A Christmas Message to My Readers

Hello again, everyone! The last couple of days have been somewhat crazy for my wife and myself, as we have been dealing with colds or low-grade viruses. For that reason, I have not been able to blog about some of the Church news that has come out that I feel deserves to be focused on in a post dedicated to that subject. I may go back in a day or two and share some of those; a lot will depend on how much time and energy I can devote to that. In the meantime, before moving to the topic of this post, I wanted to note for any that are not aware that I did finish my series of posts on the Mexico Area, and if any of you would be willing to give me your feedback on the possible sites I mentioned, I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime, as I'm sure you all are aware, the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional is set for tomorrow evening, and tomorrow is also Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's 77th birthday, so at minimum, I will be doing posts covering both of those milestones at some point tomorrow. And if I can get it done, I also hope to post an update on apostolic age information. If I can make all that happen tomorrow, I will.

For now, because there has not been any reported temple developments, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a Christmas message with you, my readers, who so faithfully look at any new content I post here.

In doing so, after offering a few preliminary thoughts, I will do what I have done in the past couple of years: share a poem that was featured on the December newsletter of my parent's ward years ago when I was a teenager. I will then pass along a link to the First Presidency's Christmas Message, and close with my testimony. Let's get into all of that.

Before sharing the poem, I wanted to note a couple of things. I have heard it said by many beloved Church leaders that, without Christmas, there would be no Easter. Were it not for the baby born in Bethlehem, there would have been no Atonement, crucifixion, or resurrection. Christmas day is the one day per year where we celebrate the Savior's birth. While scripture and religious scholars have clarified that the Savior's birth took place in April (the Doctrine and Covenants tells us that April 6 is His actual birthday. But because a majority of Christian religions mark his birthday on December 25, that day is set aside for that reason.

However, in recent years, Christmas has become more commercial in nature, and so many people who are either not religiously active or who are not associated with any religion whatsoever, and even many who are very religiously minded, lose sight of the reason for the season, and focus more on what they are receiving from others, rather than what they are giving to both their fellowman and the Savior. If that attitude describes any of us, I hope with all my heart that we will ever remember that Christ is the reason for the season.

Additionally, it is not enough for us as Latter-day Saints to merely celebrate the birth and resurrection of the Savior. As we have been taught frequently, all of us should be hoping and preparing for the time when the Savior will come again and begin His millennial reign on the earth. We know that, in that day, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ.

With all of that in mind, the poem I want to share speaks volumes about the importance of our personal preparation for that sacred day when He will come again. The poem follows below:

‘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....

With the words of that poem in mind, I would like to offer a couple of observations. First, as I have mentioned a few times, my patriarchal blessing tells me that we are in the Saturday evening of time, which I term to be sometime between 5-8 pm. That means that in a few short hours (however long they may seem to us), the Savior will come again. I hope and pray that each of us will be ready when that happens.

As has been the custom for longer than I have been alive, the First Presidency of the Church sent out a Christmas message for this year, which can be found here. I think their own wording of that message speaks more of the importance of Christmas than I could.

I wanted to end with a final thought and my testimony. The Christmas season is meant to be a time of "peace on earth" and "good will to all men". But the only way it will be so is if each of us, in whatever way we are able to do so, retain in remembrance the vital link between Christmas, Easter, and the eventual Second Coming of the Savior. 

As this Christmas season commences, I gratefully and wholeheartedly testify that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, bore our sins, sorrows, and trials in Gethsemane, was crucified on the cross at Calvary, and rose again the third day after breaking the bands of death for all mankind. His incomparable gift means for all of us that death is not an end, that separation from our departed loved ones is only of a temporary duration, and that one day, each of us will be called upon to answer for how well we have remembered and served Him in our daily lives. 

And the best way we can do that in this Christmas season and during the rest of each year is by reaching out to rescue those who cannot do so themselves, by sanctifying ourselves through service, and by retaining in remembrance that Christ is the reason for this Christmas season. That this may be our blessing and privilege during this Christmas season and always is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Additional Update Provided for Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today is a prime example of how much things can change for a temple within a 12-24 hour period. While I found out just a few hours ago that the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was having its site graded and cleared, I just learned that another report has come in for that temple. While the site grading continues, excavation is being done for the foundation of the temple. Since that much occurred in the few hours since I last checked, I can definitely see why this temple may only have a 12-18 month construction process. I don't anticipate that temple being completed any earlier than early-too-mid 2019, but if construction continues to progress the way it has in just the last few hours, anything seems possible. I am keeping my eyes open for information on all of this and will post additional updates as they are needed. 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.

Full-scale construction begins on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to report that full-scale construction has officially begun on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple. As I have previously mentioned, the construction process on that temple is anticipated to only take 12-18 months. Right now, the completion estimate is for early-to-mid 2019, but depending on how things go, that could either be done sooner or later than that time-frame. I will be keeping my eyes open for developments in this regard, and will pass such information along as I receive 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 everything you do.

Important Temple Construction Updates

Hello again, everyone! I am back as promised a few minutes ago to share updates on temples that came to my attention not more than three hours ago. There have been some game-changing developments in that regard. So let's dive right in and discuss what those are and why they are significant.

First, when I last reported a status change in the status of the Concepcion Chile Temple, I noted that the cladding around the temple was nearing completion, that lampposts were being installed, and that plants and trees were being added to the temple grounds. The update provided in the late-night hours of November 30 is that interior millwork is underway.

Next we turn our attention to the Barranquilla Colombia Temple. That is not an error or typo. Apparently there is now reason to believe that that temple will be dedicated prior to the dedication of the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. Temples switching numbers as a result of those that were further down the list progressing more consistently than the temples that were above them,.

That does not mean that the temples that are moved down are not progressing at all, just that those that used to be below them have progressed with more consistency. We have seen that happen a lot, from the speedy construction process for the Star Valley Wyoming Temple to how the Tucson Arizona Temple was dedicated before both the Meridian Idaho and Cedar City Utah Temple, despite the fact that the newest Idaho and Utah temples were anticipated for quite a while to be dedicated first.

While the status of the Barranquilla Colombia still includes the fact that the Angel Moroni was installed atop its spire, I also found out that sod sidewalk pavers are being laid. Once a temple reaches that status, it is approaching the time when it is far enough along that a dedication can be announced. Not quite there yet, but I've followed such things long enough to know that a dedication announcement could occur within the next six months.

In the meantime, perhaps the biggest reason the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple was moved below the Barranquilla Colombia is because the baptismal font needed to be poured again. And because that has delayed the process, the completion estimate for the Kinshasa Temple has been changed to either late 2018 or early 2019. I still think it will be dedicated before the end of 2018, and that Rome will be the first new temple dedicated in 2019.

But the estimates have changed so many times now that I cannot say for certain whether any of these temples that are anticipated to be the next four to be dedicated will be completed within these adjusted time-frames. That said, I am keeping an eye out for any and all updates on any and all temples, whether they are under construction, announced, or undergoing renovation, and I will be sure to 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 and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Temple Site Possibilities: Mexico Area, Part Three--Potential Future Temples

Hello again, everyone! After taking some personal time to see my PCP and to deal with personal illness yesterday (November 30), I became aware just a few hours ago about some potentially game-changing information regarding temples that are under construction. I will do another post  right after this one is published to discuss what those changes are, and what they might mean for the future, but I feel I would be doing all of you a disservice if I did not first focus on the third and final part of my posts about the Mexico Area. This post will cover future temple prospects that I have on my radar, some of which were not on my list before I began studying the Mexico Area.

First, I wanted to note that I began with three potential sites for that area: Puebla, Queretaro, and perhaps a second for Mexico City as well. But I subsequently learned that the Mexico City Temple has some issues with attendance numbers (that information was provided by one of my readers who lives in Mexico). So I eliminated a second temple for Mexico City, at least for now. So that left me with Puebla and Queretaro. As i did further study, I found two other potential locations: San Luis Potosi, and Acapulco (in the state of Guerrero). Each of these is currently within the Mexico City Mexico Temple District. Let's talk about my reasons for including each one

I have heard from many that Mexico's next temple will be built in Puebla. Though that city is only 81.7  miles from its assigned temple, a temple in Puebla would help cover the units currently served by the Mexico City Mexico Temple. And such a temple in that city makes sense because, at minimum, it would serve the 2 missions, 13 stakes and 1 district, which in turn have 89 wards and 27 branches, for a total of 116 congregations. I could definitely see why the Church would opt for a temple there.

The case for a temple in Queretaro is likewise strong. That state is 135.9 miles away from Mexico City, and would be almost twice that far (207.9 miles) from the Puebla Temple, meaning that if a Puebla Temple drew away from the Mexico City Temple, Queretaro would stay within that district until that state had a temple of its own. That state qualifies for a temple mainly for convenience, as the Church only has 1 mission and 3 stakes in its boundaries, which are divided into 20 wards and 3 branches.

For the next location I see getting a temple, we move to the state of Guerrero, and I am thinking that any temple built there would be in the city of Acapulco, which is one of Mexico's prominent cities. While the state has no missions, there are 4 stakes and 1 district within it, and 2 of those stakes are in Acapulco. The stakes and districts further branch off into 26 wards and 12 branches, for a total of 38 congregations. Additionally, Acapulco is also 235.3 miles.away from Mexico City, would be 278.8 miles away from a temple in Puebla, and would be 366.9 miles from a temple in Queretaro. So Acapulco has a strong case for a temple as well.

I added San Luis Potosi for a few reasons. Though that city has only 3 stakes, there are 21 wards and 8 branches (a total of 29 congregations), Saints in that city have to travel 259.1 miles to the Mexico City Mexico Temple. It is also 329.9 miles away from Puebla, but it would likely fall within the temple district in Queretaro, at least initially, since the two are 131.1 miles apart. And Acapulco is 491 miles from San Luis Potosi.

Even with those locations above that I had on my list, and with those I have added, I am sure there are several locations in Mexico that are deserving of a temple. If I have missed any likely possibilities, or if any of you see a good reason I should eliminate any of them, let me know.

That does it for this post. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I will be back in a few minutes to share the temple updates I talked about at the beginning of this post. Until then, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Temple Site Possibilities: Mexico Area, Part Two--Composition of Current Temple Districts

Hello again, everyone! To continue with the second of the three posts I have planned to cover the Mexico Area, we now turn our attention to the composition of the current temple districts. Again, I am going to be approaching this topic by chronology rather than alphabetically. Let's dive right in to that.

The Mexico City Mexico Temple District, as it now stands, contains 88 stakes and 4 districts from Estado de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Puebla, Hidalgo, Morelos, Guerrero, Michoacan, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tlaxcala, and Guanajuato. That is, in my opinion, a huge district that could be split, perhaps several ways. I will share more of my thoughts on how that might happen in my next post.

The Colonial Juarez Chihuahua Mexico Temple District covers two stakes in Western Chihuahua and Northeastern Sonora. Not much need for additional temples there, at least not for the moment. The same can be said for the Ciudad Juarez Mexico Temple District, which covers 12 stakes and 2 districts in Chihuahua Mexico and Far West Texas (stakes in El Paso).

The Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple District is slightly larger than the previous two, covering the Sonora and Sinaloa regions, including the 10 stakes and 6 districts in those regions. The Oaxaca Temple District covers Oaxaca and Southeastern Puebla, with a total of 6 stakes and 5 districts.

The Tuxtla Guitierrez Temple  District takes in 7 stakes and 6 districts in Chiapas and Southeastern Oaxaca. The Tampico Mexico Temple District, which covers the 13 stakes and 2 districts located in Southern Tamaulipas, Northern Veracruz, Eastern San Luis Potosi and Eastern Hidalgo.

The Villahermosa Temple District is made up of the 9 stakes and 1 district within Southeastern Veracruz, Tabasco, and Southwestern Campeche. The Merida Temple District is comprised of 13 stakes and 2 districts located in Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Northern Campeche.

The Veracruz Temple District takes in the 12 stakes and 1 district in Veracruz, Northeastern Oaxaca, and Northeastern Puebla. The Guadalajara Temple District covers 20 stakes and 5 districts located throughout Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Durango, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Zacatecas, Colima, Nayarit, and Sinaloa.

The Monterrey Temple District contains 28 stakes and 6 districts, headquartered in Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Northern Tamaulipas, and Northeastern Durango. And the newest Mexican Temple, in Tijuana, covers the 12 stakes within Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Northwestern Sonora.

As you can see from this information, the Church has tried to spread most of these temples so that the districts are smaller than they would otherwise be. I have some thoughts about future temple candidates, and I will pass those along later today. In the meantime, I hope this information is interesting to some of you..

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.

Temple Site Possibilities: Mexico Area, Part One--Area Unit Statistics and Temple Histories

Hello again, everyone! I am back yet again with my next post in the series exploring future temple prospects. This post will discuss the statistical data for the Mexico Area of the Church, and provide a history of the events that have culminated in the 13 temples now in operation there. I will follow that up with a second post for this area discussing the current temple districts in that area, and conclude with a third post detailing the possibilities I see for sites that could be announced in the near future. Let's dive right in to all of that.

Within the Mexico Area of the Church, there are 13 temples, 34 missions 229 stakes, and 42 districts. Those stakes and districts break down into substantially large numbers, with the 1,506 wards and 481 branches totaling 1,987 congregations. If we divide that total equally between the 13 temples, that averages out to an average of 152 or 153 congregations for each temple district. That is huge by any definition.

Let us now turn our attention to the actual size of each of the 13 temple districts within the Mexico Area. Some may suggest that the best way to do that is to discuss them in alphabetical order. But I have felt a better approach is to discuss them chronologically by their dedication dates. After I do so, I will discuss the areas each temple district covers. First, I wanted to note that there are 4 sets of two Mexican Temples that were dedicated on consecutive days, and one other set of two that were dedicated just about a year apart.

The Mexico City Mexico Temple became the 26th operating temple of the Church when it was  dedicated during December 2-4, 1983 as the first temple in Mexico by President Gordon B. Hinckley, the only functioning member of the First Presidency at the time. Following its first renovation, it was rededicated on November 16, 2008 by President Thomas S. Monson, who had not yet been President of the Church for a year at the time. After another renovation was completed, its' second  rededication was held on September 13, 2015, and President Henry B. Eyring officiated at that event.

The Saints in Mexico saw their second temple built in the Colonial Juarez Chihuahua area, becoming the 55th operating temple of the Church.It was dedicated more than 15 years after Mexico City. The dedication of that temple was held on March 6-7, 1999 and President Hinckley presided at that dedication as Church President.

Less than a year later, Mexico's third and fourth temples were dedicated on consecutive days, the Ciudad Juarez Temple on February 26, 2000, and the Hermosillo Sonora Temple on February 27, 2000. They became the 71st and 72nd operating temples of the Church. The remarkable thing to me is that President Hinckley presided over both temple dedications. I find that remarkable because the two cities are 465.5 miles apart.

Less than two weeks after those dedications, the fifth and sixth temples were dedicated on consecutive days as well. The Oaxaca Temple was dedicated on March 11, 2000, becoming the 74th operating temple. The following day (March 12), the Tuxtla Guitierrez Temple was dedicated as the 75th operating temple. President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated both temples. As with the previous two temples, I find that remarkable as the two cities are 334.8 miles apart.

About two months later, Mexico saw the dedications of its seventh and eighth temples, again on consecutive days. On May 20, 2000, the Tampico Mexico Temple was dedicated as the Church's 83rd operating temple The next day, the Villahermosa Mexico Temple was dedicated, becoming the 84th operating temple. President Thomas S. Monson, President Hinckley's First Counselor, presided at both dedications, Again, I was amazed to find that the two Mexican cities are a substantial distance apart, 580.9 miles, to be exact.

The next Mexican temples were both dedicated just under 6 weeks after that, also back to back, making the ninth and tenth temples in that nation. The Merida Temple was dedicated as the 92nd operating temple on July 8, 2000, and the next day, the 93rd temple was dedicated in Veracruz. President Monson again presided at both. The two are rare examples of times when a temple dedication was held during the traditional July recess for Church leaders.

Less than a year later, on April 29, 2001, the Guadalajara Mexico Temple became the 105th in operation, and the 11th in Mexico. President Hinckley presided at that event. And one day short of a full year after that, the Monterrey Mexico Temple became the 110th in the Church and Mexico's 12th, with President Hinckley presiding over that event.

The most recent  Mexican temple was dedicated in Tijuana  That happened on December 13, 2015, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor to President Monson, presided at that event. With that overview of the history of the temples in Mexico, we see that the Church members in Mexico had two temples in 1999, and subsequently saw a 500% increase in the number of temples in operation just over three years later.

I hope this sets the background for what I am looking at in terms of this area's current and future temples. I will be back shortly with a look at the current composition of these 13 temple districts. 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.

Temple Site Possibilities: Europe East Area

Hello again, everyone! I am continuing my series of posts on potential future temple prospects, and this post will discuss the current and potential future temples in the Europe East Area of the Church. Again, I have no desire whatsoever to cut off or end the discussion of possibilities in previous areas; I very much hope that will continue. But I wanted to open up for discussion my thoughts on this area as well.

The Europe East Area contains the following countries: Armenia, Azerbajan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The Church does not yet have a significant presence in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Additionally, while the members of the Church living in Belarus are very steadfast, the Church has not seen much growth in that region. In Bulgaria, the Church only has one mission, and 9 branches that are administered by that mission. There is only 1 district (comprised of 4 branches) in Estonia. The Church in the Eastern European country of Georgia only has 2 congregations, both branches, and there are also just 2 branches of the Church in Kazakhstan.

The Church's presence is slightly stronger in Latvia, where 5 branches operate. There are also 5 branches in Lithuania, and the Church is strong enough there that those units are organized into the Vilnius Lithuania district. The interesting thing about Vilnius is that Elder Ballard proposed a temple there in May 1993. Obviously, that will not happen until the Church is more established there, but that is something to look forward to perhaps within the next 30-50 years, if not sooner. And finally, Turkey has 1 mission (called the Central Eurasian Mission), and 8 branches.

Having summarized the situation of the countries in this area with a small or nonexistent Church presence, I can now move on to discuss the one temple in the Europe East Area. That is the Kyiv Ukraine Temple, and its district covers the 3 stakes and 16 districts scattered throughout Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, and Romania. Since the dedication of the Kyiv Temple in 2010, only 6 districts have been established. That said, the Moscow Russia district was upgraded to a stake in June 2011, and the Saratov Russia district was upgraded to a stake just 2 years ago this month.

With all of that in mind, I wanted to note that, as recently as the beginning of this week, I did not have any potential candidate cities from this area for a future temple. But as I did more research on all of that, I added one very likely possibility to my list: Moscow Russia.

I added that location for a few reasons. First, there are 6 missions in Russia, along with 3 stakes and 9 districts, which further break down into 17 wards and 83 branches. Anywhere the Church has a minimum of 100 congregations (which is the exact number in Russia), there is reason to look at a temple.

Next, with Moscow being located more than twice the 200 mile goal President Monson has set for Church membership worldwide (it is 536.5 miles exactly from Kyiv), Russia qualifies by that metric. But perhaps most significantly, Russia ranks as the 4th of the top ten nations in the world with the strongest Church presence that does not yet have a temple in any phase. For all of these reasons, I think a Moscow temple may be announced very soon.

Having shared these thoughts, I want to hear from you. How did I do? Did I overlook any other possibilities in this area? What are your feelings on Moscow's chances of getting a temple? It's your turn to sound off in the comments below.

That does it for this post. 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.

Temple Site Possibilities, Europe Area--Part Two: Potential Future Temple Locations

Hello again, everyone! I am back with my list of possible future temple sites that may be announced in the near future within the Europe Area. I have four on my radar at the moment, and they are as follows: Praia Cape Verde, Budapest Hungary, Vienna Austria, and Edinburgh Scotland. Let me now detail my reasons for including these locations.

First, I wanted to talk about the potential I see for a temple in Praia Cape Verde. The Saints in Cape Verde currently fall under the Madrid Spain Temple district, and have to travel 2,125 miles to get to it. Once the Lisbon Portugal Temple is dedicated, the Cape Verde Saints will have a journey of 1,861 miles to travel. Even then, that is more than 9 times the distance goal of 200 miles that has been set by President Monson. Additionally, Cape Verde ranks as the 10th of the top 10 nations with the strongest LDS presence that does not have a temple. So I feel a temple there will happen sooner rather than later.

Next, as I have previously mentioned, I was told by a few people that the next European temple would be built in Budapest Hungary. The case for a temple in Cape Verde seemed more compelling, but I think we will see a Hungarian temple sooner rather than later. The Church units in Hungary currently fall under the Freiberg Germany Temple district, and Hungarian Church members currently travel 436.6 miles to get to that temple. So Budapest qualifies for a temple just based on the distance involved in allowing Saints of that nation to worship.

The third temple on my list is Vienna Austria. My wife served her mission there and I hope someday to be able to take her back for a visit. I am more than slightly biased in my choice of this location. The Saints in Austria currently travel a distance of 324.1 miles to get to their assigned temple in Frnakfurt. So again, we have another site that makes sense, at least in that regard.

Finally, I have Edinburgh Scotland as a possibility. When I first put Scotland on my list of future possibilities, I was torn in regards to whether that nation or Ireland might better serve the people in both nations. But my research shows that Scotland is more likely. Scotland currently falls under the Preston England Temple district, and the Scottish Saints have to travel a distance of 185.4 miles to get to their assigned temple. Perhaps that is not as arduous a journey as the Saints in other countries in this area might have, but it seems a bit too close to President Monson's 200 mile goal, so I could see it happen.

There you have it. Hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on the potential new temples that could be constructed in the Europe Area. Do I have any on this list that might be more unlikely than I think? Have I overlooked any other locations that could use a temple within this area? It is now your turn to "sound off" in the comments below.

That does it for this post. 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.

900th Blog Post: Temple Site Possibilities: Europe Area, Part One--Current Temples

Hello again, everyone! While I have no desire whatsoever to halt the ongoing discussion of future temple locations in the areas of the Church I have already covered (I actually hope those will continue), I have felt inclined to get the next post in the series up on this blog. If the numbers I'm seeing are any indication, this series of posts has wide interest. The previous posts in this series, even those that have been up less than 48 hours, have double-digit readership already. That means a lot to me.

That said, I want to now turn our attention to the Europe Area. Because there is so much to cover in terms of this area (which, unless I am mistaken, is the second largest in the Church), I am dividing this area into two posts, the first to discuss the current breakdown of nations in this area, and the second to discuss the possibilities for future temples that I see for this area in the near future.

The Church defines the Europe Area as covering a whopping 44 countries or territories, and the Church has a presence in all but two of those, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Vatican City, headquarters of the Catholic Church and the Pope's residence. Because there are that many countries and territories, I will not be covering each one individually. It would just be too time-consuming. What I can and will do is focus on the 13 current temples in that area, and the number of Church units that are covered in each of those temple districts..

That will include the Bern Switzerland, Copenhagen Denmark, Frankfurt Germany, Freiberg Germany, Helsinki Finland, London England, London England, Madrid Spain, Paris France, Preston England, Stockholm Sweden, and The Hague Netherlands Temples. The Lisbon Portugal and Rome Italy Temples are under construction. Let's talk about each of these temple districts.

The Bern Switzerland Temple district covers 19 stakes and 1 district in Italy, Switzerland, France, Albania and the Jerusalem district in Israel. Once the Rome Italy Temple is dedicated (in early 2019), that temple district will likely take in the 10 stakes in Italy, which would leave the Bern temple with 9 stakes and 1 district.

The Copenhagen Denmark Temple district takes in the 2 stakes in Denmark, 1 in Southern Sweden, and the 2 branches in Iceland.And while the Frankfurt Germany Temple is being renovated, ordinance workers from the Hamburg German & Neuminister Germany stakes have been reassigned to this temple. That information is not relevant to the general subject of current temples, but I thought it was an interesting tidbit.

The Frankfurt Germany Temple district is comprised of 16 stakes and 5 districts located in Western Germany, Austria, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Croatia, Cypress, Serbia, and Slovenia, making it another relatively small district. The Freiberg Germany Temple district covers 5 stakes and 7 districts in Eastern Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, meaning it is also a small district.

The Helsinki Finland Temple district covers 3 stake and 4 districts located in Finland, Northwestern Russia, Estonia, and Lithuania. The London England Temple district takes in 22 stakes and 2 districts located in the regions of Southern England and the English Midlands, Wales, Ireland and Jordan. The Madrid Spain Temple district covers the 23 stakes and 10 districts in Spain, Portugal, and Cape Verde. That district will shrink somewhat in 2019 when the Lisbon Portugal Temple is dedicated.

The Paris France Temple, dedicated last May, Its district covers 7 stakes. The Preston England Temple district covers Northern England and the English Midlands, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. The Stockholm Sweden Temple district covers Sweden, Norway and Latvia, and contains 5 stakes and 2 districts that have been organized within those nations.

Finally, the Hague Netherlands Temple serves the 5 stakes located in the Netherlands and Belgium. As you can see from this data, for the most part, because there are so many temples in this area, the temple districts are very small. The main consideration that has led to a new temple being announced and built within this area is proximity, but other factors include the sheer breadth of each of the nations and the arduous distances the saints within that area have had to travel

That said, I do see a few very viable and likely candidate cities for future temples in this area, and I will be detailing those in the next post. 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.