he was the speaker at our yearly devotional. As one who has had the opportunity to chat informally with him on these two occasions, I testify that his call as one of the Savior's special witnesses is divinely inspired.

I greatly appreciate the chance to share these thoughts with you. 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 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.