Elder D. Todd Christofferson Observes His 77th Birthday

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 77th. 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 on this day in 1945 in American Fork, Utah (a place I proudly claim as my hometown) to Paul Vickery and Jeanne Swenson Christofferson . 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 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 first seven years 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 34 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.

Church President Russell M. Nelson Marks 4th Anniversary of His Ordination and Setting Apart as Prophet

Hello again, everyone! With today being January 14, it has been 4 years to the day since President Nelson became the Church President and prophet. In view of this milestone, I wanted to provide a look back and a look ahead at where the Church has been and where it could be as his ministry continues. I need not rehash the circumstances surrounding the death of Church Presidennt Thomas S. Monson or the introduction of the new First Presidency members in the Salt Lake Temple prior to the usual press conference. 

But I was touched by the account we heard just recently outlining the inspired process whereby the new prophet selected his counselors. I know a lot of people, myself included, who were not necessarily surprised to see President Nelson had appointed his longtime apostolic seatmate, President Oaks, as his First Counselor, but plenty of people appeared to be surprised that Elder Uchtdorf had not been retained in the new First Presiency. 

We remember, of course, Elder Uchtdorf's response to the new First Presidency, and it has been a thrill to hear of the ways in which he has contributed to the furthering of the work. Under the dynamic leadership of President Nelson, so much has changed in so many positive ways. After promising in that first press connference that there would someday be "more flavors in the mix" President Nelson kept that promise by appointing the first Asian-American and Latin American apostles. 

And although it was generally believed that President Nelson would not change too much in terms of Church organizations, programs, or policies, what we have seen in the last 4 years has been a brilliant transformation of the Church that focuses more on doctrine and less on tradition or habit. As mentioned yesterday in the Church News article about the anniversary, he has issued numerous invitations, coupled with prophetic promises. 

Of course we know that he himself has only dedicated two temples personally (Concepcion Chile and Rome Italy) and would have dedicated a third (Arequipa Peru) if he had not been dealing with a mild illness. The remaining nine were dedicated by his apostolic colleagues. And all 10 of the temples rededicated during the past 4 years have been handled by other apostles. I am wondering if President Nelson might opt to preside at the rededications for the Washington D.C. and Salt Lake Temples.

In his first four years he has announced 83 temples, all but 1 of which were announced in General Conference. Yesterday, we were privileged to see that one of those had its' dedication announced. Since the Church News published the article about the status of those 83 temples, a groundbreaking was held in December 2021 for the Bacolod Philippines Temple, while the groundbreaking for the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple.

Providing a full list of the wonderful things the Church has accomplished in the last four years under his inspired direction is a nearly-impossible task. But one thing is certain: The prophetic mantle continues with him, and, as the scriptures put it, he has been "sanctified by the Spirit to the renewal of [his body]." I vividly remember in hiis first General Conference as Church President that Elder Andersen expressed hope that President Nelson will be around for the next decade or two. 

There have been numerous statements by his fellow apostles and his wife indicating that he is hard to keep up with, and that he has the physical and mental stamina of a man 30-40 years younger than he actually is. So barring a major shift in the status of his health, it could be that "the next decade or two" could be an underestimate of how long he might be around.

As he's observed, the work is moving forward at a very accelerated pace. We have seen that verified fully by the increase in the number of breaking news developments I've provided on this blog since January 2018. And I have no doubt there will be even more to report in the coming years. To the best of my ability, I am committed to monitoring all of that and bringing word of that to you ASAP.

In the meantime, 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: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Yigo Guam Temple

Hello again, everyone! Within the last hour or so, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple. There is a lot to get into here, so let's jump right in. A temple open house will be held for that edifice from Wednesy May 4-Saturday May 14, excluding Sunday May 8. A youth devotional on Saturday May 21, with the temple dedication being held the following day (Sunday May 15). 

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside over the dedicatory events. Last year, as some of you might recall, the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple was dedicated on Sunday October 31, with the dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple following exactly one week later. With today's announcement, the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple will be dedicated on Sunday May 8, one week before the dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple. 

President Nelson continues his established tradition of assigining temple dedications and rededications to his fellow apostles, so I will be interested to see how that trend continues this year. I had projected in my year-end 2021 temple construction progress report that this temple's dedication could potentially be delayed until sometime in August of this year. 

But I had forgottten that the Yigo temple and temple district is smaller, so the paramerters on public gatherings for Yigo would be different from other regions. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what works out for the timing of the opening events for the Praia Cabo Verde and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples.

And although the Quito Ecuador Temple is completed and could be the next one to have opening arrangements announced, the Church has not yet publicly announced the first president and matron for that temple, so it's possible that until such an announcement is made, the dedication thereof might not be announced. 

There may also be a chance that both the Praia Cabo Verde and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples could be dedicated before the Quito Ecuador Temple. But today's announcement also means that I will need to again readjust the prospective dedication or rededication windows for other temples. I last offered those estimates in the final temple construction progress report for 2021. 

I am hopeful that the next temple announcements could be for groundbreakings, since there are several temples literally "waiting in the wings" for those events.It will be interesting to see what happens with temple construction developments as the year progresses. I continue to monitor all such updates, in addition to any major updates in the Church News and the Newsroom, and will be sure to pass those along to you all here as I become aware thereof.

In the meantime, 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: Latest Phased Temple Reopening Adjustments Announced

Hello again, everyone! A short time ago, the Church published the latest updates on phased temple reopenings. Those updates have been detailed in the Newsroom and the Church News, with the temple reopening status tracer showing the latest updates for each temple, sorted by the geographical areas of the Church under which each falls. This post will feature my analysis of the latest updates.

The following adjustments have been noted, and will go into effect next Tuesday (January 19): The Suva Fiji Temple, which has been in phased 3 since February of last year, has been downgraded to phase 1 due to COVID-19 conditions and restrictions (likely as a result of the Omicron variant). Meanwhile, the Cebu City Philippines Temple, which had transitioned to phase 3 in mid-July of last year, has been downgraded to phase 2-B, also likely as a result of COVID-19 restrictions due to Omicron.

As a result of those updates, the current reopening status of all temples shows 9 closed for renovations, all but 1 of which (Medford Oregon) have been granted phase 3 designations (which allows those residing in the 8 districts the option to schedule phase 3 proxy work or living ordinances in priority order at the nearest temples to them which are also open in phase 3); 1 temple paused in its' reopening; 1 in phase 1; 0 in phase 2; 5 in phase 2-B; and the remaining 155 in phase 3.

Our First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have continued to do well in keeping tabs on the status of COVID-19 worldwide and adjusting accordingly as needed. I am grateful for their inspired leadership and joyfully testify that each of these men were meant to be the leaders of this Church in our day. having been foreordained to do so in the premortal realm. For my part, I continue to monitor all Church News and temple updates and will do my best to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware thereof.

In the meantime, 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 NEWS: First Presidency Calls 164 New Mission Presidents

Hello again, everyone! As reported by the Newsroom  and the Church News, 164 new mission presidents have been called. I will haive furter analysis on this news posted h. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

Added at 1:45 PM: I have completed my analysis of the new mission leafers. Here are some facts I pulled together about the newly-called mission leaders: Elders Peter M. Johnson and Ricardo P. Giminez will be released as the respective presidents of the England Manchester and California San Diego Missions,  

GA Seventy Elder Ciro Schmiel, currently serving as First Counselor in the Africa South Area Presidency, will serve as President of the Florida Orlando Mission.

In view of Elder Schmiel’s call as a mission president, and since Elder Christoffel Golden will turn 70 this year and will almost certainly be granted emeritus status in October, it seems likely that First Counselor Elder Edward Dube will be the new area president, with two other GA Seventies called as his counselors (perhaps Elder Alfred Kyungu and either Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran or Peter M. Johnson).

Current area seventies: Pablo H. Chavez, Aleksandr A. Drachyov, Pedro X. Larreal, K. Roy Tunnicliffe, and Luis G. Zapata.

Former area seventy: Elder Rulon F. Stacey

Brother Douglas D. Holmes, former First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

I personally know two of the new mission presidents: David Sturt (whose parents are unofficially adopted grandparents for me and my siblings, and who, along with his siblings and their spouses, are unofficially adopted uncles and aunts to us) and Dave Hansen (who served for just one year as the president of my parents’ stake). My mom informed me today that she was notified of but sworn to secrecy about my Uncle David's call, and per her report, part of his role as president of the Kenya Nairobi Mission will be to supervise the construction of the temple in that city, so hopefully that can soon get underway

I am grateful to have assembled this data and that I have been able to pass that along to you all here. I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will pass word of those along to you all as I become aware thereof. In the meantime, 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.