New Averages for First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve, and All 13 Apostles

Hello again, everyone! I thought some of you might find this interesting. With the changes announced today, the new total life experience of Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Eyring (as of Sunday, when those changes were effective) is 263.39, with the average age of the three standing at 87.8 years. which are both only slightly more than the numbers I shared in terms of those averages that I cited in my report of those averages less than a month ago (on Christmas Eve, when the totals were 252.04 years for the combined life experience of Presidents Monson, Eyring, and Uchtdorf, with the average of the three on Christmas Eve being 84.01 years.

In the meantime, the way the First Presidency was reconstituted (with Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Eyring) and the return of Elder Uchtdorf to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles left the 10 members of that Quorum with 720.46 years of combined life experience, which averages to 72.05 years for each of those 10. At the time of my last report, since President Monson was still alive, those totals were 821.42 for the life experience total of the then 11 members, and averaged out at 74.67 years. So that average went up, but only slightly.

The 13 current apostles had a combined total of 983.85 years of life experience at the time the reorganization of the First Presidency occurred on Sunday, which means that each of those 13 had an average 75.68 years of individual experience. In the meantime, on Christmas Eve,  I reported that the 14 apostles living at that time had 1073.46 years of total experience, which at that time averaged out to 76,68 years.

This concludes my explanation of those averages, so that does it for this post. Any and all 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 Resources Provided on President Nelson

Hello again, everyone! This is the Church News report on what was said by the First Presidency  members in the temple where they were introduced, and this is an article sharing some amazing insights about President Nelson's life from those who know him best (including his apostolic colleagues and his children). I hope you enjoy those. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Resources Relating to the New First Presidency/Personal Reaction to the News

Hello again, everyone! I am back to share some resources relating to the events of the day. Click here for the Mormon Newsroom summary, and here for the LDS Church News article. I also wanted to testify that as soon as the announcement of the new leaders was made, I knew right then that they were called of the Lord, and that their calls have been divinely directed. The Lord is clearly at work in what has taken place.

And I have been especially touched to hear President Nelson say that Elder Uchtdorf, who served so well as a counselor to President Monson, has already been given significant assignments that he is uniquely suited to fill. It is not a demotion of any kind. I think we will hear in General Conference from Elder Uchtdorf that he does not have a problem with what has occurred and the way it has occurred.

Clearly, since the advanced announcement did not involve what many (myself included) had expected, the coming days will demonstrate the priorities that the new leadership will focus on during their tenure. How wonderful it was to hear of this news. I also liked that President Nelson announced his longevity & intention to serve for many years. I expect nothing but great things for the Church going forward, and we will see how things unfold going forward.

In the meantime, I also wanted to note that I was touched to see how this new First Presidency were already supporting each other, finishing each other's thoughts, and sharing their united vision. The way those questions were addressed by the three is something I have not seen in a First Presidency before now.

I again testify that these leaders have been called of God and are uniquely suited for the positions they have assumed, and I do so gratefully as I also share my witness that the Lord is in control, that the Church is on the right track, that the best days are yet to come, and that all is well. I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

BREAKING NEWS: New First Presidency Announced

Hello again, everyone! Elder D. Todd Christofferson, the apostle in charge of the Church Public Affairs Department, acted for President Nelson in announcing that he (President Nelson) had been ordained and set apart as the Church President, that Dallin H. Oaks had been set apart as both President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Counselor in the First Presidency. He has also invited President Henry B. Eyring to be his Second Counselor. In view of Elder Oaks' call as a member of the First Presidency, M. Russell Ballard has been called and set apart as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Nelson made it clear that Elder Uchtdorf, not retained in the First Presidency by him, has already been given several assignments that he, as a previously-serving member of the First Presidency, is uniquely suited to take on. No demotion there. And this is a wise move, since President Oaks will succeed President Nelson as Church president at some point. This news was delivered from within the Salt Lake Temple, which was a new development indeed. More to come as it is revealed. Thank you.

The First Presidency Has Been Reorganized

Hello again, everyone! In this late-night hour as (here in Utah), we are around 8.5 hours away from the scheduled time for President Nelson's address and the press conference that will follow, I wanted to note something: When all of that was announced by the Church on the 13th, in the posts I did covering that announcement, a comment queried how likely it is that President Nelson's address is to announce the interregnum will continue for a while.

While that is not entirely out of the question, Tad Walch, a writer for the Deseret News that has particularly covered the news of the Church for that paper at least as long as I have been visiting the Church News website, said in this article that while the opportunity President Nelson is taking to address the Church before the press conference is indeed a first, since a press conference has been scheduled afterwards, it is definitively certain that the First Presidency has been reorganized.

In addition to deferring to Walch's expertise on this (as I said, he has covered such topics for a long time), I did the math, and it has been rough 128.75 years since the Church was last in an extended period of interregnum (as April 6, 1889 was the last day 4th Church President Wilford Woodruff led the Church as President of the Quorum of the Twelve; as his death was approaching around 9 years and 4 or 5 months later, he gave instructions to Lorenzo Snow, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, regarding the need to not wait to reorganize the First Presidency following his passing, a procedure that has been followed since that time).

Additionally, I took the math even further, and since the death of David O. McKay on January 18, 1970, no new Church president has chosen counselors outside of the membership of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. So with a 128.75 year precedent of considerably shorter interregnums (with the current one, which, if as anticipated lasted from the death of President Monson on January 2 to the ordination of President Nelson, which likely occurred on Sunday January 14, being the longest such period since the practice of shorter interregnums was instituted), and with the fact that it has not been since mid-January 1970 that we have seen a counselor to a new Church president called from outside the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I don't see President Nelson breaking with either precedent.

That said, whatever the course of events might be that we learn about within the next 9-12 hours, you can count on my bringing coverage of it all as it occurs. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Altered Estimates for Known Temple-related Events Anticipated During 2018-2020

Hello again, everyone! As I promised earlier today, I have taken another look at the estimates I have put together for known temple-related events that are anticipated to occur anytime between now and the end of 2020, and I have made some alterations based on further research into the climate of world areas in which new temples or those undergoing renovation will be dedicated or rededicated during that time. Based on that research, I present the following adjustments:

Revised estimated time-frame for future temple-related events:

2018:

Sunday January 28: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Monday February 19: Oakland California temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday March 4: Washington DC Temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday April 15 or 22: Houston Texas Temple Rededication (private)

April or May: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin on the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Sunday May 20: Jordan River Utah Temple Rededication/Mesa Arizona Temple Renovation Closure (both have been confirmed)

Sunday September 16 or 23: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple)

Sunday October 14 or 21: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple)

Sunday November 11 or 18: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

Sunday December 9 or 16: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple)

NOTE: At the moment, it is currently uncertain whether this temple will be completed prior to the end of 2018. Because I prefer to be optimistic, I have felt confident enough in the above estimate to keep it. But if for any reason that process is delayed at all, that would necessitate another adjustment. I am keeping an eye on this and will post any changes as they are needed.

2019:

Mid-February: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (163^rd operating temple)

Mid-April: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid May: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late May: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid June: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid August: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late August: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid September: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late September: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late October: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication

Mid-November: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (168^th operating temple)

Mid-December: Oakland California Temple Rededication

NOTE: While the Church did indicate that this temple is anticipated to be rededicated during 2019, it is one of the older ones, and, as such, if the renovation process is delayed for any reason whatsoever, it could be pushed back into 2020.

2020:

Mid-March: Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Dedication (169^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late April: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

Mid-May: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid September: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication

Mid-November: Washington DC Temple Rededication

NOTE: I heard that 2018 and 2019 could be big years for temple groundbreakings. If that proves correct, then many other temples could also be dedicated during 2020 and 2021. As the next two years unfold, I will have a better idea of when such events may occur, and they can then be added to the other estimates above.

So there you have it. That does it for this post. Any and all 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 Updates

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to post today to bring you updates I have found for a few temples now under construction or undergoing renovation. There is a lot to talk about, so let's get right into it all.

First, there has been a somewhat significant change to report. While I reported on December 1 of last year that full-scale construction had begun for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, and while there has not been an update on its status between that day and now, there is apparently reason to believe that that temple will be dedicated prior to that occurring for the Durban South Africa Temple. So the two have switched positions on the list. I am still in the process of evaluating if and how might change my estimates for both.

In the meantime, I was not aware of this, but apparently South African construction workers take the summer months (which would be the winter months for those of us here on the northern hemisphere) off in view of how hot it gets working on such projects during that time. With summer 2017-2018 having concluded in South Africa, it has been reported that work on the roof of the Durban temple has resumed.

Additionally, the completion estimate for this temple, which as recently as yesterday was anticipated during early-to-mid 2019, has now been shifted to the latter part of that estimate, meaning that the Durban temple, similarly to the one in Lisbon Portugal, is now anticipated to be completed in mid-2019. So there will be a few things for me to reevaluate in regards to the estimates I have previously provided, which I hope to do at some point later today.

With that said, I also wanted to note that there has been a slight update to the status of the Frankfurt Germany Temple renovation process. While the estimated time-frame for its completion has not been shifted or altered, at one point, I had reported that the process of having the basement addition concrete waterproofed had been completed. New information  received today indicates that process is still in progress. That should not alter my estimate for its completion at this time, but I will evaluate that as well and let you know if I do change it.

It is possible that, among the topics President Nelson will address in his one-hour remarks prior to tomorrow's press conference that he will announce the dates of upcoming temple events that will occur later this year. I will be sure to return and report tomorrow (if not before then) on the address and my impressions of the press conference.

That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Church News Report on Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults

Hello again, everyone! I am posting yet again today to pass along the Church News report on the Uchtdorf's addresses at the devotional. You can find that article here. In the meantime, the Mormon Newsroom has published this article which shared some of the same parts of that devotional, and also some others not shared in the Church News Report.

In the comment threads for my previous post, I mused about the fact that, prior to his address to young adults, he had been introduced as "Elder Uchtdorf" but that he used his trademark statement "You may ask, President Uchtdorf". Because the official announcement of the new First Presidency is still 36 hours away, (though it seems to be widely assumed what has occurred), the Church News has removed any questions on the subject by omitting any title from their report of that part of the address. And the Mormon Newsroom report refers to him as "Elder Uchtdorf" as well.

Just wanted to note these things, for what they may worth to any of you. But the article summary is well worth the read, so I had to pass it along. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

How Dieter F. Uchtdorf was introduced at the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults

Hello again, everyone! I am posting with the answer to the anomaly I noted in how different Church resources referred to Dieter F. Uchtdorf in preparation for tonight's Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, which is now in progress. In the introduction of the Uchtdorfs, the former Second Counselor to President Monson was introduced by the honorific title of "Elder", and it was mentioned that he was there as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

And while it might have been easy for him (had he been given leave to do so) to mention how and if the First Presidency has been reorganized, he neatly sidestepped any mention of that by saying that he brought with him the love and greetings of all the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He then offered another beautiful tribute to our beloved prophet, and went on to testify and reemphasize to all in attendance that the Lord controls who comes to the Church presidency and when that occurs. And that was just about all he said, which, in my opinion, was very nicely done. Clearly the Church has been very careful about revealing any specifics until Tuesday, and that is as it should be.

So that settles the question for now. While I anticipate blogging again on Tuesday with the specific report of President Nelson's address and my reaction to the press conference that will follow, if anything else comes up in terms of Church and temple news between now and then, I will be sure to pass that along as well.

That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

A Note on the Readership of This Blog

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post today to send a special message of thanks to my international readers. I was surprised (and gratified) to discover yesterday that my thoughts published on this blog have, in addition to reaching so many in the United States, have included page views from Spain, Portugal, Venezuela, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, the Philippines, and Canada. As I have previously noted, my original intention in starting this blog was to keep family & friends informed about what was happening in the lives of my wife and myself (we just celebrated 7 years of marriage).

But then, I began to slowly shift the focus to the day-to-day news and developments relating to the LDS Church in general, and on the subject of temples particularly. And it has been that shift whereby I have found whatever degree of success I have achieved. Ongoing Church history has long been a passion of mine, and it means a lot to me to know that I can pass such things on to all of you who are kind enough to read (and respond to) those thoughts as they come to me.

I consider it a great obligation to keep current on such things, and am blessed beyond measure to have found that my thoughts, which are just as imperfect as I myself am, matter to so many of you. Even if several posts are put up with no comments, I know they are being widely read because each post has been showing double-digit views just hours after I put them up. And that is something I never could have imagined occurring.

Thank you all for bearing with the way my posts get sidetracked so easily, and for wading through the more massive posts, which is not a task for the faint of heart. Thank you for proving to me that what I post here has value, and is of interest to so many of you. And thanks especially to those who have posted questions or comments to clarify or correct things I have said here. As we continue this journey together, I hope the content of this blog and the discussions we have here continue to prove illuminating and inspiring.

That does it for this post. Any and all 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.