BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Announces Initial 2020 Area Division

Hello again, everyone! I have breaking news to report right now. The Newsroom has shared an announcement from the First Presidency. Effective in August of 2020, the Africa Southeast Area of the Church will be divided into two separate areas: the Africa South Area, and the Africa Central Area. The announcement notes that this is being done because of the Church's significant growth that is occurring in the nations currently comprising the Africa Southeast Area. More specific details on this area split will be released closer to the time, but the one thing that is certain is that two 3-man area presidencies will be assigned for the two separate areas.\

My personal opinion on those assignments is that the First Presidency may ask 1 or 2 members of the Africa Southeast Area Presidency as it will be constituted in August of this year to continue in the newly-divided Africa South Area Presidency, while the remaining 1 or 2 members of that presidency would be called as the first leaders of the Africa Central Area, since that would allow Brethren with familiarity of all nations in the current Africa Southeast Area to bless the two split areas with their knowledge thereof.

If that were the only news I had to report, it would be reason enough to celebrate. But I also wanted to note a couple of other developments as well. For the last several weeks, lds.org has redirected to churchofjesuschrist.org. It appears that now, however, the only way to get to the Church's official website is to enter the new URL. Additionally, details have been announced about the final 2019 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, which will also serve as a Face-to-Face Event. As I noted previously, that event had originally be set for Sunday September 8, but has been pushed back a week to Sunday September 15, which will coincide with the dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple.

The featured guests for this Devotional/Face-to-Face event will be Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Seventy. Unless their assignments have changed or will change, Elder Soares is a member of the Missionary Executive Council and the Human Resource Committee, while Elder Christensen is President of the Utah Area (which will be a single area effective August 1 of this year) and as an Assistant Executive Director of the Missionary Department.  Based on the fact that they both have a role in missionary work within the Church, it would not shock me in any way if the focus on this devotional is how young adults can continue to be missionaries even after concluding their full-time service in the mission field.

And while I am on the subject of missionary work, that brings me to the other two articles I wanted to share. As many of you know, Elder John H. Groberg, now an Emeritus General Authority, served a full-time mission in Tonga, and would return a decade or two after that to serve as a mission president in the same area as well. A book has been published about his experiences, which has been the subject of the movie "The Other Side of Heaven". As preparations are underway for a sequal to be released (which will focus on his experiences as a mission president), Elder Groberg sat down with the Church News, professional golfer Tony Finau, and Elder Vai Sikahema, a newly-called area seventy, to discuss the powerful church growth in Tonga, and the impact that missionary work has had on each of them individually.

In the meantime, one other article continues coverage of the 2019 Seminar for New Mission Presidents, the latest of which features remarks shared by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, who is both the Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric and a member of the Missionary Executive Council, and his wife, Carol, who covered 5 key points that both mission presidents and senior missionaries should remember when considering how senior couples can best be utilized during their missionary service. And for any who have missed any coverage provided on that Seminar, the full range of articles on that can be found in this special section of the Church News

I was grateful to bring these reports to you today. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates, and will do my level best to keep bringing word of those to you all here as I become aware of such things. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Preliminary Reports Provided on the 2019 Mission Leadership Seminar; Other Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! I am posting again now to share some major Church news stories which have crossed my radar within the last week. I will be covering new content from the Church News, then the News & Events page on the Church's website, then the official Newsroom. If there is any overlap in that coverage, I will try to note that as I go. With that said, let's dive right in to all of that.

First, the Church has provided preliminary reports on the 2019 Mission Leadership Seminar, which kicked off today with the traditional Sacrament Meeting. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who chairs the Missionary Executive Council, and Church President Russell M. Nelson offered remarks today. More will be reported on that seminar in the week ahead, which I will be sure to pass along as I receive word of them.

Several other recent reports on the ministry of our Church leaders can be found in the special section devoted to Leaders & Ministry. Among them are the newest edition of "This Week on Social", which featured social media posts from the following leaders: Church President Russell M. Nelson and his First and Second Counselors, Presidents Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring, respectively; Elders David A. Bednar, D. Todd Christofferson, and Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and Sisters Reyna I. Aburto, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, and Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency.

I will let you all catch up on other highlights in that section that may interest any of you on your own time. In the meantime, there has been additional coverage provided of temple highlights, which can be found here. Similarly, there may be other stories of interest to some of you which I have not mentioned here, and those can be found here. Turning now to the stories on the News & Events page on the Church's website, it appears that most of those have been covered elsewhere, but if I missed anything, you can read about additional news here and also catch up on additional details that have been announced about scheduled events.

And finally, I cannot quite recall how much coverage I have recently provided on the latest news releases from the official Newsroom, but share the link to a list of those for anyone that wants to catch up on anything I might have missed. I should also probably note that, insofar as I have been able to ascertain, there has still not been an artist's rendering released or a construction time-frame offered for the Belem Brazil Temple, which, as previously noted, has been scheduled to occur on Saturday August 17 of this year. If and when such information becomes available, I will be sure to pass that along to you all here.

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.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part Three—All Remaining Estimates

Hello again, everyone! I am back again to share the third and final part of my updated estimates for known temple events. This part covers all remaining known or anticipated events which have not yet been shared. They follow 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 yuo do.

2022:

Saturday & Sunday April 2 & 3: 192^nd Annual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Mid-to-late April: Dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (178^th operating temple)

Mid-June: Rededication of the Hong Kong China Temple

Note: This is just a projected estimate, based on what is currently known. As more information is revealed, this estimate could be pushed forward or back as needed.

Mid-September: Dedication of the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple (179^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 1 & 2: 192^nd Semiannual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Mid-November: Dedication of the Bangkok Thailand Temple (179^th operating temple)

Note: Because this temple is significantly larger than temples which have been built in recent years, delays in that construction process are more likely than not. It is also worth noting that the official number for this temple is almost certain to change as other temples have a groundbreaking and construction and are potentially completed before this one is.

Final note on 2022: Between now and the end of 2022, the face of the Church’s temple construction program will likely look very different. We currently have a Church President who has clearly prioritized bringing the temples to the people, and the fact that he announced 19 new temples within his first year as such verifies that beyond doubt. I also am equally certain he will do all he can to clear the existing backlog of announced temples. With that in mind, there will likely be many more temple events to add to this list in the future. I am committed to bringing updates in that regard to you all as I receive them.

2023:

February: Rededication of the St. George Utah Temple

Saturday & Sunday April 1 & 2: 193^rd Annual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Saturday September 30 & Sunday October 1: 193^rd Semiannual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Final note on 2023: Any temple events which may occur during 2023 will be determined by whatever temple announcements are made within the next couple of years. I will be sure to add such events as I learn about their likelihood.

2024:

Saturday & Sunday April 6 & 7: 194^th Annual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

May or June: Rededication of the Salt Lake Temple

Saturday & Sunday October 5 & 6: 194^th Semiannual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Final note: Any other temple events which may occur during 2024 will be determined by whatever temple announcements are made within the next couple of years. I will be sure to add such events as I learn about their likelihood.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part Two—2020-2021 Estimates

Hello again, everyone! I am back, with the second part of my updated estimates for future temple events, which, as previously noted, will cover those events scheduled (in one case) or anticipated to occur in 2020 and 2021. Those estimates follow 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 alll 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.

2020:

Sunday February 16: Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (168^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On June 18, 2019, the First Presidency officially announced the open house and dedication information for this temple. The only question is who may preside at this temple’s dedication. It could be any of our ordained apostles, but given past precedent, it seems likely that Elder Dale G. Renlund will be assigned to do so.

Saturday & Sunday April 4 & 5: 190^th Annual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Mid-to-late April: Dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (169^th operating temple)

Note: Barring anything unexpected, this temple will only be dedicated after the already-scheduled dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple. Accordingly, I have moved my estimate for this temple’s dedication to this point.

June: Rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple

Mid-August: Dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple (170^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 3 & 4: 190^th Semiannual General Conference

Note: Temple announcements are always possible, so it is not hard to believe that a few could be announced during this General Conference.

Mid-to-late October: Rededication of the Washington DC Temple

December: Dedication of the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple (171^st operating temple)

Note: At the groundbreaking for this temple (which occurred on November 8, 2018), Elder Neil L. Andersen, who presided at this event and gave his remarks in French, noted that construction of the temple was anticipated to take around two years. For that reason, I am moving my previous estimate for this temple’s dedication to this point.

Final note on 2020: Based on what I have heard, 2020 seems as though it will be another big year for temple groundbreakings. I am specifically keeping my eyes open for information on the following temples: Puebla Mexico (in view of a tip from a member of the Church in Mexico, who noted the groundbreaking for that temple is anticipated in early 2020), Salta and Mendoza Argentina, Managua Nicaragua, Phnom Penh Cambodia, Feather River California, and Layton Utah Temples. But it would not at all surprise me in any way if other temples have a groundbreaking during 2020 as well.

2021:

Mid-February: Rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple

Saturday & Sunday April 3 & 4: 191^st Annual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Mid-to-late April: Rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple

Late May-early June: Dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple (172^nd operating temple

Early-to-mid August: Dedication of the Praia Cabo Verde Temple (173^rd operating temple)

Mid-to-late August: Dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple (174^th operating temple)

Mid-September: Dedication of the Quito Ecuador Temple (175^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 2 & 3: 191^st Semiannual General Conference

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Mid-to-late October: Dedication of the Belem Brazil Temple (176^th operating temple)

Mid-November: Dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple (177^th operating temple)

Final note on 2021: If, as anticipated, several more temples are announced in 2019 and 2020, and any which have not yet had a groundbreaking have that occur within that same time period, that in turn will multiply the number of known temple events which will likely occur in 2021 and the years beyond. As more is learned about future temple renovations, that will also have an impact on the number of future events.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part One—Overview and Scheduled/Anticipated Events in 2019

Hello again, everyone! After around a month has passed with significant temple developments, I figured it was time once again to post an updated version of my list of estimates for future temple events. As usual, this will be done in three parts. This first one will discvuss those events scheduled to occur this year. The second part will deal with events scheduled/anticipated to occur in 2020 & 2021, and the final part will share those events anticipated between 2022 and 2024. This year's scheduled events follow 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.

2019:

Monday July 8: Hong Kong China Temple Renovation Closure

Note: On January 30, 2019, the First Presidency announced the renovation closure for this temple, with the plans to be detailed more fully at a later time. I am anticipating that that process will take around 3 years, so I have set a preliminary estimate of mid-to-late 2022.

Saturday August 17: Groundbreaking Ceremony for Belem Brazil Temple (confirmed)

Note: On June 17, 2019, new information noted that the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple had been confirmed through a letter from the Brazil Area Presidency to priesthood leaders. Although confirmation through the Church’s official Newsroom is still pending, barring anything unexpected, such confirmation is just a matter of time. Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis, President of the Brazil Area, will preside over this temple’s groundbreaking. I am estimating that this will be a smaller temple, and that construction on it could wrap up in mid-to-late 2021.

Saturday August 24-Monday September 2: President Nelson’s Latin American Ministry Tour (confirmed)

Note: During the third week in May, comments on my blog shared releases from a few country Newsroom websites of the Church noting President Nelson would visit those locations in late August and early September. Then on May 29, the Church released official details of the trip and its’ itinerary. Accompanied by his wife, Wendy W. Nelson, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Mary G. Cook, President Nelson will visit 5 nations in 9 days. With stops in Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil, it appears more likely than not that part of that tour will involve scouting for future temple locations.

Sunday September 1: Dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple (165^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On November 14, 2018, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication information for this temple (with the latter originally set for mid-May). Then, on January 18, 2019, the dedication was pushed back to this date in view of delays in the construction process. Because President Nelson will be wrapping up his aforementioned Latin American Ministry Tour this same weekend, and given the precedent set with the prior two temple dedications (in Kinshasa DR Congo and Fortaleza Brazil), it seems likely any of the three apostles fluent in French (President Eyring or Elders Andersen or Renlund) may oversee this dedication. Given that Elder Andersen is the only one of those three who has not presided over a temple event, since he broke ground for this temple, he may be asked to return to dedicate it.

Friday September 6: President Nelson’s 95^th Birthday Celebration

Note: On March 14, 2019, the Church announced this milestone celebration for President Nelson, which will occur 3 days before his actual 95^th birthday. In view of the fact that President Nelson has announced 27 temples since his prophetic administration began, it seems appropriate to mention this milestone birthday among other events on this timeline.

Sunday September 15: Dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple (166^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On March 4, 2019, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication information for this temple. Given the recent past precedent I noted previously, any of the 15 current apostles, particularly those who have not personally presided over a temple event this year and/or who have any kind of connection to Lisbon may be asked to oversee this dedication. Who exactly that might be is anyone’s guess.

Saturday & Sunday October 5 & 6: 189^th Semiannual General Conference:

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, with the focus between each General Conference centered on doing all that can be done to clear the backlog of announced temples, at least for the time being.

Sunday October 13: Private rededication for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 3, 2019, the First Presidency announced that a one-session private rededication for this temple would take place on this date (following a one-week public open house), with President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presiding.

Sunday October 20: Rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple (confirmed)

Note: On March 5, 2019, the First Presidency announced that this temple would be rededicated on this date. I am anticipating that Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, our native German apostle will be asked to rededicate this temple.

Sunday November 3: Private rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 21, 2019, the First Presidency announced the one-week open house and one-session private rededication for this temple. It is my opinion that any of the senior apostles (up to and including Elder Christofferson) who have not presided at a temple event could preside over this rededication. But what is far less clear right now is which of those 9 most senior apostles is most likely to do so.

Monday November 4: St. George Utah Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Note: This temple’s renovation was announced on January 25, 2019. Given the fact that seismic and systemic updates are anticipated to occur, I have set a preliminary general completion estimate of mid-to-late 2022.

Sunday November 17: Private rededication of the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 3, 2019, the First Presidency also announced the one-week public open house for this temple, which will be privately rededicated on this date by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

December 15: Dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple (167^th operating temple)

Note: On May 21, 2019, the First Presidency also announced the dedication of this temple.  Given the aforementioned past precedent, any apostle could preside over this temple dedication, with the only question being which of the 15 is most likely to actually do so. Insofar as I am aware, I know of no current apostle who has direct ties to Peru. So at this point, the prospect is too difficult to call.

Sunday December 29: Salt Lake Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Note: On April 19, 2019, President Nelson announced renovation plans for the Salt Lake Temple, identifying this date for its’ closure. I will offer an estimate for its’ completion (which is anticipated in early-to-mid 2024) later in this document.

Final note on 2019: Groundbreakings have been held so far this year for the Urdaneta Philippines, Bangkok Thailand, Pocatello Idaho, Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, San Juan Puerto Rico, Quito Ecuador, and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples. Additionally, as noted above, a groundbreaking for the Belem Brazil Temple will occur in mid-August. Given what I have heard about 2019, it seems more likely than not that several other temples will have a groundbreaking at some point during that year. In particular, I am watching for information on the Brasilia Brazil, Greater Manila Philippines, Richmond Virginia, Nairobi Kenya, Harare Zimbabwe, Saratoga Springs Utah, Bengaluru India, Auckland New Zealand and Puebla Mexico Temples. Even if not all of them have a groundbreaking occur in 2019, many of them will likely have a groundbreaking scheduled before the end of this year.