Considering the Church's options for the October General Conference

Here I am once again as I promised, to consider the options the Church has in terms of handling President Monson's absence from General Conference. There are a few things to consider:

1. Temple announcements: In view of Elder Wilson's statement that there are around 80 potential temple sites that could have an official announcement during the next 15 years, the Church would need to add 5 or 6 new temples every year, which works out to around 3 per General Conference. As has been the case previously, I imagine that there will be some General Conferences in which no new temples are announced. After all, the last 12 temples have been announced during the April General Conference. That said, it would make sense if the Church spread out these temple announcements, so it seems logical to assume that we could have at least 2 or 3 announced in each General Conference, and have a few additional new temples announced in between each April & October.
2. What might be done with the time that President Monson would have taken to speak to us? I see three or four options, as follows:

First, one of President Monson's children could, at his request and with his consent, read a previously prepared message (if that happens, it will most likely be done by his oldest son Thomas L. Monson, but I'm sure an equal case could be made for his daughter Ann M. Dibb or his son Clark S. Monson). President Monson could also have his personal secretary read a prepared message. I'm not sure how likely that might be to happen.

Another option, as has been done in the past, is for one or both of the prophet's counselors to present messages in his behalf, with his advice and consent, using either the words President Monson has spoken previously, or providing an update on how he's doing and to testify that the Lord is at the helm of His work.

The final option that I find to be likely is one I favor the most above any of the others presented above. That would be to have President Nelson speak twice in the next General Conference. That could be done by removing President Monson from the speaking list of the Saturday Priesthood and Sunday Morning Sessions, having the Priesthood Session begin with President Uchtdorf's address, then the member of the Quorum of the Twelve & Presidency of the Seventy, adding a General Authority Seventy (whom I would transfer from the Sunday Morning Session) and having President Eyring conclude the meeting.

Then, with the Sunday Morning Session, President Eyring would be the first speaker. Elder Hales, if he speaks in that session, would be next, followed by the second speaker from the Presidency of the Seventy and either Sister Marriott or Sister Bingham (whichever did not speak during the Saturday Morning Session), then having the second apostle (I am predicting Elder Stevenson), a General Authority Seventy, and then the session would conclude with President Nelson's second address.

I am convinced that there are other things the Church can and probably might do. I have presented these as the most likely options, but they are not by any means the only options, and they may not even be the best options. Whatever happens, I know that the Lord will continue to govern how and in what manner the events of the General Conferences of His Church are conducted. For myself, I will be no less surprised if and when I find out that I am wrong in things I have thought and asserted than I will be profoundly grateful for anything I have correctly predicted.

I will be posting again in a moment with a completely updated copy of my General Conference Predictions for October 2017. For now, thank you for the privilege of your time. Any and all comments are welcome and appreciated. Until that next post, I wish you all the best.

President Monson will not be attending or speaking at General Conference

Hello, everyone! I have some sad news today. As many of you may recall, I had been keeping my eye out for news on how President Monson and Elder Hales are doing health-wise, in the hopes that I could find out whether or not they would speak or even be in attendance at General Conference this Saturday and the weekend after that. Though I kept checking the Church news sites I get most of my information from, I did not get any closer to an answer for my questions than I was when I first asked them. Then, about 12 hours or so ago, a comment was posted to my blog. The person making the comment said that Elder Renlund had presided at his/her stake conference last Sunday, and that when he was asked about President Monson, Elder Renlund replied that, because of his age and health, he would not even be in attendance at any of the sessions. So, it appears that we now know definitively that President Monson will not be in attendance. I will be posting later about what could be done as a result of President Monson not being able to participate. For now, thank you for the privilege of your time, and may the Lord bless you in all that you do.

Arequipa Peru Temple Reaches Another Construction Milestone

Hello again, everyone! In what will be my last post of the day, I wanted to note that more progress has been reported on the construction of the Arequipa Peru Temple. The walls of the second floor of that temple are now being poured. I have been amazed at how steadily progress has been noted on this temple. If that continues, I may need to revise my estimate for its completion for late 2019. For now, it does still feel like this temple could have another 14-16 months of construction, which would, at minimum, mean that a dedication would still only be held in March 2020. I was excited to learn of this development and am glad that I could share it with you. It has seemed to me as though there has been some degree of temple news every day for the last several weeks, and if that continues, the overall status of most, if not all, temples currently under construction or even announced, will likely look much different by the end of this month, and even more so by the end of this year. For my part, I promise to do my best to keep all of you updated on everything as I hear of it. For now, thank you for the privilege of your time. Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Additional Apostolic Ministry Update

Hello again, everyone! I am doing this additional blog post because more apostolic news has come in. As with the previous report, I am excited to share these items with you. It is great to see how the apostles are both individually & collectively fulfilling their mission to be witnesses & representatives of the Savior worldwide. Let's talk about the latest reported developments.

In a BYU-Hawaii Devotional address earlier today, our youngest apostle, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, spoke to students about their opportunities to enjoy the blessings of having a bishop in each of their wards, maintaining both a gospel perspective & spiritual balance, and remembering that the Lord will always help His children. To read the Church News summary of that address, click here.

The other two stories which were reported by the Church News focused on how President Eyring ministered in two vastly different settings. This article describes how he shared a message of hope, love and appreciation with the people of Florida & the many "Mormon Helping Hands" who came to the area to help with cleanup & relief efforts. He visited Florida this last weekend.

After spending the weekend in Florida, he then headed to Idaho, where he today represented the Church Board of Education in inaugurating his son, Henry Johnson Eyring, as the 17th president of BYU-Idaho. The inauguration, as I may have previously mentioned, coincided with his son's 54th birthday. Also in attendance were Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, himself a former president of BYU-Provo, who, as also noted in an earlier post, is currently serving as a member of the Church Board of Education & Boards of Trustees, who also chairs the Executive Committee of the Board, and 2 other apostles (Elders David A. Bednar (who was the president of Ricks College when it was transitioned to become BYU-Idaho) and Dale G. Renlund), Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, General Authority Seventy, and general auxiliary presidents Jean B. Bingham (Relief Society), Bonnie L. Oscarson (Young Women) & Stephen W. Owen (Young Men), all of whom serve on the Church Board of Education. With the exception of President Eyring, whose wife is having health issues that limit her ability to appear in public, each board member was accompanied by his or her spouse. The only board members absent were Presidents Thomas S. Monson & Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse.

In reference to Elder Oaks, I wanted to add this thought: some have said it is slightly nepotistic for President Eyring's son to fill this position. However, what most people don't realize or recognize is that it is the Chairman of the Executive Committee, Elder Oaks in this case, who makes the initial decision about who should serve as a president of any of the Church-owned schools. It's true that the First Presidency has final approval for whatever decision is made, but it was Elder Oaks who recommended Henry J. for this position. Just wanted to note that, which I may not have done before.

In addition to President Eyring and Elder Oaks, Elder Kim B. Clark, the current CES administrator and another former BYU-Idaho President (who also contributes to the decision of who should serve as presidents of Church universities. President Henry B. Eyring gave his son a six-part charge. This too was nostalgic because Henry B. had received a similar charge from his father, Henry Eyring, as he (Henry B.) was inaugurated president of Ricks College. Other former presidents of Ricks College and BYU-Idaho were in attendance as well.

As previously mentioned, Elder Kim B. Clark, the 15th president of BYU-Idaho, also spoke. For the Church News summary on this inaugural event, click here.

Well, this update was more detailed than I originally meant it to be. Thank you for both your kind attention and the privilege of your time. Any and all comments are welcome and appreciated. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

General Authority & General Officer Assignments

A few days later than originally promised, I have compiled a list of assignments in which each of our General Authorities (and, where I could find them, our General Officers)are currently serving. This is not a comprehensive list, as I have been unable to find any committee assignments which our apostles currently hold. I have also waited until now to post this list because I had hoped to include any changes to the editors and advisers of Church magazines, but since the PDF version of the October Ensign has not yet been made available online, I have not been able to find that information. I will be sure to post any updates to this list going forward. Hope you enjoy this list. Any comments are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best.

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

President Russell M. Nelson—supervises the Europe East Area

Elder Dallin H. Oaks—supervises the Asia North & Mexico Areas; serves on the Church Board of Education & Boards of Trustees; Chairman; Executive Committee of the Boards

Elder M. Russell Ballard—supervises the Europe Area

Elder Robert D. Hales—in view of his health, he does not appear to be filling any special assignments

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland—supervises the Middle East/Africa North Area; serves on the Church Board of Education & Boards of Trustees; Member, Executive Committee of the Board

Elder David A. Bednar—supervises the Africa West Area; serves on the Church Board of Education

Elder Quentin L. Cook—supervises the Asia Area

Elder D. Todd Christofferson—supervises the Brazil Area

Elder Neil L. Andersen—supervises the Philippines Area

Elder Ronald A. Rasband—supervises the Africa Southeast & South America South Areas

Elder Gary E. Stevenson—supervises the Pacific Area

Elder Dale G. Renlund—supervises the Caribbean & South America Northwest Areas; serves on the Church Board of Education

Presidency of the Seventy:

Elder L. Whitney Clayton—assists in all areas (in the United States and Canada) as assigned; assists Elder Oaks in supervising the Mexico Area & Elder Holland in supervising the Middle East/Africa North Area

Elder Craig C. Christensen—supervises the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas; assists Elder Rasband in supervising the South America South Area

Elder Ulisses Soares—supervises the Idaho and North America Central Areas; assists Elder Cook in supervising the Asia Area & Elder Rasband in supervising the Africa Southeast Area

Elder Lynn G. Robbins—supervises the North America Southeast Area; assists Elder Bednar in supervising the Africa West Area, Elder Christofferson in supervising the Brazil Area & Elder Renlund in supervising the Caribbean & South America Northwest Areas; Member, Human Resources Committee

Elder Gerrit W. Gong—supervises the North America Northeast Area; assists Elder Oaks in supervising the Asia North Area; serves on the Church Board of Education & Boards of Trustees; Member, the Executive Committee of the Board

Elder Juan A. Uceda—supervises the North America Southwest Area; assists Elder Andersen in supervising the Philippines Area & Elder Stevenson in supervising the Pacific Area

Elder Patrick Kearon—supervises the North America Northwest and North America West Areas; assists President Nelson in supervising the Europe East area and Elder Ballard in supervising the Europe Area

General Authority Seventies:

Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis—President, Brazil Area

Elder Jose L. Alonso—Second Counselor, Caribbean Area

Elder Wilford W. Andersen—Senior Administrator, Middle East/Africa North Area; Area Assistant (Idaho and North America Central Areas); Assistant Executive Director, Temple Department

Elder Ian S. Ardern—Second Counselor, Pacific Area

Elder Mervyn B. Arnold—Area Assistant, Idaho, North America Central, & North America Northwest Areas

Elder W. Mark Bassett—First Counselor, Brazil Area

Elder David S. Baxter—Currently on medical leave from his Church assignments

Elder Randall K. Bennett— Assistant Editor: Ensign, Friend, Liahona and New Era magazines;

Assistant Executive Director, Priesthood and Family Department; Assistant, North America Northeast & Utah South Areas

Elder Shayne M. Bowen—President, Philippines Area

Elder Mark A Bragg—Second Counselor, South America South Area

Elder Craig A. Cardon—First Counselor, Pacific Area

Elder Yoon Hwan Choi—Second Counselor, Asia North Area

Elder Kim B. Clark—Commissioner, Church Education System; Area Assistant, North America Southwest Area

Elder Weatherford T. Clayton—Area Assistant, North America Central & North America Southwest Areas

Elder Carl B. Cook—Undisclosed assignments @ Church headquarters

Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge—Undisclosed assignments @ Church headquarters

Elder Valeri V. Cordon—Second Counselor, Central America Area

Elder J. Devn Cornish—Assistant Executive Director, Church History Department; Area Assistant, North America Central & North America Southwest Areas

Elder Claudio R. M. Costa: Assistant Executive Director, Missionary Department; Member, Boundary and Leadership Change Committee; Area Assistant, North America Southeast Area

Elder Joaquin E. Costa: Second Counselor, Brazil Area

Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr.—Adviser to the Church magazines (Ensign, Friend, Liahona, New Era); Assistant Executive Director, Priesthood and Family Department; Area Assistant, North American Southwest Area

Elder Edward Dube—Undisclosed assignments @ Church headquarters

Elder Kevin R. Duncan—Assistant Executive Director, Temple Department; Area Assistant, Assistant (Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas)

Elder Timothy J. Dyches—Assistant Executive Director, Temple Department

Elder Stanley G. Ellis—will likely be granted emeritus status in October, as he turned 70 in January.

NOTE: Although his biography on Mormon Newsroom still notes that he is serving in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency, due to the changes in area leadership which became effective on August 1, we know he has been released from that assignment. But by all appearances, that biography has not been updated at all this year.

Elder David F. Evans—First Counselor, Asia Area

Elder Enrique R. Falabella—First Counselor, South America Northwest Area

Elder Massimo De Feo—Second Counselor, Europe Area

Elder Bradley D. Foster—Executive Director, Family History Department; Area Assistant, North America Southwest Area

Elder Randy D. Funk—President, Asia Area

Elder Eduardo Gavarret—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Robert C. Gay—President, Asia North Area

Elder Carlos A. Godoy—President, South America Northwest Area

Elder Taylor G. Godoy—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Christoffel Golden—First Counselor, Europe East Area

NOTE: By the time the September 2017 Church magazines were published, Elder Golden’s assignment as an adviser to the Church magazines was still listed. However, because he is now serving outside the US in an area presidency, that assignment is no longer in effect. Once the October magazines are available online, we will know what, if any, changes have been made to the editors and advisers of the Church magazines, and I will pass that information along.

Elder Walter F. Gonzalez—President, Caribbean Area

Elder C. Scott Grow—currently on medical leave

Elder O. Vincent Haleck—President, Pacific Area

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom—Board Member, Church Education System; Executive Director, Priesthood and Family Department

Elder Kevin S. Hamilton—President, Africa Southeast Area

Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk—Assistant Executive Director, Correlation Department; Member, Boundary and Leadership Change Committee; Area Assistant, North America Northeast, North America West & North America Southwest Areas

Elder Allen D. Haynie—First Counselor, Philippines Area

Elder Benjamin De Hoyos—Assistant Executive Director, Temple Department

Elder Paul V. Johnson—President, Europe Area

Elder Larry S. Kacher—Second Counselor, Africa West Area

Elder Von G. Keetch—Executive Director, Church Public Affairs Department; Area Assistant, North America Southwest Area

Elder Jörg Klebingat—Assistant Executive Director, Temple Department/Area Assistant (North America Central & North America Southeast Areas

Elder Joni L. Koch—Second Counselor, Africa Southeast Area

Elder Erich W. Kopsichke— Adviser to the Church magazines (Ensign, Friend, Liahona, New Era); Area Assistant (North America Northeast & North America Southeast Areas)

Elder Larry R. Lawrence—will likely be granted emeritus status in October, as he turned 70 in August.

NOTE: While the biography of Elder Lawrence on Mormon Newsroom still shows both his assignment as an area administrator of the Middle East/Africa North Area and his being an Assistant Executive Director of the Priesthood and Family Department, and while the October Church magazines still list is assignment as an adviser, because he will likely be granted emeritus status in October, he has also likely been released from these assignments. I will pass along information about such changes as I receive it.

Elder Hugo E. Martinez—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder James B. Martino—President, Europe East Area

Elder Richard J. Maynes—Undisclosed assignments at Church headquarters

Elder Peter F. Meurs—Second Counselor, Asia Area

Elder Hugo Montoya—Second Counselor, South America Northwest Area

Elder Marcus B. Nash—First Counselor, Africa West Area

Elder K. Brett Nattress—Assistant Executive Director, Missionary Department; Area Assistant, Idaho and North America Central Areas

Elder S. Gifford Nielsen—Assistant Executive Director, Missionary Department; Area Assistant, North America Northest Area

Elder Brent H. Nielson—Executive Director, Missionary Department

Elder Adrian Ochoa—President, Central America Area

Elder Allan F. Packer—First Counselor, South America South Area

Elder S. Mark Palmer—First Counselor, Africa Southeast Area

Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Kevin W. Pearson—Area Assistant, North America Southwest Area/Member, Communication Services & Strengthening Church Members Committees

Elder Anthony D. Perkins— Executive Director, Correlation Department; Member, Correlation Executive Committee; Junior Administrator, Middle East/Africa North Area

Elder Paul B. Pieper—President, Mexico Area

Elder John C. Pingree Jr.—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Rafael E. Pino—Second Counselor, Mexico Area

Elder Michael T. Ringwood—Member, Self-Reliance Services/PEF, Church Audit, and Welfare Executive Committees

Elder Gary B. Sabin—First Counselor, Europe Area

Elder Evan A. Schmutz—Second Counselor, Philippines Area

Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer—Assistant Executive Director, Church Missionary Department/Chair, Missionary Medical Health Services Division

Elder Joseph W. Sitati— Editor: Ensign, Friend, Liahona and New Era magazines;

Assistant Executive Director, Church Missionary Department/Member, Boundary and Leadership Change Committee

Elder Steven E. Snow—Church Historian and Recorder; Executive Director, Church History Department

Elder Vern P. Stanfill—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Brian K. Taylor—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Michael John U. Teh—President, Taiwan Taichung Mission

Elder Jose A. Teixeira—President, South America South Area

Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela—First Counselor, Mexico Area

Elder Terence M. Vinson—President, Africa West Area

Elder Taniela B. Wakolo—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Scott D. Whiting—Undisclosed assignment at Church headquarters

Elder Larry Y. Wilson—Executive Director, Temple Department

Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong—President, Canada Vancouver Mission

Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita—First Counselor, Asia North Area

Elder Jorge F. Zeballos—First Counselor, Central America Area

Elder Claudio D. Zivic—First Counselor, Caribbean Area

Elder W. Craig Zwick—will likely be granted emeritus status in October, as he turned 70 in June.

NOTE: While he may indeed be granted emeritus status in October in view of his age, his biography on Mormon Newsroom mentions that he is serving as an Assistant Executive Director of the Missionary Department & Committee Chair of the Utah Hispanic Initiative.

Presiding Bishop:

Bishop Gerald Causse—Member, Church Board of Education

General Auxiliary Presidencies:

Joy D. Jones, Primary General President—Member, Temple & Family History Council

Bonnie H. Cordon, First Counselor, Primary General Presidency— Adviser to the Church magazines (Ensign, Friend, Liahona, New Era)

Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society General President—Church Board of Education & Boards of Trustees; Member, Executive Committee of the Boards; Member; Priesthood & Family Executive Council

Sharon Eubank, First Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency—Adviser to the Church magazines (Ensign, Friend, Liahona, New Era)

Brian K. Ashton, Second Counselor, Sunday School General Presidency—Adviser to the Church magazines (Ensign, Friend, Liahona, New Era)

Stephen W. Owen, Young Men General President—Church Board of Education & Boards of Trustees

Douglas D. Holmes, First Counselor, Young Men General Presidency—Adviser to the Church magazines (Ensign, Friend, Liahona, New Era)

Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women General President—Church Board of Education & Boards of Trustees; Member, Executive Committee of the Boards; Member, Missionary Executive Council

Carol F. McConkie, First Counselor, Young Women General Presidency— Assistant Editor of the Church magazines (Ensign, Friend, Liahona, New Era)