Updated Information Provided on the Seminar for New Mission Leadership

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post now to share some big news that has come out of the coverage of the Seminar for New Mission Leadership. The Church continues the tradition of having all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles participate in that seminar in some way. As noted in previous reports (specifically from my coverage of last year's seminar), some apostles have been given the opportunity to speak with their wives to those new mission leaders.

So the first thing I wanted to mention is that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife spoke together to these new leaders. Their address focused on the most important character mentioned in the pages of the Book of Mormon. Elder Holland mentioned that when he asked people who they thought that character was, he got a lot of the standard answers you would expect: several of the prophets whose words had a great impact.

But he noted that none of those answers were correct. The most important figure mentioned in the Book of Mormon is our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is mentioned both in the subtitle of the Book of Mormon, and is mentioned very frequently within its' pages. Elder and Sister Holland went on to highlight and emphasize how important that book should be to all Latter-day Saints, but particularly those who are involved in the Church's missionary efforts.

That address also provided some interesting information of which I was not aware. Apparently at some point in the recent past, Sister Holland had to deal with an illness which she described as "nearly fatal". She noted that while she was comforted and cared for by Elder Holland to the extent that he could do so, there were times when, due to his ecclesiastical obligations, he could not be with her.

So during those times, she ensured her Book of Mormon was always close by. She said that the doctors doubted she would survive, but that she was able to because of her faith in the principles of the gospel that are taught so well within the Book of Mormon's pages. There were several other significant things Elder and Sister Holland shared during their address, and you can read more on that in this article.

In the meantime, the Church News section on lds.org also continues to carry coverage of the seminar, with subsequent articles being added to this article as they are published. Among the many significant things covered in that main story was the note that Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke on both the opening and closing days of the seminar, and that he was asked to do so because he chairs the Missionary Executive Council.

When I learned that information, I did some research, and I found out that the reason then-Elder Oaks gave addresses to open and close last year's mission president's seminar was because he was the chair of the Missionary Executive Council at that time.

As I noted in mid-January of this year, among the key assignments that Elder Uchtdorf was given following his return to the Quorum of the Twelve was oversight for the Church's two European areas, and that those assignments had previously been held by President Nelson and then-Elder Ballard.

And since Elder Uchtdorf also was asked to take over the assignment to chair the Missionary Executive Council from now-President Oaks, we see that the key assignments he has been given were previously the responsibility of the three most senior members of the Twelve prior to the reorganization of the First Presidency. If that is not a clear indicator of the trust the senior apostles have in Elder Uchtdorf, I don't know what would clarify that point further.

But there was something even more interesting in the "home article" for coverage of the seminar. The article cited above also notes the membership of the Missionary Executive Council, which is as follows: Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen, and Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; General Authority Seventy and Executive Director of the Missionary Department Elder Brent H. Nielson, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric; Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women General President; and Sister Cristina B. Franco, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency.

I find this information significant for one simple reason. As some of you may know, in the 1990s and early 2000s, when the Deseret News published the Church Almanac every year, it had been somewhat common for the biographies of the Quorum of the Twelve to include details of their memberships in the councils and committees of the Church. By 2005 (at which point I made sure to buy the newest edition of that almanac every year), that information was not included.

And until now, except for articles published by the Church that identified certain assignments of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, we have not seen any complete lists of all Church leaders who serve on those councils and committees. So the fact that we now have that complete list of the members of the Missionary Executive Council is very noteworthy.

Although the page to which I shared a link above will carry full coverage of the other addresses that were given during the Seminar for New Mission Leadership, I will also do my level best to bring you coverage of individual articles as they are published.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time and also for wading through the content in this post, which was longer than I originally intended it to be. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Temple Updates Provided

Hello again, everyone! The LDS Church Temples Facebook site has provided some exciting updates within the last 12 hours or so. Picture updates have been posted for the Rome Italy, Concepcion Chile, Baton Rouge Louisiana, and Washington DC Temples, and a video has been posted showing progress on the Mesa Arizona Temple. Major progress has also been reported for the Durban South Africa Temple.

But perhaps the most significant development is the report that the angel Moroni statute has been officially installed atop the Fortaleza Brazil Temple. As we have previously seen occur for other temples worldwide, once that statue is officially installed, a dedication is announced not long after that.

With that said, I would anticipate that the Church would defer making an official announcement in that regard until after the annual July recess for the General Authorities. And it is very likely that the dedication itself may take place in the late spring or early summer months of 2019. But this development is very exciting indeed. I continue to monitor all temple developments and will bring word of those to you ASAP after I learn of them.

In the meantime, it may also interest some of you who have expressed concerns about the LDS Church Temples website being unavailable still to know that a projected window of late summer 2018 has been offered regarding how much longer that site restoration will take place. I am sure that any additional prayers we can offer in behalf of those working to solve those issues would continue to be appreciated.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are alo, 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.

Elder Cook Speaks At Devotional Held During the New Mission Leadership Seminar

Hello again, everyone! After a pretty busy day, I wanted to share this report covering remarks given by Elder Quentin L. Cook at a devotional that was held during the New Mission Leadership Seminar last Sunday.

Elder Cook spoke about the 4 most important relationships that should mold the service of missionaries around the world: with their companions, with the people among whom they labor, with the mission president and matron, and, most importantly with the Lord. He also talked about how those relationships should be established, cultivated, and strengthened.

To illustrate this point, he referenced experiences he had during his own missionary service, which included time he spent as a companion of his future fellow apostle Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and their service under two exceptional mission presidents. One of those two was Elder Marion D. Hanks.

If I may, I would like to offer a quick sidenote about Elder Hanks. As some of you may be aware, his service as a mission president was rendered while he simultaneously served in the now-defunct First Council of the Seventy. He would go on to serve in another now-defunct position of Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles prior to being called to the First Quorum of the Seventy, and had two distinct opportunities to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy.

Elder Hanks was well trusted by the First Presidency, and that trust is amply demonstrated by the fact that two missionaries that served under his leadership are now colleagues in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

At any rate, Elder Cook's advice to mission presidents about the 4 most important relationships a missionary should cultivate applies just as fully to us as members of the Church who desire to have a positive influence on all those with whom we come in contact.

For those of us who are married, our relationships with the Lord and with our companions should rightly be of the utmost importance to us, and all of us also need to love and sustain the general and local leaders of the Church in their labors and demonstrate love to those over whom we have stewardship, whether as a result of any formal or informal calling, or in our assignments to minister to our fellow Saints.

With that said, for what it's worth, this concludes my report and analysis of Elder Cook's remarks. There may be other articles worthy of our attention that have been published within the last 24 hours. I will perhaps take some time to focus on those later today (Wednesday June 27, 2018), and to pass those along within the next 12-18 hours or 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.

Additional Church News Updates

Hello again, everyone! I am posting again now to share some additional Church news updates of which I have become aware just recently. We start on somewhat of a somber note, as the Church News has reported the death of another emeritus General Authority, Elder W. Mack Lawrence, who served as a General Authority Seventy from December 1990 until his death (he was released from general Church service in October 1996), passed away at age 91.

Some of you may remember my mentioning that, although it has been tradition for members of the First Quorum of the Seventy to be granted emeritus status at age 70 and for members of the Second Quorum to be released after roughly 5 years of service, it was reported in October 2015 that several former members of the Second Quorum had been sent letters from the First Presidency designating them as emeritus General Authorities as well, which is why the Church News referred to him as such in the article about his death.

Although he only served for around 5 or 6 years, he filled many assignments for the Church. He also gave two excellent addresses in General Conference during that time. Since I was very young during his service period, I have no personal recollections of seeing him or hearing him speak, but it sounds like he was a very remarkable man.

The Church News also shared this report about how the Gateway Arch renovation, which took $380 million to accomplish, underscores the vital role of Church history. And as the Tabernacle Choir continues their tour, Elder Donald L. Hallstrom joined them for a special sacrament service yesterday in San Francisco. More on that is shared here.

Again, I continue to monitor all Church and temple news and will do my level best to pass along such developments as I learn of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder Uchtdorf Identifies "Bullseye" For Which Every Missionary Should Aim

Hello again, everyone! While I was putting the previous two posts together, apparently another report came in about the 2018 New Mission Leadership Seminar. This article shares comments from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf. As many of you may recall, shortly after the First Presidency was reorganized, Elder Uchtdorf received several key assignments, one of which was to chair the Missionary Executive Council.

As one in charge of worldwide missionary matters, Elder Uchtdorf focused his remarks on the bullseye for which every missionary should aim. That bullseye is created by the two commandments which the Savior identified as being the most important ones: Loving God and serving our fellow man. Elder Uchtdorf went on to discuss how missionaries can and should be doing that. It was a remarkable address, the summary of which is well worth your attention.

Again, I continue to monitor all Church and temple developments and will bring word of those 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.