Sharing a Theory Based on Reports from Church Members in Kenya and Zimbabwe

Hello again, everyone! I am posting again on this Easter Sunday to pass along a theory which I have heard offered in a couple of places based on reports by members in Kenya and Zimbabwe. The report suggests that, while it has not been confirmed, local members in those nations have been made aware of the site locations that are earmarked for the announced temples in Nairobi and Harare. And the theory I have heard about this is that, depending on what occurs before President Nelson and Elder Holland head out on their tour of Africa, Asia, and Europe, groundbreakings could be conducted by President Nelson for both temples, in addition to the theory I have previously mentioned that he could also potentially break ground for the Bangkok Thailand Temple while he is in that city.

So, depending on what happens within the next week or so before the Nelsons and Hollands depart, if this theory proves to be correct, ground will be broken in Nairobi on April 16, Harare the following day, and Bangkok on Friday April 20. It will be interesting to see whether or not that will happen. With about 1.5 weeks remaining until their departure, and with his visits to these areas set to occur in around 2 weeks, that is not a lot of time to announce an intention to break ground for those temples so it could be done while these Brethren are there.

It is also worth noting that it may not be a stretch to assume that part of the time President Nelson spends in Bengaluru on April 19 might be devoted to finding a suitable site for the temple announced for that city earlier today.

Nor would it be unheard of, in my opinion, to assume that President Nelson may pay a courtesy visit to the Chinese governmental leaders during his time in Hong Kong, with the purpose of seeing if his status as an "old friend of China" and his new calling as Church president might be enough to convince the Chinese government to officially recognize the Church and to allow full-time missionaries to proselyte in that country.

I may be wrong on this, but perhaps the Lord was waiting on having His prophet announce the temples that were announced today and to enable the Church to obtain approval to proselyte in China until this time, when President Nelson was Church president, since he is very much motivated to both bring the temples to the people and for him, as "an old friend of China", to be able to convince the Chinese government to approve whatever is needed to enable missionary work to begin in full there.

Whatever might occur regarding this theory, you can be sure I will post anything about it as I learn of 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.

Resources Released to Add Context to Major Developments Which Occurred During General Conference

Hello again, everyone! The Church News has released resources to add context to the major developments that occurred over General Conference weekend. Members reacted to the calls of the two newest apostles and spoke of being present for the Solemn Assembly.

In a letter to Church members, the First Presidency detailed the guidelines for the ministering that will replace home & visiting teaching. Among other highlights, we as members will be known as "ministering brothers" and "ministering sisters", and if practical, Elders' Quorum and Relief Society presidencies could, with the bishop's approval, opt to assign a married couple to minister to families within their congregations, which is awesome. Also, as noted, Laurels and Mia Maids may be asked to participate in ministering companionships with Relief Society sisters.

And in another article, the Church News focused on the changes announced to Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and groups. The final article I want to share passes along some contextual specifics of the seven temples announced at the conclusion of the conference. The one quibble I have with that article is that, in reference to the Philippines, no mention is made of the temple planned for the greater Manila area, and the article lists the temple announced for Cagayan de Oro as the fourth for the Philippines. Other than that, it has great information.

It is also worth noting that, for the first time since before the April 2015, no new temples have been announced for the African continent. But I imagine that's because these seven needed to be a higher priority.

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.

Some Observations About the Historic General Conference Weekend

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again now with my observations about the historic General Conference that concluded nearly three hours after this post is published. It has been historic fo the following reasons:
1. For the first time ever, the Solemn Assembly and the Sustaining of other Church officers were held in two separate sessions, with each of President Nelson's counselors having a role in one part of that.
2. We have seen President Nelson fulfilling his own prophetic statement that someday there would be "more flavors in the mix" with the announced calling of the first Latin American and Asian American apostles, which opens the possibility that we will continue to see that prophetic promise filled in the future.
3. We have seen the Church disclose, for the first time, all of the countries from which current Church leadership has been taken.
4. We have seen more diversity among the selected speakers during this General Conference than we have in quite a while. Of the 35 addresses given (note that I am not counting the Solemn Assembly, Sustaining of Church Officers, or Church Auditing Department Report in that count), 9 (which is roughly 25% of all addresses) were given by a internationally-born leader.
2. During President Hinckley's prophetic administration (and before that during the administration of President Kimball), there were times when the Church president would speak briefly to introduce new doctrines and policies, but this was the first General Conference in a while (if it has ever happened at all) that a Church president gave two shorter address to introduce new doctrines, policies, or practices, invited a couple of speakers to add context to the reasoning behind such decisions, and then went on to give two full-length addresses to close out those sessions.
3.  Off the top of my head, I can remember at least 4 General Conferences during President Hinckley's presidency (April & October 1995; October 2000; and April 2007) in which, for a variety of reasons, the entire First Presidency spoke back-to-back in a session other than the Priesthood Session. This General Conference, because it was Easter Sunday, we saw that occur again.
4. With two major changes in the interpretation and practice of the doctrine of the Church and several new temples announced, this General Conference was jam-packed with breaking news.
5. For the first time in recent years (if it has ever happened before), we saw almost a full half of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (a total of 5) speak in a single session of General Conference. The most we have seen prior to that is 4 (25%) Quorum members speak in a single session.
6. This General Conference marked the first time that the President of the Church gave more than two addresses (with those addresses being a typical length) since President Monson in April 2015 gave addresses longer that just a few minutes.
7. Even with the major announcements and Church leadership changes, President Nelson was still able to announce 7 new temples.
8. As I have mentioned previously, Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Executive Director of the Church's Temple Department, noted last April following President Monson's announcement of the last 5 temple locations during his presidency that the Church had a list of at least 80 potential locations that were being actively considered for an announcement within the 15 years following that statement. If we take his statement literally, then by the end of this month, the Church will have 14 years in which to announce those 80. If we also assume that all 7 that were announced today were on that list, then there are roughly 73 others that will need to be announced within those 14 years, which works out to just over 5 temples per year, which could, as previously noted, be done by announcing at least a few during each General Conference, with a few being announced between each April, October, and subsequent April.
8. With a very healthy Church president directing such efforts, I would anticipate that substantial progress will be made towards getting the 12 temples that were in the announced temples section at the time he was ordained further towards their construction,  and that the 7 temples announced today will be the first of many temples President Nelson will announce.

That wraps up my list of observations during this General Conference, but I did have an additional observation unrelated to General Conference which I wanted to pass along. Apparently, a report has come in from members in Kenya and Zimbabwe that suggest that, by the time of President Nelson's trip, the temples in that area may be ready to have a groundbreaking that could occur for the temples in Nairobi and Harare. With the additional fact that the artist's rendering has been released for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, it would be awesome if President Nelson is able to break ground for all three temples during his visit there.

Whatever temple or Church news might be released, you can continue to count on my report and analysis of such developments. 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: 7 New Temples Announced

Hello again, everyone! President Nelson made history again in the closing moments of General Conference by announcing 7 new temples for the following locations: Managua Nicaragua, Cagayan de Oro Philippines, Layton Utah, Bengaluru India, Salta Argentina, Richmond Virginia, and a yet-to-be named city in Russia. This brings the number of temples in any phase to 189. More information will be provided as I can get hold of it.

In the meantime, I wanted to note that 3 of those 7 locations were exactly noted on my list (Managua, Layton and Richmond), and I had also mentioned that other temples were likely to be announced in the Philippines and Argentina (though I had prioritized Neuquen and Davao above Cagayan de Oro and Salta), and I had mentioned the possibility of future temples in India and Russia, although the timing had not seemed right to me for either in the immediate future. But I am glad that we have these new temples announced.

It is also worth noting that President Nelson had publicly proposed a temple for Managua, and that land has been set aside for one for a while now, so it is fitting that he as Church president has made good on his own apostolic proposal.

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: Home and Visiting Teaching to Be Discontinued and Replaced with Principle- and Concern-Based Ministry

Hello again, everyone! In a windfall announcement made just moments ago by President Nelson, the discontinuation of home and visiting teaching has been announced, to be replaced with a program focused on ministering efforts, to enable us to watch over each other more effectively.

In subsequent addresses, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society General President, are/will be outlining the principles surrounding the new program.

We have had plenty of examples just this weekend that modern revelation does occur and is occurring. It will be interesting to see how this changes things even further to enable all of us to lift and encourage one another on a larger scale.

More details will be coming in the hours ahead. 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..

Overview of Changes in General Church Leadership

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to provide an overview of resources which the Church has released, particularly those relating to announced leadership changes. The Church has released this summary of the Solemn Assembly (including biographical information for Elders Gong and Soares, our new apostles), along with this one (introducing the new members of the Presidency of the Seventy and new General Authority Seventies).

As anticipated, President Nelson had more than enough time to make all the necessary changes in Church leadership. Let's take a quick look at what has changed (and is going to change) in terms of the Presidency of the Seventy and the new General Authority Seventies that have been called. It is worth noting that, while we sustained two changes in the Presidency of the Seventy that are effective immediately (in view of the calling of the new apostles), in leading the second half of the sustaining of Church officers, President Oaks additionally mentioned that three other members of the current presidency (Elders Craig C. Christensen, Lynn G. Robbins, and Juan A. Uceda) will be released in August, and that Elders Terence M. Vinson, Jose A. Teixeira, and Carlos A. Godoy will begin serving in the Presidency as of August 1, 2018. As we know, this is when the area leadership changes take effect.

The interesting thing about those upcoming changes is that Elder Uceda will have only been in the presidency for a year once his release is effective. I cannot be sure, but I would imagine that Elder Uceda has been asked to fill a special assignment, either at headquarters or in an area presidency, that would prevent him from continuing to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy at that time. It will be interesting to see what happens there.

So let's talk about the General Authority Seventies that were sustained today. Among them are y that had been serving as area seventies at the time of their calls (Elders Steven R. Bangerter, Matthew L. Carpenter, Mathias Held, David P. Homer, Kyle S. McKay, and Juan Pablo Villar), 1 (Elder Jack N. Gerard) who was released as an area seventy two years ago, and 1 other (Elder Takashi Wada) who has served as a director of temportal affairs for three areas of the Church (North America Northwest and West and Asia).

We also saw the calling of a new Young Women's General presidency. As relayed in this article, the former First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency (Bonnie H. Cordon) has been called to serve as the Young Women General President. She has selected as her counselors Michelle D. Craig (who had been serving as a member of the Primary General Board) and Becky Craven, who is, as far as I know, a new face to the general Church membership.

Sister Cordon's call to serve as the Young Women General President has resulted in the call of Lisa Harkness, a member of the Primary General Board, to serve as the new First Counselor. Interestingly enough, Sister Harkness is the third First Counselor for Primary General President Joy D. Jones.

In April 2016, Sister Jones selected Jean B. Bingham and Bonnie H. Cordon as her counselors. In April 2017, Sister Bingham was called as the new Relief Society President, so as a result, Sister Cordon became the new First Counselor, with Cristina B. Franco called as the new Second Counselor. Now that her second First Counselor has been called as the new Young Women General President, for whatever reason, the only change to the Primary General Presidency this go-round is that Sister Harkness has replaced Sister Cordon, while Sister Franco remains the Second Counselor.

There were also a number of area seventies released and sustained as well, and I will have more later this week on how those changes impacted the total number of area seventies. That does it for this overview of the changes to the general leadership of the Church, and therefore, 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: Melchizedek Priesthood Quorums to Be Combined in Each Ward as One Elders' Quorum

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news from the LDS Church tonight in the Priesthood Session. This release describes how the Elders' Quorums and High Priest's Group are now going to be combined into one larger quorum, and, regardless of office, will be referred to as "the Elders' Quorum", with its' presidency being comprised of those who may be either High Priests or Elders. The new Elders' Quorum Presidency will directly report to the stake presidency.

All those serving in stake leadership (including the stake presidency, high council members, and the bishop and his counselors) will now comprise the high priests' group in the stake. This will add strength and power to priesthood quorums.

On a personal note, I welcome this change. My first opportunity to teach a lesson in Elders' Quorum was in my parents' ward. On the first day I was going to teach, I was advised that the High Priests in the ward would be joining the lesson, as their instructor was not able to make it. As I taught that group of combined elders and high priests, there was a power in the discussion of the lesson material, and, above and beyond that, how to implement the principles taught into our lives.

So I welcome the chance all Melchizedek Priesthood holders will have in a ward to meet in one united group, firmly committed to bearing the priesthood and doing the Lord's work together. I testify, along with the testimonies we have received tonight from President Nelson and Elders Christofferson and Rasband, that this is yet another example of the clear fact that modern revelation does occur in this Church. It is the Lord's Church. Together we will move the work of the Lord forward.

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.

Some Thoughts on the Newest Apostles

Hello again, everyone! Now that the Saturday Morning Session has concluded, I wanted to provide some additional thoughts regarding the newest apostles. First, both picks should appeal to those that complain about the face of Church leadership not representing the diversity of the Church. Elder Gong, though born in the US, is of Asian descent, and Elder Soares becomes the first apostle called from South America, having been born and raised in Brazil.

And it is wonderful to think how prophetic President Nelson's statement made during the January 16 press conference in which he and his counselors took media questions. He indicated that the Church would see a day when there are more flavors in the mix, and the men he was inspired to call certainly reflect how prophetic that statement really was.

Next, since this is my specialty, I wanted to note that, with Elder Gong being 64 years old, and with Elder Soares being 58, they become the 10th and 12th in order of age among the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and they are also the 13th and 15th oldest among all of the apostles.

Elder Gong has only given 2 talks in General Conference, and Elder Soares has given 5 addresses. That makes sense because Elder Soares was called as a General Authority in April 2005, and to the Presidency of the Seventy in January 2013, while Elder Gong was called as a General Authority in April 2010 and was called to the Presidency of the Seventy in October 2015 (as a result of Elder Rasband's call to the Twelve; he formally began his service in that presidency on January 4, 2016, by which time he had concluded all his obligations as the president of the Asia Area).

Next, a general note about the apostles overall. As many of you know, I had been predicting that one of President Nelson's counselors would speak during the Saturday Morning Session. Since we heard instead from three members of the Quorum of the Twelve (rather than 2 as I had projected), it is likely that all three First Presidency members will speak tomorrow morning, along with Elders Gong and Soares.

And I also found it interesting that the Solemn Assembly from this General Conference is going to be separate and distinct from the sustaining of other Church leadership, which is set to occur at the beginning of the session this afternoon.

But getting back to the apostles, Elder Gong is the second current apostle that has a birthday in December (with his December 23 birthday coming 20 days following that of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland), and Elder Soares' birthday, which is marked on October 2, means he joins President M, Russsell Ballard, whose birthday is marked on October 8.

I would like to again share my absolute witness that these men have been called by the Lord at this time. I received instant confirmation of that as their names were announced. And for any who do not yet have such a witness, I invite you to do that which is necessary to obtain one.

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: Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Hello again, everyone! As many of you likely know by now, Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares have been called to fill the vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In a surprise move (at least to me), President Eyring, who lead the Solemn Assembly, noted that other Church leaders would be sustained during the Saturday Afternoon Session. The Quorum of the Twelve is now complete, and I couldn't be happier with those the Lord chose, as I had the instant confirmation that those called were called by the Lord.

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 Final Word Before General Conference

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again now to offer a final word before General Conference starts in 12.5 hours. We have a great deal to look forward to this weekend, with a Solemn Assembly being held in which all of us, as groups and then as an entire Church, will have the opportunity to sustain the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, including two new members of that Quorum.

In a couple of newspaper articles leading up to this weekend, spokesmen for the Church were quoted as saying that any theories made online regarding the identity of the new apostles, any other Church leadership changes, any temple locations, and any other suggestions of changes in doctrine and policy are nothing more than the private thoughts of the individuals perpetuating them.

I have recently referenced both the fact that my thoughts on the apostolic vacancies had been focused on in an article on Mormon Light, and that that article referred to those thoughts as "speculation". For myself, I have tried to use the patterns of the past to offer informed musings on that subject. And I am just as ready to sustain any one or two men that were not on the list of those I mentioned as I would be to sustain any one or two men that were not. But until something is officially announced tomorrow, anyone's thoughts, mine especially, are no more and no less than thoughts which may or may not reflect the Lord's will.

No matter who might be called to serve this go-round, the two new apostles (as with the others) will have my sustaining vote of support. As I have already indicated, I took time to gain my own testimony that those who will be called have been appointed by the Lord, and I have no doubt that when their names are revealed tomorrow, I will instantly know, as I have in times past, that the two were meant to come to the apostleship at this time. I would also anticipate that, barring anything unexpected, we will see the Solemn Assembly occur, as noted, at the top of the Saturday Morning Session.

And while I fully expect that new temples will be announced, and while I hope that any that are will have been on my list, I will rejoice just as much whether any are announced or not. As I have also observed, I don't see any scenario where President Nelson will not have taken time to call the new apostles and to make any subsequent changes that will fill out Church leadership following those calls, including the calling of new General Authority Seventies.

I am also equally certain that we will see the Young Women General Presidency changed, and I can see a few options there, with one or both of the current counselors retained in the new presidency, or one of the counselors in the other two auxiliaries (Primary or Relief Society), or current members of the Young Women General Board.Board.

Of one thing I am absolutely certain: the Lord leads His Church and knows perfectly what its' members need and how best to convey His will to His servants on what needs to be done and said in every General Conference. What we will hear and what will be done during this weekend will be what the Lord wants said and done in and for His Church at this time. And you can find ongoing reports on all of that here 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.