Concepcion Chile Temple Groundbreaking Date Announced/Progress Report on First Book/Reminder about Ensign article

I know most of you will probably be let down by the fact that I haven't posted that general update yet. I meant to do it this weekend, but other things got in the way. I had to post today to share some more exciting LDS Church Temple News. As reported by ldschurchtemples.com, the Church has scheduled the groundbreaking ceremony for the Concepcion Chile Temple to take place on Saturday October 17. This will be the third temple groundbreaking in 2015. I anticipate at least one or more temples will have their groundbreaking announced before the end of the year, whether they take place late this year or early next year. Construction on the temple is anticipated to take 2-2½ years, which means it will be completed either late in 2017 or early in 2018. How thrilling it is to see all these temple-related developments! I will keep my ears open for temple news and will share it with you as time and circumstances allow.

Here's a updated list of temple developments. I have included all updated dedication and construction news that I am aware of.

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:Scheduled to be rededicated Sunday February 21, 2016.
33. Freiberg Germany Temple: Anticipated to be completed in mid-2016.
8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Anticipated to be completed in late 2016.
41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Scheduled for renovation beginning September 7, 2015.

Under Construction:
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.
150. Provo City Center Temple: Scheduled to be dedicated Sunday March 20, 2016.
151. 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.
152. Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-to-late 2016.
153. 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.
154. 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.
161. Concepcion Chile Temple: Approval phase; temple and site design plans complete; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday October 17, 2015.
168. Tucson Arizona Temple: Construction approval phase; general contractor selected; 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 will also announce an exciting new development in my personal life outside of the personal update: I have resumed work in earnest on my book. I have been adding scenes to previously written chapters, and doing a touch up here and and a touch up there, Once that's done, I will write scenes for the final part of the book. No word yet on when it will be ready to publish. It all depends on how swiftly I can finish it and how quickly Brandon Sanderson reviews it. Then before I submit it to a publishing company, I plan on enlisting the services of my mother to proofread it. I have tried to be conscientious about grammar and punctuation errors, but it will help to have Brandon and my mom review it for content needing to be changed and grammatical errors, since they aren't nearly as emotionally tied to the project as I am.

I also remind my readers of something else: my first published work will be an Ensign article that is scheduled to appear in the July 2015 edition, unless it gets bumped for something more important, like Elder Perry's funeral proceedings (which may be included in an insert rather than the magazine proper) or something else similar. It will appear in the Young Adult section. Be on the lookout for that. It will be good to get my name more widely known before publishing my first book.

As always, I will keep you updated on temple, writing, or publishing news. And I promise, I will very soon do the massive personal update I've been promising. You can count on that.

Two Major Addresses given recently by General Authorities/Sunday School General Presidency Reorganized

I am posting today for two good reasons. The first is to give a brief report on two major addresses given to two major governmental organizations, and the second is to report on (Friday) today's reorganization of the Sunday School General Presidency.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, during a Europe tour, addressed an All-Party Parliamentary Group in the United Kingdom's House of Lords on June 10 on the subject of how the Church's humanitarian aid can help in the midst of religious conflict. For a report on his address, please see this article. Yesterday,Elder Jörg Klebingat encouraged dialogue and deeper understanding among global faiths in an address to the Fifth Congress of Traditional and World Religions, which convened in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, June 11, 2015. For a report on his address, please see this article.

Mormon Newsroom reported today (Friday) that the Sunday School Presidency had been reorganized. Tad R. Callister remains Sunday School General President. His former second counselor, George D. Durrant, is now the first counselor, replacing John S. Tanner, who will start his new assignment as the new President of BYU–Hawaii on July 27. This made necessary the calling of a new Second Counselor. Brian K. Ashton will assume that assignment immediately following his return from being president of the Texas Houston South Mission. He becomes the youngest currently serving auxiliary leader in the Church. I knew that a reorganization of the Sunday School General Presidency would follow the announcement of soon-to-be President Tanner's new assignment. But I didn't expect it to happen this fast. It makes me wonder if perhaps a new apostle might be called soon. But I really don't anticipate that happening until the week before General Conference. Anyhow, I got off topic. This was exciting news to me, and I am happy to share it with my readers.

Barring any unexpected post to report on Church News, I fully anticipate that the next post will contain my long-promised massive life update. The longer time goes by, the more things happen that I need to report to you who read this blog. And the more things happen, the more daunting the update becomes. So I bump it in favor of the latest Church News. But I promise, it is coming soon. You have my word on that. Thanks, as always, for reading my posts.

Big Temple News

I know I said the next post would likely be the general update I've been promising for 3 months now, but some temple news crossed my radar that I just had to share. First, the Frankfurt Germany Temple will undergo a renovation starting on September 7. Additionally, the First Presidency announced the open house and rededication dates for the Suva Fiji Temple. The temple open house will only span a 12-day period from Monday January 30-Saturday February 6, 2015, excluding Sunday January 31. A cultural celebration will be held on Saturday February 20, and the temple will be dedicated the next day. Dedicatory services will only be broadcast within the temple district, which spans the small island nations of Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. I wasn't aware of this, but apparently those islands and the others immediately within that area comprise the region of what is called Melanesia. Who knew, right? Anyways, that's the newest exciting temple-related developments. I will post more about temples when news is available to me, and, in the meantime, my next post should be this weekend and contain the long-promised and hopefully long-awaited update on my life, unless any Church news catches my attention tomorrow. Thanks for your readership. I hope you all are still enjoying my posts. "Happiness to you in your life ahead!"

Payson Utah Temple Dedicated/Provo City Center Temple Dedication Dates Announced

The Payson Utah Temple was dedicated on Sunday. Just as I'd thought and predicted, President Henry B. Eyring presided at the dedication. He read the prayer for the first two sessions, and invited Elder Neil L. Andersen to read it for the final session. Additionally, the sessions were attended by Elder Russell M. Nelson, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, and Elder Quentin L. Cook, all of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Donald L. Hallstrom and Ulisses Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy; Elder Kent F. Richards of the Second Quorum of the Seventy and Temple Department Executive Director; and Bishop Gérald Caussé. The new Payson Temple Presidency and matrons also spoke. I have not yet ascertained who exactly did what in each session, but I will post such a list if and when it becomes available.

Additionally, the Church announced today the open house and dedication dates for the Provo City Center Temple. The temple will be open to the public Friday January 15-March 5, 2016. A cultural celebration will take place on Saturday March 19, 2016. The dedication will take place in three sessions (10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm) on Sunday March 20, 2016. Due to the ties many in Utah have to what was once the Provo Tabernacle, the dedication will be broadcast in all stake centers in Utah. I am excited by this news. As can well be expected, this dedication bumps other temples who had, prior to the Provo City Center Temple groundbreaking, had their ground broken. In light of this most exciting news, I thought I would post my list of temple progress again. Numbering and approximate dates for events come from ldschurchtemples.com. 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.

150. Provo City Center Temple: Scheduled to be dedicated Sunday March 20, 2016.

151. 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.

152. Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple: Projected to be completed in mid-to-late 2016.

153. 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.

154. 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.

Any feedback is welcome. I will keep my eye on temple-related developments, and you can be sure to find the information here. Massive update still pending.

Report on Elder Perry's funeral/Who will be the next apostle?/Payson Utah Temple Cultural Celebration

Elder Perry's funeral was Friday. President Henry B. Eyring conducted, the invocation was offered by Elder Russell M. Nelson, and the benediction was offered by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Elder Perry's only son, Lee T. Perry, gave a beautiful tribute to his father. Elders Dallin H. Oaks and M. Russell Ballard both shared different portions of their final tender visit with Elder Perry. President Monson, looking hale and hearty, paid a beautiful tribute to Elder Perry. That should debunk some rumors about his health. Anyways, the Tabernacle Choir sang some of Elder Perry's favorite hymns. It was a beautiful service, with all testifying that they knew Elder Perry still lives and continues to carry on the work of salvation on the other side of the veil, unencumbered by the health conditions that hindered him for the last month or so of his life. I watched most of it when it originally aired (on Friday morning on a sub-channel of KSL (I overslept and missed the first 20 minutes or so)), then watched it in its entirety late last night. I think it went very well.

Now that the funeral is over, speculation can begin in earnest about who the new apostle will be. I offer my thoughts on the matter. As mentioned in a previous post, 6 of our 14 currently serving apostles came from the Presidency of the Seventy. So it is most likely that the apostle could come from that presidency. The most likely candidate? When Elder Ballard was called to be an apostle, he was the 3rd most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. When Elder Scott and Elder Christofferson were called to be apostles, (Scott in 1988 and Christofferson in 2008) they were both the 2nd most senior members of the Presidency of the Seventy. When President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elder Quentin L. Cook were called as apostles, (Uchtdorf in 2004 and Cook in 2007) they were both at that time the 5th most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. And when Elder Neil L. Andersen was called to be an apostle, he was serving as the Senior President of the Seventy. So any one of the currently serving Presidency of the Seventy could be called. If I had to give my top three picks from this body, I would pick Elder Ronald A. Rasband (Senior President), Elder L. Whitney Clayton (2nd most senior member) or Elder Ulisses Soares (who as the 6th most senior member would also be an international apostle).

Two currently serving apostles (President Henry B. Eyring and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland) were serving as members of the First Quorum of the Seventy. So the new apostle might come from there. My top three picks would be Elder Michael John U. Teh (who would be the first Filipino apostle), or either Elder Joseph W. Sitati or Elder Edward Dube (either of whom would make history as the first black apostle of the Church), If I had to pick my top candidate for the First Quorum, it would be Elder Teh. In April 2008, after the First Presidency had been reorganized and there was a vacancy in the quorum) I was praying for the new apostle and felt distinctly that it would be Elder Teh. I didn't pray for Elder Teh by name at that time, and it was just as well because Elder Christofferson was called. But I just can't shake the hope that my gut feeling was right and that Elder Teh will be called as an apostle one day, perhaps even this time.

The new apostle could also come from the Presiding Bishopric. Elder Robert D. Hales was the Church's Presiding Bishop, and, Elder Eyring, prior to his call to the Seventy, served as his counselor. This means it's not out of the question for the new apostle to come from the Presiding Bishopric. The most likely candidate in my mind is Bishop Causse, who would be the first French apostle and also become the youngest apostle.

Of course, the Lord could surprise us by inspiring President Monson to call the new apostle from either the Second Quorum of the Seventy, Area Seventies, the Sunday School or Young Men's general presidencies, or the church at large. Whomever the Lord inspires President Monson to call will have my full support.

I also wanted to remind my readers that the Payson Utah Temple will be dedicated tomorrow. It looks like President Eyring will preside over that dedication, as he was there for the cultural celebration. If that's the case, this will be only the second temple President Eyring has dedicated solo. (The first was the San Salvador El Salvador in 2011, though he has rededicated or been the presiding member of the First Presidency at some sessions of other temples.) Four apostles (Elders Nelson, Oaks, Cook and Andersen) were also there and may participate in the dedicatory services tomorrow. There were three members of the Presidency of the Seventy there (Elder Rasband, Elder Hallstrom, and Elder Soares). Bishop Causse was there as well as Elder Richards, the Temple Department's Executive Director, and Sister McConkie of the Young Women General Presidency, and Sister Esplin of the Primary General Presidency. I hope the Church publishes who participates in which sessions, because that will make me feel a little better about not having the privilege of attending the dedication (which is only open to those living in the Payson Utah Temple District). I will report more on that as information becomes available.

In the meantime. I've "sounded off" enough for one day. I will try to post tomorrow with a report on the Payson Utah Temple Dedication participants and a general update. Until I write again, all the best!