Stokes Sounds Off

Search This Blog

Leaderboard

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Some Thoughts on Announced Temples

Hello again, everyone! I recently took another look at the 19 temples that have not yet progressed beyond an announcement, and I found some interesting information and updates from a variety of sources. So I thought it would be worthwhile to post now and pass along that updated information. In this update, I will focus on those 19 in order of their potential likelihood for a groundbreaking in the near future. So let's get started.

We begin in Bangkok Thailand. With the site confirmed and an artist's rendering released a couple of weeks ago (on March 19), some have speculated that President Nelson could break ground for this temple while he is visiting that city, which will be on April 20, but unless something is officially announced before he departs for the trip, a groundbreaking for that temple might only occur later this year.

Next, we turn to Urdaneta Philippines. As I previously noted, the biggest obstacles delaying a groundbreaking for that temple were obtaining government approval and announcing an official site. Since a site was confirmed earlier this year, a groundbreaking for this temple may occur soon as well, especially if the process of obtaining government approval can in any way be expedited.

We move on now to the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple. Although we are still waiting for a site to be confirmed by the Church, we do know that, shortly after this temple was announced in 2016, the contractor had stated that a year of preplanning would be needed before a groundbreaking would be held. If, as reported, that year began last March, this temple might have a groundbreaking sooner rather than later.

Moving on to Brasilia Brazil, as we know, a site was confirmed for that temple soon after it was announced last April. Some have quite rightly observed that although a site has been confirmed, and although that site has been inspected by Church engineers (which occurred last June), it may be a while yet before that temple has a groundbreaking. It will be interesting to see what happens there.

For the second temple announced in Manila Philippines, its' location was also confirmed not long after its' announcement. It is anticipated that an official name could be announced for this temple at any point in the near future. Depending on how quickly things happen for this temple. its' groundbreaking may or may not be announced in the near future.

We next move on to Pocatello Idaho. As many of you may be aware, several sites have been the subject of speculation, but we do have increasing evidence of the most likely location. Since this temple is within the "Mormon corridor", a groundbreaking might be just a matter of time, especially if a site confirmation occurs anytime soon.

I am pleased to next bring you some news that (to me) was unexpected but welcome. I received word today that designs are underway for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, although we are still waiting on an official site announcement. Temples in Utah have been known to get their construction underway fairly quickly after they are announced, and that is particularly true of temples being built in Utah County. So that is another one I am watching with great interest, as it will split the district of the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, where I previously served, and to which I can attest to that temple's high attendance level.

It is also interesting to note that the Church apparently acquired a certain parcel of land in Layton Utah just two days before that temple was announced. Although nothing hasbeen officially confirmed as of yet, if the Church does confirm at any point that the site they procured will be where the temple is built, a groundbreaking could be held in very short order.

In addition to the other six temples announced last weekend, we have 5 others that were announced in the last few years of President Monson's administration that we have not discussed yet (Abidjan Ivory Coast, Quito Ecuador, Harare Zimbabwe, Belem Brazil, and Nairobi Kenya).

Of those 5, this is what I know or have heard: Since we have seen progress made on the Bangkok Thailand Temple recently, as noted above. and since we unexpectedly had the groundbreaking for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple last year, the other temple announced during the April 2015 General Conference is the one for the city of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. I have heard that growth has been sufficient enough in the Ivory Coast that a second and third temple for that nation could occur in short order. And if work gets underway on some (if not all) of the others I mentioned above later this year, it is not a stretch to believe that could occur for this temple as well, especially if any obstacles preventing it are cleared.

For the temple in the Ecuadoran capital city of Quito, while we don't have news as of yet, the time that occurred between the announcement and groundbreaking for Ecuador's first temple in Guayaquil (which was a lengthy 14 years) is not anticipated to take that long for this temple. We don't know any more right now than we did when it was announced two years ago, but that could change. The same holds true for the temple in Belem Brazil.

That brings us to the last two of the 5 I mentioned above. As I previously stated in an earlier post, I had heard in passing that the members in Harare Zimbabwe and Nairobi Kenya have recently been made aware of the site locations for those temples, even though that has not yet been confirmed by the Church. There have been passing rumors that, depending on what happens between now and then, President Nelson could break ground for both temples during his tour in both cities, which would put the groundbreaking for Nairobi Kenya on August 16, and the groundbreaking for Harare Zimbabwe the following day.

While I hope we will be abble to see groundbreakings for the Bangkok Thailand, Harare Zimbabwe, and Nairobi Kenya Temples while President Nelson visits there, I will not be surprised if one or all of those cities wind up having to wait for that to occur. I continue to monitor all developments on this front and will pass those along to you 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.

Updated Estimates for Known Temple Events Within the Next 4 years

Hello again, everyone! As I promised to do so, I have looked over my estimates for known temple events and have made those changes which I have felt would be appropriate. So I wanted to post those right now. The more specific timing of any temple event is, of course, in the hands of the Lord and of those who are working on these projects. I will not be surprised in any way to find out that further adjustments are necessary in the future, nor will it surprise me if the actual time-frames are nowhere close to what I share here.

The updated estimates, along with any relevant notes, follow below. 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.

Future estimates for known temple-related events

First half of 2018:
April: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple
Note: A Church member in Winnipeg has confirmed that construction of this temple is anticipated to begin this month.
Sunday April 22: Houston Texas Temple Rededication (private; date has been confirmed; President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will preside at this event)
Sunday May 20: Jordan River Utah Temple Rededication/Mesa Arizona Temple Renovation Closure (both have been confirmed)
Note: Since the rededication Jordan River Utah Temple is the first public temple event of President Nelson’s administration, it seems to be a given conclusion that he will preside at this event, if only the first one or two sessions. Since this temple is in the Salt Lake Valley, it seems entirely likely that several Church leaders will be in attendance at this event.

Second half of 2018:
July: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed; official date confirmation pending)
Sunday October 28: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160th operating temple; confirmed)
Sunday December 9: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161st operating temple; date has been officially confirmed)

Final note on 2018: I have heard that 2018 could potentially be a big year for groundbreakings of temples currently announced. Since we have had information about the site location and artist’s rendering of the Bangkok Thailand Temple, I am watching for news of a groundbreaking there. Additionally, I have heard in passing that members in Harare Zimbabwe and Nairobi Kenya have been advised of the location of the sites for the temples announced in those cities. If the Church confirms those locations in the near future, both of those temples could potentially have a groundbreaking later this year as well. We also have seen site confirmations for the temples in Brasilia Brazil, Urdaneta Philippines and the second temple in Manila, with a likely location also identified for the Pocatello Idaho Temple. And with the fact that the contractor for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple said in March of last year that a year of pre-planning would be needed for that temple, it may not be long before we have official confirmation of the site for that temple. It will be interesting indeed to see how many of these temples actually have a groundbreaking later this year.

First half of 2019:
Mid-February: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication
Sunday March 10-Sunday March 17: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (162nd operating temple; confirmed)
Mid-April: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication
Mid-to-late April: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (163rd operating temple)
Early-to-mid May: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication
Mid-to-late May: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (164th operating temple)
Early-to-mid June: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (165th operating temple)
Second half of 2019:
Early-to-mid August: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication
Mid-to-late August: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication
Mid-September: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166th operating temple)
Mid-to-late October: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication
Mid-November: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167th operating temple)
Mid-December: Oakland California Temple Rededication
Note: While this temple’s rededication is anticipated before the end of 2019, if its’ renovation process is delayed for any reason, then that would push its’ rededication into 2020.

Final note on 2019: As with 2018, I have heard that 2019 could potentially be another big year for temple groundbreakings. If that proves to be the case, there will be other temple-related events to add to this list for subsequent years.
                       
First half of 2020:
Mid-March: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (168th operating temple)
Mid-to-late April: Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Dedication (169th operating temple)
Mid-May: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170th operating temple)
Early-to-mid June: .Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication
Mid-September: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededicatiom
Mid-December: Washington DC Temple Rededication

2021:
Mid-to-late April: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Rededication

Final note: If, as noted above, several temples have a groundbreaking during the next two years, that in turn would necessitate adding their completion estimates to the list above. I continue to monitor all temple-related developments and will pass news of them along as I receive word of them.

Lengths of Addresses Given By the Apostles During the April 2018 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! As long-time readers of this blog might recall, shortly after each General Conference of the Church, I take some time to look at the lengths of each talk given by the apostles of the Church (including those given by members of the First Presidency), and I then post the results of that research on this blog. Having looked at that information for this last General Conference, I am pleased to bring you the information below.

I did want to note something interesting that struck me as General Conference concluded: Although President Nelson only gave addresses in 3 of the 5 sessions, the fact that he spoke twice during the Priesthood Session and Sunday Afternoon Session (once in each to introduce new policies and practices, and a main address at the end of each session) meant that his 5 total addresses matched the number of addresses typically given by a Church president in most General Conferences. So that was amazing.

The information I have assembled follows. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will conclude now as I always do. 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.


20:48—President Russell M. Nelson (SUM)
17:40—Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (SUA)
17:35—President Dallin H. Oaks (SUM)
17:02—President Henry B. Eyring (SUM)
16:04—Elder Neil L. Andersen (SAM)
16:01—President Dallin H. Oaks (SPH)
16:01—Elder David A. Bednar (SAA)
15:53—President Henry B. Eyring (SPH)
15:29—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (SUA)
15:04—Elder Quentin L. Cook (SUA)
15:07—Elder Gary E. Stevenson (SAM)
14:43—Elder Dale G. Renlund (SAA)
14:29—President M. Russell Ballard (SAM)
14:28—President Russell M. Nelson (SPH; main address)
13:35—Elder Ronald A. Rasband (SPH)
13:19—Elder D. Todd Christofferson (SPH)
12:10—President Dallin H. Oaks (SAA; Sustaining Other Church Officers)
11:03—President Henry B. Eyring (SAM; Solemn Assembly)
6:01—President Russell M. Nelson (SUA; concluding address)
5:24—Elder Ulisses Soares (SUA)
4:56—Elder Gerrit W. Gong (SUA)
3:39—President Russell M. Nelson (SPH; Priesthood Quorum Announcement)
2:15—President Russell M. Nelson (SUA; Ministering Announcement)


Church News Provides Summary of General Conference Talks

Hello again, everyone! While I was pleased to be able to report late last night that the transcripts of the talks given during General Conference are now available for us to study, as we have been invited by President Nelson to do, I recognize that there are many of my readers that, due to daily obligations, may not always have time to read a full address from General Conference.

For any of you who fit that description, I wanted to pass along this document, which provides summaries of each address given during General Conference. These summaries encapsulate the key elements of those addresses, and get right to the heart of what was said by every speaker. I am happy to recommend these summaries, along with the full transcripts, to which I posted a link last night.

In a world where so much is happening on a daily basis, it is wonderful indeed to consider how committed the Church News, and more particularly the Church itself, is to enable all of us to enjoy General Conference after it airs through a variety of methods.

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.

Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Moves Ahead of the Memphis Tennessee Temple

Hello again, everyone! I became aware a short while ago of information that points to the idea that the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple renovation process has progressed sufficiently swiftly enough that it will be the second temple rededicated during 2019, taking the spot once held by the Memphis Tennessee Temple. This is an interesting development, to be sure, which I am doing my best to analyze in terms of how and if that will necessitate yet another change in the estimates I have provided, and will have the results of that analysis ASAP.

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.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

General Conference Talks Transcripts Are Now Available

Hello again, everyone! I just learned that the transcripts of all General Conference talks are now available. Since we have been invited by President Nelson to study those frequently, I wanted to note that those talks ca be reviewed here. I hope that all of us will take advantage of the invitation from our prophet, especially since the conference we just enjoyed last weekend was so historic.

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 Current Number of General Authority Seventies

Hello again, everyone! In the comments made in response to my post highlighting the changes in general Church leadership that were announced by President Oaks at the beginning of the Saturday Afternoon Session, the observation was made that he may have been in error on the number of current General Authorities.

President Oaks had stated there were 116 currently serving General Authorities. What that means is that, in addition to those 25 men who serve in the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Presidency of the Seventy, and Presiding Bishopric, there should be 91 General Authority Seventies. Some pointed out that the list they keep only has 90 men listed. In checking my own list, I discovered that there are indeed 91 men serving as General Authority Seventies, which means that President Oaks was correct in saying there are now 116 men serving as General Authorities.

In order to verify that number, and to comply with Blogger formats, the easiest way in which I could share my list is to copy and paste the latest version of my list. It is divided into 3 columns and 10 full rows, with the final man on an additional row.

Before setting the context for this list, I should mention a couple of things: The last Deseret News Church Almanac (the 2013 edition) listed the numbering of the men who served in the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy as two separate groups, and numbered each according to the date on which these men were called to the Seventy. Generally that involved an alphabetical list by those dates, but there have been a few exceptions.

I also fully recognize that more men than are listed here have served in the First and Seccond Quorums of the Seventy. The numbering here reflects the dates of call for all of those serving currently, and any numbers and names not appearing on this list are not included for the reasons outlined above.

Additionally, until 2016, when the Church stopped publicly announcing to which Quorums newly-called Brethren were assigned, since a Quorum affiliation and distinction had been announced for all other Brethren called between 1994 and 2015, those called to the First and Second Quorums during that time are not listed in full alphabetical order, but first by Quorum assignment, then in alphabetical order within those Quorums. It may not be a perfect system, but it has worked for me.

When updating that list following General Conference, I realized (primarily because my own laptop is unbootable at the moment and because I had to retrieve this information from an old copy, which I subsequently updated) had many men on there that are now either in the Presidency of the Seventy, have been granted emeritus status, have passed away, or, in one case (James J. Hamula), had been excommunicated. I checked and double-checked the list to ensure that it was accurate, and unless I happened to overlook one man that should have been removed, I am reasonably confident in its' accuracy. That list follows below.

So as not to disturb the flow of it, I will end now as I always do. 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.


General Authority Seventies
Please note that the following General Authority Seventies are in the Presidency of the Seventy: 7; 37; 42; 52; 59; 68; 77
1. Claudio Roberto Mendez Costa
General Authority Seventy since April 1994; sustained to First Quorum in April 2001.
Presidency of the Seventy August 2007-August 2011.
5. Richard John Maynes
General Authority Seventy since April 1997; sustained to First Quorum in April 2001; Presidency of the Seventy January 2012-.August 2017.
4.  Lynn Grant Robbins
General Authority Seventy since April 1997; sustained to First Quorum in April 2000; Presidency of the Seventy April 2014-August 2018.

6. Donald Larry Hallstrom
General Authority Seventy since April 2000; Presidency of the Seventy April 2009-August 2017.
9. Christoffel Golden Jr.
General Authority Seventy since April 2001.
10. Walter Fermín Gonzalez
General Authority Seventy since April 2001.
Presidency of Seventy October 2007-January 2013.

11. Steven Erastus Snow
General Authority Seventy since April 2001. Presidency of the August 2007-January 2012.
12. Craig Cloward Christensen
General Authority Seventy since October 2002; sustained to the First Quorum in April 2008; Presidency of the Seventy August 2012-August 2018.
13. Mervyn Bennion Arnold
General Authority Seventy since April 2003.
14. Benjamin De Hoyos
General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
15. David Frewin Evans
General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
14. Benjamin De Hoyos
General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
15. David Frewin Evans
General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
16. Cecil Scott Grow
General Authority Seventy since April 2005.

17. Paul Vere Johnson
General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
18. Paul Bowen Pieper
General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
19. David Steward Baxter
General Authority Seventy since April 2006.

20. Shayne Martell Bowen
General Authority Seventy since April 2006.
22. Marcus Bell Nash
General Authority Seventy since April 2006.
23. Anthony Duane Perkins
General Authority Seventy since April 2006.

24. Craig Allan Cardon
General Authority Seventy since April 2006.
29. Enrique Rienzi Salvator Falabella
General Authority Seventy since April 2007.
30. Erich Willi Horst Kopischke
General Authority Seventy since April 2007.

31. Michael John Uy Teh
General Authority Seventy since April 2007.
32. Claudio Daniel Zivic
General Authority Seventy since April 2007.
33. Marcus Anthony Aidukaitis
General Authority Seventy since April 2008

35. Lawrence Edward Corbridge
General Authority Seventy since April 2008.
36. Eduardo Gavarret
General Authority Seventy since April 2008.
39. Allan Forrest Packer
General Authority Seventy since April 2008.

40. Kevin Wayne Pearson
General Authority Seventy since April 2008.
41. Rafael Eduardo Pino
General Authority Seventy since April 2008.
44. Jorge Hernando Zeballos
General Authority Seventy since April 2008.

45. Yoon Hwan Choi
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
46. Brent Hatch Nielson
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
48. Michael Tally Ringwood
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.

49. Joseph Wafula Sitati
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
45. Wilford Wayne Andersen
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
48. Bradley Duane Foster
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.

47. James Boyd Martino
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
49. Gregory Allan Schwitzer
General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
50. Kevin Read Duncan
General Authority Seventy since April 2010.

53. Juan Alberto Uceda
General Authority Seventy since Apr 2010; Presidency of the Seventy August 2017-August 2018.

57. Jose Luis Alonso
General Authority Seventy since April 2011.
58. Ian Sidney Ardern
General Authority Seventy since April 2011.

60. LeGrand Raine Curtis Jr.
General Authority Seventy since April 2011
62. Kazuhiko Yamashita
General Authority Seventy since April 2011.
63. Randall Kay Bennett
General Authority Seventy since April 2011.

64. John Devn Cornish
General Authority Seventy since April 2011
65. Otto Vincent Haleck
General Authority Seventy since April 2011.
66. Larry Young Wilson
General Authority Seventy since April 2011.

67. Larry Echo Hawk
General Authority Seventy since April 2012.
69. Scott Duane Whiting
General Authority Seventy since April 2012.
70. Edward Dube
General Authority Seventy since April 2013.

71. Stanley Gifford Nielsen
General Authority Seventy since April 2013.
72. Arnulfo Valenzuela
General Authority Seventy since April 2013.
73. Timothy John Dyches
General Authority Seventy since April 2013.

74. Randy Dennis Funk
General Authority Seventy since April 2013.
75. Kevin Scott Hamilton
General Authority Seventy since April 2013.
76. Adrian Ochoa Quintana
General Authority Seventy since April 2013.

78. Chi Hong (Sam) Wong
General Authority Seventy since April 2014.
79. Jörg Klebingat
General Authority Seventy since April 2014.
80. Larry S. Kacher
General Authority Seventy since April 2014.

81. Hugo E. Martinez
General Authority Seventy since April 2014.
82. Kim Bryce Clark
General Authority Seventy since April 2015.
83. Allen Decker Haynie
General Authority Seventy since April 2015.

85. Hugo Montoya
General Authority Seventy since April 2015.
86. Vern Perry Stanfill
General Authority Seventy since April 2015.
87. William Mark Bassett
General Authority Seventy since April 2016

88. Mark Allyn Bragg
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
89. William Weatherford Touchstone Clayton
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
89. Valeri Vladimir Cordón Orellana
General Authority Seventy since April 2016

90. Joaquin Esteban Costa
General Authority Seventy since April 2016. 
91. Massimo De Feo
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
92. Peter Fletcher Meurs
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.

93. Kevin Brett Nattress
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
94. Stanley Mark Palmer
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
95. Gary Byron Sabin            
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.

96. Evan Antoine Schmutz
General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
97. Taylor Guillermo Godoy Atanacio
General Authority Seventy since April 2017.
98. Joni Luiz Koch
General Authority Seventy since April 2017.

99. Adilson de Paula Parrella
General Authority Seventy since April 2017.
100. John Cannon Pingree Jr.
General Authority Seventy since April 2017.
101. Brian King Taylor
General Authority Seventy since April 2017.

102. Taniela Biu Wakolo
General Authority Seventy since April 2017.
103. Steven R. Bangerter
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.
104. Matthew L. Carpenter
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.

105. Jack N. Gerard
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.
106. Mathias Held
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.
107. David P. Homer
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.

108. Kyle S. McKay
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.
109. Juan Pablo Villar
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.
110. Takashi Wada
General Authority Seventy since April 2018.





Monday, April 2, 2018

Apology for Not Posting Latest Apostolic Statistics

Hello again, everyone! As some of you might recall, I indicated prior to General Conference that I would be waiting until General Conference Sunday to post an update on the latest apostolic statistics so that I could take the information about new apostles into account when getting that update done.

As you also probably know, I did not wind up following through on that promise. Things have been a little crazy lately, and with all of the General Conference developments that needed to be more of a priority to report on this blog, that never wound up occurring. I will do my level best to get that report up on this blog next Sunday.

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.

Yet Another Theory About the Layout of the General Women's Session Next October

Hello again, everyone! As most of you might recall, I have offered a couple of different theories over the last little while regarding how the layout of the Women's Session might change based on the fact that that sessi on will now be held two hours following the Saturday Afternoon Session of General Conference every October.

To recap those theories, I first offered my opinion that we might hear from a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during that session in addition to whichever member of the First Presidency was assigned to speak that night.

Then, I later offered my new theory that the Church president and one of his counselors (which would rotate) will be speaking during that session along with the auxiliary presidency members. That theory was based on another theory that the length of the Women's Session would be extended to 1 hour and 45 minutes, to match the length of the Priesthood Session. But we subsequently learned that the Priesthood Session was only scheduled to be 90 minutes in length, which, by extension, would be the length of the Women's Session as well.

But during this weekend's Priesthood Session, it wound up lasting around 2 hours, and if the same thing occurs in October, the Women's Session will wind up being half an hour longer than anticipated.

This brings me to the newest theory I have. Whether or not a member of the Quorum of the Twelve is asked to speak during that session (the jury is still out on that), I now believe that the Women's Session will involve addresses from all members of the First Presidency, which would match what has traditionally occurred for the Priesthood Session.

And that, in turn, would eliminate the need to find another time in one of the other sessions during which any members of the First Presidency that do not speak during the Women's Session could give an additional address (as the counselors in the First Presidency usually speak at least twice, while one of them also leads the Sustaining of Church leaders).

It will be interesting to see what happens in that regard. And whatever does occur, you can count on my reporting 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.

Progress Reported on the Renovation Process for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple

Hello again, everyone! Either just prior to or during the General Conference weekend, I became aware of an update that has been provided on the renovation process for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple. The newest information I have found indicates that plywood panels are being attached to the temple's exterior.

While there have not been any other temple updates to report at this time. it is worth noting that, although it has not been confirmed, there is reason to believe that the exterior looks of both the Baton Rouge Louisiana and Asuncion Paraguay Temples will be the same as that for the Memphis Tennessee, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, and Raleigh North Carolina Temples.

As I have previously noted, it appears that all temples originally dedicated in the late 1990s-early 2000s have been and will be given the same overhaul in their exterior appearances. That said, if local styles dictate otherwise, that will be a factor into such changes in the future.

Whatever might occur in terms of ongoing temple developments, rest assured that I am keeping my eyes open for all such updates, and I will be sure to pass those along as I am able to going 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.