Some Final Observations Leading Into General Conference This Weekend

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post to pass along some final observations prior to this weekend's General Conference. First, as I noted a month or two ago when posting my altered predictions following President Monson's death and the reorganization of the First Presidency, the Solemn Assembly for the last three Church presidents (Hunter, Hinckley, and Monson) was held right off the bat during the Saturday Morning Session. I don't anticipate that changing, but will be more than happy to see it occur whenever it takes place.

Second, slightly connected to the first,as noted, from Presidents Kimball to Hinckley, the Solemn Assembly in which they were sustained was conducted by their First Counselors. The main reason that then-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was asked to lead out for President Monson's Solemn Assembly appeared to be simply because President Eyring had injured his ankle prior to General Conference and was thus apparently not well enough to stand for that entire process.

With that in mind, it seems more likely than not that President Nelson will call on his apostolic seatmate, President Oaks, who now serves as his First Counselor, to lead out in that Solemn Assembly. Some may contend that, since President Eyring has comparatively been in the First Presidency longer, he might be tapped to lead the Solemn Assembly, but this will only be the third Solemn Assembly in which President Eyring has been an apostle, and, by comparison, this is the fourth Solemn Assembly in which President Oaks has been among the leading counsels of the Church. But the prevailing reason why I have felt confident enough to suggest President Oaks will lead this Solemn Assembly is the longtime relationship he has with our new Church president, which, to me, trumps any other consideration.

Moving on now, whenever the Solemn Assembly does occur, it will involve the announcement and sustaining of two new members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. While President Nelson is free to call any two worthy men the Lord inspires him to name, I would anticipate that, regardless of whether either or both were born outside the US, they will likely be between their early 50s or mid-60s, and will likely have at least 6 years of experience in general Church leadership.

And in whatever capacity these two newest apostles may currently be serving, their calls will, in turn, make other Church leadership changes necessary. With those vacancies filled, I would anticipate we will hear from 2 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during both the Saturday Morning and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, with 3 others speaking during Saturday Afternoon, 1 more in the Saturday evening Priesthood Session, and 2 veteran apostles along with the 2 new ones during the Sunday Morning Session.

Unless they are called to the Twelve, I have also offered my thoughts about the 2 members of the Presidency of the Seventy and the member of the Presiding Bishopric that will likely speak to us, along with several General Authority Seventies (particularly Elder Massimo De Feo, who, unless I have missed him doing so, has not yet given his first address since his April 2016 call to the Seventy). And it would not in any way surprise me if one or two of the speakers I have listed on my predictions for this General Conference were called to the Twelve and spoke in that capacity rather than their current callings. As those who have been regular readers might recall, in sharing my October 2015 General Conference predictions, I had Elder Ronald A. Rasband and then-Bishop Gary E. Stevenson both listed as speaking during the Priesthood Session. Their calls to the Twelve obviously meant that they both spoke in the Sunday  Morning Session rather than the night before. So I cannot entirely rule out the possibility that the new apostles may be among the speakers I have listed in my predictions for this weekend. It will be interesting to see.

I would also anticipate that several new General Authorities will be called as well. And I would likewise anticipate that we will only hear three addresses from general auxiliary presidency members. The only reason why we heard from four members of those presidencies last time is because the absence of President Monson and Elder Hales left additional time to fill. That will obviously not be a factor for our new Church president or any of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles this go-round, unless I am missing something.

And perhaps what most people are looking forward to the most is the prospect of new temple announcements. As I have noted in other recent posts on this blog, after the announcement of 5 new temples during the April 2017 General Conference, an Idaho news organization interviewed Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Executive Director of the Church's Tefmple Department. During that interview, he had noted that the Church was considering a list of 80 potential future locations for an official announcement during the 15 years following the time that statement was made. That worked out to roughly 5 new temples per year between late April 2017 and late April 2032.

While I have not been able to officially confirm this, it seems safe to assume that the one and only reason that no new temples were announced last October was because President Monson's health did not allow him to ascertain the Lord's will on that subject, which meant he could not authorize such locations to be announced by either of his counselors.

Given the fact that it has been nearly a year since Elder Wilson referenced the 80 locations that were being considered for the 15 years following, that means there are just over 14 years remaining for that to occur. And while bearing in mind that it is likely that not all of those 80 locations may be selected as official during that time, if anywhere close to those 80 are announced between now and late April 2032, with 14 years in which such announcements might occur, that works out to roughly 5 or 6 per year, which in turn means 2-3 could be announced per General Conference between now and then, with a few here and there between each April, October, and subsequent April.

Before I go further on this subject, I do need to acknowledge the merits in the arguments some have offered to the effect that, in preparing for his first General Conference as Church president, filling the apostolic vacancies, and making any other necessary changes in Church leadership, there may not be any new temples announced this go-round.

That said, because President Nelson began right off the bat to indicate how much of a priority his administration will place on temple preparation, worthiness, and availability to Church members worldwide, it would surprise me a lot if no new temples were announced in this first General Conference, especially since President Nelson is more vigorous right now at 93 than President Monson may have been during the last 5-7 years of his life.

And, as noted previously, the length of time that passed between President Monson's February 3 ordination in 2008 and the first temple announcements of his presidency in late April of that same year is only slightly longer than the amount of time that will have passed between President Nelson's ordination on January 14 of this year and Easter Sunday (April 1), which would likely be when President Nelson would make such announcements.

So when we factor all of these elements into the equation, and add to that that although President Nelson has not yet served as Church president for a quarter of a year (he will reach the 3-month mark on April 14), there have already been four temple developments in his presidency (the closure of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, which was announced a mere 5 days after his ordination; the announcement of the open house and dedication dates for the temples in Concepcion Chile and Barranquilla Colombia almost one month ago today, and the more recent news on March 19 of the site location and artistic rendering for the Bangkok Thailand Temple and the news just three days ago that full-scale construction is anticipated to begin for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple next month), I feel reasonably safe in assuming that he will be announcing new temples this weekend.

The unknowns are how many such locations might be announced, and when that is likely to occur. I have previously offered my opinion that his first General Conference address as Church president will likely be given during the Priesthood Session on Saturday night, with his first General Conference address to the Church at large following the next morning. If that proves to be the case, then that address or an address to close out the conference may be the opportunity to do so. But since Presidents Hunter, Benson, and Kimball all gave their first General Conference addresses to the whole Church either just after or (in President Benson's case) well before thier respective Solemn Assemblies, anything is possible.

There has been a general pattern to the first General Conferences of a new Church president since 1995, but that does not mean that those patterns could not be varied. This conference will be different from any recent first General Conferences of previous Church presidents if only in view of the fact  that it has been a while (if it has ever occurred at all) since a Church president's first General Conference also saw the calling of more than one member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

I am sure there will be many wonderful surprises in store this weekend, and I will look forward to sharing them with you all as they occur. 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.

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.

Changes Made to Frankfurt Germany Completion Estimate

Hello again, everyone! I am back with more temple news. Apparently at some point today, new information came in to many of the sources to which I look for such updates that points to the idea that, instead of being completed at a yet-to-be-determined time-frame during 2019, the Frankfurt Germany Temple is now more specifically anticipated to be rededicated in early-to-mid 2019.

Between this development and those I reported earlier, it is clear that I will need to take yet another look at all of the completion estimates which I have offered here and perhaps revisit many of them. But there is nothing so constant as change, so that's to be expected. I will have the revised estimates put up on this blog ASAP.

In the meantime, I am going to make a prediction right here and now. During the administrations of Presidents Hinckley and Monson, there were a number of instances where a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at a temple dedication or rededication. With that in mind, I am thinking that President Nelson will not hesitate to ask Elder Uchtdorf, who has officiated at such events previously and is a German native, to officiate at this rededication.

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.

Progress Reported on the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple; Full-scale construction for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple to Begin Next Month

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to bring you all a status update on construction efforts for the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. Before doing so, however, I have discovered from a few of my sources for temple updates that there has been big news for Winnipeg, where construction is anticipated to be fully underway at some point during April.

As many of you are no doubt aware, the groundbreaking for that temple was announced 2.5 weeks prior to being held, so that was a quick turnaround. But construction was first delayed for four months due to the very harsh Canadian winter conditions last year. Once those cleared, the governmental leaders apparently raised some concerns about the site plans, which had to be modified.

And by the time that hurdle was cleared, winter had returned to Winnipeg for this year. Since the winter season this year here in Utah has been unusually mild and dry, whether or not that was the case for Winnipeg this year (which I do not know for sure), apparently all obstacles have cleared, so full-scale efforts can begin there at some point next month.

Still no word on if or how the modified plans will affect the 20-month estimate that was originally provided for this temple's completion, but I am hoping it may turn out to be another Port-au-Prince in the sense that construction will be fast whenever it does start, in which case it may be able to be dedicated in either late 2019 or early 2020. Stay tuned for more on that as I become aware of it.

In the meantime, we turn our attention now to the progress on the temple in Kinshasa. In my last update on that temple (which was posted on March 1), I had noted that roof shingling continued, the driveway and parking areas had been outlined, and where stone and tile work were underway inside the temple.

New information provided today indicates that, while the installation of interior stone and tile continues, palm trees have been planted around the temple grounds. This progress is significant, but I don't currently see anything changing my recently expressed opinion that the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple and the rededications of the Memphis Tennessee & Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples may all precede this temple's dedication.

But I continue to monitor all such developments and will also continue to post those here as I become aware 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.

Church News Releases Article Explaining the Principle of Common Consent Prior to the Solemn Assembly

Hello again, everyone! I just wanted to post to pass along this article from the Church News, which sets in context recent teachings of Church leaders regarding what it means to sustain our 13 (soon to be 15 again) in their callings as prophets, seers, and revelators. Among other highlights, it mentions that, as we know, the President of the Church is the only one recognized and sustained to receive revelation for the Church as a whole, although we have also had affirmations that the words of the other apostles likewise constitutes the word of the Lord.

There has seemed to be a mistaken idea put forth by certain individuals that this process is a "vote" and that, if they choose, they are free to vocalize their refusal to sustain the Brethren. There are also those that seem to be under the impression that if they pester the Brethren enough on certain subjects, that will somehow sway them to consider changing Church doctrine and policy.

But both are categorical falsehoods. The Lord has also said that those who refuse to sustain those He has put into place, and who refuse to accept the will of the Lord as expressed by the apostles will one day be held accountable before Him for rejecting those He has called, sustained, and ordained through His prophets and apostles.

So with these ideas in mind, I want to unequivocally testify that I know that the 13 current apostles and the other two that will likely be called within the next week are those the Lord needs in those positions at this time. Whenever there has been a vacancy in the Church presidency or the apostleship, as far back as I can remember, I have prayed in advance to know that whomever was called were the individuals the Lord wanted in those positions at that time.

And each time, as soon as the calls were announced, whether or not it was something I had personally suggested or considered, I have gained the instant confirmation that those calls to those individuals have come from the Lord.

As perhaps a few of you may be aware, I was honored sometime after last General Conference to discover that my thoughts on who might fill the apostolic vacancy were themselves a focus of a post on the Mormon Light blog. Despite my protests to the contrary, the most recent version of that article billed those thoughts as "mere speculation, but [something of which it was] wise to be aware of some of the possibilities".

So I want to clear that point up right now. I never have and never will condone the idea of speculation, and I am just as fully willing to sustain any two Brethren to the apostolic call that may not be on my list as I would be to sustain and support the calls of either or both apostles that did make my list.

This is because I do have that witness, that such calls are divinely directed. President Nelson has been or will be led to the identity of the two men that should be called to the apostleship. And as the Church News article mentioned, although any two Brethren could be called to that assignment at any time, if either or both of those Brethren are not necessarily who anyone expects, that does not mean that any others who may have made the list of anyone else is any less worthy of the calling.

For that reason, I share my absolute conviction that I know the Lord has prepared the Brethren who will be called to the apostleship in just about a week. And there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that He will confirm again to me that those who are called were divinely appointed to join the ranks of the apostleship at this time.

Our current and past apostles and prophets have willingly given up any claim to prestige, acclaim, or success in their professional lives to serve a cause higher than themselves, and what will be said by them next weekend will truly represent the word of the Lord, the will of the Lord, the mind of the Lord, and the power of God unto our salvation.

I know that because I have sought to obtain and have received such a witness, which has sweetly been reiterated to me any time I have asked for such a reconfirmation. My hope and prayer is that all who read these words either have that witness or, if they do not, they will do that which is necessary to obtain such a witness for themselves, and I share these thoughts in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen,

Progress Noted on Concepcion Chile Temple/Church Releases Details of President Nelson's Multi-Continental Tour

Hello again, everyone! Late yesterday, a significant development was reported on the Concepcion Chile Temple, but I was unable to post about it then due to an extensive health issue I am trying to resolve. Nothing too worrisome, just something that demanded my attention more than this blog. So this post will report on those developments. I was also able to find some details on President Nelson's world tour which I will pass along as well.

First, I am pleased to be able to report that at the Concepcion Chile Temple, the cupola has been attached to the steeple wall. If I am understanding this correctly, this temple had previously had a placeholder on top while construction continued elsewhere, and now the permanent fixture has been placed. The next step will likely be topping the temple with the angel Moroni statue.

In the meantime, we turn our attention to the details of President Nelson's world tour. The visits will include meetings with missionaries and members and "other visits", which I interpreted to mean that perhaps looking at present or future temple sites might be involved. The official stops noted on the itinerary include London, England; Jerusalem Israel; Nairobi Kenya; Harare Zimbabwe; Bengaluru India; Bangkok Thailand; Hong Kong China; and will finish up in Honolulu Hawaii.

It does intrigue me that three of the stops on his itinerary are locations that have had temples announced, and that of those three, the artist's rendering was recently released for the temple in Bangkok, and that a groundbreaking had been anticipated in Harare in short order last year but had not taken place.

Let me be clear: I am not in any way trying to imply that I anticipate President Nelson will break ground for either or both of those temples while he is there. Until that is officially confirmed or denied, that may or may not be possible. What I am saying is that I do not find it coincidental that three of the stops on his itinerary are at cities that will someday be home to three new temples of the Church, however soon that might occur.

Having given the general locations of that tour, for specifics, I refer you to this release from Mormon Newsroom. And you can be sure I will continue to keep my eyes open for any additional Church or temple news and pass that along as I hear 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.