Updated Temple Construction Progress Report: Part Two—Temples in Various Phases of Construction. or With a Groundbreaking Scheduled or Anticipated

Hello again, everyone! Having provided an overview of changes made to my temple construction progress report, I wanted to use this post to share the adjustments I made to the sections highlighting those temples which are currently in various phases of construction, along with those that have a groundbreaking either scheduled or anticipated. That information 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.

Open house tours underway:

164. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Open house tours underway through May 18, excluding Sundays; dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday June 2, 2019.

Dedication scheduled:

165. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planting palm trees; laying flowerbed irrigation lines; pouring curbing and walkways; dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday September 1, 2019.

166. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Planting magnolia, pine, and palm trees around temple; dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday September 15, 2019.

Under construction; completion anticipated within the next year or two:

167. Arequipa Peru Temple: Temporary glass installed; south monument sign installed; sod laid; flowers, bushes, and trees planted; completion estimated sometime during late 2019.

168. Durban South Africa Temple: Installing cornice and pilaster millwork, marble thresholds, and flooring; mechanical and electrical finish work continues; cladding entrance retaining walls and fountain; laying more sod; completion estimated sometime during late 2019.

169. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Steeple pedestal to be clad; majority of exterior cladding completed; interior work progressing; completion estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

170. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Structural steel framing underway for temple; wood framing continues for meetinghouse; completion estimated sometime during mid-2020.

171. Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple: Foundation nearing completion; completion estimated sometime during late 2020-early 2021.

Under construction; completion estimated within the next 2-3 years:

172. Pocatello Idaho Temple: Dewatering the excavation area; dirt continues to be hauled from the property; completion estimated sometime during late 2021-early 2022.

173. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Footing and foundation work underway; completion estimated sometime during late 2021-early 2022.

Full-scale construction pending:

174. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Groundbreaking held on January 26, 2019; full-scale construction pending; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2022.

Groundbreaking scheduled:

175. Yigo Guam Temple: Demolition of Yigo meetinghouse underway; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday May 4, 2019; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Note: I am assuming the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple will be held at 10:00 AM Yigo time on Saturday, which will be 6:00 PM on Friday in Utah.

176. Praia Cabo Verde Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking, which is scheduled for Saturday May 4, 2019; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid-2021.

Note: I am assuming the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple will be held at 10:00 AM Praia time Saturday, which will be 5:00 AM on Saturday in Utah.

177. San Juan Puerto Rico Temple: Demolition of the Trujillo chapel completed; temple site cleared for groundbreaking, which is scheduled for Saturday May 4, 2019; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Note: I am assuming the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple will be held at 10:00 AM San Juan time Saturday, which will be 8:00 AM on Saturday in Utah.

178. Quito Ecuador Temple: Clearing site with heavy equipment in preparation for groundbreaking, which is scheduled for Saturday May 11, 2019; completion estimated sometime during mid-2021.

Note: I am assuming the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple will be held at 10:00 AM Quito time on Saturday, which will be 9:00 AM on Saturday in Utah.

179. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Official rendering released; existing institute building and meetinghouse closed on January 27, 2019 in preparation for demolition; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday June 8, 2019; completion estimated sometime during mid-2022.

Note: I am assuming the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple will be held at 10:00 AM Los Olivos time on Saturday, which will be 9:00 AM on Saturday in Utah.

Groundbreaking anticipated:

180. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; property fence installed around temple site; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

181. Richmond Virginia Temple: Preliminary plans submitted to local government; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

182. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Awaiting official site confirmation; temple plans not yet submitted to the city government; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

183. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

184. 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.

Updated Temple Construction Progress Report: Part One—Overview of Changes Made & Preliminary Notes Section

Hello again, everyone! After doing some additional analysis on the most effective ways to present data in my temple construction progress report, I made several tweaks to it that seemed reasonable and practical. First, I put the temples which are anticipated to be dedicated within the next year or two (5 in total currently) into one section. Temples anticipated to be completed within the next 2-3 years will also be in a separate new section

Based on my efforts to weigh what I know against all that is unknown at present, I have shrunk my list of temples which I consider to be in a "Groundbreaking anticipated" status down to the 5 for which there is enough information to enable me to confidently provide an estimate for the groundbreaking timeframe. The 10 or 11 other temples which used to be in that section have been moved instead to the top of the "Announced temples" section near the end of my report, joiining others for which more information is needed before I venture a more specific but still general estimate for their groundbreakings.

For the temples undergoing renovation, since all of them are anticipated to be rededicated within the next few years or sooner, I have combined them back into a single section. And the final changes I made were to the once-again-newly-expanded list of announced temples. I weighed what I know (among which were if official sites for them had been confirmed, whether one had reportedly been acquired, or if more information, including a probable or definite location, was needed before moving those temples back up on the list).

Because all of these changes have been made, and due to so many new developments having been reported recently on temple construction projects all over the world, I will be posting updated elements of that report over the next several minutes. But since some of you have mentioned that lengthier posts are harder to get through, I will see what I can do to provide those updates in smaller segments over several shorter posts. Having provided an overview of these changes, I wanted to share the introductory segment of that report, which 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.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 4/28/19)

Note about future temple construction: In late April 2017, Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Executive Director of the Church’s Temple Department noted in an interview that the Church had a list of 80 potential temple locations which were being considered for an official announcement within the next 15 years (by late April 2032). In 2018 alone, President Nelson announced 19 new temples. Recent statements from apostles (including and especially President Nelson himself) have implied that the goal is a ten-fold increase in the total number of temples.

With that in mind (as confirmed by the Church News recently), the Church is on track to have a minimum of 200 operating temples by or before Saturday April 6, 2030, which will mark the Church’s bicentennial anniversary. The Church would just need to complete 37 of the temples in various phases in the 10.94 years between now and then, which could be done if 3.38 temples are dedicated each year. And within the next year alone, the Church is anticipated to have 7 new temples dedicated, so there will be at least that many temples by that date, if not several more than that.

Current temple status: The Church has 209 temples in various phases, among which 163 are currently operating; while 1 other has open house tours underway; and 2 more have had a dedication scheduled. There are additionally 7 others in various phases of construction, as well as 1 which has construction pending following its’ groundbreaking.

The Church has scheduled the groundbreaking for 5 other temples (which are all set to occur before the end of June), and there is enough information on 5 additional temples to consider them as being in a “Groundbreaking anticipated” status.

11 previously-dedicated temples are currently closed for renovation; which include 1 which is being prepared for its’ rededication; 1 which has open house tours underway; and 2 more for which a rededication has been scheduled. The Church has also announced the renovation closure for 3 more temples (including the Salt Lake Temple).

The final 25 temples are announced, most, if not all, of which could see construction begin within the next few years, but certainly sooner if all goes well.

8 New Temple Presidents Called

Hello again, everyone! As mentined in the comment section of my last post, the Church News continues to share brief biographies of those whom the First Presidency has called to begin serving in temple presidencies later this year. Earlier today, the calls of 8 more couples were announced. Of those newest 8, 2 were formerly area seventies, 1 was formerly a counselor in a previous presidency of the same temple over which he has now been called to preside. 

There are a few other interesting facts about this latest group of announced temple presidents. Nearly all of them have also served as mission presidents, and most have previously or are currently serving as temple ordinance workers. And of those who are currently serving as temple workers, some of them currently have assignments in ward bishoprics or stake presidencies. 

It is nice to see that such men are willing to commit to serving in the temple while assigned to preside over their local congregations. The fact that they are doing both is tremendous, and I fully bbelieve that their service in the temple has helped them to be more effective in their ecclesiastical assignments. But since the assignment to preside over a temple is one of a full-time nature, all of them will be released at some point to enable them to devote their complete focus to their new callings.

Having shared this information about the newest biographies of those called to serve as temple presidents, I wanted to also note that all of the 8 temples which had a new president announced in the article I cited above were on the list I was keeping of those temples which could see a new president announced at some point this year. That brings the total number of temple presidents called thus far in 2019 to 41.

As also previously mentioned, I am anticipating the first presidents will be announced for 4 new temples that are anticipated to be dedicated within the next 12-18 months. There are 27 other temples around the world for which a new president could begin serving later this year, based on how long the current presidents have serve. But of those 27, 7 are currently closed or are scheduled to close for renovation later this year, and, as a result, new presidents for those temples may or may not be announced before they are rededicated.

Time will tell in that respect, and it is also possible that other temples which are not on my list currently could have a new president announced later this year, given that that has been the case for 5 temples which have had a new president announced and whose current presidents have only served for 1-2 years rather than 3, which has been somewhat standard in recent years.

With that said, I wanted to share my latest updated list of those temples for which a new president has been or may yet be called at some point this year. That list follows below. So as 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.

New presidents have been called for the following temples:

1.      Copenhagen Denmark

2.      Manila Philippines (not anticipated; current president has only served for two years)

3.      Tampico Mexico

4.      Philadelphia Pennsylvania

5.      Spokane Washington

6.      Manhattan New York

7.      Columbia River Washington

8.      St. Paul Minnesota

9.      Jordan River Utah

10.  Medford Oregon

11.  Rexburg Idaho

12.  Provo Utah

13.  London England

14.  Tegucigalpa Honduras (not anticipated; current president has only served for one year)

15.  Johannesburg South Africa

16.  Fort Collins Colorado

17.  Panama City Panama

18.  Nauvoo Illinois

19.  Suva Fiji (not anticipated; current president has only served for one year)

20.  Paris France (not anticipated; current president has only served for two years)

21.  Dallas Texas

22.  Guadalajara Mexico

23.  Gilbert Arizona

24.  Detroit Michigan

25.  Anchorage Alaska

26.  Twin Falls Idaho

27.  Sapporo Japan

28.  Kyiv Ukraine

29.  Columbus Ohio

30.  Calgary Alberta (not anticipated; current president has only served for two years)

31.  Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico

32.  Ciudad Juarez Mexico

33.  Monterrey Mexico

34.  Idaho Falls Idaho

35.  Orlando Florida

36.  Halifax Nova Scotia

37.  Mexico City Mexico

38.  Santiago Chile

39.  Nashville Tennessee

40.  Merida Mexico

41.  Star Valley Wyoming

The first presidents will likely be announced for the following new temples:

1.      Arequipa Peru

2.      Rio de Janeiro Brazil

3.      Winnipeg Manitoba

4.      Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire

List of currently-operating temples which may be getting a new president in 2019:

1.      Aba Nigeria

2.      Birmingham Alabama

3.      Campinas Brazil

4.      Chicago Illinois

5.      Cochabamba Bolivia

6.      Curitiba Brazil

7.      Fresno California

8.      Hamilton New Zealand (Note: It is possible that the Church could hold off on calling a new president for this temple until its’ rededication is held in 2021)

9.      Hartford Connecticut

10.  Hong Kong China (Note: It is possible that the Church could hold off on calling a new president for this temple until its’ rededication in 2021 or 2022)

11.  Lima Peru

12.  Melbourne Australia

13.  Memphis Tennessee (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

14.  Montreal Quebec

15.  Nuku’alofa Tonga

16.  Oklahoma City Oklahoma (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

17.  Perth Australia

18.  Portland Oregon

19.  Raleigh North Carolina (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

20.  Reno Nevada

21.  Santo Domingo Dominican Republic

22.  Seattle Washington

23.  Seoul Korea

24.  St. George Utah (Note: Since this temple is scheduled to close for renovation later this year, the Church could hold off on calling a new president until the renovation is complete)

25.  Veracruz Mexico

26.  Washington D.C. (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

27.  Winter Quarters Nebraska

Current Composition and Demographics of Area Seventies Quorums (Third-Eighth)

Hello again, everyone! Although it took around 10 hours for me to complete the process, I finished making all of the necessary updates to my personal list of current area seventies. As of August 1 of last year, each of the six Area Seventies Quorums (Third-Eighth) were comprised of those living in the following areas of the Church:

Third Quorum: Africa Southeast, Africa West, Europe, Europe East, and Middle East/Africa North
Fourth Quorum: Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America Northwest
Fifth Quorum: Idaho, North America Northwest, North America West, and Utah (which either had a single area or was divided between the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City and Utah South Areas)
Sixth Quorum: North America Central, Noth America Northeast, North America Southeast, and North America Southwest
Seventh Quorum: Brazil and South America South
Eighth Quorum: Asia, Asia North, Pacific, and Philippines

With the changes that took place last April (7 current area seventies released, and 55 others sustained), the Church now has a grand total of 306 men who currently serve in areas of the Church throughout the world. This may be the first instance since area seventies were first called in the late 1990s where the total number of those serving as such has exceeded 300.

I have kept a running total of of the currently-serving area seventies for a while now. I do so first by adding the individual totals for each area within a quorum to get a subtotal, then have kept a running grand total. Based on the current composition of each Quorum, I arrived at the following totals:

Quorum	Totals within each Area	Quorum Total	Running Total
Third	15+15+16+5+1	52	52
Fourth	6+15+22+21	64	116
Fifth	10+5+11+29	55	171
Sixth	7+13+7+18	45	216
Seventh	23+21	44	260
Eighth	9+12+12+13	46	306

Note that while the last 3 Quorums still have less than 50 members each, the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Quorums are 18, 6, and 15 members away respectively from the doctrinally-defined maximum total of 70. While any releases which may be presented in October will lower these numbers, based on the high number of members in the first three quorums vs. the last three, I could see the Church moving to perhaps redistribute the geographical makeup of these areas.

It is also worth noting that, if, as conjectured in my previous post, the number of North American areas goes down to 6, depending on how those 6 areas are redistributed between the Fifth and Sixth Quorums, the two could potentially be evened out somehow. And if the composition of the other 4 Quorums was also adjusted (whether or not a Ninth Quorum is established), that could even out the distribution of those numbers as well.

Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens in that respect. I am assuming that any change to the number of areas in the Church and the way the membership of these six Area Seventies Quorums is distributed will be announced with the changes in area leadership, which, as I have previously noted, should be occurring within the next week or two, if not sooner than that. Whenever it does occur, you can count on my covering those developments here.

In the meantime, 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.

List of the Most Likely Changes Which May Be Made in Area Leadership for 2019

Hello again, everyone! Within the last 7 hours or so, I have taken time to look at the 2018 Area Leadership assignments and the members of each of the current area presidencies. Based on what my research on that subject showed, I have, as promised previously, compiled a list of the most likely changes which may be made to area leadership when the 2019 assignments in that respect are announced.

As I previously mentioned, until last year, it had been customary for the Church to release a list of those changes either in late April or at any point during May. Last year, those new assignments were released on the Newsroom website the Thursday after General Conference concluded. Since that did not happen this year, I am thinking that was a one-time thing, and that we will likely hear about the 2019 Area Leadership assignments within the next 1-4 weeks, but perhaps earlier than that if all goes well.

Having taken time to analyze what I know about the current area presidency members serving in various parts of the world, I have compiled a list of changes which, based on that research and analysis, seem likely to be announced whenever that information is released. I include a copy of that research below. In order to not disturb the flow of that data and the results of my research on that subject, 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 post5 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, pleaxe 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.

List of the Most Likely Changes Which May Be Made in Area Leadership for 2019

New area—Africa Central: In mid-January, in a post on the Church Growth Blog which analyzed the announcement that 4 new missions would be created, with 12 current ones to be consolidated in July, Matthew Martinich noted that, given the growth trends of the Church throughout theI African continent, the Church could organize an Africa Central Area, which would likely be headquartered in Kinshasa and would include the following 9 nations: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Sao Tome and Pricipe, although other nations could likely be included in that area if the Church deems it necessary.. If such an area is created, it may be based in Kinshasa DR Congo, and a 3-man area presidency would be needed to preside over it. That would also likely result in a realignment of the Africa Southeast and Africa West Areas.

Other potential new areas in Africa: If the Church wanted to ease the administrative burden on the area presidency members serving the African continent, in addition to the Africa Central Area, the Africa Southeast Area could be split further into the Africa East and Africa South

Areas.

New areas elsewhere: In 1995, the Church had several separate areas that have since been merged. A few examples: at that time, Idaho was not its’ own separate area, Mexico had two (North and South), the South American continent was divided between 3 areas (Brazil, South America North, and South America South), Europe had 3 areas (Europe East, Europe North, and Europe West), and there was a Philippines/Micronesia Area. Over the years, some areas have been consolidated (with the Chile Area being consolidated into the South America South Area). So in some areas where more significant growth is occurring, it may make sense to create or recreate new or previously-consolidated areas.

Potential Area Consolidations: Elsewhere in prior posts on the Church Growth Blog, Matt mentioned that the Europe East Area could potentially be consolidated into the Europe Area, and that the Asia North Area could potentially be consolidated into the Asia Area due to some issues the Europe East and Asia North Areas are having in terms of stagnating growth, If the Asia and Asia North and Europe and Europe East Areas were to be consolidated, the location of the area offices for what would then be one Asia Area and one Europe Area might be changed.

Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis released as President of the Brazil Area.

Note: Elder Aidukaitis has served in this assignment since 2017, but has served in this area presidency since 2014. As he has been away from headquarters for 5 years straight, it would make sense if he was released from area service and reassigned to Church headquarters. If he is released, it seems likely that one of his two current counselors (Elders W. Mark Bassett or Adilson de Paula Parrella) would succeed him in that assignment.

Elder Jose L. Alonso released as First Counselor in the Caribbean Area Presidency.

Note: Elder Alonso has been away from Church headquarters since 2014, serving in the Central America Area Presidency for 3 years, and having served in the Caribbean Area Presidency since 2017. It would not surprise me if he and the current area president, Elder Gonzalez (as I will explain more fully below) were released and reassigned to Church headquarters, with Elder Eduardo Gavarret perhaps called as the new area president.

Elder Wilford W. Andersen released as President of the Idaho/North America Central Area and as Junior Administrator of the Middle East/Africa North Area.

Note: Elder Andersen will turn 70 in mid-August, and will thus likely be granted emeritus status. He could be replaced in the former assignment by either of his counselors (Elders S. Gifford Nielsen or Brian K. Taylor), and either of those two could also remain in the newly-reorganized area presidency. In the second assignment, he could potentially be replaced by Elder Paul B. Pieper, the current First Counselor in the North America Southeast Area, who has previously had oversight for that area.

Elder Claudio R. M. Costa released as President of the North America Southeast Area.

Note: Elder Costa, who is the longest-serving current General Authority Seventy, marked his 70^th birthday one month ago (in late March). His release will make Elder Lynn G. Robbins the new longest-serving current General Authority Seventy, and the most-senior General Authority Seventies will be those originally called during the prophetic administration of President Gordon B. Hinckley. Elder Costa could be replaced as President of the North America Southeast Area by either of his counselors (Elders Shayne M. Bowen or Vern P. Stanfill), and either of those two could also remain in the newly-reorganized area presidency.

Elder LeGrand R. Curtis released as First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency.

Note: On April 10, 2019, the First Presidency announced that Elder Curtis will be serving as the new Church Historian and Recorder, effective August 1, 2019. Because that assignment is established by revelation, sustained by the Church membership, and involves full-time focus, that in turn will necessitate his release from that area assignment. As a result of this change, it is likely that Elder Randy D. Funk, currently Second Counselor in that area presidency, may be called to succeed him, with a new Second Counselor then called.

Elder Walter F. Gonzalez released as President of the Caribbean Area.

Note: Elder Gonzalez has served as president of this area since 2016, and prior to that was president of the South America South Area from early January 2013-2016. Since he has spent more than 6 years away from Church headquarters, it would make sense if he returned back to Church headquarters to fill other assignments. Given what I noted above about his current First Counselor, Elder Jose L. Alonso, Elder Eduardo Gavarret, the current Second Counselor in this area presidency, could be called as the new president with two new counselors.

Elder O. Vincent Haleck released as Pacific Area President

Note: Elder Haleck turned 70 in mid-January of this year, and will thus likely be released and granted emeritus status in October. He could be succeeded as president of this area by either of his counselors (Elders Ian S. Ardern or K. Brett Nattress). Of the two, it would make sense if Elder Ardern became the new president, since his niece is the Prime Minister of New Zealand and Elder Ardern would thus be in a prime position to effect quick action on the Auckland New Zealand Temple. If Elder Ardern is assigned as the new area president, I could see Elder Nattress being called as the new First Counselor in the area presidency.

Elder Paul V. Johnson released as Europe Area President

Note: On April 10, 2019, the First Presidency announced that Elder Johnson would be succeeding Elder Kim B. Clark as Commissioner of Church Education. Since that is a full-time assignment at Church headquarters, he will be released from this assignment. I could see either of his counselors (Elders Gary B. Sabin or Massimo De Feo) being called as the new area president.)

Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela released as Mexico Area President

Note: Elder Valenzuela was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 2013, and has served in the Mexico Area Presidency since August of that same year, and was called as area president last year. While the Church could have him serve another year or two as the area president, if he is called back to Church headquarters, one of his two counselors (Elders Rafael E. Pino and John C. Pingree Jr.) could then be called as the new president of this area.

Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita released as First Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency.

Note: Elder Yamashita has served in this area presidency since 2015. Since that was 4 years ago, I could see the First Presidency reassigning him to Church headquarters. If that happens, Elder Takashi Wada, the current Second Counselor in that area presidency, could succeed him as First Counselor, with a new Second Counselor called.

Elder Alexey V. Samaykin (Area Seventy) released as Second Counselor in the Europe East Area Presidency.

Note: Elder Samaykin has served as an area seventy since April 2014, and may thus be released during the October 2019 General Conference. Since he has served as a counselor in this area presidency for the last 3 years at minimum (which is also rare for an area seventy), it would make sense if a change was made here.