1400th Blog Post: BREAKING NEWS: Official Statement from President Nelson Underscores Correct Terminology for the Church and Its' Members

Hello again, everyone! In this, my 1,400th post on this blog, I am pleased to be able to pass along a breaking news developments just reported a short while ago. Mormon Newsroom has shared this official statement from President Nelson which reemphasizes the importance of using the proper terminology when referring to the Church and to ourselves as members thereof. While more details on this are forthcoming, the Mormon Newsroom style guide has been updated to reflect the changes President Nelson has felt impressed to reemphasize.

We have previously heard comments from Sister Nelson to the effect that the number of times President Nelson rises in the middle of the night to write down impressions about the Church and its' members has dramatically increased since he became Church President 7 months ago. This is yet another in the series of insights which I am sure he will continue to share with us as members.

The number of official changes and statements released within these last 7 months should put to rest any claim that modern revelation is not occurring in this Church. I welcome and heartily embrace and endorse this revelation from our beloved prophet, and I would encourage us all to do everything we can to implement this divine instruction into our daily interactions with each other and our friends of other faiths immediately.

I will continue to monitor this development in the days ahead, and will do my level best to pass along more information as I become aware of it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

Massive Church News Update

Hello again, everyone! This will be a somewhat significantly substantial post containing a plethora of Church news stories which have recently been reported in the Church News and via the Church website. This update is somewhat long overdue. If any of you want to skip over this post, that's not a problem, and I will not be offended at all by that. For those of you sticking with me, let's get right into it all.

Gerry Avant, the retired editor of the Church News, continued her series of articles that have been providing a retrospective review of significant moments during her career. She shared some insight into a rare, private moment she spent with President Monson. Next, as most of you are no doubt aware, the Church History Department has been working for the last several years on  the "Joseph Smith Papers" project. This article details how the volumes in that series provide a "treasure trove" of information about the Prophet and his fellow early Saints.

As some of you may also be aware, Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, heads up the LDS Charities organization, and the Church News shared these details about that organization. The Church is also working on publishing a new 4-volume narrative history of the Church, entitled "Saints", which you can read more about here. BYU-Idaho recently held its' annual "Education Week". One of the featured speakers was Al Fox Carraway. More details on this event can be found in this report.

The Church News noted that the importance of the Book of Mormon has been highlighted, emphasized, and underscored by many Church presidents, and focused one article on 11 such testimonies. I previously mentioned that Elder Stevenson would be conducting two Face-to-Face events in Asia (the first such events ever held on that continent). The reports on those events can be found in the Church News here, here, and here.

Family Search has released a new video to make learning about ancestors more interesting and fun for its' users.Also, for those stumped in their search for ancestors to complete their family tree, new resources in the form of nearly 64 million indexed records may be helpful. Institute students in Manchester England recently participated in a 24-hour Book of Mormon reading challenge, and reported these results from their participation. Deseret Industries, which is celebrating its' 80th anniversary this year, shared this inspiring account of one of its' employees.

As many of you know, ALS is a disease that recently gained prominence when many people participated in a recent "Ice Bucket Challenge" as a way to raise awareness about the condition. This account shares one member's experience with not letting the disease prevent her from finding joy each day and serving her ancestors and others through temple work.

Next, throughout history, the Lord has called as His prophet men who are on the older side. While many are slowing down and retiring, these servants of God aren't slowing down despite their age. While such service is remarkable and should be regarded as no less so, there are an equal number of lay members of the Church who continue to render significant service as they reach their 80s and 90s and become centenarians.

 Recently, the president of a stake here in Orem was inspired to call to the high council Brother Jim Pinegar, who is 90 years old. This article highlights the significance surrounding the circumstances of that call, how Brother Pinegar responded to it, and how much of an asset he is in filling that assignment.

On a personal note, I wanted to share that I had the great privilege of working with Brother Jim Pinegar in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. He has a heart of pure gold, and always demonstrated a willingness to fill the assignments he was given. Though I have lost touch with him since my service ended in 2012, I know that Brother Pinegar has been prepared by the Lord to come to his current assignment, and although he is not a member of my stake, I can sustain him in that capacity without reservation or hesitation.

More details have been provided regarding the renovation process for the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. You can find out more through these articles from the Church News and Mormon Newsroom. The final article I wanted to share from the Church News concludes the six-part series about the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and features comments from some of the members of that Quorum on what it means to sustain Church leaders.

I would be remiss if I did not alos share other important stories which were recently posted on Mormon Newsroom. In the last few days, Mormon Newsroom has shared this article detailing how Sisters Sharon Eubank (who, as mentioned above, is First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency), Lisa Harkness (First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency) and Becky Craven (Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency) traveled recently to four states in the mid-western United States to meet with members and community leaders. There was also this article from the Mormon Newsroom Blog about digital Ellis Island Immigration  Records which have now been made available online.

I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those developments to you as they occur. 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.

Temple Updates Provided

Hello again, everyone! After a period of over a week in which not a lot of temple updates were provided, there have been a number of developments reported on temples worldwide within the last 8-12 hours. It was good to learn of these developments. I will be sharing an updated version of my temple construction progress report to detail those developments.

But first, I wanted to note a somewhat odd story shared by Fox 13, a local news station here in Utah. Apparently, when making Beauty and the Beast phone cases, a company didn't realize that the image in the background with Belle and the Beast was that of the Salt Lake Temple . Needless to say, the phone cases were quickly bought out when the error was discovered. You can read more on that story here.

That said, the updates I mentioned follow below. It was easier to pass along the full version of my temple construction progress report than it would have been to summarize the new developments that have been reported. Those newer updates are highlight in red text.

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 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.

Temple Construction Progress (current as of 8/15/18)

Note about future temple construction: I have previously referenced the statement made by Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Temple Department Executive Director, to the effect that 80 temples were on a list of locations that would be considered for an official announcement within the 15 years following that statement. And although we may not know whether or not those 80 locations have been announced by late April 2032, it seems reasonable to believe that the Church could (and likely will) have 200 operating temples by or before Saturday April 6, 2030 (which will mark the Church’s bicentennial anniversary). In order to do so, the Church would just need to complete the 30 temples in various phases, and announce and complete 11 others in the 11.64 years between now and then, which could be done if 3.52 temples are dedicated each year. Although this year will see only 2 temple dedications, there are 5 or 6 anticipated in 2019, and at least 3 that we know of so far the following year. So I am confident the Church will have at least 200 in operation by that time, whether or not an official goal is made to do so.

                        

Current temple status: The Church has 189 temples in various phases. There are 159 in operation, with 3 others that have a dedication scheduled, and an additional 8 that are in various phases of construction. In terms of temples undergoing renovations, 10 temples are currently closed for renovation (5 or 6 of which are anticipated to be rededicated next year), and 1 other, which closed for renovation in late 2017, is currently stalled in its’ renovation process. The remaining 19 are announced, with at least 2 that are anticipated to have a groundbreaking by the end of 2018, while several others are likely to have a groundbreaking in 2019 and the years following that.

Dedication Scheduled:                                                                                         

160. Concepcion Chile Temple: Temple open house begins on September 15, 2018; dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday October 28, 2018.

161.  Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Exterior work completed; dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday December 9, 2018.

162. Rome Italy Temple: Sod laying completed, as shown through a video posted on Facebook on July 24, 2018; dedication scheduled to occur from Sunday March 10-Sunday March 17, 2019.

Under construction, completion estimated during 2019:

163. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Installation of walkways continues; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

Note: Having recently been reminded that this temple (for the moment, at least) will not include an angel Moroni statue, it is my feeling that we could see a dedication held in mid-April, unless it is scheduled to occur prior to the already-scheduled dedication of the Rome Italy Temple.

164. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: New aerial photographs posted on Facebook on August 15, 2018; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

Note: Given the recent massive number of updates which we have seen provided for this temple, as long as it continues to steadily progress towards its’ completion, a rededication could be set for mid-to-late May, following Mother’s Day.

165. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Completion estimated sometime during mid-2019.

Note: Although I have not found any updates for this temple in the recent past, if it has progressed at a steady rate, the dedication could be held for it in early-to-mid June. If I see information that leads me to conclude that will happen sooner, I will alter this estimate.

166. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Addition of stone cladding to temple exterior is making steady progress; completion estimated sometime during mid-2019.

Note: Given the recent massive number of developments reported for this temple on the LDS Church Temples page, if construction continues at a steady rate, this temple could potentially be dedicated in mid-to-late August. I will alter this estimate as needed once more information is available.

167. Durban South Africa Temple: New photographs and updates posted to Facebook on August 15, 2018; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: As previously mentioned, on July 19, 2019, the Church News identified the first president for this temple. Since we have not yet heard about the first presidents for the Fortaleza, Port-au-Prince, or Lisbon temples, there may be a possibility that this temple could be dedicated sooner than many (myself included) have anticipated. Until more is known in that regard, I am adjusting my previously-offered estimate to mid-October.

Temples estimated to be completed sometime during 2020:

168. Arequipa Peru Temple: Progress on temple detailed in photographs posted to Facebook on August 15, 2018; completion estimated sometime during early 2020.

Note: While this temple and the temples in Rio de Janeiro and Winnipeg may, in some ways, be interchangeable in terms of their future likely completion order, since this one seems to remain ahead for the moment, it could be dedicated sometime between January and March, but perhaps earlier, if progress continues at a steady rate.

169. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Exterior cladding underway; article from a local newspaper shared on Facebook on July 30, 2018; completion estimated sometime during early 2020.

Note: While I have not found a recent update on this temple, if progress has continued steadily, a dedication could potentially occur between February and April, but certainly earlier depending on what is reported between now and then.

170. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Photographs posted on Facebook on August 15, 2018 show effects of recent tornado; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

Note: Since there has been no change to the 20-month estimate in which this temple is anticipated to be completed, full-scale construction could conclude in February or March, in which case a dedication could follow between April and June. I will be keeping my eyes open for anything that would necessitate a change in that estimate.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2019):

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; updated photograph posted to Facebook on July 24, 2018; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2019.

Note: Given the update noted above, I stand by my estimate that this temple could either be rededicated in February (prior to the already-scheduled dedication of the Rome Italy Temple) or in mid-to-late April. As more is known, if I need to adjust my thinking on this estimate, I will do so.

95. Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple: Update provided on July 7, 2018; rededication estimated sometime during mid-2019.

Note: If the article about this temple’s renovation process, which was posted on the LDS Church Temples Facebook site on the date noted above, is any indication, then renovation efforts will conclude in April or May, which means that a rededication could potentially occur in either June or early-to-mid August, following the annual July recess for the General Authorities.

80. Memphis Tennessee Temple: Closed for renovation; photograph posted on Facebook on July 24, 2018 shows progress on tower cladding; rededication estimated sometime during mid-2019.

Note: Although this temple has not progressed as consistently as the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple, it has continued at a steady pace. With that in mind, this temple could be rededicated in mid-September.

94. Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple: Closed for renovation; photograph posted on Facebook on July 24, 2018 shows reshaped exterior of temple; rededication estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: Given the recent steady progress made on this temple, and the comparatively less progress we have seen reported for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, I am making a bold new prediction that this temple will be rededicated before that one, and that this could occur in mid-to-late October.

68. Raleigh North Carolina Temple: Closed for renovation; stone cladding and installation of interior drywall underway; rededication estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Note: Given the lack of a report showing that this temple is making steady progress in its’ renovation, and the relatively more substantial progress that has been noted on the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple, as noted above, I moved this one down on July 24, 2018. That said, this temple could be rededicated in either mid-November or mid-December, assuming all goes well.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020)

13. Oakland California Temple: Closed for renovation; temple exterior being refreshed; rededication estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

Note: As I have previously noted, this temple is older, and is having its’ first renovation. With that in mind, depending on how consistently we hear updates on its’ progress, a rededication could occur anytime during December 2019-March or April 2020.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2020):

18. Tokyo Japan Temple: Closed for renovation; construction of new annex building and interior renovations are underway; rededication estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

Note: If this temple continues to make consistent progress, then we could see a rededication occur sometime during April-June, though that may be pushed back to August if delays occur.

7. Mesa Arizona Temple: Closed for renovation; majority of landscaping removed from temple grounds; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

Note: On May 10, 2018, the Church released details of the renovation plans for this temple. Exactly three weeks later, the Church released additional details of plans to redevelop the area around the temple. Bearing in mind that this temple has been renovated before, and that it is a somewhat older and larger temple, its’ rededication could occur sometime between mid-August and late September.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Closed for renovation; picture update posted to Facebook on July 5, 2018; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

Note: Since this is an older and larger temple undergoing its’ first renovation, a rededication could take place sometime between early October and mid-December. Once more is known about this temple’s progress (or the lack thereof), I will provide any adjustments to this estimate that may be needed.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2021):

11. Hamilton New Zealand Temple: Closed for renovation; details of renovation process released on the Pacific Mormon Newsroom on August 15, 2018; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Note: On July 24, 2018, the LDS Church Temples Facebook page confirmed that this temple had closed for renovation. While the extent of the renovation plans currently remain unknown (or at least uncertain), the temple may be subject to a complete exterior and interior overhaul, which may involve an expansion. Unless something occurs that delays this process, this temple could potentially be dedicated in mid-to-late April 2021. As more is known, any adjustments that are needed in terms of this estimate will be made.

Renovation process stalled; full-scale work pending:

112. Asuncion Paraguay Temple: Closed for renovation; full-scale renovation pending.

Note: Until formal renovation efforts are underway for this temple, it will be difficult (if not impossible) to pinpoint both a general and more specific completion estimate. Consequently, on July 24, 2018, I removed any estimates from this temple. If I hear renovation efforts are underway in the near future, I will then again add a general completion estimate, and offer a more specific estimate as well. Either way, it does not appear likely at this point that this temple will be rededicated in 2019, as was originally announced.

Note on announced temples: Although I have previously indicated that I was no longer comfortable or confident enough to venture general or even more specific time-frames for the groundbreakings of these temples, recent developments have made it easier to surmise how soon such events might happen, so, on May 31, 2018, I again added those estimates. As part of that process, I have once again altered, where new information necessitated, the order in which these temples are listed. That said, the timing of such events has always been up to the Lord, who reveals His will in that regard to His prophets. Whether or not the groundbreakings occur within the windows indicated here, I will embrace those whenever they actually take place.

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.

Key:

Bolded numbers and text denote temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.

Italicized numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.

Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Changes since last report are highlighted in red.

BREAKING NEWS: September 2018 Ensign Will Include Articles About Presidents Oaks and Eyring

Hello again, everyone! The HTML edition of the September 2018 Ensign is available, and I am pleased to be able to report that articles about Presidents Oaks and Eyring will be included in that Ensign. Elder David A. Bednar has written the article for President Oaks, and Elder Holland has written one for President Eyring, his apostolic seatmate.

Having noted that, it is reasonably certain that articles about Elders Gong and Soares will be featured in the October 2018 Ensign, as the November edition will contain the proceedings of the October 2018 General Conference. Stay tuned for more on all of this as more is known.

In other news, it appears that the Church website is in the preliminary stages of updating the list of general authorities to reflect the changes that became effective on the 1st of this month. I say that because when I looked at the page for the Presidency of the Seventy, the seven members that served together from April-August of this year were listed out of order. So perhaps the Church will have the membership of that Presidency updated by the end of this week or early next week.

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.

Latest Apostolic Statistics: Part Two--Updated Ages & Other Important Information

Hello again, everyone! Having set the stage in the first part of this apostolic age update (posted just a few moments ago), we now move on to talk specifics regarding the long-form and decimal ages of our current apostles, which will also include updated information on the average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the 15 apostles as a group, current and future nonagenarians, and any other pertinent information. So let’s get right into all of that.  Again, all data is current as of today.

We start with the First Presidency. As noted near the end of my previous post, President Nelson is now less than one month away from his 94th birthday, which puts his long form age at 93 years, 11 months, and 3 days, or 93.92 decimal years. President Oaks, who, as noted in a post published, is marking his 86th birthday today, is exactly 86 years old, and his decimal age is, of course, exactly 86.00 years. And President Eyring is now 85 years, 2 months, and 12 days old, with a decimal age of 85.20 years.

The three now have a combined 265.12 years of life experience, which puts their average age at 88.37 years as of today. President Oaks remains closest to that average, with his age now being 2.37 years below that average. Obviously, Presidents Nelson and Eyring are still respectively above and below the average.

We move on now to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. First, President Ballard, who, as some of you may be aware, will be celebrating his 90th birthday in less than two months, has a long-form age of 89 years, 10 months, and 4 days old, with a decimal age of 89.84 years. Elder Holland is now 77 years, 8 months, and 9 days old, which puts his decimal age at 77.69 years.

Elder Uchtdorf, at just under a month older than Elder Holland, is now 77 years, 9 months, and 6 days old, with a decimal age of 77.76 years. Elder Bednar’s long-form age is 66 years, 1 months, and 28 days, which makes his decimal age 66.16 years.  Elder Cook, whose birthday is now less than one month away, is 77 years, 11 months, and 4 days old, which is 77.93 years. Elder Christofferson has a long-form age of 73 years, 6 months, and 19 days, with a decimal age of 73.55 years.

Elder Andersen, whose birthday was just 3 days ago, is now 67 years and 3 days old, which puts his decimal age at 67.01 years. Elder Rasband now has a long-form age of 67 years, 6 months, and 6 days, with a decimal age of 67.51 years. Elder Gary E. Stevenson, whose birthday was three days before that of Elder Andersen, is currently 63 years and 6 days old, or 63.02 in decimal years.

We now come to the final three apostles. Elder Renlund is now 65 years, 8 months, and 30 days old, with a decimal age of 65.75 years. Elder Gong is now 64 years, 7 months, and 20 days old, which puts him at 64.64 decimal years.  Elder Soares, who will observe his birthday 6 days before President Ballard does, is now 59 years, 10 months, and 10 days old, making his decimal age 59.86 years.

The current members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have a combined 850.72 years, which averages out to 70.89 years. As I noted previously, the ages of Elders Christofferson and Rasband put them above and below that average respectively, with Elder Christofferson being 2.66 years older and Elder Rasband being 3.38 years younger.

Based on the information I provided earlier, this means that our 15 apostles have a combined 1115.84 years of life experience, which averages out to 74.39 years. Elders Holland and Christofferson stand closest to that average, with the former being 3.3 years older, and the latter being only 0.84 years younger.

We now move on to the nonagenarians. President Nelson remains the 7th oldest apostle in Church history, and now has just under 11 months before he will move up on that list. President Ballard will join that list in 1 month and 26 days. Elder Soares now has 30 years, 1 month, and 20 days until he will observe his 90th birthday, and the other 13 apostles will join that list at various points between the two, which I will detail more fully closer to the time.

I continue to track all of this information, and will do my level best to pass updates on to you regularly, with my hope being to post such updates every 6-8 weeks for the foreseeable future. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time.

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