Hello again, everyone! I wanted to provide a brief personal update, along with sharing some additional Church news and some temple developments which have crossed my radar recently. First, the personal update. At a doctor's appointment towards the end of last month, my wife, my doctor, and I determined that I have received the maximum benefit I am going to get from the pain medication I have been on for over a decade. I am in the process of tapering off of that medication.
In the meantime, I am also in the process of making a switch with the medication I have been on for anxiety and depression, which has presented an additional challenge for me. But I also had a consult with another of my doctors yesterday, and we determined to go ahead with a procedure I have needed but have been avoiding. I have tentatively planned to have that same-day procedure done in mid-April. So my physical and mental health have been challenged recently with all of that going on.
And for that reason, I wanted to again throw out an apology to any of you (especially first-time or recently-returning readers) if what I have said or the way I have said it has come across as abrupt, rude, or with a seeming lack of compassion, tact, understanding, or courtesy. It will be rough going for me for a while with that going on, but my blogging has provided a source of release for the many stresses I am currently under, and my enthusiasm for reporting the subject matter I have continued to cover on this blog is as strong as it ever has been.
Having indulged that personal moment, I'd like to move on to cover recent temple updates and Church news that has been reported. Today marks both the final day for the Rome Italy Temple dedication, and the first day of public tours for the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. I have mentioned before my theory that President Nelson could (and likely will) head out on another leg of his Global Ministry Tour within the week following General Conference next month, and that this temple dedication could mark either the start, mid-point, or conclusion of that tour.
In the meantime, a report has come in demonstrating that demolition is underway on the Trujillo Alto Ward chapel, as the Church prepares the ground on which it stands for a new meetinghouse that will be adjacent to the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple, which is 1 of the 3 temples set to have a groundbreaking on Saturday May 4. It is wonderful to see the day-to-day milestones of temple construction progress which have been occurring of late.
Turning in conclusion to Church news items, more articles and coverage have been provided for the Rome Italy Temple, including more videos, a copy of the dedicatory prayer, and some additional context into the circumstances leading up to the Rome Italy Temple dedication which has been held over the last 4-5 days. The Church has released a look at the Kinshasa temple in pictures, biographies of more newly-called mission presidents, and some suggestions from the Sunday School General Presidency about how to effectively teach from General Conference messages (which is the prescribed curriculum for Priesthood and Relief Society on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month). Catch those articles via the Church News website.
And more coverage of the Rome Italy Temple, the Kinshasa open house, and other developments can be found on the Church's official Newsroom, which includes the release of a new video featuring the apostles in reverse seniority order reading portions of the Living Christ. As most of you may recall, that document was released by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in 2000, in honor of the birth of the Savior "two millenia ago".
The most significant thing about that (aside from prophets, seers, and revelators quoting such scripture as if it were their own words) was that only 5 of the apostles who originally signed that joint apostolic testimony are still living. In the almost-2-decades that have passed between then and now, the apostolic Quorums have seen a 66.667% turnover. I am not sure how that compares in terms of other 20-year periods, but it is significant enough a circumstance to bear mentioning here.
I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments, and will do my level best to keep bringing word of such things to you as I become aware of it. 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.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Personal Update/Additional Church News and Temple Developments Reported
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, March 11, 2019
Additional News Reported Relating to the Rome Italy Temple Dedication
Hello again, everyone! Some additional news has been reported from Rome Italy as the dedication of that temple continues. All living apostles gathered in Rome for the dedicatory events gathered for a set of historic photographs. Two of those photos show the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, one in their white temple suits, and the other in their "street clothes". As some of you may be aware, it has been a tradition of sorts for the Church to feature new separate photographs for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles anytime there is a change in either of those leading Quorums of the Church. But this is the first time in around 2 decades or so where a photo was taken with all of the apostles together.
There is even more significance in this development, however. For the first time of which I am aware, a group photograph was also taken featuring almost all of the wives of the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The only one missing from that photo was Sister Kathleen J. Eyring, wife of President Henry B. Eyring. As President Eyring mentioned in his address during the last General Conference, his wife is dealing with some significant health issues incident to her age, so she has not been actively able to accompany him to such occasions and assignments for the last several years.
But there is even more significance involved in these developments: In this article from the Church News, a quote from President Nelson emphasizes that the Lord inspired him to gather all of his apostolic colleagues in Rome for this dedication, and he apparently met with each of them individually to extend that invitation personally. It is very wonderful to know that we have a prophet who is not hesitant at all to highlight exactly how much of his actions and decisions have been inspired by the Lord.
As BYU students were told in 1980 by then-Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of Fourteen Fundamentals relating to following the prophet is that the prophet does not need to say "thus saith the Lord" to give us modern scripture or instructions that the Lord has inspired him to give. But we have a prophet who is absolutely fearless in declaring how much of what he does in his ministry has been directed by the Lord.
All of the articles I have cited so far are well worthy of your time. But in addition to that, President Nelson's wife, Sister Wendy W. Nelson, took time while in Rome with her husband to share her testimony and firsthand witness of the foreordination and divinely-inspired calling of her husband as the Prophet of the Lord and President of the Church. One thing she mentioned is that her husband's practice of writing down many instructions from the Lord has accelerated and not slowed at all in the last year. She also again referred to his willingness to be innovative, and to do things differently, in view of the ultimate goal is making the Church run more effectively in every way.
And so history continues to be made in Rome, most notably because today marked the first time in around a decade or so that a temple dedication has been scheduled to be longer than a single day. Dedicatory services will have wrapped up by this time tomorrow in Utah time. And more reports will be provided about this temple's dedication within the next 36 hours or so. I will monitor such developments and pass word of them along to you all as I receive it.
In the meantime, I wanted to pass along a couple more new temple updates before I conclude here. First, with the time in Kinshasa now being just after 8:30 PM, the Church has wrapped up VIP/Media tours for the first temple in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In around 12-13 hours, that temple will be open to the public for an 18-day period, until March 30, with the exclusion of the relevant Sundays. As previously mentioned, that temple will be dedicated the Sunday following General Conference, and I anticipate that event could somehow coincide with another leg of President Nelson's ongoing Global Ministry Tour.
Another update has been reported relating to the Durban South Africa Temple, where efforts are underway to clad the baptismal font in marble, and where ceiling and tiling work continues. On the grounds of the temple, walkways are being poured, and the walls of the water feature are being prepared for their installation. Meanwhile, at the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, stone cladding has been completed.
I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. 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.
There is even more significance in this development, however. For the first time of which I am aware, a group photograph was also taken featuring almost all of the wives of the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The only one missing from that photo was Sister Kathleen J. Eyring, wife of President Henry B. Eyring. As President Eyring mentioned in his address during the last General Conference, his wife is dealing with some significant health issues incident to her age, so she has not been actively able to accompany him to such occasions and assignments for the last several years.
But there is even more significance involved in these developments: In this article from the Church News, a quote from President Nelson emphasizes that the Lord inspired him to gather all of his apostolic colleagues in Rome for this dedication, and he apparently met with each of them individually to extend that invitation personally. It is very wonderful to know that we have a prophet who is not hesitant at all to highlight exactly how much of his actions and decisions have been inspired by the Lord.
As BYU students were told in 1980 by then-Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of Fourteen Fundamentals relating to following the prophet is that the prophet does not need to say "thus saith the Lord" to give us modern scripture or instructions that the Lord has inspired him to give. But we have a prophet who is absolutely fearless in declaring how much of what he does in his ministry has been directed by the Lord.
All of the articles I have cited so far are well worthy of your time. But in addition to that, President Nelson's wife, Sister Wendy W. Nelson, took time while in Rome with her husband to share her testimony and firsthand witness of the foreordination and divinely-inspired calling of her husband as the Prophet of the Lord and President of the Church. One thing she mentioned is that her husband's practice of writing down many instructions from the Lord has accelerated and not slowed at all in the last year. She also again referred to his willingness to be innovative, and to do things differently, in view of the ultimate goal is making the Church run more effectively in every way.
And so history continues to be made in Rome, most notably because today marked the first time in around a decade or so that a temple dedication has been scheduled to be longer than a single day. Dedicatory services will have wrapped up by this time tomorrow in Utah time. And more reports will be provided about this temple's dedication within the next 36 hours or so. I will monitor such developments and pass word of them along to you all as I receive it.
In the meantime, I wanted to pass along a couple more new temple updates before I conclude here. First, with the time in Kinshasa now being just after 8:30 PM, the Church has wrapped up VIP/Media tours for the first temple in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In around 12-13 hours, that temple will be open to the public for an 18-day period, until March 30, with the exclusion of the relevant Sundays. As previously mentioned, that temple will be dedicated the Sunday following General Conference, and I anticipate that event could somehow coincide with another leg of President Nelson's ongoing Global Ministry Tour.
Another update has been reported relating to the Durban South Africa Temple, where efforts are underway to clad the baptismal font in marble, and where ceiling and tiling work continues. On the grounds of the temple, walkways are being poured, and the walls of the water feature are being prepared for their installation. Meanwhile, at the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, stone cladding has been completed.
I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. 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.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
My Attempt to Clear Up Misconceptions and Misunderstandings
Hello again, everyone! I hope you will all indulge me as I share a personal post. My purpose in doing so is to attempt (even if I fail) to clear up some misconceptions and misunderstandings on the part of anyone who reads this blog regularly. The need to do so has arisen due to my being criticized through a comment on this blog. The comment, made by one of several who use the "Unknown" moniker to post their feedback, called me out for my failure to recognize that I am not always talking to the same individual in each interaction I have with those who comment as "Unknown".
So let me say this right off the bat: I am only as good as the information I am given. I have one individual who comments as "Unknown" and, in doing so, always leaves his first name with his comment, so I know which "Unknown" comments he has made. I recognize fully that, with the Blogger commenting system being what it currently is, there are some who comment using a default system other than Blogger. And for those individuals, the one and only way I would know whether I am talking to the same person or someone different is if they were to tell me.
Because of this problem cropping up, I wish in some ways I could look through the screen and see who I was talking to every time. I cannot do so, and for the most part, being able to would cause more harm than good. I am also not in any way omniscient, and, due to that fact, am only as good as the information I am given. I would personally love to treat everyone who comments here with the consideration and respect they deserve, and would love to refer to them by name. Therefore, for the sake of my not being perfect or able to see through the screen, could you who use the "Unknown" moniker do me a favor? When you comment, please leave your first name for me before posting, as that will help me know to whom I am speaking.
I also wish to clear up another misconception about me and about the things I post. Some of you who comment have told me that, at times, I come across as being far more interested in asserting the accuracy and validity of my own opinion than I do in conducting a process of earnest dialogue between myself and those who comment here. As I mentioned earlier, I am not perfect. In fact, full disclosure here: I am probably the most imperfect man on earth, even on my best days. That is why I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, since that can, does, and will make up the difference when I inevitably fall short, which I almost always do.
That said, I do have a firm testimony of the gospel, of the doctrines, practices, and procedures thereof, and I have gained that testimony through years of extensive study. I would be foolish and misguided if I were to claim I have all the answers. I do not now, and I likely will not ever know everything there is to know about the gospel in general, and the topics I cover here in particular. But I have studied for years on end to gain knowledge of such things, and if I don't know something, at least I usually know where to look for answers to such questions. If I have ever portrayed myself as someone who thinks he has all the answers, or whose opinions ought to be considered as the end-all be-all of any discussion, I sincerely apologize. That was in no way, shape, or form my intent.
My purpose for starting this blog was to share my passion for the news and developments of the Church. Generally, I never come away from any interact with anyone in the comments of this blog without having learned something therefrom. As my regular readers will tell you, sometimes in the rush to collect and publish data or information, I overlook something big which escapes my notice. And the efforts others have made to point out such errors are sorely needed. We need to be focused on lifting and encouraging each other, and when that happens through the discussions on this blog, I consider my efforts a success.
Recognizing my imperfections and limitations (which, even on my best days, can be severely debilitating if I stop and think about them), and acknowledging that I am prone to mistakes constantly, I hope that all of you who read what I post here will forgive and pardon any misunderstanding, misconceptions, or ill feelings any mode or manner of expression I have utilized here may have caused.
My hope and prayer is that we will all do more to ensure civility, kindness, and accuracy purveys and permeates our discussions. If it can be so, then all of my imperfect efforts will have been more than well spent. In the meantime, if any of you have any questions or concerns about my mode and manner of speaking in either blog posts or the comments thereof here, I hope you will feel that this is a safe space where you can let me know about them. As we attempt to uplift, strengthen, encourage, and inspire one another, I likewise hope and pray that the Lord will bless our mutual efforts.
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.
So let me say this right off the bat: I am only as good as the information I am given. I have one individual who comments as "Unknown" and, in doing so, always leaves his first name with his comment, so I know which "Unknown" comments he has made. I recognize fully that, with the Blogger commenting system being what it currently is, there are some who comment using a default system other than Blogger. And for those individuals, the one and only way I would know whether I am talking to the same person or someone different is if they were to tell me.
Because of this problem cropping up, I wish in some ways I could look through the screen and see who I was talking to every time. I cannot do so, and for the most part, being able to would cause more harm than good. I am also not in any way omniscient, and, due to that fact, am only as good as the information I am given. I would personally love to treat everyone who comments here with the consideration and respect they deserve, and would love to refer to them by name. Therefore, for the sake of my not being perfect or able to see through the screen, could you who use the "Unknown" moniker do me a favor? When you comment, please leave your first name for me before posting, as that will help me know to whom I am speaking.
I also wish to clear up another misconception about me and about the things I post. Some of you who comment have told me that, at times, I come across as being far more interested in asserting the accuracy and validity of my own opinion than I do in conducting a process of earnest dialogue between myself and those who comment here. As I mentioned earlier, I am not perfect. In fact, full disclosure here: I am probably the most imperfect man on earth, even on my best days. That is why I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, since that can, does, and will make up the difference when I inevitably fall short, which I almost always do.
That said, I do have a firm testimony of the gospel, of the doctrines, practices, and procedures thereof, and I have gained that testimony through years of extensive study. I would be foolish and misguided if I were to claim I have all the answers. I do not now, and I likely will not ever know everything there is to know about the gospel in general, and the topics I cover here in particular. But I have studied for years on end to gain knowledge of such things, and if I don't know something, at least I usually know where to look for answers to such questions. If I have ever portrayed myself as someone who thinks he has all the answers, or whose opinions ought to be considered as the end-all be-all of any discussion, I sincerely apologize. That was in no way, shape, or form my intent.
My purpose for starting this blog was to share my passion for the news and developments of the Church. Generally, I never come away from any interact with anyone in the comments of this blog without having learned something therefrom. As my regular readers will tell you, sometimes in the rush to collect and publish data or information, I overlook something big which escapes my notice. And the efforts others have made to point out such errors are sorely needed. We need to be focused on lifting and encouraging each other, and when that happens through the discussions on this blog, I consider my efforts a success.
Recognizing my imperfections and limitations (which, even on my best days, can be severely debilitating if I stop and think about them), and acknowledging that I am prone to mistakes constantly, I hope that all of you who read what I post here will forgive and pardon any misunderstanding, misconceptions, or ill feelings any mode or manner of expression I have utilized here may have caused.
My hope and prayer is that we will all do more to ensure civility, kindness, and accuracy purveys and permeates our discussions. If it can be so, then all of my imperfect efforts will have been more than well spent. In the meantime, if any of you have any questions or concerns about my mode and manner of speaking in either blog posts or the comments thereof here, I hope you will feel that this is a safe space where you can let me know about them. As we attempt to uplift, strengthen, encourage, and inspire one another, I likewise hope and pray that the Lord will bless our mutual efforts.
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.
BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Rome Italy Temple Is Dedicated as the 162nd Operating Temple of the Church
Hello again, everyone! I apologize for the delay in sharing this, but the Rome Italy Temple dedication is underway. As I anticipated, there have been 3 dedicatory sessions held today (as it is now past 10:00 PM Sunday Italian time), and there will be 2 more each day tomorrow and Tuesday. The Newsroom website shared this report about the dedication, complete with a video summary of the cornerstone ceremony, which demonstrated President Nelson's personal warmth and sense of humor.
And the Church News provided this report on the history of the Church in Italy and the events of the day. In the course of the next 48 hours, there will be more reports from both the Newsroom and the Church News website. In relation to the latter, that website is maintaining a special section compiling all of the Church News coverage that has been or will yet be published, so you can catch the latest stories through that page as they are published and added.
If I am correct that the sessions held today were at 9:00 AM, noon, and 3:00 PM Italian time, and that the two sessions each on Monday and Tuesday could be held at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, then the dedicatory sessions will conclude around 36 hours from now. And by way of reminder, the open house tours for the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo are set to begin on Tuesday March 12. Kinshasa is ahead of Utah time by around 8 hours, so that open house may begin at around 1:00 AM MDT tonight. Oddly enough, it appears that Kinshasa is in the same time zone as Italy.
And so, the Church continues to make great progress on temple construction all around the world. I am committed to bringing all of you word here on temple developments as I become aware of them. In relation to that commitment, I should also note that new information received today indicates progress has been made at the Durban South Africa Temple site. The latest update I have found is that the baptismal font is being clad in marble, that work continues on the ceiling and tiling, that walkways are being poured, and that the walls of the on-site water feature are being prepared to be poured.
Although I hold out a small amount of hope that this update indicates that the construction process for the Durban South Africa Temple is back on track after being affected by electrical blackouts and a high degree of political turmoil, until I am sure that is the case, I stand by my previously-offered assessment that the dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple could occur before the Durban South Africa Temple is dedicated. Time will tell.
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. 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 the Church News provided this report on the history of the Church in Italy and the events of the day. In the course of the next 48 hours, there will be more reports from both the Newsroom and the Church News website. In relation to the latter, that website is maintaining a special section compiling all of the Church News coverage that has been or will yet be published, so you can catch the latest stories through that page as they are published and added.
If I am correct that the sessions held today were at 9:00 AM, noon, and 3:00 PM Italian time, and that the two sessions each on Monday and Tuesday could be held at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, then the dedicatory sessions will conclude around 36 hours from now. And by way of reminder, the open house tours for the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo are set to begin on Tuesday March 12. Kinshasa is ahead of Utah time by around 8 hours, so that open house may begin at around 1:00 AM MDT tonight. Oddly enough, it appears that Kinshasa is in the same time zone as Italy.
And so, the Church continues to make great progress on temple construction all around the world. I am committed to bringing all of you word here on temple developments as I become aware of them. In relation to that commitment, I should also note that new information received today indicates progress has been made at the Durban South Africa Temple site. The latest update I have found is that the baptismal font is being clad in marble, that work continues on the ceiling and tiling, that walkways are being poured, and that the walls of the on-site water feature are being prepared to be poured.
Although I hold out a small amount of hope that this update indicates that the construction process for the Durban South Africa Temple is back on track after being affected by electrical blackouts and a high degree of political turmoil, until I am sure that is the case, I stand by my previously-offered assessment that the dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple could occur before the Durban South Africa Temple is dedicated. Time will tell.
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. 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.
Current Apostolic Statistics: Part Two—Updated Ages, Averages & Apostolic Nonagenarians
Hello again, everyone! I am back again now with the
second part of this apostolic update, in which we will 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, the 15 apostles as a group, and current and
future nonagenarians.
So let’s get right into all of that. Again, all data is
current as of today (Sunday March 10, 2019). Since my last update, Elder Rasband
has observed his 68th birthday. The next apostolic birthday
(President Eyring’s 86th) will not occur until the last day in May.
By that time, one more of these updates will have been posted on this blog, and
another such update will follow 2 days after President Eyring’s birthday
(Sunday June 2, 2019). Less than two weeks later (13 days, to be exact), Elder
Bednar will observe his 67th birthday. And the next apostolic
birthdays after that won’t be observed until August.
With that noted, we now move on to some exact figures
about the ages (and average ages) of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles, and all 15 apostles as a group. In the Church’s leading Quorum, President
Nelson is, as noted towards the end of my previous post, 94 years, 6 months,
and 1 day old, with a resulting decimal age of 94.50 years. His right-hand man,
President Oaks, is now 86 years, 6 months, and 26 days old, or 86.58 years. The
junior member of the First Presidency, President Eyring, is now 85 years, 9
months, and 10 days old, which is 85.78 in decimal years.
The First Presidency thus now has a combined 266.86 years
of life experience, which results in an average age for each man of 88.95 years.
President Nelson remains 5.55 years older than that average, with President
Oaks closest to it (as he remains 2.37 years younger than that average), which
means that President Eyring remains 3.17 years below it. Unless there is
something of which we are not aware in relation to the health of any of these
Brethren, they will continue to set new records for the oldest-serving First
Presidency in Church history for the foreseeable future.
Next, let’s turn our attention to the members of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles. President Ballard’s long-form age now sits at 90 years,
5 months, and 2 days, or 90.42 years. Elder Holland now has a long-form age of
78 years, 3 months, and 7 days, with a resulting 78.27 decimal years. Elder
Uchtdorf (who is a mere 27 days older than his senior apostolic seatmate) age
now stands at 78 years, 4 months, and 4 days old, which works out to 78.34 years.
Elder Bednar has now reached the full age of 66 years, 8
months, and 23 days, which works out to 66.73 decimal years. Elder Cook, the oldest
but least senior of the 3 apostles born in 1940, has a long-form age of 78
years, 6 months, and 2 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 78.50 years.
Elder Christofferson has now reached the age of 74 years, 1 month and 14 days
old, making his decimal age 74.12 years.
Elder Andersen, who, as previously noted, will be marking
a decade in the apostleship this April, is now 67 years, 7 months, and 1 day
old, and his decimal age is 67.58 years. Elder Rasband, who is our only apostle
to have a birthday since my last update, is now 68 years, 1 month, and 4 days, or
68.09 years. Elder Stevenson, at exactly 4.5 years younger than Elder Rasband
(as both were born on the 6th), has a long-form age of 63 years, 7
months, and 4 days, or 63.59 in decimal years.
We move on now the final 3 apostles. Elder Renlund has
now reached the exact age of 66 years, 3 months, and 25 days, with a resulting
decimal age of 66.32 years. Elder Gong is now 65 years, 2 month, and 15 days, which
works out to 65.21 in decimal years. As for Elder Soares, he is now 60 years, 5
months, and 8 days old, which is a resulting 60.44 decimal years.
Based on those numbers, the current members of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles now have a combined 857.61 years of life experience,
which results in an average of 71.47 years per member. Elders Christofferson
and Rasband are respectively above and below that average, with the former again
being 2.65 years older, and the latter remaining 3.38 years younger. Based on
the information I provided earlier about the members of the First Presidency, the
entire body of apostles now have a combined 1,124.47 years of life experience, which
is an average of 74.97 years. I don’t know whether or not I have miscalculated
this in the past, but the latest calculations I have run show that Elder
Holland is older than that average by 3.2 years, while Elder Christofferson is
now apparently 0.85 years younger.
We now move on to the nonagenarians. President Nelson
remains the seventh oldest apostle in Church history, and is set to move up to
the seventh spot on July 5 of this year. In the meantime, President Ballard has
observed his next nonagenarian milestone (that occurred on Wednesday February
20, 2019, when his lifespan became longer than that of President Thomas S.
Monson), and he also has 3 other milestones in that regard coming up on May 15,
June 9, and July 31, the specifics of which I will discuss closer to those
dates. For the other apostles, President Oaks will join the nonagenarian list in
3 years, 5 months, and 2 days, while Elder Soares will do so in 29 years, 6
months, and 22 days, with the other apostles doing so at other various
intervals, which will be detailed more fully as they approach.
I hope that many of you found this information to be
interesting, informative, and accurate. 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
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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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