Additional Temple Musings

Hello again, everyone! I have two pieces of news to report which has me musing about temples again. So let's talk about that. The LDS Church Temples Facebook page noted today that work continues on the meetinghouse that is the first part of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple project. It appears that the Church may be placing top priority on the meetinghouse because that is anticipated to be used while the temple proper is under construction.

But I also wanted to pass along new information of which I became aware a week or two ago, which indicated that, unless something unexpected occurs, the construction of that temple is not anticipated to take any longer than the 20-month estimate originally provided by the Church. With that in mind, if all goes well, construction may end in February or March 2020, with a dedication sometime between April and June.

The other development on which I wanted to report is this release from the Canadian Mormon Newsroom, in which it has been reported that President and Sister Nelson will be visiting Winnipeg Manitoba, Montreal Quebec, and Hamilton Ontario. Sister Nelson was born in Alberta, so this will be a homecoming of sorts for her. They will be accompanied by Elder Neil L. and Sister Kathy W. Andersen, and the stops will occur from August 17-19, 2018.

As some of you may recall, when the stops of the Global Ministry Tour taken by the Nelsons and the Hollands in April were announced, many commented that all of the stops but Bengaluru India and Jerusalem were home to announced temples of the Church. During the April General Conference, President Nelson announced a temple for Bengaluru, which no one (least of all he himself) had planned on occurring, though some had speculated about that prospect. The leaders spent some of their time in India scouting for a site for the future temple, which President Nelson indicated he hoped to return to dedicate.

As we also know, there are already temples in Winnipeg & Montreal, but not one in Hamilton Ontario. So I have two takeaway thoughts about this: First, what are the odds that President Nelson could (and possibly will) announce a temple for Hamilton Ontario? Even if they may not have the Church presence there, members in Hamilton currently travel just over 40 miles to attend the temple in Toronto, which may or may not be an arduous or challenging journey.

My reason for broaching that question is, given recent conversations on this blog about President Nelson's ambitious temple-building plans, he may be working towards having every member within 40 miles of a temple, which would be game-changing. It could be no more than coincidence, however.

My second thought is this: President Nelson seems to also want to do more about being out among the people. We saw that occur with his worldwide tour in April, and since he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, I am sure that he will be traveling extensively as long as he is able to do so.

And if I may also offer a third thought: As some of you may have realized, between the two lists of most likely prospects for a temple in the near future which I am considering merging for the October General Conference, there were no locations listed in Canada. I had wondered if any Canadian cities were likely to get a temple, but I didn't find any immediate prospects. So I put it to you, my readers: Are there any prospective temple locations in Canada which I should be considering? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, as your feedback is always most welcome and appreciated.

That does it for this post. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of new content (either posts or comments), please feel free to subscribe to receive e-mail updates. 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 Reported

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to pass along two additional Church news stories, and unfortunately, it is not all good news. Let's dive right in. First, the bad news: Yesterday, during a Sacrament Meeting in Fallon, Nevada (after the administration of the sacrament and as the first speaker began his address), a gunman opened fire on the congregation, killing one man and injuring another. All three men were members of that congregation.

The gunman surrendered to police late yesterday, but the motive for the shooting is unclear. A Church spokesman issued a statement indicating that the general Church leadership is mindful of the situation and will be praying for this congregation in the days ahead, and noted that local leaders have made themselves available to talk to anyone affected by this incident. You can find more details on this story here.

The Church News also reported that another LDS missionary has died while serving. Gavin Paul Zimmerman, who hails from West Haven, Utah, was 19, and had been serving in the Australia Sydney Mission since August 2017. He was with a group that was sightseeing and fell from a cliff. A Church spokesman delivered a statement about Elder Zimmerman's passing, and the parents of Elder Zimmerman did as well.

While it is heartbreaking to hear of a missionary dying in the field, he did so while doing what the Lord wanted him to do, and I have no doubt he is continuing his mission on the other side of the veil. You can read more about this development here.

On the good news front, more information has been released regarding the NAACP's partnership with the Church, which has included additional contextual statements from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, in addition to the NAACP reaching out to The Debra Bonner Unity Gospel Choir, who performed at the Church's Priesthood Revelation Commemorative Broadcast on June 1. The NAACP requested that the Choir perform at a gathering that recently clarified the extent of that initiative. You can find more details on that story here.

I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Pioneer Day Concert Held; Other Church News Stories Reported

Hello again, everyone! It took me most of the day today to feel up to doing so, but I am finally ready to share some thoughts about the remarkable Pioneer Day Concert which the Mormon Tabernacle Choir held last night and the night before. The concert last night was carried live via both the Church and BYU TV website. Featuring guest artists and famed Broadway performers Matthew Morrison and Laura Michelle Kelly, with contextual narration by Oscar Hammerstein III, grandson of the famous Oscar Hammerstein II, who had partnered with Richard Rogers on many Broadway shows that are still famous today, the concert was a total success.

As the guest artists performed the songs for which the context was set by Hammerstein's narration, the chemistry of the three guests was obvious. The Choir and Orchestra provided both a background and a backdrop to these landmark numbers. The Choir opened with famous pioneer anthems "They, the Builders of the Nation" and Mack Wilberg's arrangement of "Come, Come, Ye Saints", the words for which, as some of you may know, were penned by William Clayton while he was trekking with the Saints here to Utah.

At that time, his wife, who was pregnant with their next child, was not able to come with the main company of the Saints, so, with both his wife's situation and the trials of the pioneer company in mind, he penned that hymn that is so revered as a pioneer anthem, for the purpose of providing the Saints reassurance.

Reportedly, when he first presented the song to a body of Saints, Brigham Young, who was present, directed him to make copies of it and distribute it among the Saints, and encouraged the Saints to learn the song and to sing it to one another as they continued their journey.

Following the pioneer anthems, the Broadway theme of the night started, with selections from such musicals as "The King and I", "South Pacific".. "Oklahoma!", "Carousel", and others. Morrison, Kelly, and Hammerstein all mentioned that they have friends who are members of the Church, and that they were therefore excited to join a world-renowned event. Morrison reported that he was somewhat familiar with Pioneer Day, while Kelly said that though she was not, she was looking forward to learning more about it in the days ahead.

The guests took time to honor each other's talents. And Kelly, who had had an unfortunately failed marriage previously, took the opportunity to announce on that stage that she was engaged, and as such, felt a personal connection with "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy", "People Will Say We're in Love", and "Mister Snow". All in all, it was a remarkable event, which culminated in all three guests also being featured on this morning's "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast. For more information, you can see reports from the following sources: Mormon Newsroom, the Church website's other News & Events page, and the Church News website.

In other reported Church news, Gerry Avant continued her series of articles taking a retrospective look back on her storied career.  She recently reminisced about a prophetic promise fuliflled when she accompanied President Gordon B. Hinckley to visit a small branch of the Church whose membership has since been transferred to a larger ward. And, as Pioneer Day approaches, the Church News continues its' series of pioneer-themed articles, with an article highlighting the unwavering faith of 8 pioneer women whose stories are not widely known.

The Church continues to report inspiring news through a variety of resources. For my part, I will keep monitoring these developments and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Update on Blog Series About Future Temple Prospects

Hello again, everyone! I am back to share an update on the series I had hoped to do covering the most imminently-likely future temple prospects that could have a temple announced in General Conference in 2.5 months. Unless I can find a way within the next 4-6 weeks to put together the information I need for that series, it may not happen. I am still very much committed to getting it done if I can. 

But if not, what I will be doing is simply taking into account the feedback I have received on my first and second lists, adding any additional notes, and calling it good enough. Hopefully within the next 2-3 months, the information I need will become available, at which point I will again revisit that series in preparation for the April 2019 General Conference.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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 Time-frames Within Which Currently Announced Temples May Have a Groundbreaking

Hello again, everyone! In following the theme of the temple updates I provided a short while ago, I would like to pass along some adjustments I have made to my general estimated time-frames within which announced temples may have a groundbreaking. The updates follow below, as they appear in the "Announced Temples" section of my temple construction progress report. As was the case previously, changes and updates are featured in red text. So as not to disturb the flow of the information, I will end here 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Announced temples:

171. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approvals; artist’s rendering released on March 19, 2018; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

Note: With the site identified and the release of the artist’s rendering, a groundbreaking for this temple may just be a matter of time. And since this November marks the 52^nd anniversary of Thailand’s being dedicated for the preaching of the gospel, November may just be the month in which this groundbreaking occurs.

172. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Site clearing activities underway; artist’s rendering anticipated to be released in the near future; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2018.

Note: On July 6, 2018, the LDS Church Temples Facebook page reported the developments noted above, and with that in mind, an artist’s rendering may be released and a groundbreaking ceremony may be set at some point in the very near future. What is unclear for the moment is how soon that might occur. While I would anticipate that the Bangkok Thailand Temple, which is further along in the process for now, might have a groundbreaking first, I am certain a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for this temple by the end of this year. As more is known, I will be able to offer a more precise estimate.

173. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Planning and approval; designs underway; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during late 2018-early 2019.

Note: Although a site confirmation is pending for this temple, because designs are currently underway, and because this is a Utah County temple (since temples in Utah always progress more swiftly than other temples elsewhere within the US), on May 31, 2018, I moved this temple up on this list. Then, on July 6, 2018, as a result of the developments relating to the Urdaneta Philippines temple, I moved this one down and adjusted my general estimate for its’ groundbreaking. I am not ruling out the prospect that the Church could hold a groundbreaking for this temple before the end of 2018, so if I feel a need to move this temple again in the near future, I will do so.

174. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning and preliminary construction phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early 2019.

Note: In March 2017, the contractor for this temple indicated that a year of pre-planning would be needed for this temple site before a groundbreaking could be held. While it is unclear when that year began (or if that year has already passed), it seems safe to assume that the groundbreaking for this temple could occur within the next year, if not sooner.

175. Pocatello Idaho Temple: Planning and approval; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

Note: Although the citizens of Pocatello have speculated about two or more potential locations for this temple, one of those locations has emerged as being the most likely prospect. If the Church confirms that at any point in the near future, since this temple is going to be built within the “Mormon corridor”, a groundbreaking could occur sooner rather than later.

176. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning and approval; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-2019.

Note: Although an official site confirmation is pending, President Nelson visited a probable location during his world tour in April 2018. If that site location is officially confirmed in the near future, then a groundbreaking could easily follow within the next 15 months or less.

177. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval; awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-2019.

Note: During President Nelson’s recent visit to Kenya, a national newspaper noted that the site for this temple had been selected, and that because this temple was anticipated to be a smaller one, its’ dedication might occur sometime during 2021. With that in mind, it is not hard to believe that an official site announcement and groundbreaking could occur within the next 15-18 months.

178. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval; site inspected by Church engineers on June 21, 2017; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: Although a site inspection occurred one year ago for this temple, the prospective groundbreaking timeframes offered for the temples above necessitates a change in my previously-offered thoughts about the imminence of that groundbreaking. While I would hope that the Brazilian Saints would not have to wait another 1.5 years for this temple’s groundbreaking, until more is known, it seems wiser to be conservative in this estimate.

179. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: Although this temple may also be further along in its’ progress towards a groundbreaking than other temples above it, in view of the factors noted on the others above this one, it has seemed wiser to be more conservative in my estimate for this temple’s future groundbreaking. Additionally, since getting the Urdaneta Philippines Temple underway may be more of a priority for the Church, this one may only have a groundbreaking within the next 16-19 months.

180. Layton Utah Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

Note: While I would anticipate that, for this temple in Utah, its’ construction will likely get underway sooner than other temples on this list, and while that could happen sooner than indicated above if the Church confirms that the land that was bought in Layton two days before the temple was announced in that city will serve as the site for that temple, it has seemed wiser to be more conservative in my estimate for this temple’s potential groundbreaking. I will be delighted to move it up on this list if I see a good enough reason to do so.

181. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning and approval; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early 2020.

Note: This is the last of the three temples announced in April 2015 that may have a groundbreaking. The Church in the Ivory Coast has seen sufficient enough growth that a second (and perhaps even a third) temple may be announced to serve the Saints in this nation, but that may not occur until this temple makes further progress. We have seen recent developments on other temples in Africa, which gives me hope that this temple could have a groundbreaking ceremony around the estimated time noted above, but time will tell how accurate that might prove to be.

182. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

Note: While the first Ecuadoran temple had a 14-year wait between its’ announcement and groundbreaking, with the progress the Church has made in South America within the last two decades, this temple (to be built in the Ecuadoran capital city) will likely not see a wait nearly that long. I personally hope that this groundbreaking will occur sooner than indicated above, but until more information is available, I have felt a need to be more conservative.

183. Richmond Virginia Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

Note: Although an official site confirmation is pending for this temple, a Virginia newspaper noted in mid-April 2018 that the Church had procured several acres of land in Richmond sometime during 2015. If the Church confirms in the near future that one of those plots will be the official temple site, then a groundbreaking could easily occur within the next two years, but possibly less, since temples in the US generally have construction begin well in advance of their international counterparts.

184. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

Note: Although this temple was announced one year before the Brasilia Brazil Temple, that temple is further along in the approval process and will likely therefore have its’ groundbreaking before that occurs for this temple. In preparing these updated thoughts, it occurred to me that the Church may opt to hold off on beginning construction of this temple until both the Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro Temples are dedicated. With that in mind, I have felt that the groundbreaking could occur at around this time, but I will alter this estimate as needed once more is known.

185. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-2020.

Note: Since then-Elder Nelson had publicly proposed this temple in 2012, and President Nelson himself made the announcement, I would imagine the Lord will allow him to be very much involved in the process of this temple’s construction and eventual dedication. With that in mind, I could see a groundbreaking occur within the next 24-27 months, but hopefully sooner if all goes well.

186. Salta Argentina Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-2020.

Note: While the time-frames offered for the temples above this one has resulted in this temple’s estimate being delayed as well, it would not surprise me if a groundbreaking for this temple happens sooner than estimated here.

187. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

Note: While I would anticipate that this temple will likely not have a groundbreaking until significant progress has been made on both the Urdaneta and greater Manila area temples, it is not impossible to believe that a groundbreaking could occur for this newest Filipino temple within the next 2.5-2.75 years, but perhaps sooner if all goes well.

188. Bengaluru India Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Note: As previously noted, President Nelson had not originally intended to announce a temple for India during the April 2018 General Conference, but was inspired to do so the night before that conference began. Although India may have some political obstacles that would need to be cleared before this temple has a groundbreaking, I fully anticipate that the Lord could enable a groundbreaking to occur within the next three years, but possibly sooner, especially since President Nelson has also urged the members to hurry and prepare so it can be built.

189. Russia: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official location and site announcement; groundbreaking may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2021.

Note: Although both a specific city and a site location for this temple have yet to be identified, President Nelson did have supervisory responsibility for Eastern Europe for the last several years he was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With that in mind, he may have connections that would enable an acceleration of the process to get this temple built, which is why I am being conservative in my offered estimate above, but will not in any way be surprised if the Lord clears all obstacles to allow that to occur sooner than indicated here.

Final note: If recent statements from Church leaders are any indication, we may soon enter an era where the volume of temple-related developments will be multiplied. If, as has been suggested, President Nelson's legacy as a temple-building prophet outshines and outpaces what we previously saw under President Hinckley's smaller temple plan, we may be in for a season where temple events are held on a more consistent and much wider scale. It will be interesting to see.