Initial Predictions for the October 2019 General Conference: Part One—Overview and Projected Speaking Order

Hello again, everyone! Given the fact that I will likely be knee-deep in covering the events of the Pacific leg of the ongoing Global Ministry Tour over the next week, among other topics as needed, I wanted to take some time tonight to post my initial predictions for the October 2019 General Conference.

Given the nature of these predictions, another miniseries of posts is needed. This post will provide an overview of those predictions, and will be followed up by a post sharing the changes I am anticipating to be made in general Church leadership, then my temple predictions, whether those last  two are in the same post, or whether they are two separate posts.

For now, we begin with my predictions for the speaking order. A few preliminary notes: Given the difference between what happened in April 2018, October 2018, and April 2019, General Conferences under what has been termed the Nelsonian era are going to be harder to predict. President Nelson did not open the April 2018 or 2019 General Conferences, but did open the October 2018 General Conference.

It could be that we as a Church have gotten too comfortable with the routine as it has been observed for at least the last few decades or so, so I could see President Nelson continuing to do things in an unexpected way that keeps us on our toes, and that applies, I think, specifically to General Conferences of the Church. The longer the status quo is maintained, the more comfortable we might get, and the less likely some might be to actually pay attention to what is said and done in General Conference.

So the idea of changing the game frequently as far as conferences are concerned is a very smart move. That is one reason I loved the assessment of the April 2019 General Conference as found in the May 2019 Ensign: the conference was rightly observed as providing constancy in the midst of change, while still being significant in its' own right in terms of the subject matter covered in each address.

With all of that in mind, I put these predictions together based on what I knew: The First Presidency members will speak multiple times, each member of the Quorum of the Twelve will do so once. One member of the Presiding Bishopric will speak. Given the new precedent set during the last 3 General Conferences, it is likely that only 1 member of the Presidency of the Seventy will speak.

Although the number of general officers that speak has fluctuated in recent General Conferences based on what has occurred, given that the General Women's Session will be held during the upcoming General Conference, in addition to the 3 female leaders in that session, I have 3 other speakers from among the general officers in 3 other sessions.

Given that 8 new General Authority Seventies were sustained in April 2018 (with 1 more announced a month later) and that 3 of those spoke during the subsequent October General Conference, with 10 GA Seventies sustained last April, I am theorizing that a minimum of 3 of those Brethren will do so during the upcoming General Conference, and that 3 other seventies who have previously spoken will do so during this General Conference.

These are the most relevant notes relating to the predictions I have put together. I post them 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. 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.

October 2019 General Conference Predictions (Text in brackets denote differences)

Sess.	Conducting	Speaker
SAM	President Henry B. Eyring	President Russell M. Nelson
		Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
		Douglas D. Holmes
		Elder Gerrit W. Gong
		Elder Ruben V. Alliaud
		Elder Dale G. Renlund
		Elder David S. Baxter
		President Dallin H. Oaks
SAA	President Dallin H. Oaks	President Henry B. Eyring (Sustaining of Church Officers)
		Elder Quentin L. Cook
		Elder Terence M. Vinson
		Elder Ronald A. Rasband
		Elder Jorge M. Alvarado
		Elder Scott D. Whiting
		Elder David A. Bednar
GW	Joy D. Jones	Jean B. Bingham
		Lisa L. Harkness
		Bonnie H. Cordon
		President Henry B. Eyring
		President Dallin H. Oaks
		President Russell M. Nelson
SUM	President Henry B. Eyring	Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
		Cristina B. Franco
		Elder Ulisses Soares
		Elder Gary E. Stevenson
		Bishop Gerald Causse
		President Russell M. Nelson
SUA	President Dallin H. Oaks	President Henry B. Eyring
		President M. Russell Ballard
		Mark L. Pace
		Elder D. Todd Christofferson
		Elder Anthony D. Perkins
		Elder Hans T. Boom
		Elder Neil L. Andersen
		President Russell M. Nelson

BREAKING NEWS: Elder Soares to Preside at Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication; Sissel to Headline Tabernacle Choir's 2019 Pioneer Day Concert

Hello again, everyone! As mentioned in a recent comment here, and shared by the Church of Jesus Christ Temples website, a Brazilian newspaper has featured an article noting that our native Brazilian apostle, Elder Ulisses Soares, will be presiding over the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple on June 2. This marks the second time in a row that a new temple was dedicated by a more junior apostle than the one who conducted a groundbreaking. Elder David A. Bednar broke ground for that temple.

The other recent time this occurred was in April, when Elder Dale G. Renlund dedicated the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple, for which the groundbreaking had been presided over by Elder Neil L. Andersen. That Elder Soares has been given this opportunity is not at all surprising, given that he has numerous connections to various Brazilian cities. Apostles dedicating a temple in an area to which they have a strong connection seems to be becoming the new normal.

In light of this information, I am more convinced than ever that Elder David A. Bednar, who was born in Oakland California, will preside over the rededication of that temple. I know that since Elder Quentin L. Cook has connections to the Bay Area of California, there is a chance he'd be called on to do it, but he has been asked to presiding over the November private rededication for the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple.

It is also worth noting that I believe that, while any current apostles could preside over temple dedications in areas to which they have a personal connection, for the time being, I believe that the least-junior apostle who may be asked to preside at a temple rededication will be Elder Christofferson. Time will tell how correct that might turn out to be, but that is my theory.

Turning now to another late-breaking news development, the Tabernacle Choir has announced that world-renowned vocalist Sissel, who originally performed with the Tabernacle Choir in the 2006 Christmas Concert, will be the special guest artist for the 2019 Pioneer Day Concert in July. I was anticipating that the special guest would be announced soon, and it is nice to have that confirmed.

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.

7 Additional New Temple Presidents Called

Hello again, everyone! After a two-week hiatus to cover other developments of a more significant nature, the Church News continues to report on new temple presidents, with the call of 7 more noted today. Each of the seven temples were on my list of those for which a new president was likely to be called this year, and 1 of those temple presidents has been called to serve as the first president for the new Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, for which a dedication is anticipated to be held early next year. The first president of that temple is currently serving as a counselor in the Recife Brazil Temple presidency.

Also among these newest 7 are 1 current area seventy (namely, ’Aisake K. Tukuafu, who consequently now will join the list of those area seventies likely to be released in General Conference around 4.5 months from now) 1 former area seventy, and 1 former counselor in the presidency of the same temple for which he will assume oversight.

This brings the number of new temple presidents called to begin serving later this year to a grand total of 56, while it is now more than definite that the first new president will be called for the Arequipa Peru Temple. I say that because a Church member living near that temple reported seeing the cornerstone of that temple, which reads "Erected 2019."  So if that temple is to be dedicated by the end of this year, then its' first president would need to begin his service by that time.

Additionally, I am anticipating the calls of the first presidents for the Winnipeg Manitoba and  Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temples, both of which are anticipated to be completed at some point next year. And I now have 12 other temples left on my list of those for which I anticipate that a new president is likely to be called this year. 

Of those 12 temples, 7 have been or are being renovated, or are scheduled to close for renovation later this year. And given that there have been 5 temples thus far which have had new presidents announced (none of which were on my list), I am not ruling out the odds that more surprises may be in store in that respect. 

The Church continues the tradition of calling new presidents for at leat 1/3 of all temples which are either currently in operation or those that will be so within a year from such announcements. Within the next 12-18 months, the number of operating temples is anticipated to rise to either 170 or 171. So the 56 temples which have noww had a new president announced is already 1/3 of that number, and at least 8 others could potentially be announced.

I will be monitoring such announcements and will continue to post updates as I am able to. In the meantime, I have now confirmed that President and Sister Nelson and Elder and Sister Gong have embarked on their Pacific Ministry Tour, with the first stop in Kona Hawaii. Hawaii is apparently 4 hours behind Utah time, so it is now after 2:00 PM there.

If the member devotional at that stop is set for either 6:00 or 7:00 PM Kona time, there may not be a repor published about it until after midnight tonight. If I don't see it by the end of my day today, I will try to pass word along about it ASAP tomorrow. So for now, the updated list of new temple presidents follows below. In order to not disrupt 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

42.  Winter Quarters Nebraska

43.  Portland Oregon

44.  Montreal Quebec

45.  Santo Domingo Dominican Republic

46.  Seattle Washington

47.  Campinas Brazil

48.  Perth Australia

49.  Curitiba Brazil

50.  Melbourne Australia

51.  Chicago Illinois

52.  Reno Nevada

53.  Seoul Korea

54.  Cochabamba Bolivia

55.  Rio de Janeiro Brazil (first president)

56.  Hartford Connecticut

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

1.      Arequipa Peru

2.      Winnipeg Manitoba

3.      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.      Fresno California

4.      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)

5.      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)

6.      Lima Peru

7.      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.)

8.      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.)

9.      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.)

10.  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)

11.  Veracruz Mexico

12. 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.)

Temple Construction Updates: Part Three—Announced Temples

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the last part of my temple construction updates. In this part, I am sharing my restructured section for announced temples, which speaks for itself and follows below. 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: During 2019, I again reevaluated the information I had available, and made further adjustments to this section following the completion of the revision process for the “Groundbreaking anticipated” section. I have felt that more information is needed on each of these temples before I offer any kind of estimate for their groundbreaking ceremonies. But as such information is made available, I will be sure to make further alterations to this section as needed.

Announced Temples (for which more information is needed before I provide a groundbreaking estimate):

187. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site location confirmed.

188. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site has been confirmed.

189. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

190. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

191. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

192. Yuba City California Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site identified; awaiting official confirmation.

Note: A potential site has been identified (though not yet confirmed) for this temple.

193. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; some prospective site locations identified.

Note: A potential site has been identified (though not yet confirmed) for this temple.

194. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Note: President Nelson toured potential locations for the temple on April 19, 2018.

195. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

196. Washington County Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city (and site) announcement.

197. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

198. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

199. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

200. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site]p[opop-announcement.

201. Pago Pago American Samoa Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

202. Okinawa City Okinawa (Japan) Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

203. Neiafu Tonga Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

204. Tooele Valley Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement

205. Moses Lake Washington Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

206. San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

207. Antofagasta Chile Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

208. Budapest Hungary Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

209. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city (and site) announcement.

Temple Construction Updates: Part Two—Temples Undergoing Renovation

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the second post in this mini-series, and this one will cover updates (including in general completion estimates) for all temples undergoing renovation. The material speaks for itself. 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.

Preparing for private rededication:

95. Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple: Preparing for private rededication, which is scheduled to occur on Sunday May 19, 2019.

Public open house underway:

13. Oakland California Temple: Public open house underway (through Saturday June 1, excluding Sundays); rededication scheduled to occur on Sunday June 16, 2019.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication scheduled):

68. Raleigh North Carolina Temple: Installing entrance doors; planting trees; pouring curbing; rededication scheduled to occur on Sunday October 13, 2019.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Trees and shrubs being planted; lamp-posts being installed; new staircase being cured; rededication scheduled to occur on Sunday October 20, 2019.

94. Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple: Cladding of exterior walls completed; stained glass window installation underway; rededication scheduled to occur on Sunday November 17, 2019.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication anticipated within the next several years):

112. Asuncion Paraguay Temple: Interior and exterior work underway; rededication estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

18. Tokyo Japan Temple: Angel Moroni statue installed atop spire on April 17, 2019; rededication estimated sometime during mid-2020.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Exterior wall grout and stained-glass window repair continues; working on elevators; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

8. Mesa Arizona Temple: Inscription stone over west entrance removed; eastern wall around utility building removed; rededication may take place sometime during late 2020-early 2021.

11. Hamilton New Zealand Temple: Scaffolding erected for exterior refurbishment; rededication may take place sometime during mid-2021.

Renovation scheduled:

48. Hong Kong China Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on Monday July 8, 2019; rededication estimated in mid-2022.

1. St. George Utah Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on Monday November 4, 2019; completion estimated in late 2022-early 2023.

4. Salt Lake Temple: Renovation plans announced on April 19, 2019; scheduled to close for renovation on Sunday December 29, 2019; rededication estimated in early-to-mid 2024.

Temple Construction Updates: Part One—Overview & Temples Under Construction or with Construction Pending, or a Groundbreaking Scheduled or Anticipated

Hello again, everyone! While I had hoped to do a simultaneous Church news and temple development update today, in view of some other personal things I had to get done, I wanted to post for now a copy of updated sections in my temple construction progress report, and other updates, where applicable. So let's get right into all of that. Before sharing what will be in this update, I need to issue a disclaimer relating to it:

The nature of these updates are massive, and, as a result, I will be splitting this update into three parts. I also clearly understand that not everyone may want to read such massive content, so I will not in any way be offended if any of you skip over this post and the next two. With that said, the updates will proceed in these two posts as follows: First, I will be providing updates on the Port-au-Prince Haiti, Durban South Africa (for which a dedication is now all but certain to be postponed until early 2020), Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire, and Pocatello Idaho Temples.

Those will be followed by adjustments I have made to entire sections of my temple construction progress report. First there are updates on temples for which full-scale construction is pending following their groundbreakings, then new information I have on those temples for which a groundbreaking is either scheduled or anticipated. At that point, the first post will end.


In the second post (which will follow within the next few minutes), I will move on to share new information on temples undergoing renovation, while the third and final post will share my reworked list of those announced temples for which more information is needed before I venture a more specific groundbreaking estimate.

It is also worth noting that I I am still in the process of updating my more specific estimates for known temple events, and I hope to post those updates in the near future. Be on the lookout for that at some point this next week if all goes well. In the meantime, the first part of this update 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.

165. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planting trees, shrubs, and flowers; pouring curbing, walkways; and driveways; interior finish work underway; dedication scheduled to occur on Sunday September 1, 2019.

168. Durban South Africa Temple: Installing cornice and pilaster millwork, tiling walls and floors; marble thresholds installed; work continues on fountain medallion; completion estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

171. Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple: Foundation completed; pouring main floor exterior walls; completion estimated sometime during late 2020-early 2021.

175. Pocatello Idaho Temple: Deeper excavation underway for temple foundation; preparing for gravel beds and underground utility installation; completion estimated sometime during late 2021-early 2022.

Full-scale construction pending:

172. Yigo Guam Temple: Groundbreaking held on Saturday May 4, 2019; full-scale construction pending; completion estimated sometime during mid-2021.

173. Praia Cabo Verde Temple: Groundbreaking held on Saturday May 4, 2019; full-scale construction pending; completion estimated sometime during mid-2021.

174. San Juan Puerto Rico Temple: Groundbreaking held on Saturday May 4, 2019; full-scale construction pending; completion estimated sometime during mid-2021.

176. Quito Ecuador Temple: Groundbreaking held on Saturday May 11, 2019; full-scale construction pending; completion estimated sometime during late 2021-early 2022.

179. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Groundbreaking held on January 26, 2019; full-scale construction pending; completion estimated sometime during late 2022-early 2023.

Groundbreaking scheduled:

178. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Demolition of Institute building and meetinghouse nearing completion; groundbreaking scheduled to be held on Saturday June 8, 2019; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2022.

Groundbreaking anticipated:

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

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

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

183. 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.

184. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Preliminary plans submitted to local government on May 7, 2019; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

185. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site confirmation; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

186. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

Some Personal Observations Regarding the Top Ten Nations with the Strongest Church Presence Without a Temple in Any Phase

Hello again, everyone! I don't know how many of you follow Matthew Martinich's Church Growth Blog in addition to this one, but he has had a time-honored tradition for the last several years in which, following the announcement of any new temples in the most recent General Conference, he revisits his list of the top ten nations of the world which have the strongest Church presence that do not have a temple in any phase..

For example, in the April 2018 edition, of that list, 3 of the nations on it went on to have temples announced the following October: Puerto Rico, Cambodia, and Cape Verde, which had ranked second, seventh, and eighth respectively on that list. Matt went on to revise that list for October 2018, and during the subsequent April 2019 General Conference, only 1 of the nations on that edition of the list had a temple announced: namely, American Samoa, which then ranked fourth on that list.

I could perhaps have pulled the data from earlier editions of that list as well, but I think the most recent 3 serve as an example of what I want to illustrate. Given the fact that President Nelson has focused both on announcing so many new temples (with 27 new ones announced in his first three General Conferences as prophet) and on doing what he can in between each conference to keep clearing the queue, I think it may be safe to assume that temples will continue to be announced every six months for the foreseeable future, with perhaps others being announced in between each April, October, and subsequent April.

And I would likewise anticipate that the temple announcements he makes over the next several years will be for many of the locations on every new list of the top 10 nations with the stronges Church presence that do not have a temple in any phase. In fact, it seems safe to assume that each new set of annouoncements will see 1-3 temples announced for nations on each edition of that list.

With this information, and the latest edition of that list in mind, I have taken the opportunity to do my own analysis on each location and to compile pertinent facts about each. I will post that analysis below, but have one or two other thoughts on this subject which I wanted to share first. Given my research below, I feel like I could narrow the most imminent prospects on this list to the first most likely as follows: Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and Mongolia.

Aside from the distances involved, the relevant reasons I narrowed down the 10 below to the 4 I named above are as follows: The Church has held land in reserve in Port Moresby for at least the last decade; Sierra Leone has seen an outstandingly significant amount of congregational growth and overall strength, Madagascar is separated from the rest of the African continent by water, which requires both rigiorous travel and expense; and that none of the temples in operation, under consstruction or announced are within a reasonable distance for the Mongolian Saints to go.

If the whispers about the extent and timing of President Nelson's plans is any indication, it seems more likely than not that within the next 2-3 General Conferences, the list of the top ten nations could look entirely different than it currently is. Having noted all of these things, I would like to now share my list, 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.

May 2019 Notes on the Top 10 Nations with the Strongest Church Presence without a Temple

1.      Papua New Guinea—The Saints in the capital city of Port Moresby currently travel 1,706 miles one-way to worship at the Sydney Australia Temple, and 2,177 miles to the Suva Fiji Temple, to which PNG is currently assigned. Additionally, land has been set aside for a temple there for the last decade or longer, so it seems more likely than not that a temple may be built there sooner rather than later.

2.      Sierra Leone—In order to get to the temple to which the Sierra Leonean Saints are currently assigned (Accra Ghana) requires a one-way journey of 1,290.1 miles. Once the Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire Temple is dedicated, that will cut the distance to 960 miles one-way. Also, given the consistent Church growth in Sierra Leone (where three new stakes were created in a 3-week period in late 2017), this nation recently went from third to second on this list. With all of that in mind, a temple in Freetown seems to be merely a matter of time as well.

3.      Kiribati—For the Saints in the capital city of Tarawa, their currently-assigned temple is Suva Fiji, and getting there requires a one-way journey of 1,402 miles. Since no other temples which are under construction or announced will be any closer, a temple there is surely a possibility at some point.

4.      Uganda—The Saints in Kampala currently have a one-way journey of 2,471.2 miles to worship in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple. Once the Nairobi Kenya Temple is built and dedicated, the distance will shrink down to 403.7 miles. With that in mind, a temple in Kampala seems feasible within the next 3-5 years, if not sooner.

5.      Liberia—Getting to their assigned temple in Accra requires a one-way trip of 976.1 miles for the Monrovian Saints. Once the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple is dedicated, that mileage will be reduced to 646. If a temple were to be built in Freetown Sierra Leone, the distance would then go down to 322.3 miles, which is still above the 200-mile goal set by previous Church Presidents.

6.      Mozambique—When the Maputo Saints travel to the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, that involves a one-way journey of 338.3 miles. A temple there could be possible within the next decade.

7.      Madagascar—This nation is separated from the remainder of the African continent by water, so for the Saints in Antananarivo to get to any temple presents somewhat of an undue hardship. A one-way trip to Johannesburg requires a journey of 1,338 miles. Once the Harare Zimbabwe Temple is built and dedicated, that distance will be cut to 1.082 miles. Since part of President Nelson’s focus is on placing temples in more remote areas, a temple in Antananarivo may be announced within the next 2 years or less.

8.      Mongolia—The Hong Kong China Temple district includes Mongolia, and the Saints in Ulaanbaatar journey 1.811 miles to get there. No other currently-operating or announced temples are closer than that, so a temple in Ulaanbaatar is surely just a matter of time.

9.      Malaysia—Saints in Kuala Lumpur currently journey 1,566 miles one-way to worship at the Hong Kong China Temple. Once the Bangkok Thailand Temple is dedicated, that distance will be cut to 914.5 miles.

10.  Vanuatu—The Saints in Port Vila (where the only Vanuatu stake is based) travel 665 miles to worshipm at the Suva Fiji Temple. AFAIK, no other announced temple is closer than that. A teple there seems possible within the next decade, if not sooner.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church Identifies Location of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple; Has Submitted Preliminary Plans to City

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news has been reported again by the Church. Church leaders today confirmed the official location and provided preliminary plans in detail for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. The plans include the temple, which will cover an approximate 87,000 square foot area, and an adjacent 21,000 square foot meetinghouse. No groundbreaking date has been announced.

But this was a most welcome development, as it gives some idea as to how soon we could see a groundbreaking. As I mentioned earlier, I anticipate that we may hear something on the Brasilia Brazil Temple next, unless any other temple surprises are announced. I would then anticipate the Richmond Virginia Temple being next, followed by the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. But time will tell whether or not that proves to be correct.

I will take some time over the next few days as I am able to do so and will revisit the order in which temples are listed both on my temple construction progress report and in terms of specific estimates for known temple events, and will hope to have something published in both cases within the next week or less. I am grateful for this unanticipated but most welcome development.

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.

Several Major Church News Items Reported

Hello again, everyone! This post will cover my thoughts on a wide variety of Church news which has been reported, much of it having major significance in nature. So let's dive right in. As many of you may already be aware, the First Presidency announced today that couples married civily first will now no longer need to wait a year before subsequently being married in the temple. In a Church that teaches its' members to "obey, honor, and sustain the law", it makes perfect sense to me that leaders would adjust this. That is because in so many nations around the world, civil marriages are often required to take place first.

For most of the nations which have such a requirement, a temple marriage following directly after a civil marriage has been the status quo for a while. This change may have the biggest impact in the United States, and also surely for those couples who don't want to alienate family members who are either not members of the Church, do not have a temple recommend, or both. Also, as I observed in the comment threads of a previous post on this blog, one of the forremost reasons for this change is likely to continue the process of creating greater Churchwide unity and uniformity in policies, procedures, and practices. For that reason, I welcome this change. As soon as I heard about it, I knew it was inpsired by the Lord.

In other temple news, the Oakland California Temple is being prepared to welcome visitors during its' 3-week open house (which is set to be held from this Saturday, May 11, through Saturday June 1, excluding the relevant Sundays. Reportedly, Elders Quentin L. Cook and Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the latter of whom serves on the Temple and Family History Executive Council) are in Oakland this week to lead the preliminary tours.

Church leaders also announced earlier today that full-time missionaries preparing to return home will be pre-approved to attend BYU-Pathway Worldwide. And in a first-of-its'-kind broadcast, the three presidernts of the female-led auxiliaries answered questions live in real-time during a broadcast of the BYU Women's Conference.

With those Newsroom stories noted, we now turn our attention to articles from the Church News website. Our native German apostle, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, recently returned from a visit to the Europe Area, and specifically included visits to Germany and Austria. Based on the report of that visit, I may consider looking further into the merits of a first temple for Austria and a third for Germany. Stay tuned on that.

In the meantime, several more articles have been published about the BYU Women's Conference, and rather than listing them all here, I'd refer you to these search results from the Church News. All stories I have not covered are well worthy of your time and attention.  Aside from those, Gerry Avant takes a look back at Elder Bruce R. McConkie's "keen sense of humor". Continuing the series of articles about new leaders called to serve in April 2019, an article has been published about Elder Jorge M. Alvarado.

Elder Carl B. Cook of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Lynette, spoke to young adults last night in the second of three Worldwide Devotionals for Young Adults in 2019. They focused their remarks on how to succeed in an eternal marriage.  The Church News also provided coverage of Elder Holland rededicating the Memphis Tennessee Temple. And an hour ago,  the Church News published an article sharing interior photos of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple. I was grateful to learn about and bring these updates and my thoughts thereon to you all. I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all here as I learn 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 made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time.  If you enjoyoed 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.