Apostolic Age Averages Updated; Summary of Remaining Apostolic Birthdays in 2017

Hello again, everyone! This has been a busy day for temple-related news and developments, but I wanted to switch directions, if I may, and focus a post on the remaining apostolic birthdays that will be observed before the end of this year, and to pass along updated averages for the First Presidency, 11 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the 14 apostles as a group.
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During the remainder of this year, two of our apostles will observe their 77th birthdays, President Uchtdorf tomorrow, and Elder Holland on December 3. Additionally, one week from tomorrow, the second apostolic birthday in November will occur when Elder Renlund observes his 65th.  I will be honoring each of these men with a birthday tribute on or around each of these days. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, before mentioning the apostolic averages, I wanted to mention one interesting anomaly regarding President Uchtdorf. When doing my weekly update of the apostolic decimal and full ages, I discovered that President Uchtdorf today has a decimal age of 77.00, even though his actual birthday will, as noted, not be until tomorrow, which makes his full age today 76 years, 11 months, and 30 days old.

That said, here are the apostolic averages of which I spoke, current as of today. With the First Presidency having aged .06 decimal years since last Sunday (if we round up), they now have a combined 251.64 decimal years of life experience, giving them an average age of 83.88 years, to which President Eyring is the closest of the three.

With no word yet on who the newest apostle might be, the 11 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has seen an increase of their combined life experience of .22 years (.02 for each member), making that new number 819.94, which averages out to 74.54 years per member. Of those 11, those closest to the average are Elder Holland on the older side (at 76.92 years) and Elder Christofferson on the younger side (at 72.78 years). The two are currently 5th and 6th oldest respectively among those 11.

With the fact that the 14 apostles have each aged approximately .02 years within this last week, that puts the total life experience of them all at 1,071.58 years. And because of that, their average age individually sits at 76.54 years. The same apostles that are closest to the average age of the 11 are also closest to the average age of the 14.

As I may have previously mentioned, while there is always a chance that an older man could be called, I don't see anyone over the age of 70. The new apostle could fit anywhere between the youngest five apostles currently serving, from Elder Rasband's 66.75 years to Elder Stevenson's 62.25 years, or could even be younger than Elder Stevenson or slightly older than Elder Rasband.

I have mentioned this as well, but the oldest apostle called of the current group was Elder Cook at 67 years old. The youngest was, of course, President Monson at 36. By contrast, the youngest apostle called by President Monson was Elder Andersen, who, as already mentioned, was 57 at the time of his call. And the oldest called during President Monson's administration so far was Elder Rasband at 64. Of course, the age of any new apostle does not matter as much as his qualifications for the office, but it is interesting to think about where the newest apostle may fit among the others in age.

Enough of my ramblings. That does it for this post. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

Additional Update Reported on the Fortaleza Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! It has been an interesting day because updates on temple-related progress keep coming in. I heard from a few sources just a short while ago that a vapor barrier and stone cladding was being attached to the Fortaleza Brazil Temple, and that is an additional development to the earlier report I received about the roof trusses being set for the adjoining meetinghouse (which I had mistakenly reported as having occurred for the temple instead; I apologize for the unintentionally provided misinformation, and am grateful to readers who have been good enough to catch this and other errors on my part and let me know about them. That aside, I have not seen anything that would indicate that this temple will be completed any earlier than mid-to-late 2019, and, as I have previously stated, I see that happening in either June or August (note that if it does happen in August, it wouldn't surprise me, as I have previously stated, if the open house is held in June, prior to the annual July recess for our General Authorities.

I am keeping my eyes open for any and all temple-related news, and I will continue to do my level best to post updates, including any changes to estimates I have previously provided, along with any clarifications or corrections of previously posted content, as I become aware of all of that. That does it for this update. Any comments continue to be welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

Additional Temple Progress

Hello again, everyone! Today was a prime example of how things can change in terms of reported temple progress in a matter of a few short hours. In doing my second check of sources available to me on the subject of temple construction progress, I found the following additional updates:

In Rome Italy, scaffolding has been removed from the towers of the temple, and interior work is underway. After not having any progress reported on this temple for so long, this is tremendous  news. There is still not sufficient reason (in my opinion) to assume that Rome will be completed by the end of 2018, but I could see that temple being dedicated in the very early months of 2019, as I already observed.

In Durban South Africa, roof decking has been attached to the trusses, signalling a major milestone in that temple's progress. The one question in my mind is what the sequence of events might wind up being for early 2019, with the dedication of at least three temples anticipated, along with the rededication of at least three others. It will be interesting to see how that shapes out.

And in Fortaleza Brazil, roof trusses are being set. It still seems likely that the dedication of this temple will not happen until mid-to-late 2019. But the construction efforts on this temple have stayed on track, so I cannot rule out the possibility that that event could happen sooner, all going well.

As with everything else I pass along on this blog, you can depend on my keeping an eye out for continued developments in the process of construction, and on my passing those along as soon as I am able to do so after learning about them.

That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

Significant Progress Reported on the Arequipa Peru Temple

Hello again, everyone! Hope you are well. In checking, as I always do, for any progress on temples worldwide, I learned that the construction of the Arequipa Peru Temple has reached a new wonderful milestone. The concrete exterior walls of the temple are completely finished, and the tower crane has been removed. It was great to hear about all of that, because it demonstrates to me that this temple could easily be completed before the end of 2019. That said, I did want to note that, while this is a great milestone for this temple, there are other projects planned for the complex of which this temple is only one of a few parts. As far as I can tell, none of the other projects have been started as of yet. But I am keeping an eye on all  of this and will pass along any new information as I become aware of it.

That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best, especially for an inspiring Sabbath Day, and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

Additional Progress Noted on various temples

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post at this time to report some late-breaking temple-related developments which I found out about a few minutes ago, and which relate to the progress on the Barranquilla Colombia Temple. The new development noted is that, while the tower of that temple continues to receive its cladding, and while progress continues on the ornamental cornice for the temple, palm trees have been planted on the grounds of the temple. This to me suggests that the completion estimate I suggested for that temple (in mid-November or mid-December 2018) may indeed be more likely than the dedication taking place in early 2019. And that is great to think about because there are so many new temples and those that are or will be undergoing the renovation process that are anticipated to be completed during 2019. It has been interesting, to say the least, 
to see how temples have progressed, especially lately. That said, I did want to note that there has not been any  progress noted on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple. What we do know is that both the Memphis Tennessee and Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples are currently being dismantled.

From all of this we see that there has been a wide variety of reported developments in terms of temple progress. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

Some Thoughts About the Outreach Efforts of Church Leaders to Minority Groups

Hello again, everyone! Earlier today, I posted a comment to the LDS Church Growth Blog about the ongoing conversation regarding what the Church could or should do better or differently in their outreach to those various groups of individuals who may constitute somewhat of a minority in the Church. I have felt a need to duplicate that comment here as a post for the benefit of those who may read it in both places. A copy of that comment follows. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best, and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

If I may, I would like to comment here about something that has been on my mind a lot lately, and which relates to some of the things that have been discussed here on this thread in recent comments. I would ask that you all bear with me as I try to say what I have felt a need to in this comment.

I know that it is easy for me to wonder at times why certain individuals have been called to certain positions, especially when something they have done or are not doing makes it harder for me to do what the Lord needs me to do. And I think that would be amplified even further regarding problems we see that appear to any of us as though they are not being properly addressed by anyone on any level of Church leadership. It may be easy for us to try and solve these problems, or to suggest that more should be done in certain ways about certain things.

But in such cases, I have found it useful to remember, where I know of it, the background of the individuals involved in such decisions. In my study of our current group of apostles, I have discovered some interesting things. For example, President Eyring was one who was not able to get married until he was 29. Because of that, he is no stranger to how YSAs, and by extension, older Single Adults in the Church, feel about the programs and practices of the Church that affect the outreach to them.

Also, among the 14 apostles, we have at least two of which I know that are fluent in more than one foreign language, and as such, have served in leadership among several minority groups of the Church. So the problem of outreach to such individuals is not a foreign issue to the general leadership of the Church.

Additionally, just recently, we have seen modern revelation at work in terms of how General Conference will be simplified, how missionary safety has been evaluated (including how the number of missions will be adjusted to enable greater missionary safety by providing greater strength in numbers for problematic area, and by cutting the number of missionaries needed in areas where the safety and security is too problematic to safely allow missionary work to continue), how the Church will be embracing modern technology on a greater scale to move the missionary program into more of an effort to find religiously-minded individuals worldwide.

So I for one do not spend time pontificating about what the Church could or should do differently in terms of areas I might otherwise consider a problem. The Brethren, like all of us, are not perfect, but because of their background and experience, to say nothing of their worldwide ministry to Church members, have a unique understanding of all such issues, including factors of which we, as individual members considering such things, may not be fully aware. I instead choose to trust that, in the Lord's way and time, He will reveal the answers needed to those who have the authority to receive such direction, and that those solutions will be what is needed at that time, if not necessarily what any one or all of us think it should be. That is one of many reasons why the Lord has directed the calls of each of these Brethren at the times those calls have come to them. And that is also why the Brethren have in turn directed and approved the calls of those serving in area presidencies, as general and area seventies, as mission, stake, and district presidencies, as bishopric and branch presidency members, and on down to the home teachers and Aaronic Priesthood leaders of each congregation. None of us are perfect, and we won't ever be during our mortal sojourn, but we don't have to be. As long as we keep trying and continue in patience until we are perfected, the Lord will compensate for whatever we (or He) feels we lack. Just wanted to share these thoughts, for what they may be worth to any of you.

Progress Made on Temples Undergoing Renovation

Hello, everyone! Just a few short moments ago, I was notified that progress has been reported on the renovation process for the Memphis and Oklahoma City temples. The new information I have indicates that these temples have started to be dismantled. It was wonderful to hear of that progress. As with everything else, I am doing my best to keep tabs on temple-related developments, and I will pass more information along as I become aware of it. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

Additional update reported on Kinshasa DR Congo Temple

Hello, everyone! I am posting again to note that, in addition to what I reported in terms of the progress on the newest Chilean temple, progress has also been noted recently on the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. At that temple site, entrance walls are being plastered, the steeple is receiving a white paint coating, and roof eaves are being framed. Based on that update, it would appear that my estimate that this temple could be dedicated in mid-to-late September is warranted.

As always, I am keeping an eye out for any and all developments in this regard, and I will be sure to pass along any additional updates as I learn of them. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.

Progress noted on the Concepcion Chile Temple

Hello again, everyone! As many of you are aware, I had announced a while ago my intention to focus a series of posts on temple site prospects for the future. While I will be getting back to that either later this week or early next week, there have been numerous developments relating to Church and temple news. Because of this, I am taking a temporary step back from that series.

My reason for this new post is that, while not much has changed in terms of reported progress on most new temples and those existing ones being renovated, reports have come in about new milestones for the Concepcion Chile Temple. It was wonderful to hear about those.

So, what has that progress entailed? The reports state that cladding has progressed along the east wall, that a water feature for the temple grounds is being installed, and that walkways are being poured. Additionally, it appears that the Church has put a temporary 2D model of the Angel Moroni Temple in their efforts to ensure that when the actual 3D version is placed, it is positioned correctly.

This progress, such as it is, would appear to lend support to the theory I shared late last night that this temple's dedication could occur in June of next year. After all, the Concepcion Chile Temple is one that has progressed very consistently. It is wonderful indeed to have heard of this progress.

That does it for this post. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray the Lord's blessings upon you all.

Further alterations made to estimates for future-temple related events

Hello again, everyone! I am posting in the early-morning hours of the second day in November to share my updated estimates for future temple-related events. Most of these changes have been motivated by further study on my part regarding the climates in the world areas in which these temples are being built or renovated. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these revisions. The list follows. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord's blessings will be upon you all.

Altered estimates for temple-related events that are anticipated to take place during 2018-2020

2018:

January: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Renovation Closure (already announced; confirmation of exact date pending)

February: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Renovation Closure (already announced; confirmation of exact date pending)

February 19: Oakland California Temple Renovation Closure (already confirmed)

March 4: Washington DC Temple Renovation Closure (already confirmed)

May: Mesa Arizona Temple Renovation Closure (already announced; confirmation of exact date pending)

May 20: Jordan River Utah Temple Rededication (already announced)

June 3 or 10: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple)

August 12 or 19: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

September 23 or 30: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple)

November 11 or 18: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple)

2019:

March 3 or 10: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (163^rd operated temple)

March 17 or 24: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

April 14 or 21: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

April 28 or May 5: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

May 19 or 26: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

June 9 or 16: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

August 4 or 11: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

August 18 or 25: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

September 8 or 15: Rio de Janeiro Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

September 22 or 29: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication

October 20 or 27: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (168^th operating temple)

November 10 or 17: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (169^th operating temple)

December 8 or 15: Oakland California Rededication

2020:

February 23 or March 1: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

May 10 or 17: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

September 13 or 20: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication

November 8 or 15: Washington DC Temple Rededication

NOTE: Hopefully during 2018 and 2019, several temple groundbreakings will also occur, which will result in additional temple dedications in the years following. I am keeping my eye out for any news and will pass that along as I hear of it.