Apology and Personal Update

Hello again, everyone! As this post title indicates, I have felt a need to share a personal update and to issue a general apology. I want to first explain some personal circumstances I have had to which I have previously alluded, but the details of which I have not shared here.

The best way I can describe things is to note that, in November, I had learned that my insurance would no longer cover one of my major medications, and the four months since then have involved my doctor approving a slight increase in another of my medications to compensate for this loss, only for my wife and I to find out that my insurance needed additional information from both my doctor and myself before they would cover the increase of the other medication.

So within the last four months, in addition to the general illnesses with which my wife and I are still struggling, I have had to spend a lot of time every week for at least three days per week doing everything of which I could think to get this situation figured out.

When not trying to settle that fiasco, I have continued to use my enthusiasm for Church and temple news to pass along the updates I have done within that same time. And I have also worked as I can on looking into increasing the number of views and comments on this blog and the amount I am able to earn from it. As part of that process, I have focused some efforts into increasing my blog's visibility in Google search results within the nations from which most of my page views come.

That brings me to my reason for wanting to apologize. I have been very gratified to see the number of views and comments increase on my blog during this time, in addition to seeing an increase, however slight, in my blog earnings as a result of my efforts to expand the reach of my blog.

But I am ashamed to realize that there have been a number of times within the last few months while all of this has been going on that my frustrations over the stress of this situation may have boiled over into my response to comments made here, and for that, I apologize to you all.

I am very much grateful to all who have been gracious enough to comment up to now, and I hope you will all continue to let me know your thoughts going forward. The conversations here make my day more often than not, and I appreciate the ongoing dialogue regarding those things about which I have "sounded off".

But I worry that I don't do as well as I should in showing the genuine appreciation I have for such insights, and I would like to commit here and now to doing that to a larger and more full extent going forward. Together with you, I hope to continue to celebrate all the wonderful Church and temple news that will occur for several years to come.

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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Provides Letter with Updated Guidelines for Recognizing and Reporting Abuse

Hello again, everyone! In a letter dated earlier today that was published on Mormon Newsroom, and in the wake of the earlier report about missionaries abused by an MTC president, the First Presidency provided updated guidelines and resources for leaders to utilize in preventing abuse and responding to reports of such actions. You can find those resources here.

I am grateful that this is yet another example of how our new First Presidency is committed right out of the gate to tackle the issues facing members and leaders worldwide with tact, understanding, sympathy, and sensitivity. And I feel equally certain that General Conference addresses they, the apostles, and other leaders give this weekend will continue the trend of tackling the tough issues.

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 Construction Updates

Hello again, everyone! Late yesterday night, some new temple updates came to my attention. But I was not able to pass those along before now. It is time to remedy that by reporting those developments.

First of all, it may interest some of you to know that the amount of time between today and the Church's 200th anniversary has now reached 12.03 years. So if the Church were to dedicate roughly 3.41 temples each year before now and then, there would easily be 200 temples in operation by that day.

The Church has, of course, announced 2 dedications will occur later this year. And the major temple update for this post relates to the Barranquilla Colombia Temple, where more trees and plants have been added to temple grounds and perimeter gardens, and where the exterior work on the housing facility is almost complete.

At the moment, the Rome Italy Temple may be dedicated either later this year or in the early part of next year. As I have mentioned, if anything happens to delay this temple being returned to the Church (which is currently anticipated to occur by the end of May), then a dedication of that temple might not happen until early next year. Until we know otherwise, I prefer to be optimistic.

And even though that means this year will be somewhat on the lower side of dedicated temples (with only 2 or 3 anticipated before the end of this year), there will be at least 5 dedicated next year. In light of the news a few days ago that full-scale construction is anticipated to begin in Winnipeg within the next month, if we assume that the modified plans will not impact the 20-month estimate for the construction process on that temple, then it is likely that construction could conclude for this temple before the end of next year, with the dedication following in early 2020.

And if, as I have mentioned, several announced temples have a groundbreaking within the next year or two, there will be many other temples that could be dedicated during 2020 and the years following. There are several locations I am keeping my eyes on for a groundbreaking in the not-too-distant future, and as soon as anything official is announced in that regard, I will pass it along 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.

A Note on the Latest Apostolic Statistics

Hello again, everyone! As some of you may recall, I last passed along the latest apostolic statistics on Sunday February 11 (six weeks ago today). While that would ordinarily lead me to do so again today, there are two factors that have dissuaded me from doing so. The first is that I had some computer issues that have resulted in such data being inaccessible  to me, which, though unfortunate, is not too devastating, as I found backup copies on other devices and on the websites to which I have posted them. But since they are backup copies, some of those files are outdated anyways, which I continue to work on bringing up-to-date.

The second is the fact that, because General Conference will be next weekend, two new apostles will be called, and barring anything unexpected, I would anticipate that those called would be in their early 50s-mid 60s. So in addition to updating my personal files that keep that data within the next week, I will be adding those newest apostles to my next report, and I would anticipate that those called will likely bring down the average of both the Quorum of the Twelve and the 15 apostles as a group.

I just wanted to note this for any who may wonder why I have not posted such an update recently. But stay tuned over General Conference weekend, when, barring anything unexpected, I will be able to get the latest statistics published 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.

Case Study: Will President Nelson's "Old Friend of China" Status Help the Gospel spread there?

Hello again, everyone! As some of you may recall, President Nelson was a regional representative when he heard the 12th Church President, Spencer W. Kimball, talk about how vital it was that some leaders present learn Chinese.

Taking this invitation as a prophetic directive to him personally, President Nelson did learn Chinese, which helped to greatly expand the reputation of the Church and of President Nelson in the eyes of prominent Chinese leaders and citizens. Later on, as an apostle, President Nelson was given the designated title "Friend of China" because they were so impressed with him.

As some of you may also know, around 15 or so years ago, there was a popular Mormon myth going around that certain individuals had been called to serve 3-year missions in China, which was shortly after debunked. As a teen who knew a lot about the Church, I was one who at times found myself facing the question of this myth's truth from many people who knew I would know the answer.

And I recall distinctly that not long after that, the Church officially noted that this "development" was a myth, and reiterated the fact that, until it was the Lord's will and would be allowed by the government, no such  efforts would be made.

Just over two months ago, the "old friend of China" became our Church president. which brings up an interesting question: Would the fact that President Nelson is the senior apostle now potentially result in the Church's ability to expand into China? Naturally, that would depend on when the Lord willed it to be so, if the current Chinese government would recognize our prophet as a friend of China, and if negotiations with the Chinese government yielded that result.

But it is intriguing to think about. As a new apostle in 1984 or '85, he was given permission to perform one last heart surgery on a Chinese opera star, for which he had been specially requested. I honestly don't know how much opportunity he might have had to continue to foster relations with the Chinese. With that said, I can definitely see how his new calling as Church president might be the tipping point to allow a change in how the Church is viewed by China. I will for sure be keeping my eyes open for any news on that.

The fact that one of the stops while he is in Asia will be in Hong Kong indicates to me that he may be in a unique position to enable progress that we have not seen in this regard up to now. I'm sure we all remember how, shortly after President Monson's call to the First Presidency, he went with an apostle (I believe that was then-Elder Nelson, if memory serves) to talk to German leaders about the prospect of missionary work and even a temple behind the Iron Curtain.

President Monson's requests in this regard were granted because those leaders saw that he had been a true friend to the people of Germany, and they believed that if he felt strongly about such a subject, that was enough for them to grant his request. Perhaps with President Nelson now the top Church leader, the walls that have kept the Church from making real progress in that nation might be similarly broken down.

It would not in any way surprise me to learn that this is one of many reasons why President Nelson is now the Church president. If I have learned anything about the Church, it is that the Lord knows what He is doing in leadership transitions, and that at the right time, with the right people involved, such barriers to the spread of the gospel in various nations have been broken down. My prayer is that this will prove true for China now.

But that's just my take on this matter, which I wanted to share with you all. 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.