Last Post in January--Temple Construction Progress Report

In what will, no doubt, be my last temple construction progress report in January (if not indeed my very last post this month), several important updates have been needed since my last one. That said, here it is. Enjoy, and please do let me know what you think. Thanks.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/31/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 4 scheduled for dedication; 8 under construction; 1 groundbreaking scheduled; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 9 announced. NOTE: With one groundbreaking announced already this year, two more have the potential to be announced and scheduled very soon, and there may be several more groundbreakings than that in the year ahead.

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple: Interior artwork being shipped for hanging inside the temple; dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

157. Tucson Arizona Temple: Exterior lighting tests underway; installation of interior art glass and millwork nearing completion; president’s home undergoing renovation; dedication scheduled for Sunday August 13, 2017.

158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Interior painting and millwork underway; dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Installing art glass windows; hanging drywall on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017.

Under Construction:

160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Applying waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; setting rebar; roughing in plumbing; completion anticipated sometime between early and mid-2018.

162. Concepcion Chile Temple: Exterior cladding going up on north wall; framing the interior walls; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

163. Durban South Africa Temple: Applying waterproof mastic to temple foundation; setting concrete forms for missionary housing exterior walls; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

164. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Exterior concrete walls completed; completion anticipated sometime between late 2018 and early 2019.

165. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; completion anticipated sometime between late 2018 and early 2019.

166. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Setting concrete forms for parapet walls; completion anticipated sometime during 2019.

167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Excavation underway for temple; structural framing going up for meetinghouse; completion anticipated sometime during 2019.

Groundbreaking Scheduled:

168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking; environmental license issued in November 2016; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday March 4, 2017.

Rededication Scheduled:

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 between early-and-mid 2018.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; some exterior stone removed; foundation exposed; old meetinghouse razed; rededication anticipated sometime between early-and mid-2018.

Announced:

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Erecting construction barrier; clearing and leveling site; awaiting groundbreaking announcement; groundbreaking anticipated in early 2017.

170. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Approval and construction preparation phase; official site announcement anticipated in 2017, with the groundbreaking anticipated to take place shortly following the site announcement.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: The LDS Church Temple website indicates that a potential site has been identified, though it has yet to be officially verified.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: As the above-mentioned website indicates for this temple, while no official temple site has been announced, there may be a possibility that a Church office building may be repurposed to function as a temple, meetinghouse, and office building under one roof, in a similar fashion to those temples in Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York. This is most likely to be confirmed sooner rather than later.

173. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Stalled in 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 report.

Grandson of President Gordon B. Hinckley carries on his grandfather's temple building legacy

David Hinckley, son of emeritus General Authority Seventy Richard G. Hinckley and grandson of 15th Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, is very much involved in carrying on his grandfather's legacy of helping bring temples to the people of the world. In an article which was featured in the Deseret News recently, and which appeared in a prominent place in the News section of the LDS Church Temples website, that continuing legacy is explored, explained and detailed. Click here to read that article, which is absolutely amazing and inspiring. Thanks to you all for your interest, support, and continuing comments and discussions.

Two Major Church Announcements

Hello. This is my first chance to report on two very important and major announcements made today by the LDS Church. First, LDS Business  College had its 13th president announced today. The outgoing president, J. Lawrence Richards, has served as its president for the last eight years. The incoming president, Bruce C. Kusch, currently serves as the chief academic officer who has had responsibility over the faculty and any and all academic programs. Click here for more on this change.

In the meantime, in the wake of the announcement by the Boy Scouts of America that they will be allowing transgenders to become boy scouts, the Church issued an official statement. Click here to read that statement.

This has been a landmark day for the Church just in regards to those two announcements. More to come as needed as I check the other Church websites for updates. Stay tuned. Thanks for your readership. Comments continue to be both welcome and appreciated.

Another Emeritus General Authority Has Passed Away

Hello, all! A report in the Church news shared that Elder James M. Dunn, an emeritus general authority, passed away a week ago. His funeral was held yesterday, the same day the article regarding his passing was published. For a look back at this remarkable man's life, please click here. During his seven-year tenure as a General Authority, he served in a wide variety of assignments. Despite only having one opportunity to speak in General Conference as a General Authority, he was one of many mission presidents that was asked to "report" on his service during a general conference of the Church. For both of those remarkable addresses, click here. I remember Elder Dunn's period of service, and I remember reading of some of the things he did during those seven years in updates published in the Church Almanac. I am always so impressed and inspired by the marvelous accounts of service rendered by such amazing men. May God bless the memory of this good brother. Though I never met him personally, I feel certain he received the greeting that the Lord gives all his faithful servants. It is my great hope and prayer that each of us may merit that greeting. Thanks for reading this. Any comments continue to be welcome and appreciated.

Two tender mercies from the Lord

Events that have happened personally to my wife and me this month have reminded us clearly that the Lord is aware of us, that He is truly a God of miracles, and that in His tender mercy, He puts unexpected events in our path.

As many of you who have followed this blog with any frequency or regularity are aware, in October 2015, we relocated from American Fork and the stake where I had lived for 17 years to Orem. It was so hard for me to move knowing I was leaving behind an area and lots of people I had grown to love very much. This was especially true in terms of the fact that I have not handled change very well in my life.

In the first Church calling we together had served in since our temple service ended in 2012, we were asked to serve as Primary teachers. This we did until some health issues necessitated our release about a year later. We had been shut off from getting to know anyone in the ward. While we are continuing to get our health in order, we had to allow some major things to slip through our fingers. Our temple recommends expired for the first time since either of us had first received one.

When the second week in January found us well enough to attend Church for the first time in about two months, we resolved to find out what was involved in this stake in getting our temple recommends renewed. On January 8, we had our interviews on the ward and stake level within a matter of a few short hours.

Backtrack a bit with me now to when we were preparing to move. It so happened that I had done my research on the leaders of the stake we were moving into. When I heard that the second counselor in the stake presidency (a  man named President Burr) worked for the BYU police department, one clear thought entered my mind. The thought was that my sister Joanna, who worked for several years as a dispatcher for that police department, might know him. I mentioned his name to Joanna, who confirmed that she had worked for him on numerous occasions.

So getting back to our temple recommend renewal, I had hoped for the opportunity to have my interview with that man. We waited in line for a few minutes before I was called back by someone I obviously did not know. When we started the interview, I took the time to explain that I was relatively new to the stake and did not know his name. When he told me what it was, my heart leaped with joy. This was the very man my sister had worked with. So I mentioned that we had a personal connection, but I didn't have time to elaborate on that before he looked at my recommend and said, "Your last name is Stokes? You aren't Lynn Stokes's boy are you?" I told him that no, Lynn was my dad's brother. He was able to tell me that he and Uncle Lynn were still working together, but in a private security company he (President Burr) had started, which was news to me. I had not been aware of that.

But undeterred, I told him we also had another mutual acquaintance. I said, "Joanna Hickman is my sister." He told me that he had loved working with Joanna, and we chatted for a bit about the adventure she is now on with her young family. This was news to him. He knew she was no longer dispatching for BYU, but he hadn't heard why she'd moved on. He thanked me for that, and after the interview, I promised that I would tell Joanna hello from him the next time I saw her, and he pledged to do the same for me to Uncle Lynn.

The way that happened warmed my heart. But the miracle surrounding people we know in our new stake was not limited to that one occurrence. I happened to be looking over the list of the leaders of our stake, searching seemingly in vain for any other familiar name. It was in so doing that I happened upon the fact that there was one other couple in our stake, in addition to those we have become acquainted with in our new ward, that I knew very well. Their names are Lynn and Bonnie Vernon.

I had the happy opportunity to serve alongside them both in the course of my temple service, around the same period of time that my wife started working at the temple herself and as we dated and were married. Additionally, I had found out that Brother Lynn Vernon had grown up with my father-in-law, Gene Nuttall. While we served at the temple, once he knew that I was working with Lynn Vernon, Dad Nuttall would regularly take the opportunity to ask me how he was doing. I was pleased to be able to answer his questions.

One of my greatest regrets in having to be released as a temple worker was that I was thus losing my association with so many good friends. And now, in discovering that Lynn and Bonnie Vernon are members of the stake we moved into almost a year and a half ago, I have this further evidence of what Amy has told me a lot.

She has always said that with my many associates from the temple, we likely couldn't go anywhere in the surrounding area without being sure of running into someone I knew somehow. Once again, big surprise, she was right.

I wasted no time in dashing off an e-mail to Brother and Sister Vernon, and I am hoping to hear from them soon. I hope they are glad to hear from me.

In the meantime, as I said at the beginning of this post, these are two tender mercies from the Lord that I never could have expected or anticipated when this move became necessary. It is amazing to see how the Lord allows us to run again into people who have either associated with other members of our family or with us personally. I now understand more fully what it was Elder David A. Bednar was talking about when he spoke in his second apostolic General Conference address on the subject of the tender mercies of the Lord.

I needed the reminder today that the Lord was mindful of me and will not leave me alone. Thanks for letting me post about this.