Hello again, everyone! In the early hours of January 14, 2019, I am pleased to be able to post here in honor of the one-year mark of President Nelson's prophetic administration. As many of you may recall, I had found out about the passing of President Monson on January 2 after being prompted to check KSL's website, which resulted in my being able to find out and pass along that news not long after it was reported. During the 12-day apostolic interregnum which followed, mission calls were sent out with President Nelson's signature, since he was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and thus was the Acting President of the Church.
In my summary of the funeral services for President Monson (which were held on January 12), I had noted that President Nelson looked very worn out, unwell, and exhausted. Two days later, he was ordained and set apart as Church President, and two days after that, we had the inaugural broadcast of the announcement of the reorganization of the First Presidency, followed by the traditional press conference.
In both of those settings, President Nelson looked considerably better. I had remarked when covering the events of January 14, 2018 that the prophetic mantle had clearly been placed upon President Nelson, and ventured a guess that the reason he looked so unwell during the funeral was because he had not yet been ordained and set apart to lead the Church. Once that occurred in the temple, he was literally ready to go.
He selected as his counselors his apostolic seatmate and dear friend, President Dallin H. Oaks, and retained President Henry B. Eyring in the First Presidency, asking him to serve as Second Counselor for a second time. (President Eyring had served as President Gordon B. Hinckley's Second Counselor for roughly 4 months prior to President Hinckley's passing, and had been asked to serve as First Counselor to President Thomas S. Monson.)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who had served as President Monson's Second Counselor, was not retained by President Nelson, and resumed his place in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, where he has been given quite a few responsibilities based on his status as a skilled administrator. The responsibilities Elder Uchtdorf has been given were those overseen by Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Ballard prior to their new assignments. President Nelson made it clear on at least two occasions that neither President Eyring nor Elder Uchtdorf were being demoted, and that each was willing to serve now where they were most needed.
Since President Oaks was then the next most senior apostle, he (President Oaks) was also set apart as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. But because his simultaneous service in the First Presidency wouldn't allow President Oaks to actively function as Quorum President, the next most senior apostle, President M. Russell Ballard, was set apart as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The new leaders literally hit the ground running. In the year that has followed, President Nelson has done so much to reshape the Church. Most of that process has involved reducing and simplifying programs and practices of the Church in a way that encourages more individual and familial responsibility, as well as greater Church-wide unity. But he has also done more to highlight and underscore the diversity which exists among the general leadership of the Church.
He had noted in the press conference that, although he and his counselors were all white and American, there would be a day when the Church would see "more flavors in the mix". He has fulfilled his own prophecy in that regard, as he felt impressed to call the Church's first Asian America and Latin American apostles. For the first time in a long time, 5 of the 15 apostles in the Church have come to the apostleship within the last 3.25 years. There may not be much turnover in the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the foreseeable future.
President Nelson and his counselors have focused on their worldwide ministry with great vigor and success. Perhaps the most impressive highlight of this first year of President Nelson's prophetic administration is the fact that 19 new temples have been announced within that time, and sites have been officially or unofficially confirmed for many of them. Sister Nelson shared some observations about her husband, saying that, as he speaks to Church members around the world, he looks 20-30 years younger than his 94 years of age. She also noted that President Nelson is serious and very earnest regarding his responsibility to prepare the Church and the world for the Second Coming of the Savior.
President Nelson has also traveled extensively, becoming the first Church president to deliver remarks in a language other than English during devotionals with members. He has observed the practice of only stopping long enough between trips to take care of necessary Church business, get some rest as needed, and grab a new apostolic companion before setting off again. It is anticipated that he will continue to travel extensive and expand the number of temples in various phases for as long as he can.
He has also taken action to make certain announcements, such as changes in area leadership, and new and consolidated missions, earlier than they have typically been announced in previous years. His career as a heart surgeon has honed his keen attention to detail in such a way that he is very much ahead of the curve in taking care of his ministerial responsibilities. He noted in an interview that if we thought 2018 was exciting, we should wait for this year, and the years that will follow. As a physician, he gave the Church membership a simple prescription: "Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It's going to be exciting.
He has a very clear vision for the Church in the years ahead. I referenced previously a conversation someone overheard between Presidents Oaks and Eyring, in which President Nelson's two counselors marveled at the fact that President Nelson had just outlined the timing whereby future changes for the Church would be made over the following 2-3 years. President Nelson is clearly a man who takes seriously his responsibility to foresee what the Church will be facing in the days ahead, and what can be done to prepare the Church and its' members for what is to come.
It is all but certain that we are in for another historic year for the Church, and I look forward to finding out what is next in that regard. As I learn more, I will be sure to pass it along here. In the meantime, if his first year as Church President was any indication, 2019 is almost certain to be another big year that will change the Church as we know it currently. It will certainly be interesting to see all of that unfold.
This concludes my thoughts about the one-year anniversary of President Nelson's prophetic administration, so that does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
Monday, January 14, 2019
President Russell M. Nelson's Prophetic Administration Reaches the One-Year Mark
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, January 12, 2019
BREAKING NEWS: President Nelson's Daughter Passes Away; Artist's Rendering Released for San Juan Puerto Rico Temple
Hello again, everyone! Two breaking news developments have just been reported by the Church. First, after a courageous battle with cancer, another of President Nelson's daughters, Wendy Nelson Maxfield, passed away yesterday at the age of 67 after a courageous battle with cancer. She leaves behind her husband, Norman Maxfield, 7 children, and 20 grandchildren.
And in temple news, an artist's rendering has been released for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. It will be a single-story temple, which is anticipated to begin the construction process later this year, and construction is anticipated to take two years. As many of you know, that temple was just announced last October, so the fact that construction will get underway on it later this year is significant. We could be seeing many temples announced by President Nelson being built on the smaller side.
The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple now joins the Brasilia Brazil and Pocatello Idaho Temples that will almost certainly have construction begin later this year. As I previously mentioned, the Saratoga Springs Utah, Lima Peru Los Olivos, Greater Manila Philippines, Nairobi Kenya, and Harare Zimbabwe Temples are also on my watch list for their future groundbreakings at some point this year.
I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will bring word of those to you all here as I receive them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
And in temple news, an artist's rendering has been released for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. It will be a single-story temple, which is anticipated to begin the construction process later this year, and construction is anticipated to take two years. As many of you know, that temple was just announced last October, so the fact that construction will get underway on it later this year is significant. We could be seeing many temples announced by President Nelson being built on the smaller side.
The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple now joins the Brasilia Brazil and Pocatello Idaho Temples that will almost certainly have construction begin later this year. As I previously mentioned, the Saratoga Springs Utah, Lima Peru Los Olivos, Greater Manila Philippines, Nairobi Kenya, and Harare Zimbabwe Temples are also on my watch list for their future groundbreakings at some point this year.
I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will bring word of those to you all here as I receive them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
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.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for Fortaleza Brazil Temple
Hello again, everyone! As recently as yesterday, I had posted Church and temple news and noted that the announcement of the open house and dedication dates for the Fortaleza Brazil Temple was anticipated any day now. I am pleased to pass along to you the official announcement from the Newsroom about that, along with the Church news article on that subject as well. As those articles explain, the open house is set to occur during a 4-week period spanning Saturday April 27-Saturday May 18, with the exception of the Sundays of April 28 and May 5 and 12. The end date of the open house will coincide with the day the youth devotional is held for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple.
In a somewhat unusual but not entirely unexpected move, the First Presidency has scheduled this temple's youth devotional for Saturday June 1, with the dedication to follow on Sunday June 2. I am calling that unusual because it is not often that the dedication of one temple has been set to precede the rededication of another which had its' dedication previously set. If there has been any relation in the past between a temple dedication and a rededication, it is usually that the rededication of one temple precedes the dedication of a new temple that was previously set. But as I also mentioned above, it was not entirely unexpected.
Given what we knew about the status of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple as of yesterday, the release of the dedication information was simply a matter of time. I think that, as a result of the Fortaleza Temple's dedication being set for June 2, with the rededication of the Oakland California Temple being set for June 16, we can safely conclude that the latter event will likely be the last temple event held before the annual July recess is observed by the General Authorities, unless a temple groundbreaking is held during the final two weeks of that month.
As always, I do continue to monitor any and all temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all here as I receive it. In the meantime, I also wanted to mention one additional item of Church news. The Church News has provided highlights of President Nelson's first year as Church President by sharing 61 unique photographs taken of him in 2018. The photographs show his personal warmth, his love for his Brethren in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, and several pictures highlighting significant moments from General Conference or his personal ministry to the one in the midst of his travels.
As the article also notes, he will reach the 1-year mark of his Church Presidency in just four days. I will be posting here on that day in honor of that milestone. If other Church or temple news crosses my radar between now and then, you can also count on my passing those along as well. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
In a somewhat unusual but not entirely unexpected move, the First Presidency has scheduled this temple's youth devotional for Saturday June 1, with the dedication to follow on Sunday June 2. I am calling that unusual because it is not often that the dedication of one temple has been set to precede the rededication of another which had its' dedication previously set. If there has been any relation in the past between a temple dedication and a rededication, it is usually that the rededication of one temple precedes the dedication of a new temple that was previously set. But as I also mentioned above, it was not entirely unexpected.
Given what we knew about the status of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple as of yesterday, the release of the dedication information was simply a matter of time. I think that, as a result of the Fortaleza Temple's dedication being set for June 2, with the rededication of the Oakland California Temple being set for June 16, we can safely conclude that the latter event will likely be the last temple event held before the annual July recess is observed by the General Authorities, unless a temple groundbreaking is held during the final two weeks of that month.
As always, I do continue to monitor any and all temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all here as I receive it. In the meantime, I also wanted to mention one additional item of Church news. The Church News has provided highlights of President Nelson's first year as Church President by sharing 61 unique photographs taken of him in 2018. The photographs show his personal warmth, his love for his Brethren in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, and several pictures highlighting significant moments from General Conference or his personal ministry to the one in the midst of his travels.
As the article also notes, he will reach the 1-year mark of his Church Presidency in just four days. I will be posting here on that day in honor of that milestone. If other Church or temple news crosses my radar between now and then, you can also count on my passing those along as well. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
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.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Church News and Temple Updates Noted
Hello again, everyone! Some additional Church news and temple developments have come to my attention in the last six hours or less, and the extensive nature of those merited a new post rather than additional comments on previously-posted content. Let's get right into those updates. First, the Church news.
Bruce C. Kusch, the president of LDS Business College, was the featured speaker at this week's devotional, sharing 4 invitations which, if taken, will enable us to endure to the end. And BYU-Idaho President Henry J. Eyring spoke to students on that campus about optimism, highlighting the fact that there is much more good going on worldwide than many news outlets lead us to believe. And another article has been written about a temple dedicated 20 years ago, this time in honor of the Anchorage Alaska Temple.Each of those articles is well worthy of your attention.
Now to the subject of temple updates. I have mentioned before that the Church is on track to have 200 operating temples by or before the bicentennial anniversary of the Church's reestablishment, and that has essentially been confirmed (albeit indirectly) by a recent article in the Church News. There are now 11.24 years between now and then, and 39 temples to complete and dedicate within that time, which could be done if 3.47 temples were dedicated per year between now and then.
3 temples have already had a dedication set for next year, and one other (in Fortaleza Brazil) will likely have a dedication announced very soon, and will more than likely be set to occur before the Brethren observe the annual July recess. And there are 3 (or 4) other temples anticipated to be dedicated as well by the end of this year.
We also are awaiting more information on the rededications for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma and Memphis Tennessee Temples, along with groundbreaking ceremonies for the Brasilia Brazil, Pocatello Idaho, and Saratoga Springs Utah Temples, and will bring word of those to you as I become aware of it.
In the meantime, there are also some status updates on temples which I wanted to pass along. At the Lisbon Portugal Temple site, the concrete slab has been poured for the monument sign, while a hard landscaping structure is being added on the north side of the temple. And while exterior lighting is still being installed and tested at the grounds of the Arequipa Peru Temple, fencing materials are going up around its' perimeter, and work is progressing at a steady rate on the temple's interior as well.
I also have one update to pass along about the Urdaneta Philippines Temple. It appears that the time for its' groundbreaking ceremony one week from today has been set to occur at 11:00 AM Urdaneta time. Since that city is 15 hours ahead of Utah time, the groundbreaking will be occurring at 8:00 PM MST on the previous evening. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of them.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
Bruce C. Kusch, the president of LDS Business College, was the featured speaker at this week's devotional, sharing 4 invitations which, if taken, will enable us to endure to the end. And BYU-Idaho President Henry J. Eyring spoke to students on that campus about optimism, highlighting the fact that there is much more good going on worldwide than many news outlets lead us to believe. And another article has been written about a temple dedicated 20 years ago, this time in honor of the Anchorage Alaska Temple.Each of those articles is well worthy of your attention.
Now to the subject of temple updates. I have mentioned before that the Church is on track to have 200 operating temples by or before the bicentennial anniversary of the Church's reestablishment, and that has essentially been confirmed (albeit indirectly) by a recent article in the Church News. There are now 11.24 years between now and then, and 39 temples to complete and dedicate within that time, which could be done if 3.47 temples were dedicated per year between now and then.
3 temples have already had a dedication set for next year, and one other (in Fortaleza Brazil) will likely have a dedication announced very soon, and will more than likely be set to occur before the Brethren observe the annual July recess. And there are 3 (or 4) other temples anticipated to be dedicated as well by the end of this year.
We also are awaiting more information on the rededications for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma and Memphis Tennessee Temples, along with groundbreaking ceremonies for the Brasilia Brazil, Pocatello Idaho, and Saratoga Springs Utah Temples, and will bring word of those to you as I become aware of it.
In the meantime, there are also some status updates on temples which I wanted to pass along. At the Lisbon Portugal Temple site, the concrete slab has been poured for the monument sign, while a hard landscaping structure is being added on the north side of the temple. And while exterior lighting is still being installed and tested at the grounds of the Arequipa Peru Temple, fencing materials are going up around its' perimeter, and work is progressing at a steady rate on the temple's interior as well.
I also have one update to pass along about the Urdaneta Philippines Temple. It appears that the time for its' groundbreaking ceremony one week from today has been set to occur at 11:00 AM Urdaneta time. Since that city is 15 hours ahead of Utah time, the groundbreaking will be occurring at 8:00 PM MST on the previous evening. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of them.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
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, January 7, 2019
Yet Another Revision to My List of Announced Temples
Hello again, everyone! Given the unexpected development which I cited a few hours ago pointing to the notion that the groundbreaking for the Brasilia Brazil Temple is more imminent than I thought less than 12 hours ago, I needed to make yet another revision to my list of announced temples. I again weighed what was known about each temple for which I felt comfortable offering a groundbreaking estimate against any unknown factors I couldn't account for. The result of that additional analysis is detailed in the latest version of that list below. As always, any new changes made since my last such update are highlighted in red text. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
Note on announced temples: As
noted previously, this section is split into two sub-categories. The first
contains those for which there is sufficient information for me to estimate a
rough window for a subsequent groundbreaking, which will, of course, be subject
to alteration in the future as more information is available. The second
section contains those temples which are ordered based on the information
currently available, but for which more information will be needed before they
can join the first list. And for that second list, I do not feel comfortable
offering any groundbreaking estimate until more information is available. I
reordered the list yet again on January 6-7, 2019.
Announced Temples (for which
sufficient information has me confident enough to venture a general
groundbreaking estimate):
174. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; construction fence erected around property; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.
175. Pocatello Idaho Temple: Government
approval process; streets around temple site opened; groundbreaking anticipated
in mid-2019.
176. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Government approval
phase; probable site identified; awaiting official confirmation and artist’s
rendering; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.
177. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning and preliminary
construction phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson
visited probable site on October 20, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.
178. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning and approval phase;
awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson visited potential site on
April 17, 2018; groundbreaking anticipated in late 2019.
179. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase;
awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017;
groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.
180. Greater Manila Philippines Temple:
Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement;
groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early
2020.
181. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase;
announced April 1, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.
182.
Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid
2020.
183. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018;
awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.
184. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase;
announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking
could occur in mid-2020.
185. Richmond Virginia Temple: Planning and approval phase;
announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking
could occur in mid-2020.
186. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase;
announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson
toured potential locations on April 19, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.
187. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase;
awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.
188.
Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official
site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020-early 2021.
189.
Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020-early 2021
Announced Temples (for which more
information is needed before I provide an estimated groundbreaking time-frame):
190. Quito
Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
191. Belem
Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
192. Cagayan
de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
193. Salvador
Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
194. Yuba
City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
195. Praia
Cape Verde Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
196. Yigo Guam
Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
197. Lagos
Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
198. Davao
Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
199. San Juan
Puerto Rico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
200. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official location
and site announcement.
201. Washington County
Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city and site
announcement.
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.
List of Temples Which Might Be Renovated in the Near Future
Hello again, everyone! I mentioned a couple of times recently that I was working on updating my list of temples which could (and likely will) be renovated in the near future. I have finished that process, so I wanted to post the latest copy of that list.
The list now consists of 24 temples dedicated between 1877 and 1990, along with 35 of the smaller temples from the Hinckley-era boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The latest version of it follows below. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
The list now consists of 24 temples dedicated between 1877 and 1990, along with 35 of the smaller temples from the Hinckley-era boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The latest version of it follows below. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
Preliminary Note: The list below is based on whether a temple has previously been renovated, recent statements by apostles and the Executive Directors of the Church’s Temple
Department to the effect that temples need to be renovated roughly every 30-40
years or so to keep them seismically and systemically up-to-date, and on the fact that many of the Hinckley-era smaller temples have begun to be renovated and given a new design in recent years.
Temples which may be renovated in the near-future:
1.
St. George Utah (dedicated in 1877; first
rededicated in 1975)
2.
Logan Utah (dedicated in 1884; first rededicated
in 1979)
3.
Manti Utah (dedicated in 1888; first rededicated
in 1985)
4.
Salt Lake (dedicated in 1893; is anticipated to
close for its’ first major renovation in the near future)
5.
Cardston Alberta (dedicated in 1923; addition
only rededicated in 1962; fully rededicated in 1991)
6.
Bern Switzerland (dedicated in 1955; first
rededicated in 1992)
7.
Los Angeles California (dedicated in 1956)
8.
London England (dedicated in 1958; first
rededicated in 1992)
9.
Provo Utah (dedicated in 1972)
10. Seattle
Washington (dedicated in 1980)
11. Sydney
Australia (dedicated in 1984; addition only rededicated in 1991)
12. Manila
Philippines (dedicated in 1984)
13. Dallas
Texas (dedicated in 1984; addition only rededicated in 1989)
14. Taipei
Taiwan (dedicated in 1984)
15. Guatemala
City Guatemala (dedicated in 1984)
16. Stockholm
Sweden (dedicated in 1985)
17. Chicago
Illinois (dedicated in 1985; addition only rededicated in 1989)
18. Johannesburg
South Africa (dedicated in 1985; renovation might be delayed until after the
Durban South Africa Temple is dedicated in mid-to-late 2019)
19. Seoul
Korea (dedicated in 1985)
20. Lima
Peru (dedicated in 1986)
21. Denver
Colorado (dedicated in 1986)
22. Portland
Oregon (dedicated in 1989)
23. Las
Vegas Nevada (dedicated in 1989)
24. Toronto
Ontario (dedicated in 1990)
Smaller temples built during the Hinckley-era boom (which
may be redesigned):
1.
Spokane Washington
2.
Columbus Ohio
3.
Bismarck North Dakota
4.
Columbia South Carolina
5.
Detroit Michigan
6.
Halifax Nova Scotia
7.
Regina Saskatchewan
8.
Edmonton Alberta
9.
St. Paul Minnesota
10. Kona
Hawaii
11. Ciudad
Juarez Mexico
12. Hermosillo
Sonora Mexico
13. Oaxaca
Mexico
14. Tuxtla
Gutierrez Mexico
15. Louisville
Kentucky
16. Palmyra
New York
17. Fresno
California
18. Medford
Oregon
19. Reno
Nevada
20. Tampico
Mexico
21. Nashville
Tennessee
22. Villahermosa
Mexico
23. San
Jose Costa Rica
24. Fukuoka
Japan
25. Adelaide
Australia
26. Melbourne
Australia
27. Merida
Mexico
28. Veracruz
Mexico
29. Birmingham
Alabama
30. Porto
Alegre Brazil
31. Montevideo
Uruguay
32. Guadalajara
Mexico
33. Perth
Australia
34. The
Hague Netherlands
35. Brisbane
Australia
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, January 6, 2019
Building Bridges--My New Year's Testimony 2019
Hello again, everyone! Just over a year ago, the Church laid to rest our beloved Church President, Thomas S. Monson. President Monson always seemed larger than life, a heroic individual who, even in his declining years and months, was still reaching out to the one to rescue them from the sorrows, ills, and transgressions in their lives, or anything else that was keeping distance between them and the Lord.
The stories about the way he ministered to the one could and do fill volumes. Through word and deed, he pointed those within the sound of his voice to a higher way of life, to live the gospel more fully, and urged all of us to reach out and rescue all those within the scope of our influence who are struggling in their own paths. President Monson demonstrated that attitude through engaging personal stories and the many poems and scriptural passages he amazingly committed to memory.
One such poem which he often quoted was "The Bridge Builder". In 2009, while I was taking the "Teachings of the Living Prophets" class at BYU, my classmates and I were assigned to individually memorize one scripture cited by President Monson, one of his many most-recognized quotes, and poems he shared over the pulpit. I chose to memorize "The Bridge Builder". As we get further into this New Year, I felt impressed to share that poem, and some thoughts about what it (and the opportunities afforded by each new year) means to me.
An old man going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide.
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream held no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day,
You never again will pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you this bridge at the eventide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head;
"Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
There followeth after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
"This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him."
A new year has often been considered to be the optimal time to start something anew, to mend fences or broken bridges in relationships, to correct mistakes in our conduct and day-to-day living, and to look with hope towards the promise that, if we will do such things, each new year can and will be better than however many years have come before it. But more than that, we can and must reach out to rescue those within our circle of influence who have, for whatever reason, managed to get any aspect of their lives off-course.
Earlier today, the first Music & the Spoken Word broadcast for 2019 was a special one with a "New Year" theme. Lloyd Newell, who gives the "spoken word" portion of the program, shared this message this morning. Part of any transition we make in this life from one stage to another surely involves the process whereby we are presented with new territory in which to forge a path ahead, and the opportunity to cross various chasms and, where possible, turn around and build bridges for others who will, through no fault of their own, need to cross similar chasms in their own lives and situations.
Will we, as the ones who have gone before, make the path easier for those who will follow after us? It has well been said that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. While serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (and Acting President of the Church during the apostolic interregnum following the death of Brigham Young), John Taylor was quoted as follows: "If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty."
Therefore, if we fail to learn from the mistakes we and others before us have made, do not successfully cross the chasms in our own lives and build bridges for those who will follow after, do not take the time to ensure that each New Year can be such an opportunity to change ourselves for the better and to build bridges for those that will follow after us, we will definitely be accountable to the Lord on Judgement Day for those faults and failings.
That said, since there has only ever been One Man I know of who was absolutely perfect, and who never lost sight of His mission and purpose, who was willing to pay the price for our shortcomings, faults, failures, and flaws, if we have failed in these priorities before now, then this new year also presents an opportunity for each of us to correct course now, to resolve to do better, and to ensure that we do what He has sent us here to do.
While it is never an easy process to make such course corrections, He never said it would be easy: He only said it would be worth it. If we lay claim to the merits, mercy, compassion, understanding and opportunity to course correct, which is freely offered by Him through the gift of His atonement, then not only can we correct our course and resolve to do better in the year ahead, but we can also be successful in doing better in the future, and in preparing the paths we have already trod for those who will follow after, and who would, if not for our preparation, fallen by the wayside.
This is the opportunity that each New Year affords for us all. I pray that we will take that opportunity this year, and every New Year for the rest of our lives. If we can do so, we will then be able to stand blameless before our Father in Heaven and His Son, who makes it all possible. This is the New Year testimony which I offer on this Fast Sunday in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
The stories about the way he ministered to the one could and do fill volumes. Through word and deed, he pointed those within the sound of his voice to a higher way of life, to live the gospel more fully, and urged all of us to reach out and rescue all those within the scope of our influence who are struggling in their own paths. President Monson demonstrated that attitude through engaging personal stories and the many poems and scriptural passages he amazingly committed to memory.
One such poem which he often quoted was "The Bridge Builder". In 2009, while I was taking the "Teachings of the Living Prophets" class at BYU, my classmates and I were assigned to individually memorize one scripture cited by President Monson, one of his many most-recognized quotes, and poems he shared over the pulpit. I chose to memorize "The Bridge Builder". As we get further into this New Year, I felt impressed to share that poem, and some thoughts about what it (and the opportunities afforded by each new year) means to me.
An old man going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide.
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream held no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day,
You never again will pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you this bridge at the eventide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head;
"Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
There followeth after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
"This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him."
A new year has often been considered to be the optimal time to start something anew, to mend fences or broken bridges in relationships, to correct mistakes in our conduct and day-to-day living, and to look with hope towards the promise that, if we will do such things, each new year can and will be better than however many years have come before it. But more than that, we can and must reach out to rescue those within our circle of influence who have, for whatever reason, managed to get any aspect of their lives off-course.
Earlier today, the first Music & the Spoken Word broadcast for 2019 was a special one with a "New Year" theme. Lloyd Newell, who gives the "spoken word" portion of the program, shared this message this morning. Part of any transition we make in this life from one stage to another surely involves the process whereby we are presented with new territory in which to forge a path ahead, and the opportunity to cross various chasms and, where possible, turn around and build bridges for others who will, through no fault of their own, need to cross similar chasms in their own lives and situations.
Will we, as the ones who have gone before, make the path easier for those who will follow after us? It has well been said that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. While serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (and Acting President of the Church during the apostolic interregnum following the death of Brigham Young), John Taylor was quoted as follows: "If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty."
Therefore, if we fail to learn from the mistakes we and others before us have made, do not successfully cross the chasms in our own lives and build bridges for those who will follow after, do not take the time to ensure that each New Year can be such an opportunity to change ourselves for the better and to build bridges for those that will follow after us, we will definitely be accountable to the Lord on Judgement Day for those faults and failings.
That said, since there has only ever been One Man I know of who was absolutely perfect, and who never lost sight of His mission and purpose, who was willing to pay the price for our shortcomings, faults, failures, and flaws, if we have failed in these priorities before now, then this new year also presents an opportunity for each of us to correct course now, to resolve to do better, and to ensure that we do what He has sent us here to do.
While it is never an easy process to make such course corrections, He never said it would be easy: He only said it would be worth it. If we lay claim to the merits, mercy, compassion, understanding and opportunity to course correct, which is freely offered by Him through the gift of His atonement, then not only can we correct our course and resolve to do better in the year ahead, but we can also be successful in doing better in the future, and in preparing the paths we have already trod for those who will follow after, and who would, if not for our preparation, fallen by the wayside.
This is the opportunity that each New Year affords for us all. I pray that we will take that opportunity this year, and every New Year for the rest of our lives. If we can do so, we will then be able to stand blameless before our Father in Heaven and His Son, who makes it all possible. This is the New Year testimony which I offer on this Fast Sunday in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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.
Friday, January 4, 2019
Further Revisions Made to Announced Temples Section of My Temple Construction Progress Report
Hello again, everyone! As briefly referenced in my previous post, I am now fulfilling my promise to bring you the revised version of the announced temples section of my temple construction progress report. Most of those revisions involved reevaluating what was known about each temple (including any information which had been officially or unofficially confirmed), and based on my analysis of the relevant factors, I reworked the section of announced temples for which sufficient information that is known has given me enough confidence to provide a general estimated time-frame within which a groundbreaking might occur for those temples. I should also mention that there is a current backlog of 28 temples for which a groundbreaking is pending. Of those 28, the information to which I currently have access has me confident enough to venture a general groundbreaking estimate for 16 of them, and if those estimates are anywhere near correct, all 16 temples could have a groundbreaking within the next 3 years or less. And since many (myself included) were surprised by the unexpected announcement of the groundbreaking ceremony for the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple (with that ceremony being held almost two months ago), I am not ruling out the likelihood that could occur again for temples in the second section of announced temples.
As I also observed recently, although it has been somewhat standard in recent years for temples to have 2-3 years between the timing of an announcement and a subsequent groundbreaking ceremony, depending on what President Nelson has planned for future temple construction, that time-frame may accelerate significantly, especially for temples which will be smaller in size and will serve a smaller district. Time will tell just how accurate any of these estimates are.
It should also be noted that, since I last posted this section of my report on this blog (6 days ago), I have increased the number of additional temples which might have a groundbreaking by the end of 2019 from 5 to 7. If something big is coming in terms of future temple announcements and construction efforts, then part of that will surely involve moving announced temples into the construction process more quickly than we have seen up to this point.
So it is possible that this year and the years that follow will see even more groundbreakings and new temples announced than the years before, which in turn would multiply the number of temple events the Church will see in subsequent years. As with anything else I post, I will be just as happy if my estimates prove to be off as I will be if any of them are accurate. With that noted, the updated section of my report highlighting announced temples follows below.
In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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 (for which sufficient information has me confident enough to venture a general groundbreaking estimate):
It should also be noted that, since I last posted this section of my report on this blog (6 days ago), I have increased the number of additional temples which might have a groundbreaking by the end of 2019 from 5 to 7. If something big is coming in terms of future temple announcements and construction efforts, then part of that will surely involve moving announced temples into the construction process more quickly than we have seen up to this point.
So it is possible that this year and the years that follow will see even more groundbreakings and new temples announced than the years before, which in turn would multiply the number of temple events the Church will see in subsequent years. As with anything else I post, I will be just as happy if my estimates prove to be off as I will be if any of them are accurate. With that noted, the updated section of my report highlighting announced temples follows below.
In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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 (for which sufficient information has me confident enough to venture a general groundbreaking estimate):
174. Pocatello
Idaho Temple: Government approval process; streets around temple site opened; groundbreaking
anticipated in mid-2019.
175. Saratoga
Springs Utah Temple: Government approval phase; probable site identified;
awaiting official confirmation and artist’s rendering; groundbreaking could
occur in mid-2019.
176. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning and preliminary
construction phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson
visited probable site on October 20, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.
177. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase;
awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017;
groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.
178. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning and
approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson visited
potential site on April 17, 2018; groundbreaking anticipated
in late 2019.
179. Brasilia
Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; site inspected by Church engineers
on June 21, 2017; groundbreaking could
occur in late 2019-early 2020.
180. Greater
Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name
announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.
181. Layton
Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting
official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.
182. Richmond
Virginia Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting
official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.
183. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase;
announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking
could occur in mid-2020.
184. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and
approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement;
President Nelson toured potential locations on April 19, 2018; groundbreaking
could occur in mid-2020.
185.
Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.
186.
Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.
187. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018;
awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.
188.
Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.
189.
Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official
site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020-early 2021.
Announced Temples (for which more
information is needed before I provide an estimated groundbreaking time-frame):
190. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval phase;
awaiting official site announcement.
191. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase;
awaiting official site announcement.
192. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and
approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
193.
Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
194. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval
phase; awaiting official site announcement.
195.
Praia Cape Verde Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
196.
Yigo Guam Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
197.
Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
198.
Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
199.
San Juan Puerto Rico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official
site announcement.
200. Russia Temple: Planning
and approval phase; awaiting official location and site announcement.
201.
Washington County Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official
city and site announcement.
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 Items of Business Relating to This Blog (Including Some Observations About Temples)
Hello again, everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the new method I have been using to convey information (posting more minor developments in comments on existing threads, and focusing blog posts on the more major developments that are significant enough to merit new posts and additional analysis on my part). I also hope that any of you, whether long-time or newer readers of this blog, will continue to feel free to post comments to share feedback on any new content, or any older posts to share new information.
I am particularly hosting an open commenting period on my April 2019 General Conference predictions, and welcome any insights any of you have on the projected speaking order, potential changes in Church leadership, the estimated figures for the statistical report, and the list of potential locations which, given recent comments from Church leaders and the research I have done, is more extensive than it ever has been.
While I have tried to limit that list to one location per US state or nation, there are a few nations and one state (Utah) where multiple temples seem likely to be announced. Although the United States (except for the regions within the Mormon corridor) has been in a general state of stagnation, Matthew Martinich, who maintains the Church growth blog, has indicated that congregational growth in the United States improved in 2018 in comparison to 2017.
That statement may not indicate that the stagnant growth in the US is beginning to reverse itself, but there are certainly areas within the US where I feel more confident a temple could be built than I was this time last year. I have also recently referenced in my comments on this blog my opinion that the 19 temples announced last year were President Nelson's way of starting slowly to expand the number of temples.
In that regard, I was also reminded that 2018 saw the second-highest number of temples announced in a single year (which may be considered the highest number of temples for which a specific location was announced in a single year). So perhaps 2019 will see many more temples announced. But more than that: 9 of the 19 temples announced last year have since had a specific site either definitively or unofficially confirmed.
So the face of the Church's temple construction program is changing for sure, and part of that will almost certainly involve the announcement of dozens (if not scores) of temples. That is why my list of potential locations that could have a temple announced in April is more extensive than it has ever been. But another part of the changing face of temple construction might be that we will see temples move more quickly from announcement to groundbreaking.
In view of that consideration, I have taken time over the last hour or two to update my general estimated time-frames within which many of the announced temples could go on to have a groundbreaking, and part of that involved adjusting the order of some temples and moving up their estimates. I will be posting those changes within the next hour. In the meantime (with my apologies for rambling), any thoughts anyone has about my General Conference predictions, particularly the list of potential locations which might have a temple announced in April, would be particularly appreciated.
Getting back to the items of business for this blog, I wanted to also solicit feedback on the current layout of this blog. Because I could not "sound off" about subjects close to my heart without you who are willing to read and offer feedback on the content here, if there is anything not working for any of you, I would like to know about it. I have also been mulling over the merits of adding other features to this blog, so let me know if there is anything you would like to see in the layout that is not presently included.
I also know that in the past, some of you who regularly comment have mentioned I should be earning money for my blogging efforts. So I have been considering that as well. I currently have Adsense ads on this blog, but my earnings therefrom have never been too significant, even on the highest-earning days. That is one of the main reasons I have tweaked the layout of this blog so much recently. I was checking if different layout configurations would impact the earnings.
So one option for me would be to add a "donate" button here. I hesitate to do that, because that can get tricky, and I wouldn't want any of you to feel pressured to donate if you didn't want to. But at times, I do wonder if that would be a good option. My efforts, unlike other blogs that provide extensive analysis of different aspects of the gospel, have no private source of funding, and I am certainly not getting revenue out of this blog which would be equivalent to the hours of work I put into the content I post here. If I do wind up adding such a button, donations would be completely optional, and I would certainly never think any less of any of you who do not want to or are not able to donate.
But the more I thought about this, the more I realized that I wouldn't want to unilaterally make any of these changes if they would only prove to be a deterrent to earnest discussion of the topics covered on this blog. For that reason, I would likewise appreciate any thoughts any of you have on any of the changes I am considering for this blog. While I do enjoy "sounding off" about subjects so close to my heart, this blog has cultivated a community of several loyal readers, many of whom also comment regularly. So none of this is my personal prerogative to decide on. If the changes I am mulling over will not improve the overall experience for you, my readers, making them would be a non-starter for sure.
For that reason, if any of you have any comments on anything I have discussed here, I would welcome and appreciate the chance to hear your input, and that also goes for any previous content on this blog. The commenting period for any posts on this blog (except those for which I have specifically set a time-frame limit) is eternally open, as far as I am concerned. 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 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.
I am particularly hosting an open commenting period on my April 2019 General Conference predictions, and welcome any insights any of you have on the projected speaking order, potential changes in Church leadership, the estimated figures for the statistical report, and the list of potential locations which, given recent comments from Church leaders and the research I have done, is more extensive than it ever has been.
While I have tried to limit that list to one location per US state or nation, there are a few nations and one state (Utah) where multiple temples seem likely to be announced. Although the United States (except for the regions within the Mormon corridor) has been in a general state of stagnation, Matthew Martinich, who maintains the Church growth blog, has indicated that congregational growth in the United States improved in 2018 in comparison to 2017.
That statement may not indicate that the stagnant growth in the US is beginning to reverse itself, but there are certainly areas within the US where I feel more confident a temple could be built than I was this time last year. I have also recently referenced in my comments on this blog my opinion that the 19 temples announced last year were President Nelson's way of starting slowly to expand the number of temples.
In that regard, I was also reminded that 2018 saw the second-highest number of temples announced in a single year (which may be considered the highest number of temples for which a specific location was announced in a single year). So perhaps 2019 will see many more temples announced. But more than that: 9 of the 19 temples announced last year have since had a specific site either definitively or unofficially confirmed.
So the face of the Church's temple construction program is changing for sure, and part of that will almost certainly involve the announcement of dozens (if not scores) of temples. That is why my list of potential locations that could have a temple announced in April is more extensive than it has ever been. But another part of the changing face of temple construction might be that we will see temples move more quickly from announcement to groundbreaking.
In view of that consideration, I have taken time over the last hour or two to update my general estimated time-frames within which many of the announced temples could go on to have a groundbreaking, and part of that involved adjusting the order of some temples and moving up their estimates. I will be posting those changes within the next hour. In the meantime (with my apologies for rambling), any thoughts anyone has about my General Conference predictions, particularly the list of potential locations which might have a temple announced in April, would be particularly appreciated.
Getting back to the items of business for this blog, I wanted to also solicit feedback on the current layout of this blog. Because I could not "sound off" about subjects close to my heart without you who are willing to read and offer feedback on the content here, if there is anything not working for any of you, I would like to know about it. I have also been mulling over the merits of adding other features to this blog, so let me know if there is anything you would like to see in the layout that is not presently included.
I also know that in the past, some of you who regularly comment have mentioned I should be earning money for my blogging efforts. So I have been considering that as well. I currently have Adsense ads on this blog, but my earnings therefrom have never been too significant, even on the highest-earning days. That is one of the main reasons I have tweaked the layout of this blog so much recently. I was checking if different layout configurations would impact the earnings.
So one option for me would be to add a "donate" button here. I hesitate to do that, because that can get tricky, and I wouldn't want any of you to feel pressured to donate if you didn't want to. But at times, I do wonder if that would be a good option. My efforts, unlike other blogs that provide extensive analysis of different aspects of the gospel, have no private source of funding, and I am certainly not getting revenue out of this blog which would be equivalent to the hours of work I put into the content I post here. If I do wind up adding such a button, donations would be completely optional, and I would certainly never think any less of any of you who do not want to or are not able to donate.
But the more I thought about this, the more I realized that I wouldn't want to unilaterally make any of these changes if they would only prove to be a deterrent to earnest discussion of the topics covered on this blog. For that reason, I would likewise appreciate any thoughts any of you have on any of the changes I am considering for this blog. While I do enjoy "sounding off" about subjects so close to my heart, this blog has cultivated a community of several loyal readers, many of whom also comment regularly. So none of this is my personal prerogative to decide on. If the changes I am mulling over will not improve the overall experience for you, my readers, making them would be a non-starter for sure.
For that reason, if any of you have any comments on anything I have discussed here, I would welcome and appreciate the chance to hear your input, and that also goes for any previous content on this blog. The commenting period for any posts on this blog (except those for which I have specifically set a time-frame limit) is eternally open, as far as I am concerned. 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 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.
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.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
BREAKING NEWS: Church Announces Mission Changes for 2019
Hello again, everyone! Breaking news again from the Church about changes in missions for 2019. This is the earliest in any year, in my memory, in which such changes were announced. In the official Newsroom release, the creation of four new missions and boundary alignments for 12 others are detailed. The resulting number of missions total will be 399.
The new missions will be located to serve the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and one more each for Guatemala, Peru, and the Philippines. Mission boundaries will be realigned for 3 California missions, and one each in Argentina, Halifax Nova Scotia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Japan, Korea, New York, and Virginia. I imagine that the specific missions will be consolidated with surrounding missions.
Later this month, the announcement notes that new mission presidents will be announced, which will also occur earlier than it has in past years. President Nelson's good health has surely impacted the earlier timing of the announcement of these changes, which is wonderful to see. In the meantime, others, who are more skilled than I am in that area, will provide further analysis of these developments in the coming days, so I will not comment further on these changes for now, except to advise all that such analysis will likely be provided later this week on the Church growth blog maintained so well by Matthew Martinich.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
The new missions will be located to serve the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and one more each for Guatemala, Peru, and the Philippines. Mission boundaries will be realigned for 3 California missions, and one each in Argentina, Halifax Nova Scotia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Japan, Korea, New York, and Virginia. I imagine that the specific missions will be consolidated with surrounding missions.
Later this month, the announcement notes that new mission presidents will be announced, which will also occur earlier than it has in past years. President Nelson's good health has surely impacted the earlier timing of the announcement of these changes, which is wonderful to see. In the meantime, others, who are more skilled than I am in that area, will provide further analysis of these developments in the coming days, so I will not comment further on these changes for now, except to advise all that such analysis will likely be provided later this week on the Church growth blog maintained so well by Matthew Martinich.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
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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