Developments Reported on the Durban South Africa Temple/Zoning Plan Set to Be Proposed for the Pocatello Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! I have just been reminded about some additional temple-related developments, this time for the Durban South Africa Temple, where that edifice is being prepared for its wall panels, and where a retaining wall is being built behind missionary housing. Roof work continues for both the temple and the missionary housing facility.

In other temple news, tomorrow, the planning and zoning commission for the city of Pocatello will host a presentation by those developing the residential area and also an engineering firm representing the Church, for the purpose of proposing how the land will be subdivided. If approved, that will serve as an official confirmation that the Church intends to build the Pocatello Idaho Temple as part of that development. I will post the results of that at some point tomorrow once I learn of them.

Aside from these things, there has been no other temple progress to note for now. 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 everything you do.

Further Update Provided on the Concepcion Chile Temple

Hello again, everyone! I received an update earlier today on the status of the Concepcion Chile Temple. It would appear that the cladding on the temple is nearing completion, that lamp-posts are being installed on the temple grounds, where plants and trees are also being put in. Because this is a significant update compared to what I knew 12 hours ago about this temple, I am still in the process of analyzing all of this and trying to determine how (if at all) these developments will affect the most  recent estimate I offered for this temple's dedication.

Just by way of review, I had voiced my opinion last week that this temple, currently anticipated to be the first new one dedicated next year, might actually have its dedication 3-5 weeks after the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple (with Kinshasa on either August 19 or 26, and Concepcion following on either September 16 or 23). But in light of these newly reported developments, I may need to rethink that.

Also, another factor I will be considering in revising my thoughts about the timeline for future temple-related events is the fact that the Church will not be having the Women's Session one week before the others. With that session and the priesthood session alternating on the same Saturday, that opens the possibility that the First Presidency could (and probably will) opt to have some future temple dedications or rededications on the weekend that would have otherwise been reserved for the Women's Session.

One thing has been made abundantly clear to me in studying the potential future timeline for temple-related events: except for those factors that are dependent on the choices and actions of governmental leaders worldwide or on those working on the construction process for any temples, the Lord is clearly directing how and when temples make progress. Even the weather and climate worldwide is within His control.

And that is amazing to consider. We have heard statements from past and present Church leaders to the effect that each temple dedicated on the earth lessens the power of the Adversary over the hearts of the people of the Lord's Church. The progress that has been made on temples within the last 20 years since President Hinckley announced his revelation to build smaller temples and more than double the number of temples have seen the number of temples go up substantially within that period from just under 50 to almost 160 by the end of this year.

And if Elder Wilson is anywhere near correct in his assessment that 80 or so temple sites under active consideration will be announced within the 15 year time span between late April 2017 and late April 2032, we will be entering another unprecedented era for temple announcements, progress, and dedications.

In that regard, the one thing I can definitively say is that, whatever does happen in terms of future temple progress, to the best of my ability, I will be monitoring all of that and passing it along to you all in future posts.

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

Thanks

Hello again, everyone! I am posting again right now to just say thanks. As many of you know, I was in a bad place on Friday, having been without the medication I needed, not knowing when things would be resolved, or how everything might come together.

I did the post about my need for your prayers, and over the weekend, things normalized quite a bit. I have now determined that, if I am able to continue to use the medication I have access to that is approved, with perhaps an adjusted dosage to compensate for not having the other medication, I will be in a much better place. I have seen the Lord's hand in my life, and I have certainly felt the influence of your prayers in my behalf. Everything happens for a reason.

If nothing else, the one thing that was accomplished was that I was able to determine I am better off without that medication, and I am doing so much better on less medication overall. So, I have reached out to my neurologist's office, explained what I am hoping to do, and I anticipate hearing something from them by the end of the day today or sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, I found out that there was a lot that has been wrong with me physically for a while now that was probably due to using the medication, and, as it turns out, my frustration over the situation, as expressed to the department head of my neurologist, was the catalyst needed to really allow them to discuss what is and is not working in the current arrangement, and hopefully the situation will be remedied going forward so that none of her other patients in any of her clinics, especially Primary's, will need to go through any of this again.

The long and the short of it is that I see a way forward now where I didn't before, and the Lord is working actively to tie up the necessary loose ends. And if I am able to do what I have in mind going forward, I will be able to get back to a normal life sooner rather than later, something I have not had for a majority of this year. I will try to remember to keep you posted on how all of that is going, though, as I observed earlier, I have been more focused lately on posting about Church and temple news.

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 everything that you do.

Input needed on General Conference Predictions: When might new temples and the new apostle be announced?

Hello again, everyone! I will be continuing my post series on potential future temple locations later on this week, but I wanted to ask for input on another element of my predictions for next General Conference. If, as I assume will be the case, new temples and the new member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are both announced during the next General Conference in April, how and when might that happen? A review of apostolic announcements may be helpful.

In April 1995, President Hinckley's first apostolic appointment (of Elder Henry B. Eyring) was announced during the Saturday Morning session Solemn Assembly, and that was also true in April 2008 for President Monson's first apostolic appointment (Elder D. Todd Christofferson). The other apostles appointed during President Hinckley's presidency (Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, and Quentin L. Cook) were also all sustained in the Saturday Morning Session, with President Hinckley leading out in just the announcement and sustaining of Elders Uchtdorf and Bednar, and taking the role of leading the entire sustaining of Church officers when Elder Cook was sustained. In like manner, President Monson conducted the sustaining of Elder Neil L. Andersen, his second apostolic appointment, during his opening address in the April 2009 General Conference.

Six and a half years later, because he was reducing the number and length of his addresses, President Monson did not speak until the Priesthood Session of the October 2015 General Conference, but he did authorize President Uchtdorf to mention that three new apostles would be sustained during the conference, and President Eyring led out in the sustaining of those three at the beginning of the Saturday Afternoon Session.

Additionally, in terms of temple announcements, President Monson had also habitually announced new temples during his opening remarks at General Conference, which was true until 2015. The new temples announced in the last three Aprils have all been announced during President Monson's main address during the Sunday Morning Sessions of General Conference.

There has also been a general precedent in place for what has happened at times when Presidents Kimball and Benson were having health-related difficulties. During those times, it has generally been the most senior member of the First Presidency announcing temples.

So, having explained all of this, it is my theory that President Monson will authorize President Eyring to announce and lead out in the sustaining of the new apostle and also announce any new temples at the beginning of his remarks in the Saturday Morning Session, and that that will be reiterated in the Saturday Afternoon Sustaining of Church Officers.

But that's just my opinion. 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 everything you do.

Correction: New Stakes in Sierra Leone

Hello, everyone! In a blog post done late last night, I stated that both of the Sierra Leonean districts that were upgraded to stakes yesterday were established less than a year ago. It turns out that this is the case for the Bo Sierra Leone North Stake, but the other, the Bo Sierra Leone West Stake, was established as a district in early November 1991, and not upgraded to a stake until yesterday. I apologize for the unintentional misinformation. In the coming days, analysis of these developments will be done on the LDS Church Growth Blog, among others. In the meantime, I did want to reiterate my firm belief that there is more reason now than ever before to believe that Freetown Sierra Leone will get a temple, and that this will happen sooner rather than later. 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 everything you do.