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Sunday, December 11, 2016

Christmas Post

Given all that's going on in my personal life and with my health, I have not yet had a chance before now to post about Christmas. I have a Christmas tradition on this blog of posting the same poem every year, then sharing my testimony of the true meaning of Christmas. It is my hope that, as I do so, the true meaning of Christmas will sink deeply into the hearts of all who read what I have to say.

This poem took on personal meaning to me when I was a young man and I first became aware of it. The first time I read it was because it had been shared in the December edition of the newsletter for my parent's ward. It really spoke to me, and each time I have shared it, I have used it as an opportunity for me to appreciate anew the wonder and majesty of the holiday season, wherein the Savior's birth is celebrated. As most of you are probably aware, research shows that Christ was actually born in the spring, and that we celebrate his birth in December only because that's when the world marks it. Modern revelation has identified Christ's actual birthday to be the same as the date of the restoration of the gospel, April 6.

It is remarkable to contemplate that the mission of the babe born in Bethlehem neither began there, nor ended on Calvary's cross. His mission and purpose was and will forever be eternal and everlasting. Without regard for his own comfort and life, He willingly gave the utmost sacrifice, His life, to redeem all mankind, not only every inhabitant that ever was or ever will be on earth, but also, and more amazingly, any one of God's spiritual offspring that were born in other worlds that have been, are, and will yet be. We owe so much more than we can ever repay to our remarkable Savior, who gave all that we might be able to return to Him and to our Heavenly Father and live eternally. The gift or redemption He offers to all, no matter their lot in life or how high or how lowly their station. Ours is the task to live in such a manner that we will be ready and worthy to greet Him when He comes again. That He will come is as sure and certain to me as is the fact that I live and breathe.

When considering all of this, I hope we will step away from what has become the hustle and bustle of the season, that we will overlook the commercialism and ill feelings that come with the imperfection of this world and especially in this season.

With all that in mind, I share this poem. I hope it will touch all of you as much as it has always touched me. May the true spirit of Christmas fill the hearts and minds of all who read this, and may we ever remember to always act with charity, the pure love of Christ, and reach out with that charity to bless the lives of all those with whom we come in contact. That this may be our privilege and our destiny is my humble prayer, as I leave this poem and this post with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

‘Twas the Night Before the Savior Came

‘Twas the night before Our Savior came and all through the house,
Not a person was praying, not one in the house.
Their scriptures were lain on the shelf without care,
Thinking Our Savior would not come there.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the late show, while I took a nap.
Where out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But angels proclaiming that our Savior was here!
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,
I knew in a moment it must be the day!
The beauty of His face made me cover my head,
It was Our Savior returning just like he said....
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which He held in His hand,
Was written the names of every saved man.
He spoke not a word, as He searched for my name.
Then He said, “It’s not here.” My head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love,
He gathered to take to His father above.
With those who were read, He rose without a sound,
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late.
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and cried as they rose out of sight,
“Oh, if only I’d been ready tonight.”
In the words of this poem, the meaning is clear,
The coming of Our Savior is drawing near.
There is only one life and when comes the last call,
We will find that the scriptures were true, after all....

An announcement for the site and groundbreaking date for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple is due to happen early next year/Updated Temple Construction Progress Report

Thanks to how I was feeling physically today, I have not been able to do my usual check of the Church sites I try to visit daily or multiple times per day until just a few hours ago. As, no doubt, most of you who are vigorously following Church and temple news know already, and as it is such monumental news, I wanted to make it an official blog post topic. According to Rick Satterfield's excellent LDS Church Temples website, word has come that an announcement for the site of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple will be announced early next year, with the groundbreaking ceremony for that temple to follow shortly thereafter.

Before I go any further, I wanted to just comment on what a tremendous milestone this is, and what it means for the Church. It makes my head spin to realize that, for the first time I know of in the entire history of the Church, a temple outside North America will have a site announced and its ground broken roughly within one year after that temple was announced. No less significant and wonderful to me is the knowledge that, with this groundbreaking to take place when it does, for the very first time in Church history, we will have three temples simultaneously under construction in Africa. There are no words beautiful enough or strong enough to describe my feelings when I think of this news. My mom was born in South Africa and came here over 30 years ago on what she believed would be a "short vacation." Now her home nation of South Africa will soon have 2 temples in operation, and temples are spreading like wildfires throughout the land at an overwhelmingly fast rate. In the continent of Africa alone, there will soon be more temples there than there were in the entire United States, let alone the world, within the first 100 years of the gospel's restoration. And, as those who follow my posts are no doubt all too keenly aware, there is potential for quite a few more temple sites to be announced in just the African continent alone within the next 5 years or so.

What a remarkable time we live in! We are very blessed to live in a most unprecedented era of temple building. While it is still unknown how long construction in Zimbabwe will last, one thing is certain: if temples keep being announced and built at the rate they have been just in the last 5 years alone, not only are we more likely than not to see 200+ temples by or before the 200th anniversary of the Church, but we will also likely see future temple announcements in remote places that no one now believes as being possible.

I am equally certain of one other thing: this blog is fast becoming one of many outlets where such things can be discussed and analyzed in-depth. I am humbled by the knowledge that my recent post about possible locations for temples that may be announced in the near future has received by far the most views and the most comments of any post I've done in the entire time I've been blogging. And that is an absolute testament to me of the high interest in temples. It certainly isn't because of anything I've said here. In fact, it probably is the case in spite of things I've said here. I am awed and humbled that what I have to say means so much to so many. I am beyond grateful to all who are commenting and reading my thoughts about this subject that has been a lifelong love of mine.

Naturally and obviously, with the news that came down today, a massive edit was needed for my temple construction progress report. I share those updates with you now. As always, I am eternally appreciative of any and all of you who will read this post and, if you feel so inclined, comment on it.

That said, here's the report:

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 12/11/16)
Current Temple Status: 155 operating; scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 10 announced; (NOTE: Up to 3 additional temples may soon have a groundbreaking announced).

Dedication scheduled:
156. Paris France Temple: Interior work underway; open house and dedication dates announced; scheduled to be dedicated on Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:
157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Exterior lighting tests underway; welcome center reopens in stake center; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.
158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Erecting fencing; landscaping progressing; installing window frames and art glass; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.
159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Adding landscaping structures and walkways; plumbing water feature; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.
160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
161. Concepcion Chile Temple: Cupola assembly attached to steeple framework; paving main entrance; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
162. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Building the exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
163. Durban South Africa Temple: Pouring the foundations; connecting to city utilities; installing sewage lines; landscaping entrance mounds; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Exterior walls rising; completion anticipated sometime between 2018 and 2019.
165. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; completion anticipated sometime between 2018 and 2019.
166. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Concrete forms going up for second floor exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.
167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Laying meetinghouse footings and foundation; excavating for maintenance building; temple site cleared; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.

Scheduled for rededication:
8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; finish work underway; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:
20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in late 2017.
41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in 2018.

Announced:
168. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Approval and construction preparation phase; official site announcement anticipated in early 2017, with the groundbreaking anticipated to take place shortly following the site announcement.
169. Arequipa Peru Temple: General contractor selected; groundbreaking pending.
170. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Construction preparation phase; plans approved by local government; groundbreaking pending.
171. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
172. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
173. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
174. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
175. Quito Ecuador 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 numbers 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 numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.
Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.
Red text denotes changes from the last posted temple progress update.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Updated List of Locations that May Soon Have a Temple Announced

Based on research I have done on Church growth within the last twelve hours, I have once again expanded and added to my list of temples that may soon be announced. Any feedback about my selections would, as always, be appreciated. Thanks.

Here is the list (they are placed in the order in which I believe they will be announced. I would like to thank Jonathan Whiting for his suggestion about listing them horizontally rather than vertically).

Managua Nicaragua
Port Moresby Papua New Guinea
Bentonville Arkansas
Freetown Sierra Leone
Kampala Uganda
Nairobi Kenya
Lehi/Layton Utah
Budapest Hungary
Pocatello Idaho
La Paz Bolivia
Fort Worth Texas
Puebla Mexico
Missoula Montana
Jacksonville Florida
Rapid City South Dakota
Edinburgh Scotland
Salem Oregon
Tacoma Washington
Richmond/Waynesboro/Buena Vista Virginia
Brasilia/Belo Horizonte/Salvador Brazil
Neuquen Argentina
Benin City/Lagos/Port Harcourt Nigeria
Kumasi Ghana


Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Temple Construction Progress Update

Due to many milestones marked in temple construction worldwide lately, even though I only two days ago posted a report on temple progress, it has become necessary to do so again. Let me know what you think.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 12/6/16)
Current Temple Status: 155 operating; scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 10 announced; (NOTE: Up to 2 additional temples may soon have a groundbreaking announced).

Dedication scheduled:
156. Paris France Temple: Interior work underway; open house and dedication dates announced; scheduled to be dedicated on Sunday May 21, 2017.

Under Construction:
157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Exterior lighting tests underway; welcome center reopens in stake center; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.
158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Erecting fencing; landscaping progressing; installing window frames and art glass; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.
159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Adding landscaping structures and walkways; plumbing water feature; completion anticipated sometime in late 2017.
160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
161. Concepcion Chile Temple: Cupola assembly attached to steeple framework; paving main entrance; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
162. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Building the exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
163. Durban South Africa Temple: Pouring the foundations; connecting to city utilities; installing sewage lines; landscaping entrance mounds; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Exterior walls rising; completion anticipated sometime between 2018 and 2019.
165. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; completion anticipated sometime between 2018 and 2019.
165. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Concrete forms going up for second floor exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.
166. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Laying meetinghouse footings and foundation; using temple site for staging area; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.

Scheduled for rededication:
8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; finish work underway; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:
20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in late 2017.
41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in 2018.

Announced:
168. Arequipa Peru Temple: General contractor selected; groundbreaking pending.
169. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Construction preparation phase; plans approved by local government; groundbreaking pending.
170. Urdaneta Philippines 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 numbers 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 numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.
Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Red text denotes changes from the last posted temple progress update.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Altered Predictions for when the most imminent temple-related events are most likely to be scheduled and to take place

Based on information so graciously provided to me by Rick Satterfield, who keeps the world aware of the latest temple-related news and events and the latest up-to-date Church unit information, I have taken another look at temples whose construction has progressed so rapidly recently. I have, based on his insight and information, altered slightly the timetable of when future temple-related events may occur.

Based on what Rick said to me, it appears likely that no further progress towards a groundbreaking may be made in Arequipa Peru and Rio de Janeiro Brazil until the Church can find adequately qualified people to take on the projects. In light of that, the Port-au-Prince Haiti temple may be the next one to have a groundbreaking scheduled, with such an event announced sometime during the first few months of 2017 and taking place anywhere from one to two months later. I will keep an eye on the developments with Arequipa and Rio and will try to make a more sound prediction about a future groundbreaking when more is known.

At the Meridian Idaho temple, exterior lighting tests are underway, and the welcome center at the adjacent stake center has reopened. Based on this progress update, and because of how soon after such milestones other temples with a similar status have been scheduled for dedication, I am predicting that a dedication date for the Meridian Idaho Temple is likely to be announced within the next 3 or 4 months, and the dedication itself happening in early August.

In Cedar City, fencing is being erected, landscaping is progressing, and window frames and art glass are being installed. In light of the progress there, it is not unreasonable to believe that the dedication for that temple may announced within 6 months or less, and scheduled either for late August or early September.

Tucson, according to Rick, is so close to Cedar City’s level of completion that they are neck-and-neck in terms of a future completion date. In Tucson, landscaping structures and water features are being added, and they are plumbing the water feature on the temple grounds. Based on the information Rick provided to me, it wouldn’t be surprising to me to see the Tucson and Cedar City dedications scheduled for around the same time, with an announcement of these events within 6 months and the actual events in late August or early September.

In the meantime, I can foresee the Church finishing renovation on the Jordan River Utah temple sometime mid-2017, with a rededication announced for either late August or early September. This is in keeping within the timetable Rick indicated may prevail in this temple. I don’t know if the Church would announce the events for Jordan River, Tucson, and Cedar City around the same time, but wouldn’t be surprised if their dedication ceremonies were within weeks from each other.

Given what I have read about the temples to be completed in 2018, added to what I have picked up on by closely watching how the Rome Italy temple construction has spanned such a long period of time, I believe it is safe to predict that the Concepcion Chile temple will be the next completed temple, with an open house and dedication date announced in either late 2017 or early 2018 and set for around April 2018.

The rededication of the Frankfurt Germany temple could be announced around the first quarter of 2018 and scheduled for around June of that same year. Rome could have an open house and dedication announced in early 2018 and set for around August 2018.

The Kinshasa DR Congo could follow, with an announcement of opening dates during the first two-thirds of 2018, and a dedication set for October. Durban is on track to have construction completed within the same amount of time, and could also have a dedication announced and scheduled for October as well, though it is anyone’s guess if those announcements could be made within near proximity of each other. 

Barranquilla would be my next pick for completion, with a dedication announced during August, and the actual dedication date in November or December. Because the temple in Winnipeg is so small and is the only building involved in the project, it could also well be that construction in Winnipeg could be completed around August and a dedication scheduled for November or December.

If progress and plans hold and all these temples are dedicated, the Church will add 3+ new temples by the end of 2017, and have a booming year for dedications (with a possibility of at least six more being completed) during 2018. This would almost completely reduce and eliminate any semblance of a backlog in temple progress, and makes it extraordinarily more likely that many more temples could be announced within the next two years. The exact number of those announcements remains to be seen, though I have given my feelings on what I feel are the most likely and most imminent picks.

Future groundbreakings may be more unpredictable to anticipate than I originally thought. I look at the groundbreaking in Winnipeg, and it happened much faster than usual. However, in addition to Port-au-Prince, it is possible we could see the Arequipa, Rio, Bangkok, and Urdaneta temple groundbreakings scheduled during next year. If the problems in Rio and Arequipa can be easily remedied, a groundbreaking for both temples could take place within the first six months of 2017. As for Bangkok and Urdaneta, those could happen by the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018. But with there being one year (for Bangkok) and over six years (for Urdaneta) since their announcements, I don’t feel safe making any definite predictions about when those events might take place.

One other thing I wanted to mention as far as future temple announcements go. It was suggested on Matthew Martinich’s excellent LDS Church Growth blog that there have been rumors that a temple is being planned in Waynesboro Virginia. I will keep my eyes and ears peeled for news on that point. I have always felt that if a temple was built in Virginia in the future, the capital city of Richmond would be the most likely possibility. But there is a strong case for a future temple in Waynesboro. So, as part of trying to fine-tune my list of likely future temple announcements, I wanted to get a sense of your thoughts. Would Richmond or Waynesboro be more likely for a temple? Which might be more imminent? Let the discussion begin!

Thanks, as always, for taking time to read and (if you feel so inclined) respond to this post. It is your feedback that allows me to fine-tune my predictions. And I will always try to keep an eye on temple-related progress and will do my best to report that news and any updates just as soon as I become aware of them. Thanks again.