On this blog, I, James Stokes, share insights and analysis covering the latest news and developments reported about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My specific emphasis and focus is on the ministry of our current apostles, General Conference, and up-to-date temple information. This site is neither officially owned, operated, or endorsed by the Church, and I, as the autthor thereof, am solely responsible for this content.
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Sunday, August 18, 2019
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 as I always do: That does it for now. 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.
2022:
Mid-March:
Dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (177th operating
temple)
Saturday &
Sunday April 2 & 3: 192nd 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 May:
Dedication of the Belem Brazil Temple (178th operating temple)
Mid-August:
Rededication of the Hong Kong China Temple
Saturday &
Sunday October 1 & 2: 192nd 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 Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple (179th
operating temple)
December:
Dedication of the Bangkok Thailand Temple (180th 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, having announced 27 new ones during his first 3 General Conferences as
Church President. We have also seen him taking decisive action between each
General Conference to clear the queue of announced temples. For that reason,
any temples announced in 2018 or 2019 which have not yet had a groundbreaking
by this time will likely see that occur during this year. With that in mind,
there will likely be many more temple events to add before, during, and after
2022 as a result.
2023:
February:
Rededication of the St. George Utah Temple
Saturday & Sunday
April 1 & 2: 193rd 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: 193rd 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 other temple events which may occur during 2023 will be
determined by whatever temple-related announcements are made within the next
few of years. I will be sure to add such events as I learn about their
likelihood.
2024:
Saturday &
Sunday April 6 & 7: 194th 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
Note: Given that this is the first time ever that
this temple will have undergone a multi-year closure for full-scale renovation
that will culminate in an open house which is anticipated to be held for a
couple of months to accommodate the anticipated numbers, and a rededication
which may last for a couple of weeks in order to enable it to be carried
worldwide to all who want to participate, the timing of these events will
largely depend on how quickly and how on-schedule the renovation process winds
up being. For that reason, this more specific completion estimate for this
temple may be pushed up into earlier this year, or potentially moved back.
September:
President Nelson’s 100th Birthday Celebration Broadcast
Note: Barring anything very unexpected, it is
almost a near-certainty that President Nelson will still be very much alive to
observe his 100th birthday around this time. And given all that he
has thus far or may yet contribute to the temple construction efforts of the
Church, it seems highly appropriate to list the anticipated celebration of this
monumental milestone among other temple events noted here for 2024, as the
milestone will mark President Nelson becoming the first centenarian apostle and
prophet.
Saturday &
Sunday October 5 & 6: 194th 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.
Labels:
Church Policies and Major Announcements,
Estimated Time-frames for Future Temple Events,
Potential Future Temples,
Scheduled Temple Event,
Temple Construction Update,
Temples Undergoing Renovation
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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 as I always do: That does it for now. 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.
2020:
Sunday February
16: Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (168th 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.
Mid-to-late March:
Dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (169th operating
temple)
Note: Although I had thought the dedication of
this temple would occur a month or two later than this, given how close that
temple currently is to its’ completion, I have moved the estimate up to this
point.
Saturday &
Sunday April 4 & 5: 190th 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.
Late April-early
May: Rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple
Note: In view of the 2020 Summer Olympics being
held in this city between mid-July and early August, I am reasonably certain
the Church will want to have this temple rededicated prior to the Olympics so
as not to steal the focus away from that.
Mid-September:
Dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple (170th operating temple)
Note: During August 2019, many sources available
to me changed the general completion estimate for this temple to mid-to-late
2020. Given that fact, it has seemed prudent to adjust my own more specific
estimate accordingly here.
Saturday &
Sunday October 3 & 4: 190th 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.
Late October-early
November: Rededication of the Washington DC Temple
December:
Rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple
Note: Although some sources list the general
completion estimate for this temple’s renovation during late 2020-early 2021,
in view of the fact that those same sources have shifted their completion
estimates for the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple to early 2021, I have felt that
the rededication of the Mesa Temple may take place prior to the end of 2020. I
am prepared to move this estimate again if the need arises, but for the moment,
it seems to be a reasonably safe assumption.
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: Salta and Mendoza Argentina, Managua Nicaragua,
Phnom Penh Cambodia, Moses Lake Washington, Feather River California, and
Antofagasta Chile Temples. But it would not at all surprise me in any way if
other temples have a groundbreaking during 2020 as well, including some for
which there is currently not a lot of information available.
2021:
Mid-March: Dedication
of the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple (171st 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. Additionally, as previously noted, many
sources available to me from which I gather temple information have noted that
this temple’s completion might not occur until early 2021. For that reason, I
am moving my previous estimate for this temple’s dedication to this point.
Saturday &
Sunday April 3 & 4: 191st 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-May:
Rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple
June: Dedication
of the Praia Cabo Verde Temple (172nd operating temple)
Mid-August:
Dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple (173rd operating temple
Mid-to-late
September: Dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple (174th
operating temple)
Saturday &
Sunday October 2 & 3: 191st 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 Pocatello Idaho Temple (175th operating
temple)
December:
Dedication of the Quito Ecuador Temple (176th 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.
Labels:
Church Policies and Major Announcements,
Estimated Time-frames for Future Temple Events,
Potential Future Temples,
Scheduled Temple Event,
Temple Construction Update,
Temples Undergoing Renovation
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part One—Overview and Scheduled/Anticipated Events in 2019
Hello again, everyone! Given the temple progress that has occurred within the last two months, and how much has changed regarding the anticipated timing for future temple events within the next several years, I thought I'd provide the next set of updated edistamtes for known 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 as I always do: That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here as I always do: That does it for now. 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.
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 (165th 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 this year, he may be
asked to dedicate this temple.
Friday September
6: President Nelson’s 95th Birthday Celebration
Note: On March 14, 2019, the Church announced this
milestone celebration for President Nelson, which will occur 3 days before his
actual 95th 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 (166th 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, but it will not be Elder Ulisses
Soares, who presided over the Portugal Porto Mission a few decades ago, since
he will be speaking at a Worldwide Devotional/Face-to-Face Event for Young
Adults on this same date.
Saturday &
Sunday October 5 & 6: 189th 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. If I had to venture a guess, I’d conjecture that it would be Elder
Christofferson, who served his mission in the neighboring nation of Argentina.
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 late
2022-early 2023.
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 (167th 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, Lima Peru Los Olivos,
and Belem Brazil Temples. Based on what I have heard, 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,
Richmond Virginia, Saratoga Springs Utah, Harare Zimbabwe, Bengaluru India,
Auckland New Zealand, Greater Manila Philippines, Layton Utah, Nairobi Kenya, and
Puebla Mexico Temples. Even if not all of them have a groundbreaking occur in 2019, many of them will likely
have groundbreaking arrangements announced
before the end of this year.
Labels:
Church Policies and Major Announcements,
Estimated Time-frames for Future Temple Events,
Potential Future Temples,
Scheduled Temple Event,
Temple Construction Update,
Temples Undergoing Renovation
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Additional Thoughts and Observations on the Temple Construction Program of the Church: Part Three—Temple Announcements Likely to Be Made During the October 2019 General Conference
Hello again, everyone! With August 17 having officially dawned here in Utah, the end of the open house for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple is going to be marked today, as will the start of the open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple and the groundbreaking for the Belem Brazil Temple. Tours for the Lisbon Portugal Temple will kick off at 9:00 AM Portugal time, which, because Portugal is 7 hours ahead of Utah time, means that tours of the temple start less than two hours from now.
As I noted earlier, I anticipate that the groundbreaking for the Belém Brazil Temple will take place between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM Belém time, which would be anytime between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM here in Utah. And tours for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will wrap up at 7:00 PM Haiti time this evening, which will be 5:00 PM Utah time. While I am unsure how those times convert to other time zones, that's how those break down according to Utah time, with which I am most familiar. I will provide whatever coverage I can of each of these 3 developments as they are reported.
In the meantime, I wanted to note that President Nelson has seemed to have a method to his temple announcements up to this point. Based on the information I provided in the previous post, I can confirm that President Nelson has (not yet) announced any temples in each of the following areas: Africa Southeast, Middle East/Africa North, North America Central, North America Southeast; North America Southwest, and South America Northwest.
As I have also mentioned, I fully anticipate that President Nelson may announce 14-16 temples at minimum. Based on further personal analysis of the methods and patterns of the prior 3 sets of temple announcements, although I would be elated if any of the prospective locations from my last published list had a temple announced, I believe that the breakdown of those 14-16 likely locations may be along the following general lines:
2-3 temples in Africa (1 each in Africa Southeast, Africa West, and (possibly) Middle East/Africa North. If no temples are announced for the Middle East/Africa North Area, there could be 2 announced in either of the other 2 current areas, or just one for each.
1-2 in Asia (Asia and/or Asia North)
1-2 in Brazil
1 each in Central America and the Caribbean
1-2 in Europe (or 1 each in Europe and Europe East)
2-3 in North America (including 1 in Utah) or US territories
1 each in the Pacific and the Philippines
1-2 in South America Northwest and South America South
I should also mention that, due to the factors mentioned in the references accompanying my latest list, I cannot narrow down my selections per area to just these general parameters and numbers. But I can additionally note the following: If President Nelson repeats (and builds on) what he did last October, at least a few of the nations on the April 2019 edition of the list of locations with the strongest Church presence that do nott currently have a temple in any phase will have a temple announced in October of this year.
It is my opinion that, among the top contenders from that current list, we are most likely to see temples announced in Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mozambique, and Madagascar, which currently rank first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh. Even if only 3 of those are announced, (with Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar being the most likely 3 in my mind), that in turn will alter the next edition of that top ten list in a remarkable way.
From my July list of the most likely prospects, I would also like to share those locations which I believe are the top contenders: Antananarivo Madagascar, Freetown Sierra Leone, either Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, Jakarta Indonesia, or Singapore, Belo Horizonte or Florianopolis Brazil, Coban Guatemala, Edinburgh Scotland or Berlin Germany, Torreon Mexico, Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Santa Cruz Boliva, Bahia Blanca Argentina, Missoula Montana, Bentonville Arkansas, Queen Creek Arizona, Victoria British Columbia, and Herriman or Heber City Utah.
That said, I want to make it absolutely and abundantly clear that I will be absolutely overjoyed by any temples which are announced, whether or not they are on my list, and whether or not more or less than the 14-16 I have suggested here wind up actually being announced in October. This concludes the mini-series of posts I wanted to do on the temple construction program of the Church, so that does it for now.
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.
As I noted earlier, I anticipate that the groundbreaking for the Belém Brazil Temple will take place between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM Belém time, which would be anytime between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM here in Utah. And tours for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will wrap up at 7:00 PM Haiti time this evening, which will be 5:00 PM Utah time. While I am unsure how those times convert to other time zones, that's how those break down according to Utah time, with which I am most familiar. I will provide whatever coverage I can of each of these 3 developments as they are reported.
In the meantime, I wanted to note that President Nelson has seemed to have a method to his temple announcements up to this point. Based on the information I provided in the previous post, I can confirm that President Nelson has (not yet) announced any temples in each of the following areas: Africa Southeast, Middle East/Africa North, North America Central, North America Southeast; North America Southwest, and South America Northwest.
As I have also mentioned, I fully anticipate that President Nelson may announce 14-16 temples at minimum. Based on further personal analysis of the methods and patterns of the prior 3 sets of temple announcements, although I would be elated if any of the prospective locations from my last published list had a temple announced, I believe that the breakdown of those 14-16 likely locations may be along the following general lines:
2-3 temples in Africa (1 each in Africa Southeast, Africa West, and (possibly) Middle East/Africa North. If no temples are announced for the Middle East/Africa North Area, there could be 2 announced in either of the other 2 current areas, or just one for each.
1-2 in Asia (Asia and/or Asia North)
1-2 in Brazil
1 each in Central America and the Caribbean
1-2 in Europe (or 1 each in Europe and Europe East)
2-3 in North America (including 1 in Utah) or US territories
1 each in the Pacific and the Philippines
1-2 in South America Northwest and South America South
I should also mention that, due to the factors mentioned in the references accompanying my latest list, I cannot narrow down my selections per area to just these general parameters and numbers. But I can additionally note the following: If President Nelson repeats (and builds on) what he did last October, at least a few of the nations on the April 2019 edition of the list of locations with the strongest Church presence that do nott currently have a temple in any phase will have a temple announced in October of this year.
It is my opinion that, among the top contenders from that current list, we are most likely to see temples announced in Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mozambique, and Madagascar, which currently rank first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh. Even if only 3 of those are announced, (with Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar being the most likely 3 in my mind), that in turn will alter the next edition of that top ten list in a remarkable way.
From my July list of the most likely prospects, I would also like to share those locations which I believe are the top contenders: Antananarivo Madagascar, Freetown Sierra Leone, either Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, Jakarta Indonesia, or Singapore, Belo Horizonte or Florianopolis Brazil, Coban Guatemala, Edinburgh Scotland or Berlin Germany, Torreon Mexico, Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Santa Cruz Boliva, Bahia Blanca Argentina, Missoula Montana, Bentonville Arkansas, Queen Creek Arizona, Victoria British Columbia, and Herriman or Heber City Utah.
That said, I want to make it absolutely and abundantly clear that I will be absolutely overjoyed by any temples which are announced, whether or not they are on my list, and whether or not more or less than the 14-16 I have suggested here wind up actually being announced in October. This concludes the mini-series of posts I wanted to do on the temple construction program of the Church, so that does it for now.
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.
Labels:
Church Policies and Major Announcements,
Church President,
General Conference,
Potential Future Temples
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Additional Thoughts and Observations on the Temple Construction Program of the Church: Part Two—Nelsonian Temple Announcements and Groundbreakings Thus Far
Hello again, everyone! I am back with the second post in this mini-series. This post will address President Nelson's triple focus on announcing new temples, clearing the queue of temples announced during the presidency of his prophetic predecessor, President Thomas S. Monson, and on getting quick approval for a few of the temples he (President Nelson) has announced within the last 19 months since he has become Church President.
First of all, I would be remiss if I failed to note that President Nelson has already set a record of sorts in that respect: he has announced a total of 27 temples in his first 3 General Conferences of the Church, which works out to an average of 9 temples each conference, an average that will go up if I am correct about the number of temples he may announce in October. For a prophet to announce almost 30 new temples before he has been President of the Church for 18 months is unheard of, as far as I know.
And, if he continues the trend of increasing the number of temples he announces each April and October in the same increments he has done so far, I could easily see him having announced a minimum total of 60 new temples before he has served for a total of 3 years (which will occcur in January 2021). With that said, let's take a look at what he has announced every six months in General Conferences thus far, which will be interspersed with thoughts on what he has done thus far to clear the queue.
In April 2018, he announced 7 temples in the following geographical areas (with more specific locations listed as well):
Asia—Bengaluru India
Central America—Managua Nicaragua
Europe East—Russia (exact location TBD)
North America Northeast—Richmond Virginia
Philippines—Cagayan de Oro Philippines
South America South—Salta Argentina
Utah—Layton Utah
As he would go on to explain when he visited Bengaluru India, “Our plans were to announce six new temples at conference time. The Lord told me on the eve of conference: 'Announce a temple in India.'" He then re-emphasized: "That was the Lord's doing." Some additional observations about this first set of announcements: Prior to April 2018, Nicaragua and Russia had ranked as first and fourth respectively on the April 2017 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that did not have a temple in any phase. And although none of them have yet had a groundbreaking ceremony, I anticipate that, at minimum, the Bengaluru India, Richmond Virginia, and Layton Utah Temples could all have a groundbreaking within the next year, if not sooner than that.
With those important notes about the significance behind temples announced in April 2018, we can move on to those temple announced in October 2018. The breakdown for those by area is as follows:
Africa West—Lagos Nigeria
Asia—Phnom Penh Cambodia
Asia North—Yigo Guam
Brazil—Salvador Brazil
Caribbean—San Juan Puerto Rico
Europe—Praia Cape Verde
Mexico—Puebla Mexico
North America West—Yuba City California
Pacific—Auckland New Zealand
Philippines—Davao Philippines
North America West—Yuba City California
South America South—Mendoza Argentina
Utah—Washington County Utah
Some important notes on these temples: Per the April 2018 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that did not have a temple in any phase, Puerto Rico, Cambodia, and Cape Verde ranked as second, seventh, and eighth on that list. And also significant about this set of announced temples (as I will detail more fully later on in this post), 3 of them (Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico) had a groundbreaking occur within less than a year of the time in which they were announced.
Roughly one month after General Conference, the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple became both the only temple to have a groundbreaking in 2018, and the second of the 3 temples announced in April 2015 by President Monson to have a groundbreaking. Less than two weeks later, the First Presidency announced the scheduled groundbreaking for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (that temple had originally been announced in October 2010 by President Monson). And just 8 days later, groundbreaking arrangements were also announced for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, making it the final temple originally announced in April 2015 to have a groundbreaking set.
The two temples would go on to have their groundbreakings 10 days apart, with the Urdaneta Philippines Temple having a groundbreaking on January 16 of this year, and the groundbreaking for the Bangkok Thailand Temple following 10 days later on January 26. The day after the Urdaneta Philippines Temple groundbreaking, the Church announced the groundbreaking for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. Then, on February 1, the Church announced the groundbreakings for the Pocatello Idaho and Yigo Guam Temples. Exactly one week later, the Church also announced the groundbreaking for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple. Then, on March 7, groundbreakings were announced for both the Quito Ecuador and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples.
Of all these groundbreakings, only that for Pocatello Idaho Temple would take place before the April 2019 General Conference, and that temple had its' groundbreaking on March 16. When the April 2019 General Conference rolled around, many (myself included) were anticipating, due to all that had been said about President Nelson's plans to expand the number of temples tenfold, that he would both outline the details and timing of how such a massive increase would be achieved, explain the timing within which those plans would come to fruition, and announce a significant number of new temples to kick that process off.
As a result of only 8 temples being announced in April of 2019, there were many who were disappointed thereby. I also felt that way initially before realizing that the tenfold increase was an ultimate goal rather than an immediate destination towards which the Church was heading. And if, as his apostolic colleagues have repeatedly suggested, President Nelson is going to be leading the Church for the next decade or two, that will be plenty of time to achieve such an overall increase, so it will likely "be done in wisdom and order", since the Lord does not require a man to "run faster or labor harder than he has the strength" to do so.
That aside, the temples announced in April 2019 were for the following geographical areas (and more specific locations):
Asia North—Okinawa Japan
Central America—San Pedro Sula Honduras
Europe—Budapest Hungary
North America Northwest (Merged with the North America West Area on August 1)—Moses Lake Washington
Pacific—Pago Pago American Samoa; Neiafu Tonga
South America South—Antofagasta Chile
Utah—Tooele Valley Utah
Based on the October 2018 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that do not have a temple in any phase, only American Samoa was on the list, and it ranked fourth thereon. The other significant thing about the announcement of a temple for American Samoa is that such a temple had been originally announced in mid-October 1977. In April 1980, 7 new temples were announced, two of which wound up being built in Papeete Tahiti and Nuku'alofa Tonga. As a result of the announcement of these two temples, the intended American Samoa Temple was relocated to Apia Samoa.
The announcement of a temple to be built in American Samoa (which was made for the second time last April) also marked the second temple a previously-suspended temple announcement was subsequently renewed (the other is the Hartford Connecticut Temple). With that noted, following the April 2019 General Conference, the groundbreakings for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples all took place on Saturday May 4. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Quito Ecuador Temple followed exactly one week later (on May 11), and four weeks after that (on June 8), the groundbreaking for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple was also held.
Roughly 1.5 weeks later, on Monday June 17, we learned about a letter sent out to the Brazilian Saints, which set the groundbreaking for the Belém Brazil Temple, scheduled for exactly two months later (on August 17). It was not until two weeks ago today that an official confirmation of those arrangements, along with an artist's rendering, were provided. And that groundbreaking will have occurred by this time tomorrow. So what does that mean for temple announcements that may occur during the October 2019 General Conference? More on that will be provided in my next post.
That does it for now. 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.
First of all, I would be remiss if I failed to note that President Nelson has already set a record of sorts in that respect: he has announced a total of 27 temples in his first 3 General Conferences of the Church, which works out to an average of 9 temples each conference, an average that will go up if I am correct about the number of temples he may announce in October. For a prophet to announce almost 30 new temples before he has been President of the Church for 18 months is unheard of, as far as I know.
And, if he continues the trend of increasing the number of temples he announces each April and October in the same increments he has done so far, I could easily see him having announced a minimum total of 60 new temples before he has served for a total of 3 years (which will occcur in January 2021). With that said, let's take a look at what he has announced every six months in General Conferences thus far, which will be interspersed with thoughts on what he has done thus far to clear the queue.
In April 2018, he announced 7 temples in the following geographical areas (with more specific locations listed as well):
Asia—Bengaluru India
Central America—Managua Nicaragua
Europe East—Russia (exact location TBD)
North America Northeast—Richmond Virginia
Philippines—Cagayan de Oro Philippines
South America South—Salta Argentina
Utah—Layton Utah
As he would go on to explain when he visited Bengaluru India, “Our plans were to announce six new temples at conference time. The Lord told me on the eve of conference: 'Announce a temple in India.'" He then re-emphasized: "That was the Lord's doing." Some additional observations about this first set of announcements: Prior to April 2018, Nicaragua and Russia had ranked as first and fourth respectively on the April 2017 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that did not have a temple in any phase. And although none of them have yet had a groundbreaking ceremony, I anticipate that, at minimum, the Bengaluru India, Richmond Virginia, and Layton Utah Temples could all have a groundbreaking within the next year, if not sooner than that.
With those important notes about the significance behind temples announced in April 2018, we can move on to those temple announced in October 2018. The breakdown for those by area is as follows:
Africa West—Lagos Nigeria
Asia—Phnom Penh Cambodia
Asia North—Yigo Guam
Brazil—Salvador Brazil
Caribbean—San Juan Puerto Rico
Europe—Praia Cape Verde
Mexico—Puebla Mexico
North America West—Yuba City California
Pacific—Auckland New Zealand
Philippines—Davao Philippines
North America West—Yuba City California
South America South—Mendoza Argentina
Utah—Washington County Utah
Some important notes on these temples: Per the April 2018 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that did not have a temple in any phase, Puerto Rico, Cambodia, and Cape Verde ranked as second, seventh, and eighth on that list. And also significant about this set of announced temples (as I will detail more fully later on in this post), 3 of them (Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico) had a groundbreaking occur within less than a year of the time in which they were announced.
Roughly one month after General Conference, the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple became both the only temple to have a groundbreaking in 2018, and the second of the 3 temples announced in April 2015 by President Monson to have a groundbreaking. Less than two weeks later, the First Presidency announced the scheduled groundbreaking for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (that temple had originally been announced in October 2010 by President Monson). And just 8 days later, groundbreaking arrangements were also announced for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, making it the final temple originally announced in April 2015 to have a groundbreaking set.
The two temples would go on to have their groundbreakings 10 days apart, with the Urdaneta Philippines Temple having a groundbreaking on January 16 of this year, and the groundbreaking for the Bangkok Thailand Temple following 10 days later on January 26. The day after the Urdaneta Philippines Temple groundbreaking, the Church announced the groundbreaking for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. Then, on February 1, the Church announced the groundbreakings for the Pocatello Idaho and Yigo Guam Temples. Exactly one week later, the Church also announced the groundbreaking for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple. Then, on March 7, groundbreakings were announced for both the Quito Ecuador and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples.
Of all these groundbreakings, only that for Pocatello Idaho Temple would take place before the April 2019 General Conference, and that temple had its' groundbreaking on March 16. When the April 2019 General Conference rolled around, many (myself included) were anticipating, due to all that had been said about President Nelson's plans to expand the number of temples tenfold, that he would both outline the details and timing of how such a massive increase would be achieved, explain the timing within which those plans would come to fruition, and announce a significant number of new temples to kick that process off.
As a result of only 8 temples being announced in April of 2019, there were many who were disappointed thereby. I also felt that way initially before realizing that the tenfold increase was an ultimate goal rather than an immediate destination towards which the Church was heading. And if, as his apostolic colleagues have repeatedly suggested, President Nelson is going to be leading the Church for the next decade or two, that will be plenty of time to achieve such an overall increase, so it will likely "be done in wisdom and order", since the Lord does not require a man to "run faster or labor harder than he has the strength" to do so.
That aside, the temples announced in April 2019 were for the following geographical areas (and more specific locations):
Asia North—Okinawa Japan
Central America—San Pedro Sula Honduras
Europe—Budapest Hungary
North America Northwest (Merged with the North America West Area on August 1)—Moses Lake Washington
Pacific—Pago Pago American Samoa; Neiafu Tonga
South America South—Antofagasta Chile
Utah—Tooele Valley Utah
Based on the October 2018 list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that do not have a temple in any phase, only American Samoa was on the list, and it ranked fourth thereon. The other significant thing about the announcement of a temple for American Samoa is that such a temple had been originally announced in mid-October 1977. In April 1980, 7 new temples were announced, two of which wound up being built in Papeete Tahiti and Nuku'alofa Tonga. As a result of the announcement of these two temples, the intended American Samoa Temple was relocated to Apia Samoa.
The announcement of a temple to be built in American Samoa (which was made for the second time last April) also marked the second temple a previously-suspended temple announcement was subsequently renewed (the other is the Hartford Connecticut Temple). With that noted, following the April 2019 General Conference, the groundbreakings for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples all took place on Saturday May 4. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Quito Ecuador Temple followed exactly one week later (on May 11), and four weeks after that (on June 8), the groundbreaking for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple was also held.
Roughly 1.5 weeks later, on Monday June 17, we learned about a letter sent out to the Brazilian Saints, which set the groundbreaking for the Belém Brazil Temple, scheduled for exactly two months later (on August 17). It was not until two weeks ago today that an official confirmation of those arrangements, along with an artist's rendering, were provided. And that groundbreaking will have occurred by this time tomorrow. So what does that mean for temple announcements that may occur during the October 2019 General Conference? More on that will be provided in my next post.
That does it for now. 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.
Labels:
Church Policies and Major Announcements,
Church President,
General Conference,
Potential Future Temples
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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