Hello again, everyone! I am posting again now because I have, as I may have previously mentioned, been going over many of my files that contain different data about those in leadership positions on either a general or area level. And in that regard, a couple of thoughts hit me about some unprecedented things that are happening with the current and future membership of that presidency. So let's talk about all of that right now.
First, as I noted, I found it significant that the Church not only called replacements for Elders Gong and Soares following their calls to the Twelve, but that the First Presidency presented three other changes in the Presidency of the Seventy that will be effective on August 1 for sustaining vote as well. This is the first time that I can recall the First Presidency asking for an advanced sustaining vote for changes that would not be effective for another 4 months following that vote.
Connected to that are three other thoughts. One of the three that will be released in August is Elder Juan A. Uceda, who, as some of you may be aware, was only called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy last August, which means his release is effective after only year in that assignment. It would appear that the Church is releasing him so he can then take an assignment as the new president of the Central America Area. So it occurred to me to wonder whether that new assignment might enable him to convince the Nicaraguan government to let the Church get a quick start on the temple that has been announced for the capital city of Managua.
The second of those three thoughts is that, once the August 1 changes are effective, 4 of the 7 members will have been born outside the United States. Elder Kearon was born in England, Elder Vinson in Australia, Elder Teixeira in Portugal, and Elder Godoy in Brazil.
And the final of the three thoughts I had is that, with Senior President Elder L. Whitney Clayton now being 67 years old, if there are no other changes in the Presidency by 2020, then his being released and granted emeritus status will leave Elder Patrick Kearon as the Senior President.
I looked back as far as I could into the history of the Senior Presidents of the Seventy, and, as far as I can tell, if Elder Kearon is called as Senior President at that time, he would become the first Senior President of the Seventy born outside the US. If there has been another foreign-born Senior President of which any of you might be aware, please let me know.
It is also significant to me that, with the exception of Elder Clayton, all other members of the Presidency of the Seventy will have served for a year or less as of August 1. That is a pretty significant turnover.
I have also been wondering a lot lately about the specific assignments that will be given to the Presidency of the Seventy in August after they are relieved of the responsibility to oversee the Church's North American Areas. I know that prior to the 2004 decision to give the Presidency oversight of those North American Areas, they were executive directors of various Church departments.When they were given the area assignments, the responsibility to serve as executive directors of the Church departments, which had rested with the Presidency of the Seventy, was given to General Authority Seventies. I look forward to seeing what will happen there.
And to round out these thoughts about the Presidency of the Seventy, I wanted to share some data on the Presidency of the Seventy as it will be constituted in August of this year. The data relates to the number of talks each of those 7 men have given in General Conference, and how recently they have spoken. So let's go into all of that.
Elders Robert C. Gay and Terence M. Vinson are the two members of the Presidency that have only given one address in General Conference, in response to their calls as General Authorities. Elder Gay spoke in the Saturday Afternoon Session of the October 2012 General Conference, and Elder Vinson first spoke in the Sunday Afternoon Session of General Conference one year later. For that reason, I believe that the two will be asked to speak during the next General Conference.
Elders Carlos A. Godoy and Jose A. Teixeira were among the first group of General Authorities called during President Monson's presidency, and they have each spoken twice in General Conference. Elder Godoy last spoke in General Conference during the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 2014 General Conference, and six months later, Elder Teixeira had his second opportunity to speak during the Sunday Morning Session of that conference.
Elder Patrick Kearon was called as a General Authority in April 2010, and Elder Carl B. Cook's call as a General Authority came one year later. Both have spoken twice in General Conference as well, with Elder Kearon last doing so in the Sunday Afternoon Session of the April 2016 General Conference, and Elder Cook having done so in the same session six months later.
The final member of the Presidency of the Seventy is, of course, Elder L. Whitney Clayton, who was called as a General Authority during the April 2001 General Conference, and who became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy 7 years later, filling the vacancy in that Presidency that was caused by Elder Christofferson's call to the apostleship.
Elder Clayton has given 7 addresses in his 17 years as a General Authority. 5 of those 7 have been given since his call to the Presidency of the Seventy. And of the 5 addresses, only 1 has been given since his call as Senior President of the Seventy, although he had given an address in the April 2017 General Conference, which occurred six months prior to his call as Senior President.
As I have noted in other posts, it will be interesting to find out if the Church will now only have one member of the Presidency of the Seventy speak in each General Conference. But if I had to make a guess, I would venture my opinion that two members will speak during General Conference next October, and that those two will likely, as noted above, be Elders Gay and Vinson.
This concludes the thoughts I wanted to share about the Presidency of the Seventy, so 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.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Some Thoughts on the Presidency of the Seventy
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Update Provided for the Durban South Africa Temple; Mormon Newsroom Reports on President Nelson's Visit to Zimbabwe
Hello again, everyone! This post will cover two topics: an update on the construction of the Durban South Africa Temple and Mormon Newsroom's report on President Nelson's visit to Zimbabwe. Let's get right into all of that.
First of all, the last update we had for the Durban South Africa Temple was posted just under one month ago. At that time, I noted that the process of attaching the precast concrete panels was ongoing, and that first floor drywall was being hung, while roof trusses were being set for the adjacent missionary housing facility.
Then today, a few sources I had available for temple updates noted that the east-side concrete panels were being stitched at their joints, while wall brackets are going in on the north and west sides. In the meantime, the process of hanging drywall is ongoing, and the exterior of the missionary housing facility is being painted.
It was wonderful to hear of this temple's progress, since, as I have previously mentioned, my mother is very familiar with Durban. I do not see anything in that update that would warrant moving the general or more specific completion estimate for that temple up further, but it is wonderful to have heard of these developments.
Moving on to the second topic I wanted to cover, there is a reason why we did not hear anything yesterday about President Nelson's time in Zimbabwe. It appears that, while a member meeting was held in Nairobi, the gathering for Harare was a devotional rather than a member meeting, which accounts for the delay in reports on what was said during that time.
Mormon Newsroom shared this report of that devotional, which was attended by a media representative from Zimbabwe, who shared his reaction to hearing President Nelson's message. It is well worth reading, and I commend it to you with my full endorsement.
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.
First of all, the last update we had for the Durban South Africa Temple was posted just under one month ago. At that time, I noted that the process of attaching the precast concrete panels was ongoing, and that first floor drywall was being hung, while roof trusses were being set for the adjacent missionary housing facility.
Then today, a few sources I had available for temple updates noted that the east-side concrete panels were being stitched at their joints, while wall brackets are going in on the north and west sides. In the meantime, the process of hanging drywall is ongoing, and the exterior of the missionary housing facility is being painted.
It was wonderful to hear of this temple's progress, since, as I have previously mentioned, my mother is very familiar with Durban. I do not see anything in that update that would warrant moving the general or more specific completion estimate for that temple up further, but it is wonderful to have heard of these developments.
Moving on to the second topic I wanted to cover, there is a reason why we did not hear anything yesterday about President Nelson's time in Zimbabwe. It appears that, while a member meeting was held in Nairobi, the gathering for Harare was a devotional rather than a member meeting, which accounts for the delay in reports on what was said during that time.
Mormon Newsroom shared this report of that devotional, which was attended by a media representative from Zimbabwe, who shared his reaction to hearing President Nelson's message. It is well worth reading, and I commend it to you with my full endorsement.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Some Preliminary Thoughts and Questions About the October 2018 General Conference
Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again right now to throw out some preliminary thoughts and questions I have been considering about the October 2018 General Conference. Your input on this would be appreciated.
1. I have gone back and forth with my thoughts on the potential layout of the Women's Session. There has been a lot to consider, such as the following questions:
a. The Church originally noted that the Priesthood Session for the April 2018 General Conference would run around 1.5 hours, but it actually ran for nearly 2 hours, which was its' standard length before President Monson started doing shorter addresses in 2015. With that in mind, is it likely that the Women's Session will be that long?
b. It has been customary for at least one member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to speak during the Priesthood Session. Would it be safe to assume that will also be true for the Women's Session each October?
c. The entire First Presidency has traditionally spoken to conclude the Priesthood Session. Would that also be the case for the Women's Session, or might the Church continue the established tradition of only having one First Presidency member speak?
d. If only one First Presidency member does speak during the Women's Session, how might that affect the typical patterns by which First Presidency members have typically spoken (with the Church President generally giving 4 or 5 addresses, and each of his counselors giving 2 or 3 talks, one of which will be for the Sustaining of Church Officers).
d. Would the Church opt to have any other leaders speak during the Women's Session, or is it likely that only three female auxiliary members, the First Presidency member(s) and/or a member of the Quorum of the Twelve speak?
2. If the Church does not opt to have a member of the Quorum of the Twelve speak during the Women's Session, how might the number of apostles speaking in each session change? (We have typically seen 2 during the Saturday Morning Session, 4 on Saturday Afternoon, 1 in the Priesthood Session, 2 on Sunday Morning, and the final 3 in the Sunday Afternoon Session.)
3. Since both of President Nelson's counselors led a portion of the Sustaining of Church Officers (with President Eyring leading the Solemn Assembly, and President Oaks presenting the other changes), which of the two might potentially lead that sustaining vote in October? I have felt it will likely be President Eyring, and my reason for saying that is that President Oaks (in my opinion) did very well reading the long list of Area Seventy changes, so he may continue to do so each April, when most of those changes are announced, leaving President Eyring to lead the October sustaining vote, which, by comparison, generally sees far less area seventy changes to present.
3. The Church has typically had 2 members of the Presidency of the Seventy speak during each General Conference. In October of 2017, two that were in the Presidency but had been released at the beginning of the previous August spoke, and both in April of last year and this year, only one member of the Presidency spoke. Is one the new normal now?
4. The Church has seemed to be giving the general auxiliary presidency members more opportunities to speak regularly in General Conference. In April 2017, only two general officers spoke. Last October, we heard from 4 general officers, and in this last conference, 5 general officers spoke to us. Might the Church continue to allow its' general officers more opportunities to speak? And would the fact that the General Women's Session is being held in October affect the number of other general officers who speak during the other four sessions?
5. In my preliminary efforts to put together the predictions for next October, is there anything I need to keep in mind regarding the general authority seventies who might potentially be asked to speak? I know we will likely hear from 4 of the 8 new General Authorities called, and I have taken a look at other General Authority Seventies who either have not yet given a second address, or who have not spoken in General Conference within the last 5 years or so, and I want to be sure I am not overlooking anything.
It is interesting to consider how much the April General Conference altered what has been typical patterns in previous General Conferences. It was what it needed to be, of course, but these questions are interesting to consider. I look forward to your feedback.
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.
1. I have gone back and forth with my thoughts on the potential layout of the Women's Session. There has been a lot to consider, such as the following questions:
a. The Church originally noted that the Priesthood Session for the April 2018 General Conference would run around 1.5 hours, but it actually ran for nearly 2 hours, which was its' standard length before President Monson started doing shorter addresses in 2015. With that in mind, is it likely that the Women's Session will be that long?
b. It has been customary for at least one member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to speak during the Priesthood Session. Would it be safe to assume that will also be true for the Women's Session each October?
c. The entire First Presidency has traditionally spoken to conclude the Priesthood Session. Would that also be the case for the Women's Session, or might the Church continue the established tradition of only having one First Presidency member speak?
d. If only one First Presidency member does speak during the Women's Session, how might that affect the typical patterns by which First Presidency members have typically spoken (with the Church President generally giving 4 or 5 addresses, and each of his counselors giving 2 or 3 talks, one of which will be for the Sustaining of Church Officers).
d. Would the Church opt to have any other leaders speak during the Women's Session, or is it likely that only three female auxiliary members, the First Presidency member(s) and/or a member of the Quorum of the Twelve speak?
2. If the Church does not opt to have a member of the Quorum of the Twelve speak during the Women's Session, how might the number of apostles speaking in each session change? (We have typically seen 2 during the Saturday Morning Session, 4 on Saturday Afternoon, 1 in the Priesthood Session, 2 on Sunday Morning, and the final 3 in the Sunday Afternoon Session.)
3. Since both of President Nelson's counselors led a portion of the Sustaining of Church Officers (with President Eyring leading the Solemn Assembly, and President Oaks presenting the other changes), which of the two might potentially lead that sustaining vote in October? I have felt it will likely be President Eyring, and my reason for saying that is that President Oaks (in my opinion) did very well reading the long list of Area Seventy changes, so he may continue to do so each April, when most of those changes are announced, leaving President Eyring to lead the October sustaining vote, which, by comparison, generally sees far less area seventy changes to present.
3. The Church has typically had 2 members of the Presidency of the Seventy speak during each General Conference. In October of 2017, two that were in the Presidency but had been released at the beginning of the previous August spoke, and both in April of last year and this year, only one member of the Presidency spoke. Is one the new normal now?
4. The Church has seemed to be giving the general auxiliary presidency members more opportunities to speak regularly in General Conference. In April 2017, only two general officers spoke. Last October, we heard from 4 general officers, and in this last conference, 5 general officers spoke to us. Might the Church continue to allow its' general officers more opportunities to speak? And would the fact that the General Women's Session is being held in October affect the number of other general officers who speak during the other four sessions?
5. In my preliminary efforts to put together the predictions for next October, is there anything I need to keep in mind regarding the general authority seventies who might potentially be asked to speak? I know we will likely hear from 4 of the 8 new General Authorities called, and I have taken a look at other General Authority Seventies who either have not yet given a second address, or who have not spoken in General Conference within the last 5 years or so, and I want to be sure I am not overlooking anything.
It is interesting to consider how much the April General Conference altered what has been typical patterns in previous General Conferences. It was what it needed to be, of course, but these questions are interesting to consider. I look forward to your feedback.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Update Noted on the Status of the Arequipa Peru Temple
Hello again, everyone! I am back in the early-morning hours of April 17 to share newly-updated information which has been provided for the Arequipa Peru Temple. An update of which I have just become aware notes that the exterior is being clad with granite over the vapor barrier that was recently placed, and that curbing and surface parking are currently being poured. As I noted in previous posts, this temple's general completion estimate was pushed back into early 2020, which I anticipate will be among the first temple events held during that year.
It may also be of interest to some of you to know that, with April 6 of this year having come and gone, there are just under 12 years left between today's date and Saturday April 6, 2030, on which the Church will mark its' bicentennial anniversary. Whether or not an official goal is made to do so, I fully believe the Church will have a minimum of 200 temples in operation by or before that date.
The Church would simply need to complete the 30 temples currently in various stages of construction and announce and complete 11 others before that time. Since that is a total of 41 temples that would need to be dedicated in the 11.97 years between now and then, it could be done as long as around 3.43 temples are completed in every one of those years.
As also previously noted, while the Church will only be dedicating 2 temples this year, next year, we already have one temple dedication set, and 5 others are likely to be dedicated before the end of 2019 as well. And we have two more that are anticipated to be completed by early 2020. If full-scale construction begins in Winnipeg by the end of this month, that would be another potential dedication to factor in as well. And it is highly likely that at least one (but likely more) temples will have a groundbreaking this year as well, which would add to the number that might be completed in 2020 and in the years following.
This is an exciting time in which so much is happening in terms of temple news and developments. For my part, I will do my level best to stay on top of such developments and will pass them along to you all 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.
It may also be of interest to some of you to know that, with April 6 of this year having come and gone, there are just under 12 years left between today's date and Saturday April 6, 2030, on which the Church will mark its' bicentennial anniversary. Whether or not an official goal is made to do so, I fully believe the Church will have a minimum of 200 temples in operation by or before that date.
The Church would simply need to complete the 30 temples currently in various stages of construction and announce and complete 11 others before that time. Since that is a total of 41 temples that would need to be dedicated in the 11.97 years between now and then, it could be done as long as around 3.43 temples are completed in every one of those years.
As also previously noted, while the Church will only be dedicating 2 temples this year, next year, we already have one temple dedication set, and 5 others are likely to be dedicated before the end of 2019 as well. And we have two more that are anticipated to be completed by early 2020. If full-scale construction begins in Winnipeg by the end of this month, that would be another potential dedication to factor in as well. And it is highly likely that at least one (but likely more) temples will have a groundbreaking this year as well, which would add to the number that might be completed in 2020 and in the years following.
This is an exciting time in which so much is happening in terms of temple news and developments. For my part, I will do my level best to stay on top of such developments and will pass them along to you all as I receive them.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Monday, April 16, 2018
President Nelson and His Traveling Companions Share Important Messages with the Saints in Kenya
Hello again, everyone! During his visit to Kenya earlier today, President Nelson shared a message specifically directed to the people in attendance, which included thoughts about the importance of the Book of Mormon and how the Saints in attendance should prepare to receive the blessings of the temple (he particularly said that it is easier for Church leadership to prepare for and build a temple anywhere than it is to ensure that the people for whom the temple is being built are prepared for it by the time it is dedicated), He also indicated that he does not yet know how soon construction will begin on the Nairobi Kenya Temple, which was announced one year ago, but that he hoped the Saints who would hear and relay his message to others will ensure they are ready when the temple is dedicated.
He also gave a strong message: The practice of "bride price" should not be observed by those who have accepted the gospel. For those not aware, bride price is an arrangement wherein a prospective groom or his family will barter with the family of a prospective bride on a gift of either money or livestock for which the prospective groom will be able to marry the prospective bride. While there are many countries that still practice it, the idea is not, as President Nelson reminded those hearing his message, in keeping with the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That message has been shared before in nations that still observe the practice of bride price, but President Nelson obviously felt that it needed to be reiterated as the word of the Lord to the people hearing it. I like that he observed that he might have missed out on 5 of his 10 children if he had to barter for his first wife, since he was only debt-free when his final 5 came along.
President Nelson's visit to Kenya is significant, as he becomes only the second Church president to ever visit there (the first was, of course, President Hinckley, who, during his visit in 1998 (for which Elder Holland was also his traveling companion) first publicly prophesied of a day when a temple would be built in Nairobi. He said, "Don't count on [a temple announcement] for a few years, but it will be so." President Monson fulfilled that prophecy last year in announcing the temple proposed by his predecessor, and his successor, President Nelson, has now visited that nation to reiterate the importance of preparing for the temple that has been announced.
Elder Holland also stressed the importance of preparing for the temple, and that the Saints listening to or relaying these messages should prepare for, be worthy of, and retain a temple recommend, and should, as frequently as circumstances permit, attend the nearest temple until the one in Nairobi is dedicated.
Sister Nelson focused her remarks on three prophets of the Lord: Nephi, who, in the Book of Mormon, had faith to build a boat even though he had never done so before; the Prophet Joseph Smith, who, at a time when it had not been done before, envisioned the original Nauvoo Temple with circular windows, and who lived to see such windows installed for the temple prior to his martyrdom, and President Russell M. Nelson, who trusted the Lord's inspiration rather than the natural laws of medicine, which discouraged a practice he pioneered that is still in use by heart surgeons today. Her message was that the Lord's wisdom should be trusted and His voice obeyed, even when He inspires things that seem impossible.
And Sister Holland's address provided a personal perspective on the wonderful qualities President and Sister Nelson have. She particularly highlighted the maternal instinct she sees in Sister Nelson, that will now be felt Church-wide as she ministers by her husband's side, and that President Nelson speaks strongly but never harshly, having the Savior's gentleness and compassion.
It was wonderful to read of the great impact the visit and these messages had on the people of Kenya. You can find a more complete report of that meeting for Kenyan Church members here. I am grateful that President Nelson and his companions were able to spend some time with the Saints in Kenya, and I hope that many of you will find this report of their time there to be helpful.
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.
He also gave a strong message: The practice of "bride price" should not be observed by those who have accepted the gospel. For those not aware, bride price is an arrangement wherein a prospective groom or his family will barter with the family of a prospective bride on a gift of either money or livestock for which the prospective groom will be able to marry the prospective bride. While there are many countries that still practice it, the idea is not, as President Nelson reminded those hearing his message, in keeping with the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That message has been shared before in nations that still observe the practice of bride price, but President Nelson obviously felt that it needed to be reiterated as the word of the Lord to the people hearing it. I like that he observed that he might have missed out on 5 of his 10 children if he had to barter for his first wife, since he was only debt-free when his final 5 came along.
President Nelson's visit to Kenya is significant, as he becomes only the second Church president to ever visit there (the first was, of course, President Hinckley, who, during his visit in 1998 (for which Elder Holland was also his traveling companion) first publicly prophesied of a day when a temple would be built in Nairobi. He said, "Don't count on [a temple announcement] for a few years, but it will be so." President Monson fulfilled that prophecy last year in announcing the temple proposed by his predecessor, and his successor, President Nelson, has now visited that nation to reiterate the importance of preparing for the temple that has been announced.
Elder Holland also stressed the importance of preparing for the temple, and that the Saints listening to or relaying these messages should prepare for, be worthy of, and retain a temple recommend, and should, as frequently as circumstances permit, attend the nearest temple until the one in Nairobi is dedicated.
Sister Nelson focused her remarks on three prophets of the Lord: Nephi, who, in the Book of Mormon, had faith to build a boat even though he had never done so before; the Prophet Joseph Smith, who, at a time when it had not been done before, envisioned the original Nauvoo Temple with circular windows, and who lived to see such windows installed for the temple prior to his martyrdom, and President Russell M. Nelson, who trusted the Lord's inspiration rather than the natural laws of medicine, which discouraged a practice he pioneered that is still in use by heart surgeons today. Her message was that the Lord's wisdom should be trusted and His voice obeyed, even when He inspires things that seem impossible.
And Sister Holland's address provided a personal perspective on the wonderful qualities President and Sister Nelson have. She particularly highlighted the maternal instinct she sees in Sister Nelson, that will now be felt Church-wide as she ministers by her husband's side, and that President Nelson speaks strongly but never harshly, having the Savior's gentleness and compassion.
It was wonderful to read of the great impact the visit and these messages had on the people of Kenya. You can find a more complete report of that meeting for Kenyan Church members here. I am grateful that President Nelson and his companions were able to spend some time with the Saints in Kenya, and I hope that many of you will find this report of their time there to be helpful.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
A Look at My Projected Table of Contents for the May 2018 Ensign
Hello again, everyone! Having reported yesterday on my predictions for General Conference, in accordance with my usual tradition, I wanted to note that I have put together a projection for what the table of contents might potentially look like.
There were a couple of challenges around which I had to navigate in order to prepare this. First, with the Women's Session not occurring one week before the remainder of General Conference, there will be some extra space in the magazine that would have otherwise been devoted to those addresses. The second is that the Solemn Assembly and Sustaining of Church Officers were done separately, so I had to figure out how to split that.
Another problem in putting this together was that the entire First Presidency spoke one after the other in the Sunday Morning Session in addition to their usual Priesthood Session addresses. Connected to that, of course, was the short introductory remarks President Nelson provided to make the major announcements in the Priesthood and Sunday Afternoon Sessions.
And with 5 of the 12 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaking in the final session of General Conference, there was that to consider as well. I also had to factor in how the lengths of the non-native English speakers might compare to those of their English-speaking counterparts.
Initially, I also considered putting the Statistical Report in its' traditional place within the Saturday Afternoon Session, but based on the fact that it wasn't read outloud during that time, it seemed safe to surmise that that report will likely appear at the back of the magazine with all other Church news.
With the many General Conference announcements and leadership changes, it also seemed safe to assume that that traditional Church news section in the back of the magazine will likely be longer than it has traditionally been. I cannot say for sure this will happen, but it would not surprise me in any way at all if this General Conference En sign has more than the 144 pages that has been traditional for the May edition each year.
With all of that in mind, and noting that it will likely turn out that my version of this might not be anywhere near what the actual table of contents for this Ensign will turn out to be, the version below represents my best-researched efforts to put it together. Hope you enjoy reading these thoughts on the subject.
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.
There were a couple of challenges around which I had to navigate in order to prepare this. First, with the Women's Session not occurring one week before the remainder of General Conference, there will be some extra space in the magazine that would have otherwise been devoted to those addresses. The second is that the Solemn Assembly and Sustaining of Church Officers were done separately, so I had to figure out how to split that.
Another problem in putting this together was that the entire First Presidency spoke one after the other in the Sunday Morning Session in addition to their usual Priesthood Session addresses. Connected to that, of course, was the short introductory remarks President Nelson provided to make the major announcements in the Priesthood and Sunday Afternoon Sessions.
And with 5 of the 12 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaking in the final session of General Conference, there was that to consider as well. I also had to factor in how the lengths of the non-native English speakers might compare to those of their English-speaking counterparts.
Initially, I also considered putting the Statistical Report in its' traditional place within the Saturday Afternoon Session, but based on the fact that it wasn't read outloud during that time, it seemed safe to surmise that that report will likely appear at the back of the magazine with all other Church news.
With the many General Conference announcements and leadership changes, it also seemed safe to assume that that traditional Church news section in the back of the magazine will likely be longer than it has traditionally been. I cannot say for sure this will happen, but it would not surprise me in any way at all if this General Conference En sign has more than the 144 pages that has been traditional for the May edition each year.
With all of that in mind, and noting that it will likely turn out that my version of this might not be anywhere near what the actual table of contents for this Ensign will turn out to be, the version below represents my best-researched efforts to put it together. Hope you enjoy reading these thoughts on the subject.
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.
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Session
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Page
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Title
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Speaker
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|
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2
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Conference Summary for the 188th Annual
General Conference
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|
|
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4
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Highlights from the 188th Annual General
Conference
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|
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SAM
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6
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Solemn Assembly
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President Henry B. Eyring
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|
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9
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Precious Gifts from God
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President M. Russell Ballard
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|
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13
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Am I a Child of God?
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Elder Brian K. Taylor
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|
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16
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Even As Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye
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Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk
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|
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19
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The Heart of a Prophet
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Elder Gary E. Stevenson
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|
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23
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Until Seventy Times Seven
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Elder Lynn G. Robbins
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|
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26
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The Prophet of God
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Elder Neil L. Andersen
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SAA
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30
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The Sustaining of Church Officers
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President Dallin H. Oaks
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|
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32
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Church Auditing Department Report, 2017
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Robert W. Cantwell
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|
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33
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Meek and Lowly of Heart
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Elder David A. Bednar
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|
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37
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One More Day
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Elder Taylor G. Godoy
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|
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39
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Young Women in the Work
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Bonnie L. Oscarson
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|
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42
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Saving Ordinances Will Bring Us Marvelous Light
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Elder Taniela B. Wakolo
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|
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45
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Teaching in the Home—a Joyful and Sacred Responsibility
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Devin G. Durrant
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|
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48
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Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing
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Elder Dale G. Renlund
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SPH
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52
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What Every Aaronic Priesthood Holder Needs to
Understand
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Douglas D. Holmes
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|
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55
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Introductory Remarks
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President Russell M. Nelson
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|
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56
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The Elders’ Quorum
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Elder D. Todd Christofferson
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|
|
59
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Behold! A Royal Army
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Elder Ronald A. Rasband
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|
|
62
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Inspired Ministering
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President Henry B. Eyring
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|
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65
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The Powers of the Priesthood
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President Dallin H. Oaks
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|
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68
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Ministering with the Power and Authority of God
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President Russell M. Nelson
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SUM
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76
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Take the Holy Spirit As Your Guide
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Elder Larry Y. Wilson
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|
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79
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With One Accord
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Reyna I. Aburto
|
|
|
82
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Pure Love: the Sign of Every True Disciple
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Elder Massimo De Feo
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|
|
85
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He That Shall Endure unto the End, the Same Shall Be
Saved
|
Elder Claudio D. Zivic
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|
|
88
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His Spirit to Be with You
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President Henry B. Eyring
|
|
|
92
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Small and Simple Things
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President Dallin H. Oaks
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|
|
96
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Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives
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President Russell M. Nelson
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|
SUA
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101
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Christ the Lord is Risen Today
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Elder Gerrit W. Gong
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|
|
103
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Prophets Speak by the Power of the Holy Spirit
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Elder Ulisses Soares
|
|
|
105
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Ministering
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President Russell M. Nelson
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|
|
106
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Be With and Strengthen Them
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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
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|
|
110
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Ministering as the Savior Does
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Jean B. Bingham
|
|
|
113
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Behold the Man!
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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
|
|
|
117
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It Is All about People
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Bishop Gerald Causse
|
|
|
120
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Prepare to Meet God
|
Elder Quentin L. Cook
|
|
|
124
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Let Us All Press On
|
President Russell M. Nelson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
72
|
General Authorities and General Officers of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
|
|
|
|
126
|
They Spoke to Us: Making Conference Part of Our Lives
|
|
|
|
128
|
Conference Story Index
|
|
|
|
129
|
News of the Church (including new leader biographies, an
overview of the announced policy and practice changes, new temples, and any
other general Church news)
|
|
|
|
144
|
Last Page of Conference Ensign
|
|
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Confirmation Provided for the Temporary Closure of the Edmonton Alberta Temple
Hello again, everyone! Some of you might recall that an anonymous comment on this blog just before General Conference suggested that the Edmonton Alberta Temple would be closing for several months later this year. At the time, because it had not been officially or even unofficially confirmed, many, /myself included, commented to note that until such confirmation was provided, the report could not be substantiated.
At some point today, a few of the sources I have available did note the confirmation of the closure details that were previously shared here. The temple closure is set to occur from June 23-November 6, 2018, for renovation and repairs that will be focused mainly on the baptistry. It would appear that news of this closure was sent to the Edmonton Saints via a First Presidency letter on February 8 of this year, and that patrons will be accommodated at other operating temples, including the one in Calgary.
The material problem I (and others) expressed when this closure was mentioned in an earlier comment on this blog was that it had not been officially verified through any sources in the public domain. But clearly, members in the area that would be affected would need more of an advanced notice than the rest of us.
So that information has now been confirmed. Until that confirmation occurred, those of us unconnected to this temple had only the word of the individual who commented on this blog on that subject, which is why it was difficult for myself (and likely many of you as well) to believe until it was confirmed by sources that are in the public domain.
I should also note that the schedule for this temple on the official Church website has not yet been updated to reflect this closure, but that will likely occur in the coming days. For my part, I continue to monitor all temple-related developments and will do my best to bring you word of them as I receive it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
At some point today, a few of the sources I have available did note the confirmation of the closure details that were previously shared here. The temple closure is set to occur from June 23-November 6, 2018, for renovation and repairs that will be focused mainly on the baptistry. It would appear that news of this closure was sent to the Edmonton Saints via a First Presidency letter on February 8 of this year, and that patrons will be accommodated at other operating temples, including the one in Calgary.
The material problem I (and others) expressed when this closure was mentioned in an earlier comment on this blog was that it had not been officially verified through any sources in the public domain. But clearly, members in the area that would be affected would need more of an advanced notice than the rest of us.
So that information has now been confirmed. Until that confirmation occurred, those of us unconnected to this temple had only the word of the individual who commented on this blog on that subject, which is why it was difficult for myself (and likely many of you as well) to believe until it was confirmed by sources that are in the public domain.
I should also note that the schedule for this temple on the official Church website has not yet been updated to reflect this closure, but that will likely occur in the coming days. For my part, I continue to monitor all temple-related developments and will do my best to bring you word of them as I receive it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Report on April 2018 General Conference Predictions
Hello again, everyone! It took me a while to do so, but yesterday, I finally had a chance to run some numbers and figure out how I did with my predictions for the April 2018 General Conference. Because of all of the unexpected things that occurred during that conference, even though I allowed myself a margin of error, as I indicated I would do, my calculations showed 54% accuracy this go-round.
That is only slightly less than the 60-80% range within which those usually fall, which, given all the unexpected things that occurred (such as President Nelson giving 5 total addresses during the last 3 sessions of the conference, the calling of the new apostles, 5 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaking in the last session, the entire First Presidency speaking during the Sunday Morning Session, etc.) is not too bad.
It will be interesting, to be sure, to see what unfolds with the next few conferences. I have begun the preliminary work of putting my predictions together for the October 2018 General Conference, which I may post within the next 3 months or so. In the meantime, I have a bunch of other projects underway, some of which will be posted here at some point.
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.
That is only slightly less than the 60-80% range within which those usually fall, which, given all the unexpected things that occurred (such as President Nelson giving 5 total addresses during the last 3 sessions of the conference, the calling of the new apostles, 5 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaking in the last session, the entire First Presidency speaking during the Sunday Morning Session, etc.) is not too bad.
It will be interesting, to be sure, to see what unfolds with the next few conferences. I have begun the preliminary work of putting my predictions together for the October 2018 General Conference, which I may post within the next 3 months or so. In the meantime, I have a bunch of other projects underway, some of which will be posted here at some point.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post. I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Update Noted on the Memphis Tennessee Temple Renovation Process
Hello again, everyone! With the many temple updates I provided yesterday, I did not anticipate having additional news in that regard to post today. I was therefore pleased a short while ago to discover that many sources I have available for temple news have shared an update on the Memphis Tennessee Temple renovation process.
As some of you might recall, the last update I posted for that temple showed that structural framing had been completed for the steeple. The new information of which I became aware today notes that sheathing plywood has been attached to the temple's exterior, while additional framing is being added to the steeple of this temple.
It was good to hear of the progress that has been made on that temple. I have previously noted that many of the sources I use for the reports I share here moved the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple ahead of this one in terms of its' likely future completion time-frame. As I have also observed, we have 3 temples being renovated (the two mentioned in this paragraph and the Frankfurt Germany Temple) and 2 new temples currently under construction (in Kinshasa DR Congo and Fortaleza Brazil) that are all anticipated to be completed in the early-to-middle part of next year.
At the moment, the 5 temples mentioned above could be considered as interchangeable in terms of their likely order of completion. What will certainly be interesting to see is if the Church will opt to schedule any of these for dedication or rededication prior to the already-scheduled dedication for the Rome Italy Temple in mid-March. I haven't done the research yet to verify this, but I seem to recall the Church scheduling the dedication of one temple prior to the previously-announced dedication of another temple.
If it turns out that all of these 5 temples have dedications or rededications set after the Rome dedication concludes, then some of those 5 events may occur more towards the latter half of the year than the first half of it. It will be interesting to see how the Church handles all of that, since 2019 is, by all accounts, shaping up to be full of temple events.
Whatever might occur in that regard, you can count on my monitoring these developments as they occur, and that I will be passing those along to you all as I am able to do so. 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.
As some of you might recall, the last update I posted for that temple showed that structural framing had been completed for the steeple. The new information of which I became aware today notes that sheathing plywood has been attached to the temple's exterior, while additional framing is being added to the steeple of this temple.
It was good to hear of the progress that has been made on that temple. I have previously noted that many of the sources I use for the reports I share here moved the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple ahead of this one in terms of its' likely future completion time-frame. As I have also observed, we have 3 temples being renovated (the two mentioned in this paragraph and the Frankfurt Germany Temple) and 2 new temples currently under construction (in Kinshasa DR Congo and Fortaleza Brazil) that are all anticipated to be completed in the early-to-middle part of next year.
At the moment, the 5 temples mentioned above could be considered as interchangeable in terms of their likely order of completion. What will certainly be interesting to see is if the Church will opt to schedule any of these for dedication or rededication prior to the already-scheduled dedication for the Rome Italy Temple in mid-March. I haven't done the research yet to verify this, but I seem to recall the Church scheduling the dedication of one temple prior to the previously-announced dedication of another temple.
If it turns out that all of these 5 temples have dedications or rededications set after the Rome dedication concludes, then some of those 5 events may occur more towards the latter half of the year than the first half of it. It will be interesting to see how the Church handles all of that, since 2019 is, by all accounts, shaping up to be full of temple events.
Whatever might occur in that regard, you can count on my monitoring these developments as they occur, and that I will be passing those along to you all as I am able to do so. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
President Nelson's Tour Continues Slightly Ahead of Schedule; Temple Updates Provided
Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to pass along to you all in this post a report of President Nelson's ministry efforts in Jerusalem as well as several temple updates. Let's get right into all of that.
First of all, Mormon Newsroom has shared this report of President Nelson's ministry in the Holy Land, including remarks he and Elder Holland shared with Church members there, among whom were those currently studying at BYU's Jerusalem Center. It was a homecoming of sorts for Elder Holland, who, as BYU-Provo president years ago, was one of many leaders who were able to help establish that Center.
The historic nature of the prophet's visit was not lost on anyone. An article I read earlier indicates that President Nelson is only the fourth Church president to visit Jerusalem. For all who are interested, this is Mormon Newsroom's official release on the time spent there.
One interesting thing I took away from that report was that the Nelsons and the Hollands wound up leaving Jerusalem slightly ahead of schedule. That was due to both tension in the region and concerns about available airspace. So they are now on their way to Africa. Their early departure should not affect their announced itinerary, but it is interesting that this has occurred. Reports of the tour will continue in the days ahead, which I will bring to you all as soon as I hear of them.
That said, we move on to the temple updates. After a couple of weeks in which not many updates have been provided regarding temple construction, we now have a lot of new information and changes of status for many temples. So let's talk about what those updates are.
We start first in Rome Italy, where, as we know, a visitor's information center recently opened, and where the process of landscaping and interior work continues. A new update to that temple shows that the plaza water feature is currently being tested. Although this temple's dedication is still 11 months or so away, it was good to hear of this development.
Moving on now to Fortaleza Brazil, the temple in that city is still having its' cladding being put up around its' exterior. In the meantime, trees are being planted and walkways and staircases are being poured on the temple grounds. As I mentioned a while ago, following the Rome Italy Temple dedication, there is reason to believe that this temple could be one of the next three dedicated next year. It will be interesting indeed to see exactly when that will occur.
Staying in Brazil, we turn our attention to the temple in Rio de Janeiro. The update I have found indicates that the steeple walls have been poured, and that work on the interior of the temple is now underway. Some of you may recall that, for a while last year, this temple was anticipated to be completed sometime during 2019, but in view of the fact that we have since learned this temple is going to be larger than originally thought, it makes sense that it will likely only be dedicated in the early part of 2020.
While there has been no report as of yet that would indicate full-scale efforts are underway for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, since we are not quite halfway through April, there is still time for that to occur. It is also worth noting that the private rededication for the Houston Texas Temple will occur one week from tomorrow, and that open house tours for the Jordan River Utah Temple are set to continue for the next two weeks, concluding on Saturday April 28.
There has not been any change to the status of any of the temples undergoing renovation, with one exception. It would appear that the temple in Asuncion Paraguay has run into further difficulties that have hindered its' renovation process from commencing. Whatever the extent of those difficulties might be, most sources from which I gather the information I share here have moved that temple to the bottom of the list of those undergoing renovation. In the days ahead, more might be made known about the extent of the delays, and any adjustments to the general or more specific completion estimates offered by myself and others can be altered as that becomes necessary.
I continue to monitor all Church and temple-related news and developments, and will do my level best to pass updates along to you all as I become aware of new information. 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.
First of all, Mormon Newsroom has shared this report of President Nelson's ministry in the Holy Land, including remarks he and Elder Holland shared with Church members there, among whom were those currently studying at BYU's Jerusalem Center. It was a homecoming of sorts for Elder Holland, who, as BYU-Provo president years ago, was one of many leaders who were able to help establish that Center.
The historic nature of the prophet's visit was not lost on anyone. An article I read earlier indicates that President Nelson is only the fourth Church president to visit Jerusalem. For all who are interested, this is Mormon Newsroom's official release on the time spent there.
One interesting thing I took away from that report was that the Nelsons and the Hollands wound up leaving Jerusalem slightly ahead of schedule. That was due to both tension in the region and concerns about available airspace. So they are now on their way to Africa. Their early departure should not affect their announced itinerary, but it is interesting that this has occurred. Reports of the tour will continue in the days ahead, which I will bring to you all as soon as I hear of them.
That said, we move on to the temple updates. After a couple of weeks in which not many updates have been provided regarding temple construction, we now have a lot of new information and changes of status for many temples. So let's talk about what those updates are.
We start first in Rome Italy, where, as we know, a visitor's information center recently opened, and where the process of landscaping and interior work continues. A new update to that temple shows that the plaza water feature is currently being tested. Although this temple's dedication is still 11 months or so away, it was good to hear of this development.
Moving on now to Fortaleza Brazil, the temple in that city is still having its' cladding being put up around its' exterior. In the meantime, trees are being planted and walkways and staircases are being poured on the temple grounds. As I mentioned a while ago, following the Rome Italy Temple dedication, there is reason to believe that this temple could be one of the next three dedicated next year. It will be interesting indeed to see exactly when that will occur.
Staying in Brazil, we turn our attention to the temple in Rio de Janeiro. The update I have found indicates that the steeple walls have been poured, and that work on the interior of the temple is now underway. Some of you may recall that, for a while last year, this temple was anticipated to be completed sometime during 2019, but in view of the fact that we have since learned this temple is going to be larger than originally thought, it makes sense that it will likely only be dedicated in the early part of 2020.
While there has been no report as of yet that would indicate full-scale efforts are underway for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, since we are not quite halfway through April, there is still time for that to occur. It is also worth noting that the private rededication for the Houston Texas Temple will occur one week from tomorrow, and that open house tours for the Jordan River Utah Temple are set to continue for the next two weeks, concluding on Saturday April 28.
There has not been any change to the status of any of the temples undergoing renovation, with one exception. It would appear that the temple in Asuncion Paraguay has run into further difficulties that have hindered its' renovation process from commencing. Whatever the extent of those difficulties might be, most sources from which I gather the information I share here have moved that temple to the bottom of the list of those undergoing renovation. In the days ahead, more might be made known about the extent of the delays, and any adjustments to the general or more specific completion estimates offered by myself and others can be altered as that becomes necessary.
I continue to monitor all Church and temple-related news and developments, and will do my level best to pass updates along to you all as I become aware of new information. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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