On this blog, I, James Stokes, share insights and analysis covering the latest news and developments reported about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My specific emphasis and focus is on the ministry of our current apostles, General Conference, and up-to-date temple information. This site is neither officially owned, operated, or endorsed by the Church, and I, as the autthor thereof, am solely responsible for this content.
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Monday, June 13, 2016
Prayers for the victims of the senseless tragedy in Orlando
My thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved in the tragic terror attack in Orlando. It sickens me that within these United States, an extremist should be allowed to attack people with whom he has a difference of opinion. This senseless act is tragic. The LDS Church has issued a statement about what happened. It says:
"With the rest of the nation, we mourn the tragic loss of life and serious injuries that occurred in Orlando this morning. We pray for the families and loved ones of the victims of this senseless shooting and pray they will be comforted and cared for as they seek to heal. Our prayers and support are also with community leaders and law enforcement officials as they continue to investigate this shocking crime."
I feel like I could say "Amen" and end this post right there, but I wanted to further state that those of the LDS Church, who underwent similar persecution as a result of difference of opinion in the early days of Church history, most likely understand more than anyone else what it means to be persecuted for practicing one's beliefs. In a land where the marriage of same-gender individuals has been declared constitutional, it boggles my mind that something like this could happen. My heart bleeds for all those affected by this incident, and I join in praying for all those whose lives have been made worse because this happened. I pray we will all unite in prayer on their behalf.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Three Significant Posts by Matthew Martinich
Hello, all! Some exciting Church growth news crossed my radar just now, and I just had to share.
First of all, some significant growth milestones have taken place in the Ivory Coast. For an overview of these developments, please see this lnk.
Second, new stakes have been created in Guatemala, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and Texas, and a new district has been created in Nigeria. For details, please see this link.
New stakes have additionally been created in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mongolia, another for Nigeria, and a new district in Brazil, For details, please see this link.
As you can see, the Church is exponentially growing throughout the world, How exciting it is to live in these latter days! I will keep my eye on Church growth developments, and let you know as news crosses my radar. Thanks for your readership.
First of all, some significant growth milestones have taken place in the Ivory Coast. For an overview of these developments, please see this lnk.
Second, new stakes have been created in Guatemala, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and Texas, and a new district has been created in Nigeria. For details, please see this link.
New stakes have additionally been created in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mongolia, another for Nigeria, and a new district in Brazil, For details, please see this link.
As you can see, the Church is exponentially growing throughout the world, How exciting it is to live in these latter days! I will keep my eye on Church growth developments, and let you know as news crosses my radar. Thanks for your readership.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Article on new General Authority Seventy Elder Peter F. Meurs
The Church News this week posted an article about Elder Peter F. Meurs, a General Authority Seventy. To see that article, please follow this link, Thanks.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Travels of the Apostles
Quite a bit of apostolic travel has been happening of late. Here's a look at some of the highlights:
Elder Dallin H. Oaks has been in England the last little while to focus on the subject of religious freedom. For a look at all that transpired during this trip, please see this link,
Elder David A. Bednar recently returned from a trip to Spain and Portugal. For an account of what he did there, please see this link.
Elders Quentin L. Cook and Gary E. Stevenson, in company with Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Presidency of the Seventy, did a review of the Asia and Asia North Areas, and were present when the Church was granted official recognition in Vietnam. To see what that trip entailed, please see this link.
Elder Neil L. Andersen toured in and held a review of the Pacific Area of the Church. Please see this link for details.
Elder M. Russell Ballard recently returned from a trip to Russia. For details of his visit, please see this link.
That's just a small sampling, I'm sure, of all the apostles have done recently. I will keep an eye out on future developments and post them here as soon as I can. Thanks for your readership.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks has been in England the last little while to focus on the subject of religious freedom. For a look at all that transpired during this trip, please see this link,
Elder David A. Bednar recently returned from a trip to Spain and Portugal. For an account of what he did there, please see this link.
Elders Quentin L. Cook and Gary E. Stevenson, in company with Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Presidency of the Seventy, did a review of the Asia and Asia North Areas, and were present when the Church was granted official recognition in Vietnam. To see what that trip entailed, please see this link.
Elder Neil L. Andersen toured in and held a review of the Pacific Area of the Church. Please see this link for details.
Elder M. Russell Ballard recently returned from a trip to Russia. For details of his visit, please see this link.
That's just a small sampling, I'm sure, of all the apostles have done recently. I will keep an eye out on future developments and post them here as soon as I can. Thanks for your readership.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Updated Temple Construction Progress Report
Enough changes have taken place with the status of temple construction around the world that I am posting an updated progress report. Here's a look at all that's been happening:
Temple Construction Progress (current as of 6/11/16)
Current
Temple Status: 150 operating, 16 under construction (5 scheduled for dedication), 11
announced (2 groundbreakings
anticipated to be announced soon), 4
undergoing renovation (1 scheduled
for rededication).
Dedication scheduled:
151. Sapporo
Japan Temple: Preparing for public open house and dedication; scheduled to be
dedicated Sunday August 21, 2016.
152. Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Temple: Accepting free reservations for public open house; scheduled
to be dedicated Sunday September 18,
2016.
153. Fort Collins Colorado Temple:
Finalizing construction in preparation for open house; scheduled to be
dedicated Sunday October 16, 2016.
154. Star Valley
Wyoming Temple: Angel Moroni placed on April 25, 2016; steeple lighting tests
underway; scheduled to be dedicated Sunday
October 30, 2016.
155. Hartford Connecticut
Temple: Building entrance plaza and temple president’s residence; granite
cladding nearing completion; scheduled to be dedicated Sunday November 20, 2016.
Under Construction:
156. Paris France
Temple: Landscaping structures in place; planting trees and bushes; attaching
exterior stone to visitors’ center wing; completion anticipated sometime in early 2017.
157. Meridian
Idaho Temple: Stained glass windows installed; pouring parking lot curbing;
completion anticipated sometime during late
2017.
158. Cedar City
Utah Temple: Exterior panels attached to main body of temple; completion
anticipated sometime during late 2017.
159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Roofing the dome; completion anticipated
sometime between late 2017 and early
2018.
160. Rome Italy
Temple: Interior work underway including some material replacement and rework;
completion anticipated sometime during 2018.
161. Concepcion
Chile Temple: Second floor exterior walls poured; completion anticipated
sometime during 2018.
162. Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Site clearing and preparation phase;
completion anticipated sometime during 2018-2019.
166. Fortaleza
Brazil Temple: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin shortly; completion
anticipated sometime during 2018-2019.
164. Durban South
Africa Temple: Ground broken on Saturday April 9, 2016; completion anticipated
sometime during 2018-2019.
165. Lisbon
Portugal Temple: Ground broken on Saturday December 5, 2015; completion
anticipated sometime during 2019.
166. Barranquilla
Colombia Temple: Ground broken on Saturday February 20, 2016; completion
anticipated sometime during 2019.
Rededication scheduled:
33. Freiberg
Germany Temple: Closed for
renovation; adding extension; steeple covered; scheduled to be rededicated
Sunday September 4, 2016.
Undergoing Renovation:
8. Idaho Falls
Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; reroofing underway; rededication
anticipated sometime during early 2017.
41. Frankfurt
Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime during
mid-2017.
20. Jordan River
Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; construction trailers on site; rededication
anticipated sometime during late 2017.
Announced:
167. Arequipa Peru
Temple: Construction preparation phase; groundbreaking date anticipated to be
announced soon.
168. Rio de
Janeiro Brazil Temple: Construction preparation phase; plans approved by local
government; groundbreaking may be
announced soon and scheduled sometime after the summer Olympics.
169. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
169. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
170. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Planning and approval
phase; awaiting official site announcement.
171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and
approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval
phase; awaiting official site announcement.
173. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase;
awaiting official site announcement.
174. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning phase; awaiting
official site announcement.
175. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning phase; awaiting
official site announcement.
176. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning phase; awaiting
official site announcement.
177. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning phase;
awaiting official site announcement.
Key:
Bolded numbers and
text denote temples whose number already exists (for renovations), or is
certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain,
such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.
Italicized numbers
and text denote temples whose number
may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings
are scheduled.
Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose
number may change based on the order in which their future groundbreakings are
announced.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Updated list of new temple presidents for 2016
The Church has announced the calling of more new temple presidents. What follows is an updated list of all of those temples that have or may yet get a new president this year. The Church has finally announced the calling of the first president of the Sapporo Japan Temple, which will be dedicated in August and means that all the soon-to-be dedicated temples now have a temple president announced. The Church News also, for reasons unknown, duplicated and even triplicated the announcement of presidents for some temples. Here's the list:
Temples
getting a new president in 2016:
1.
Nashville Tennessee
2. Fort
Collins Colorado
3. Star
Valley Wyoming
4.
Hartford Connecticut
5.
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
6.
Columbia River Washington
7.
Chicago Illinois
8. Mexico
City Mexico
9. Hong
Kong China
10.
London England
11.
Manhattan New York
12.
Medford Oregon
13.
Dallas Texas
14.
Birmingham Alabama
15.
Seattle Washington
16.
Hamilton New Zealand
17.
Cochabamba Bolivia
18.
Gilbert Arizona
19.
Anchorage Alaska
20.
Curitiba Brazil
21.
Kyiv Ukraine
22.
Panama City Panama
23.
Fresno California
24.
Memphis Tennessee
25.
Winter Quarters Nebraska
26.
Lima Peru
27.
Nauvoo Illinois
28.
Portland Oregon
29.
Merida Mexico
30.
Reno Nevada
31.
Spokane Washington
32.
Rexburg Idaho
33.
Montreal Quebec.
34.
Monterey Mexico
35.
Ciudad Juárez Mexico
36. Aba
Nigeria
37.
Nuku’alofa Tonga
38.
Raleigh North Carolina
39. Provo
Utah
40.
Guadalajara Mexico
41.
Copenhagen Denmark
42. St.
Paul Minnesota Temple
43. Santo
Domingo Dominican Republic
44.
Halifax Nova Scotia
45. St.
George Utah Temple
46.
Santiago Chile Temple
47.
Campinas Brazil
48.
Johannesburg South Africa
49.
Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico
50.
Tampico Mexico
51. Paris
France
52.
Sapporo Japan
Temples
that may still get a new president this year:
1. Columbus
Ohio
2.
Detroit Michigan
3.
Frankfurt Germany
4.
Melbourne Australia
5.
Perth Australia
6.
Quetzaltenango Guatemala
7. Seoul
Korea
8.
Twin Falls Idaho
Well, what do you think?
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Church updates Russian and Icelandic Scriptures
Important information about the Church updating the Russian and Icelandic scriptures. Please see this lnk for details. Thanks.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
KSL.com Story: Two accused of impersonating LDS Church officials stand trial
This one's a real doozy. Two accused of impersonating LDS Church officials are standing trial right now for fraud. I am posting about this because I want it absolutely clear to all my readers that those impersonators had no legal right to use the name of the Church in their scheme, nor were they cleared to implicate leaders of the Church. Find that story by following this link. Thanks.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Elder David A. Bednar speaks to LDS graduates at US Air Force Academy
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed LDS graduates at the United States Air Force Academy over the Memorial Day weekend. For an account of that weekend, please see this article. Thanks.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Article about new General Authority Seventy Elder K. Brett Nattress
The Church News has published an article introducing new General Authority Seventy Elder K. Brett Nattress. See this link for that article. Always interesting to learn about new General Authority Seventies. Thanks.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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