Hello again, everyone! As St. Patrick's Day is marked today, public tours are officially underway for the Jordan River Temple, and, as previously noted, they will continue to be offered for 36 of the 42 days between now and April 28. In an earlier post, I had mistakenly noted that those public tours would begin yesterday (March 16). I apologize for the unintentional error.
I have also repeatedly offered my opinion that, since this is the first major temple event of President Nelson's presidency (I should perhaps say that it is the first major public temple event of his presidency, as the rededication of the Houston Temple is private), and since he is in very good health, it is likely safe to assume that he will preside at this event.
What will be interesting to see going forward is if, how, and how soon President Nelson will divide responsibilities for presiding at temple events with his counselors. They have all had experiences presiding at such events (I seem to recall that then-Elder Nelson, as a senior apostle, presided over one or two rededications prior to becoming the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to presiding at the final session of the Provo City Center Temple dedication (with then-Elder Oaks presiding at the first two), and he (President Nelson) also presided at the dedication of the Sapporo Japan Temple.
But it is interesting to consider that during President Hinckley's tenure, he first delegated responsibility for presiding over temple dedications to his counselors and President Packer (then Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) around 4.5 years after he became Church president.
And it was around 3.5 years following President Monson's ordination that he began delegating the opportunity to preside at such events to his counselors (and later senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), and the last temple event at which President Monson himself presided was around 3.5 years prior to his death.
If we go further back, President Hunter presided at both of the temple dedications held during his brief administration, and President Benson was only well enough to preside over the second and third temple dedications of his administration. President Kimball's health only allowed him to preside at temple dedications for the first 3 years or so of his administration.
I hope that gives some insight into how recent Church presidents have handled temple events of their administration, and how early in such administrations those presidents shared responsibility with their counselors for presiding over such events.
Whatever President Nelson might opt to do in that regard, you can find more information on all of that here as I receive 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.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Public Open House Tours Underway for Jordan River Utah Temple
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
BREAKING NEWS: Church to discontinue monthly First Presidency Message
Hello again, everyone! Big news has come from the Church, likely as recently as today. President Nelson requested that the remarks he made from the temple on January 16 be reproduced in the April 2018 Ensign, which seems to replace the traditional article introducing the new Church leadership.
But that is not the big news. At the end of that message, a note was included from those editing the Church magazines that indicated that this message would be the last First Presidency message included in the Ensign, and that any major messages from the First Presidency would be shared via social media and Church websites.
There is nothing as of yet to verify this, but it seems safe to infer that this also means that the Church will move the home teaching program more in the direction of what has been done for visiting teaching, and that, rather than a prepared message, the emphasis for home teachers will be to share a message as inspired by the Spirit based on the principles that should govern home teaching.
If that is the case, then it is plain that the Church is wanting to encourage all members to rely more on the promptings of the Spirit than a written message. In the meantime, for those interested, you can review President Nelson's message here.
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.
But that is not the big news. At the end of that message, a note was included from those editing the Church magazines that indicated that this message would be the last First Presidency message included in the Ensign, and that any major messages from the First Presidency would be shared via social media and Church websites.
There is nothing as of yet to verify this, but it seems safe to infer that this also means that the Church will move the home teaching program more in the direction of what has been done for visiting teaching, and that, rather than a prepared message, the emphasis for home teachers will be to share a message as inspired by the Spirit based on the principles that should govern home teaching.
If that is the case, then it is plain that the Church is wanting to encourage all members to rely more on the promptings of the Spirit than a written message. In the meantime, for those interested, you can review President Nelson's message here.
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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Update Provided on Renovation Process for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple
Hello again, everyone! Continuing the reports on temple updates I have somehow missed (due to illness & not currently having access to my document on which I track such progress), I wanted to note a major update on the renovation process for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple. The last time I provided an update on that process was on February 22.
At that time, I noted that the new entrance lobby of the temple was being sheathed. The new information of which I have become aware is that the structural framing has been completed for the steeple and that the exterior is being waterproofed.
While this milestone is significant, to be sure, it does not appear that there is any justification to believe that the more general estimate provided by others or the more specific ones which I have felt safe in providing need to be altered at all.
With that said, it would not surprise me in any way if the rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple was delayed until after both the Memphis Tennessee Temple and this one have their rededications.
As always, I am doing my level best to keep an eye on developments in this regard, and I will continue to the best of my ability to pass along any and all temple-related news and developments as I become aware of them, including and especially any alterations that may become necessary to any general or specific estimates provided by myself or others.
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.
At that time, I noted that the new entrance lobby of the temple was being sheathed. The new information of which I have become aware is that the structural framing has been completed for the steeple and that the exterior is being waterproofed.
While this milestone is significant, to be sure, it does not appear that there is any justification to believe that the more general estimate provided by others or the more specific ones which I have felt safe in providing need to be altered at all.
With that said, it would not surprise me in any way if the rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple was delayed until after both the Memphis Tennessee Temple and this one have their rededications.
As always, I am doing my level best to keep an eye on developments in this regard, and I will continue to the best of my ability to pass along any and all temple-related news and developments as I become aware of them, including and especially any alterations that may become necessary to any general or specific estimates provided by myself or others.
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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Update Noted on the Lisbon Portugal Temple
Hello again, everyone! I don't know if this was reported earlier and I didn't notice it, or if this is new information, but I have found out about a status update for the Lisbon Portugal Temple.
The last time I reported a change in this temple's status was February 28, at which time I noted that the walls for its' steeple had been poured and that the scaffolding had been removed.
The new information indicates that scaffolding & netting has gone up around the temple's exterior. While this update is a good indication of this temple's progress, it is not significant enough to warrant a change in its' general or more specific completion estimate.
As always, I am doing my level best to stay on top of all temple progress and will continue to post all such updates as I receive them.
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.
The last time I reported a change in this temple's status was February 28, at which time I noted that the walls for its' steeple had been poured and that the scaffolding had been removed.
The new information indicates that scaffolding & netting has gone up around the temple's exterior. While this update is a good indication of this temple's progress, it is not significant enough to warrant a change in its' general or more specific completion estimate.
As always, I am doing my level best to stay on top of all temple progress and will continue to post all such updates as I receive them.
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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Progress Noted on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
Hello again, everyone! The last time I posted an update on the status of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was on February 1 of this year, at which point I had noted that the main floor concrete slab was being poured. New information received today indicates that that pouring process has been completed. So it would seem that the construction of that temple is moving along at a steady pace.
On February 28 of this year, I had offered my revised estimate that this temple's dedication could occur during mid-to-late May of next year. It will be interesting to see how that changes as this year progresses. It may be of interest to some of you to know that, as should be obvious, if the dedication for the Rome Italy Temple is not able to occur until early 2019, that would in turn push back the likely time-frames for the dedications of the temples in Kinshasa, Fortaleza, and Port-au-Prince.
That might also be the case for the rededications of the Memphis Tennessee and Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples. And it will be interesting to see how soon the Frankfurt Germany Temple might be rededicated as well. At the moment, it would appear that the renovation of that temple has been delayed enough that venturing a general and therefore even a more specific time-frame for that temple's rededication may be more difficult than I have recently believed and asserted.
But I am keeping my eye on all temple-related developments and will be sure to post an update on all of that ASAP after I learn about 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.
On February 28 of this year, I had offered my revised estimate that this temple's dedication could occur during mid-to-late May of next year. It will be interesting to see how that changes as this year progresses. It may be of interest to some of you to know that, as should be obvious, if the dedication for the Rome Italy Temple is not able to occur until early 2019, that would in turn push back the likely time-frames for the dedications of the temples in Kinshasa, Fortaleza, and Port-au-Prince.
That might also be the case for the rededications of the Memphis Tennessee and Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples. And it will be interesting to see how soon the Frankfurt Germany Temple might be rededicated as well. At the moment, it would appear that the renovation of that temple has been delayed enough that venturing a general and therefore even a more specific time-frame for that temple's rededication may be more difficult than I have recently believed and asserted.
But I am keeping my eye on all temple-related developments and will be sure to post an update on all of that ASAP after I learn about 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Scaffolding Returns to Concepcion Chile Temple
Hello again, everyone! Having passed along earlier today those resources regarding the open house for the Jordan River Utah Temple, I also wanted to post and pass along some information that has been reported for the Concepcion Chile Temple. Up until now, there has been a lantern in the temple that was without a window, an uncovered cupola, and only a placeholder instead of the angel Moroni.
All of that will soon change. Scaffolding has gone up for the steeple and cupola, and if current plans hold, the remainder of this week will see progress made on all that has, up to now, been left undone. It is exciting to think of the developments that may soon occur as this temple gets ever closer to its dedication, which is, as previously noted, set for about 7.5 months from now.
You can rest assured I will be monitoring all temple-related developments and will be passing those along to you as I learn of them. 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.
All of that will soon change. Scaffolding has gone up for the steeple and cupola, and if current plans hold, the remainder of this week will see progress made on all that has, up to now, been left undone. It is exciting to think of the developments that may soon occur as this temple gets ever closer to its dedication, which is, as previously noted, set for about 7.5 months from now.
You can rest assured I will be monitoring all temple-related developments and will be passing those along to you as I learn of them. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
VIP/Media Tours Underway for Jordan River Utah Temple; Public Tours Begin Friday
Hello again, everyone! I had started this post yesterday but had not been able to finish it before now. I am pleased to be able to report that VIP/Media tours began yesterday for the Jordan River Utah Temple, and that public open house tours will follow starting Friday.
In relation to all of that, there have been several wonderful resources published, and the rest of this post will overview those resources. First, we have this Church News article, highlighting this temple's history and detailing what the renovation process involved, in addition to sharing some quotes from Church leaders involved with managing the temples of the Church.
Next, for those living in Utah or surrounding regions that are interested, the Church has provided a link to their online reservation system. For those interested in seeing the temple who may not be able to make it to the open house, a virtual tour is a great option.
And finally, from Mormon Newsroom, those interested in doing so can find additional information and images. It is wonderful to see so many great resources about this temple. As I may have mentioned previously, President Kimball attended the original dedication of this temple, but at his request, President Romney read the prayer, which is why this temple is the one temple in the Church that is listed as having been dedicated by President Romney.
And, as also previously noted, since this is the first major temple-related event of President Nelson's administration (aside from the private rededication for the Houston Texas Temple, which, as noted, will be done by President M. Russell Ballard), it seems logical to assume President Nelson himself will preside at this rededication.
It also seems safe and logical to assume that since this temple is in the Salt Lake Valley, several other Church leaders will also be in attendance. Whatever might occur in that regard, you can find a report of it here.
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.
In relation to all of that, there have been several wonderful resources published, and the rest of this post will overview those resources. First, we have this Church News article, highlighting this temple's history and detailing what the renovation process involved, in addition to sharing some quotes from Church leaders involved with managing the temples of the Church.
Next, for those living in Utah or surrounding regions that are interested, the Church has provided a link to their online reservation system. For those interested in seeing the temple who may not be able to make it to the open house, a virtual tour is a great option.
And finally, from Mormon Newsroom, those interested in doing so can find additional information and images. It is wonderful to see so many great resources about this temple. As I may have mentioned previously, President Kimball attended the original dedication of this temple, but at his request, President Romney read the prayer, which is why this temple is the one temple in the Church that is listed as having been dedicated by President Romney.
And, as also previously noted, since this is the first major temple-related event of President Nelson's administration (aside from the private rededication for the Houston Texas Temple, which, as noted, will be done by President M. Russell Ballard), it seems logical to assume President Nelson himself will preside at this rededication.
It also seems safe and logical to assume that since this temple is in the Salt Lake Valley, several other Church leaders will also be in attendance. Whatever might occur in that regard, you can find a report of it here.
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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Jordan River Utah Temple Open House Begins In One Week
Hello again, everyone! I just wanted to post briefly to remind readers of this blog that the open house for the Jordan River Utah Temple begins exactly one week from today. When the First Presidency first announced the relevant dates for this temple's open house and dedication (the official announcement came 7 months and 1 week ago), the plan had been for open house tours to run every day for the six weeks between March 17 and April 28, except for the Saturdays of March 24 and 31 and the Sundays of March 18 and 25 and April 1, 8, 15, and 22.
Since that time, in view of the First Presidency's additional announcement about the consolidation of General Conference sessions, the Women's Session will not be held on Saturday March 24, which means that open house tours can and will run on that day. So open house tours will run for a grand total of 36 days.
A cultural celebration is set to be held on Saturday May 19, with the rededication set to occur the following day, which will be broadcast by satellite to stake centers within the Draper, Jordan River, and Oquirrh Mountain Temple districts.
I also wanted to note three other things: First, this temple's rededication will be the first major temple-related event held during President Nelson's prophetic administration, aside from the already-announced private rededication for the Houston Texas Temple (over which President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has been asked to preside). For that reason, I would anticipate that President Nelson will preside at this event.
Second, since this temple is in Salt Lake County, I would anticipate this dedication will be widely attended by other general Church leaders. Third and finally, with the fact that the dedications announced for the temples in Conepcion Chile and Barranquilla Colombia will feature a special devotional for youth the night before, it could very well be true that such devotionals will now be held the night before temple dedications or rededications in lieu of a cultural celebration.
Nothing has been officially announced to that effect, but I am keeping my eyes open for any such annoucement and will be sure to pass word along if and when that 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 mypray next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will be with and bless you all in everything you do.
Since that time, in view of the First Presidency's additional announcement about the consolidation of General Conference sessions, the Women's Session will not be held on Saturday March 24, which means that open house tours can and will run on that day. So open house tours will run for a grand total of 36 days.
A cultural celebration is set to be held on Saturday May 19, with the rededication set to occur the following day, which will be broadcast by satellite to stake centers within the Draper, Jordan River, and Oquirrh Mountain Temple districts.
I also wanted to note three other things: First, this temple's rededication will be the first major temple-related event held during President Nelson's prophetic administration, aside from the already-announced private rededication for the Houston Texas Temple (over which President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has been asked to preside). For that reason, I would anticipate that President Nelson will preside at this event.
Second, since this temple is in Salt Lake County, I would anticipate this dedication will be widely attended by other general Church leaders. Third and finally, with the fact that the dedications announced for the temples in Conepcion Chile and Barranquilla Colombia will feature a special devotional for youth the night before, it could very well be true that such devotionals will now be held the night before temple dedications or rededications in lieu of a cultural celebration.
Nothing has been officially announced to that effect, but I am keeping my eyes open for any such annoucement and will be sure to pass word along if and when that 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 mypray next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will be with and bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Friday, March 9, 2018
Construction Status Updated for the Barranquilla Colombia Temple
Hello again, everyone! I am posting in the early morning hours of March 9th to pass along an exciting update that has come to my attention regarding the Barranquilla Colombia Temple. The new information indicates that exterior lighting tests are underway, and that landscaping and interior work on that temple continues to make significant progress as well.
To put this update into perspective, this temple, along with the Concepcion Chile and Rome Italy Temples, are almost identical in terms of their construction statuses. So it is easy to see why the Concepcion Chile and Barranquilla Colombia Temple dedications have been set to occur 6 weeks apart.
What will be interesting to see is how (and if) the Rome Italy Temple will be able to have its' dedication prior to the end of this year. If that does occur, and if, as indicated in that Italian newspaper article, the construction crew does turn the Rome temple back over to the Church by May of this year, I could see a dedication being scheduled to occur on November 11 or 18. But it would also make sense in another way if the Church held off on a dedication there until January or February 2019. It will be interesting to see how that unfolds.
As with everything else, I am keeping my eyes open for more information on all of these developments, and I will pass any further information and updates along as I receive them. 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.
To put this update into perspective, this temple, along with the Concepcion Chile and Rome Italy Temples, are almost identical in terms of their construction statuses. So it is easy to see why the Concepcion Chile and Barranquilla Colombia Temple dedications have been set to occur 6 weeks apart.
What will be interesting to see is how (and if) the Rome Italy Temple will be able to have its' dedication prior to the end of this year. If that does occur, and if, as indicated in that Italian newspaper article, the construction crew does turn the Rome temple back over to the Church by May of this year, I could see a dedication being scheduled to occur on November 11 or 18. But it would also make sense in another way if the Church held off on a dedication there until January or February 2019. It will be interesting to see how that unfolds.
As with everything else, I am keeping my eyes open for more information on all of these developments, and I will pass any further information and updates along as I receive them. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
BREAKING NEWS: Church Clarifies How Technology Usage Is Anticipated to Change the Mission Program
Hello again, everyone! After a few days within which not a lot of Church or temple developments have been reported (which in turn gave me the chance to take care of some health-related issues my wife and I continue to deal with), I am pleased to be able to pass along this article, which provides information from those general Church leaders that have a role with the missionary department regarding how the Church is gradually shifting to embrace technology more fully.
The way in which that will occur will in turn enable missionaries assigned to such contact centers to focus less on finding interested people and more on teaching individuals who find information on the Church online and would like to know more. I could go on about this for a long time if I allowed myself to, but will defer to others who are far better than I at putting these developments into their historical context. What a wonderful time to be alive!
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.
The way in which that will occur will in turn enable missionaries assigned to such contact centers to focus less on finding interested people and more on teaching individuals who find information on the Church online and would like to know more. I could go on about this for a long time if I allowed myself to, but will defer to others who are far better than I at putting these developments into their historical context. What a wonderful time to be alive!
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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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