Elder L. Tom Perry passes away.

Elder Lowell Tom Perry passed away at around 3:00 pm today due to cancer. Yesterday, it was learned that his cancer was terminal and would result in his demise in quick order. I just didn't expect it to happen this quickly. He had a good run. He was born on August 5, 1922. He became an Assistant to the Twelve (a now-defunct position) in 1972 and was ordained an apostle in April of 1974. He has now been reunited with his first wife, who died in 1976, and his daughter, who died of cancer when she was only in her 30's. He is survived by his second wife, the former Barbara Dayton,  whom he married two years after the death of his first wife, Virginia. Elder Perry was, at the time of his death, the oldest living apostle. Now that distinction belongs to Elder Russell M. Nelson.

Now the questions arise, who will be called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and how soon will that happen? It could be any time between now and the October general conference. I personally believe it will happen sooner rather than later. All but one of the currently serving apostles were called at conference time. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was called in the summer.

As to the question of who might be called to fill the vacancy, it could be any man currently serving in the Church but will more than likely be a general authority. Of the now 14 apostles serving, 2 have come from the Church membership at large (President Thomas S. Monson and Elder Dallin H. Oaks) one was an Assistant to the Twelve (President Boyd K. Packer), one was a Regional Representative (Russell M. Nelson), 6 have come from the Presidency of the Seventy (Elder M. Russell Ballard, Elder Richard G. Scott, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and Elder Neil L. Andersen), 1 was the Presiding Bishop of the Church at the time of his call (Elder Robert D. Hales), 2 were serving in the First Quorum of the Seventy (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and President Henry B. Eyring (who had, previous to his call as a Seventy, served as one of Bishop Hales's counselors)), and 1 was an area seventy (Elder David A. Bednar). So it could be any of the General Authorities, though there's always a chance he could be called from the Church at large.

I will keep tabs on this matter and post news as soon as I can after I find out about it. In the meantime, if time and circumstances allow, I will post that general update I've been promising. Just had to share this sad news today.

Elder L. Tom Perry's cancer is terminal

Sad news today from the Church. Elder L. Tom Perry's cancer is reported to be terminal and has spread to other parts of his body. He will continue to receive treatment but has basically been sent home to die. He will be receiving hospice care at home. He will no longer participate in meetings of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles but will reportedly still be receiving visitors from the First Presidency and his fellow apostles, as well as close family. It appears that, by all accounts, Elder Perry is on his way out of this life. It is somber news, to be sure. I cried when I first heard it. Then someone at work with whom I shared the news put it into perspective for me. He said, "Well, I guess this means we'll be getting a new apostle next conference." It didn't make me any less sad about Elder Perry, but it did serve as a gentle reminder that, even when the leading brethren of the Church pass on, there is a provision for succession by those who are appointed by the Lord's prophet. If and when Elder Perry does pass on, someone else will be called in his stead that we will love and sustain as fully as we do Elder Perry. As stated in previous posts, I will not speculate about how long any of the Brethren will live, nor will I ever post a prediction about potential new apostles unless and until an apostle passes on. I know I promised that my next post would be the much-needed update, but this news warranted a post of its own. I anticipate that I will likely do that general update post at some point this weekend. I know I've been promising an update for a while and not delivering. I will get to that very soon, I promise. In the meantime, I've said enough.

Temple District Changes in Utah

I wanted to post about other important news about temples in Utah. Two changes have been made to temple districts here. Wording for these district changes has been taken verbatim from ldschurchtemples.com: "In preparation for the Payson Utah Temple dedication next month when numerous temple workers will be transferred from the Provo Utah Temple, all of the stakes in Orem have been reassigned from the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple District to the Provo Utah Temple District." That update was posted on May 4, and my mom, who works at the Mount Timpanogos Temple, tells me that this change has taken effect already. All Orem residents serving temple workers at the Mount Timp. Temple had to reapply and be reinterviewed and set apart specifically to work at the Provo Temple. Hopefully the dust has settled there. In the meantime, this update was posted on May 19. "Announcements were made on Sunday [May 17] to Layton congregations that the city's 13 stakes would belong to the Bountiful Utah Temple District which now covers 49 stakes. Layton had formerly belonged to the Ogden Utah Temple District, which now covers 63 stakes." I imagine that the temple workers from Layton who were serving in the Ogden Temple also had to reapply and be reinterviewed and set apart specifically to work in the Bountiful Temple. I imagine we will see many more temple district changes in Utah as the Provo City Center Temple nears dedication and then the Cedar City temple is built and dedicated. I will keep an eye on such developments and keep you all informed. In the meantime, since this weekend is a three-day weekend, I will likely post the long-promised personal update either tomorrow night or sometime Monday. Stay tuned for that. Until I post again, all the best!

Site Selected for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple/Temple Progres (Current and Future) analyzed

I am posting for a very exciting reason. The Church recently (not sure how recently, but within the last week) finally announced a site for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple. According to a new section on that temple's listing on ldschurchtemples.com, "The site selected for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple sits off the MacArthur Highway, just south of Urdaneta City." This brings to 9 the total of temples that may potentially have a groundbreaking ceremony either this year or next year, and cuts the number of temples that haven't yet had a site announced to 4. And, as previously noted, six more temples will have their dedication or rededication by the end of this year, although the Provo City Center temple may at any time be added to the list of temples to be dedicated before the end of the year. And nine or ten temples may be dedicated or rededicated next year. With all these temple developments happening so fast, I thought that I would provide an updated list of temple progress, so you can see how the Church is pressing forward in this regard. Here's the list:

Temples Undergoing Renovation:
26. Mexico City Mexico Temple: Scheduled to be rededicated Sunday September 13, 2015.
86. Montreal Quebec Temple: Scheduled to be rededicated Sunday November 22, 2015.
91. Suva Fiji Temple: Anticipated to be completed in early 2016.
33. Freiberg Germany Temple: Anticipated to be completed in mid-2016.
8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Anticipated to be completed in late 2016.

Under Construction:
146. Payson Utah Temple: Scheduled to be dedicated Sunday June 7, 2015.
147. Trujillo Peru Temple: Scheduled to be dedicated Sunday June 21, 2015.
148. Indianapolis Indiana Temple: Scheduled to be dedicated Sunday August 23, 2015.
149. Tijuana Mexico Temple: Scheduled to be dedicated Sunday December 13, 2015.
154. Provo City Center Temple: Projected to be completed in late 2015-early 2016.
150. Rome Italy Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-2016.
155. Hartford Connecticut Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-2016.
156. Fort Collins Colorado Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-2016.
151. Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-to-late 2016. 152. Sapporo Japan Temple: Projected to be completed in late 2016.
157. Paris France Temple: Projected to be completed in late 2016.
158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-2017.
159. Star Valley Wyoming Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-2017.
153. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Projected to be completed in 2018.

Announced:
160. Cedar City Utah Temple: Local government approval phase; site plan presented at January 2015 meeting; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday August 8, 2015.
168. Tucson Arizona Temple: Construction approval phase; general contractor selected; groundbreaking pending.
161. Concepcion Chile Temple: Approval phase; temple and site design plans complete; groundbreaking pending.
165. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Planning and approval phase; temple and site designs complete; groundbreaking pending.
162. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Planning and approval phase; land purchase finalized; groundbreaking pending.
169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Planning and approval phase; final piece of land for temple site acquired; groundbreaking pending.
164. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Planning and approval phase; groundbreaking pending.
167. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Planning and approval phase; groundbreaking pending.
170. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; groundbreaking pending.
163. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; groundbreaking pending.
166. Durban South Africa Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
171. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
172. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
173. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

I love to watch the progress of temples. It is wonderful to think that by the end of next year, all temples currently undergoing renovation will likely be finished, and that the number of operating temples will go up to at least 156, if not more. And who knows how soon sites may be announced for Durban, Abidjan, Port-au-Prince, and Bangkok? Not to mention the possibility of groundbreaking for any or all of these temples by then. And now that it appears the hiatus of temple announcements is over, the list of temples could grow any time. I don't think the Church will have any difficulty having 200 temples by April 6, 2030, the 200th anniversary of the Church. I will keep an eye on these most important developments, and pass along any news as opportunity and time allows. Major general update to follow hopefully this weekend. Until then, all the best!

Cordoba Argentina Temple Dedicated

I am posting today for a very important reason. The Cordoba Argentina Temple was dedicated Sunday by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He was accompanied by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, just as I had predicted. Also in attendance were the South America South Area Presidency: Elder Walter F. Gonzalez (President), Elder Jorge R. Zeballos (First Counselor) and Elder Francisco J. Viñas (Second Counselor). Elder Kent F. Richards of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, who serves as the Executive Director of the Church's Temple Department, was also in attendance. The Church News wrote two excellent articles about the dedication. One of them almost made me cry, because it made reference to how those in attendance felt like Elder Richard G. Scott was with them. As you will recall from earlier posts, Elder Scott served in Cordoba Argentina as a mission president, and one of his missionaries was Elder Christofferson. Elder Scott is, sadly, currently dealing with memory issues due to his advanced age. He is unable to participate in Quorum meetings and business, so he couldn't be in attendance.

I post a link to both of those articles for your edification:

Cordoba Argentina Temple: Already uplifting spirits, changing lives
Cordoba Argentina Temple: Apostle returns 'home'

The Church now has 145 operating temples, with six or possibly seven to be dedicated or rededicated by the end of this year. I love to monitor the progress of temple building! And rest assured, all temple-related news will be posted on this blog. If you would like to visit the following website, it will have all the latest information on temples around the world:

LDS Temples - Mormon Temples

It should be noted that the site above is not an official Church website, but it does have information which has been made available to the webmaster by the Church. I go there first whenever I am looking for information about any of the temples, and I can recommend it highly.