BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Tooele Valley Utah Temple to Be Built in Erda

Hello again, everyone! Less than 24 hours after providing a report on the groundbreaking arrangements for the Puebla Mexico Temple, there has been more breaking temple news. Earlier today, the First Presidency announced the location for the Tooele Valley Utah Temple. It will be built in the city of Erda, northwest of the intersection of Erda Way and Highway 36 in that city. The 3-story 70,000 square foot edifice will see an adjacent meetinghouse built with it, which will be about 20,000 square feet. It has also been noted that the detailed designs for the temple are still in development, and that project leaders are working with city officals on those preliminary plans, with the necessary documents to be filed in the coming months in order to enable construction to begin soon.

So I have a few thoughts on this announcement. First, with this temple just barely having been announced 5 months ago during the April General Conference, the city government must have fast-tracked approval for the details for the temple, even if the specific designs are yet-to-be approved. Second, today's announcement is in line with the statement made by Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who had been serving as the Executive Director of the Temple Department at the time that he noted earlier this year that the Church was hoping to begin and complete construction on the Tooele Valley Utah Temple before the Salt Lake Temple reopens from its' renovation process in 2024.

Third, depending on how fast the Church can gain approval on the specific plans, this temple could very well be another that has a groundbreaking within less than a year of its' announcement (so we can probably look for that to happen in early-to-mid 2020, if all goes well). Fourth, it is significant that, at a time when information about the newest Utah temples has been released in basically the same chronological order in which they were announced, we have word on this Tooele Valley Utah Temple before anything has happened in that respect for the temple which will be built in Washington County Utah, which was announced last October.

And finally, this means that, less than 16 hours after I posted updated thoughts about the timing within which future temple groundbreakings could be anticipated to occur, there will need to be some degree of revisiting those thoughts yet again. In light of that, I will at some point have to post revised thoughts yet again in that respect. Rather than devoting a new blog post to those changes right after I make them, I will defer detailing those newest updates until I share my third-quarter 2019 comparative and contrastive look at temple construction progress which will have been made between July 1 and September 30. The specific timing of that set of posts will be determined closer to the time.

In the interim, I do 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 become aware of such updates. 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. 

Updates Made to "Groundbreaking Anticipated" Section of Temple Construction Progress Report

Hello again, everyone! I am back, as promised, with the updates I have made to the "Groundbreaking Anticipated" section of my temple construction progress report.  Performing these updates involved shifting some estimates forward or backward, based on what is known and unknown about the timing within which the next temples might have a groundbreaking. As always, I will be just as happy about any temple groundbreakings being set to occur at any time as I will be if my analysis on the likely time-frame within which such groundbreakings might occur proves to be correct in any or every respect. And I will be sure to provide any future updates to that estimate that may be needed as I learn more about the imminence of their future timing.

The updated 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. 

Groundbreaking anticipated: 

183. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; construction contract awarded; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019. 

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

Note: On September 1, 2019, I was advised that the concept plans for this temple were floating around social media. If those plans are verified, a groundbreaking could occur within this period of time. 

185. 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. 

Note: Aside from the information noted above, in mid-November of last year, Elder Andersen visited with Zimbabwe’s Vice President, and indicated to him that the Church was hoping to begin construction on the Harare temple in late 2019. Therefore, barring anything unexpected, it seems more likely than not that a groundbreaking could occur at around this time. 

186. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020. 

187. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.  

Note: Based on what is and is not known presently about this temple, it seems probable that a groundbreaking for it could be fit in during this window, if all goes well. 

188. Auckland New Zealand Temrple: Planning and approval phase; site location confirmed on May 21, 2019; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020. 

189. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; site location officially confirmed on July 15, 2019; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020. 

190. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site location confirmed; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020. 

191. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site location confirmed;  

groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020. 

192. Richmond Virginia Temple: Artist’s rendering and accompanying photographs released on August 28, 2019; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church Confirms Puebla Mexico Temple Groundbreaking

Hello again, everyone! Breaking temple news was just reported, as the First Presidency has confirmed the arrangements for the Puebla Mexico Temple groundbreaking, including a release of the artist's rendering. Contrary to what I had theorized, that groundbreaking will be held on Saturday November 30. Mexico Area President Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela will preside over the groundbreaking for this temple. Based on what I can gather from the artist's rendering, the temple will take between 3-4 years to complete. As I previously noted, this will be the fourth temple announced in October 2018 to have a groundbreaking ceremony this year. And I would imagine the exterior and interior look of this temple pays homage to Mexican architectural trends, especially around the area where the temple will be built.

The one thing I don't yet know is whether any other temple groundbreakings will be held between now and that of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple (which will take place on Saturday October 19) and this announced groundbreaking for the Puebla Mexico Temple, or whether any groundbreakings will be subsequently held after that of the Puebla temple before the end of this year. I hope we will find out either way, as there are at least 3 other temples that could soon have a groundbreaking.

I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of such developments. 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.

Current Apostolic Statistics: Part Two—Updated Ages, Averages & Apostolic Nonagenarians

Hello again, everyone! I am back again now with the second part of this apostolic statistical update, in which we will move on to talk specifics regarding the long-form and decimal ages of our current apostles, which will also include updated information on the average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the 15 apostles as a group, and current and future nonagenarians. So let’s get right into all of that. Again, all data is current as of today (Sunday September 22). There have been five apostolic birthdays since my last such update: Elder Stevenson’s 64th on August 6 followed 3 days later by Elder Andersen’s 68th, which in turn was followed 3 days later by President Oaks’ 87th birthday. Then, earlier this month, Elder Cook observed his 79th birthday one day prior to the 95th birthday of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.


And given the planned timing for my next update (which I will be publishing here on Sunday November 10), by that time, 3 other apostles will be observing their birthdays as follows: Elder Ulisses Soares, our youngest currently-serving apostle, will celebrate his 61st birthday on Wednesday October 2, which will be followed 6 days later (Tuesday October 8) by the 91st birthday of President M. Russell Ballard. Then, 4 days prior to my next planned update (on Wednesday November 6), Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf will be observing his 79th birthday. And one week later (three days after my next planned update), Elder Dale G. Renlund will celebrate his 67th birthday). 

Having noted that, we now move on to some exact figures about the ages and average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all 15 apostles as a group. In the Church’s leading Quorum, President Nelson is, as noted towards the end of my previous post, 95 years, 0 months, and 13 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 95.03 years. First Counselor President Oaks is now 87 years, 1 month, and 10 days old, or 87.11 years. President Eyring, as the junior member of the First Presidency, is now 86 years, 3 months, and 22 days old, which is 86.31 in decimal years.  The First Presidency thus now has a combined 268.45 years of life experience, which results in an average age for each man of 89.48 years.

President Nelson remains 5.55 years older than that average, with President Oaks closest to it (he remains 2.37 years younger than that average), which means that President Eyring, at 0.8 years younger than President Oaks, continues to be 3.17 years below it. Unless there is something of which we are not aware in relation to the health of any of these Brethren, they will continue to set new records for the oldest-serving First Presidency in Church history for the foreseeable future, and are bound to join (and even move up quite a bit on) the list of the longest-serving First Presidencies, as I mentioned towards the end of my previous post.

Next, let’s turn our attention to the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Ballard’s long-form age now sits at 90 years, 11 months, and 14 days, or 90.96 years. Elder Holland now has a long-form age of 78 years, 9 months, and 19 day, with a resulting 78.80 decimal years. Elder Uchtdorf (who is just 4 weeks older than his senior current apostolic seatmate) is now 78 years, 10 months, and 16 days old, which works out to 78.88 years. Elder Bednar has now reached the full age of 67 years, 3 months, and 7 days, which works out to 67.27 decimal years.

Leading off the second third of that Quorum is Elder Cook, who is also the oldest but least senior of the 3 apostles born in 1940. His long-form age is 79 years, 0 months, and 14 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 79.04 years. Elder Christofferson has now reached the age of 74 years, 7 months and 29 days, making his decimal age 74.66 years. Elder Andersen is now 68 years, 1 month, and 13 days old, and his decimal age is 68.12 years. And, as of today, Elder Rasband is 68 years, 7 months, and 15 days old, or 68.62 decimal years.

As for the final third of the Quorum, Elder Stevenson, who is 4.5 years to the day younger than Elder Rasband, has a long-form age of 64 years, 1 month, and 16 days, with a decimal age of 64.13 years. Elder Renlund, the last apostle called during the prophetic administration of President Thomas S. Monson, is now 66 years, 10 months, and 9 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 66.86 years. As for our newest apostles, Elder Gong’s long-form age is 65 years, 8 moths, and 30 days old, which works out to 65.75 decimal years. As for Elder Soares, he is now 60 years, 11 months, and 20 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 60.97 years.

Based on those numbers, the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles now have a combined 864.06 years of life experience, which results in an average of 72.01 years per member. Elders Christofferson and Rasband remain respectively above and below that average. Elder Christofferson is once again 2.65 years older than it, while Elder Rasband is now 3.39 years below it. With the information I presented earlier about the First Presidency, the 15 apostles as a group now have a combined 1,132.51 years of life experience, which is an average of 75.5 years. As noted previously, Elder Holland remains 3.3 years older than that average, while Elder Christofferson remains 0.84 years younger than that average. 

We now move on to the apostolic nonagenarians. As I mentioned in a previous post, President Nelson remains the 6th spot on that list, passing Ezra Taft Benson in early July, and he will not move up thereon again until late August of next year.  In the meantime, President Ballard remains the 14th oldest apostle in Church history. President Ballard will move up two more spots on that list before President Nelson moves up to his next spot. In the meantime, among the other apostles, President Oaks will join the nonagenarian list in 2 years, 10 months, and 21 days, while Elder Soares will do so in 29 years and 10 days, with the other apostles doing so at various intervals, which will be detailed more fully as they approach.

I hope that many of you found this information to be interesting, informative, and accurate. That does it for 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.

Current Apostolic Statistics: Part One—Updated Data for President Oaks, President Nelson, and Longest-Serving Apostolic Groups

Hello again, everyone! While I continue to welcome comments on any previous posts, it is time once again to bring you all updated information on the latest apostolic statistics. This data will again be published in two posts. Again, all data is current as of today (Sunday September 22, 2019). As always, it is my sincere hope that most of you will find this information interesting and enlightening. With that said, I am fully aware that some of you may not be interested in this update. Consequently, I will not in any way be offended or bothered if any of you skip over this post and the next one.

This first post, as has been the case for previous updates, will address President Dallin H. Oaks’ tenure as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then shift to explore where Church President Russell M. Nelson currently stands in terms of his age and tenure length among his prophetic predecessors. That will be followed by some observations about the tenure lengths of our current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all currently-living ordained apostles as a group. The more specific data about upcoming apostolic birthdays, the long-form and decimal ages of our 15 current apostles, and details about current and future apostolic nonagenarians will then follow in a second post, which will be published a few minutes after this one is.

My last such update was posted on Sunday August 4, and I am planning on posting the next scheduled update in 7 weeks, on Sunday November 10. There is a lot to get to, so let’s jump right in. President Oaks has now served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for a period of 1 year, 8 months, and 8 days. As I previously mentioned. President Oaks is now the 22^nd longest-serving Quorum President, and he has not moved up on that list since my last update. His next three milestones as such, as I mentioned in my last such update, will be observed consecutively, with one each in November and December 2019, and one more in January 2020. So it won’t be until my next update (planned for November 10) update that I will detail more particulars regarding the first of those next milestones.

Turning now to President Nelson, who was ordained and set apart as Church President on the same day he set apart President Oaks as President of the Quorum of the Twelve, his prophetic tenure has spanned 1 year, 8 months, and 8 days as well. Having observed his 95^th birthday since my last update, he is now 95 years, 0 months, and 13 days old. Within my last couple of updates, I mentioned the particulars of of his only 2019 prophetic age and tenure milestones, which were observed two days apart in July. President Nelson is thus now the 15^th longest-serving Church President, and also the 4^th oldest-living Church President. He will not be moving up on either list until next summer.

In the meantime, as also noted previously, I have been keeping lists of the longest-continuously serving First Presidencies, Quorums of the Twelve Apostles, and apostolic groups as a whole. Those lists include 13 of each of those groups that have served together for the longest continuous periods of time. The current First Presidency will only be joining the list of other First Presidencies on Saturday April 20, 2024, so I will be outlining their future milestones on that list closer to the time.  As for the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the current members will mark 3 years together on March 31, 2021, at which point they will join the list of the longest-serving Quorums of the Twelve Apostles in Church history. I will likewise be providing updates on those future milestones closer to that time.  

Interestingly enough, less than two months prior to that, the 15 apostles will make the list of the longest-serving such group (the exact date is February 8, 2021). With that said, I want to conclude this portion of the update. 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 feedback is in compliance 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.

BREAKING NEWS: Church President Russell M. Nelson to Address BYU Students on September 17, 2019; Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Will Rededicate the Frankfurt Germany Temple

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news has just been shared relating to the weekly BYU devotional/forum. With the Fall Semester 2019 Devotional Schedule that was previously released, there was not a live devotional or forum planned for Tuesday September 17. But the Church News has shared an invitation issued by Church President Russell M. Nelson, in view of his plans to address those on the BYU campus on Tuesday.

Given that he is the Chairman of the Church Educational System, it is not surprising he would opt to provide an unannounced address on a week in which nothing formal had previously been planned. The prophet's issued invitation was as follows: "I think about the issues facing young people daily. I feel inspired to share an important message with you on September 17 at 11:05 a.m. MDT. Please join me that day on the Church’s Facebook or YouTube account or http://ChurchofJesusChrist.org ."

Insofar as I am aware, a BYU devotional being broadcast live via the offical Church's website is unprecedented. And the wording of the invitation appears to indicate that he had not originally planned on this, but that he is again following the Spirit in doing so, and is enabling it to be carried live on the Church website for reasons that may only become apparent when he actually gives the address. Stay tuned for my coverage on that devotional.

If that were the only breaking news to share, I would be satisfied enough, but while putting a post together to cover that development, another Church News article, written to cover the beginning of the Frankfurt Germany Temple open house, shared the news that, as I anticipated, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf will rededicate that temple.

That is fitting and proper. Not only is he our native German apostle, who has had experience dedicating and rededicating temples during his near-decade of service in the First Presidency, but the fact that he is also now a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles seems to fit my theory that, for the time being, temples will continue to be rededicated by the more senior apostles (from President Nelson through Elder Christofferson).

With that in mind, I think it may be safe to assume that either President Oaks or Elder Christofferson (the latter of whom speaks fluent Spanish) may be sent to privately rededicate the Asuncion Paraguay Temple in November. I don't know what that might mean for the Arequipa Peru Temple dedication, but time will tell. I suppose President Oaks could be sent to take care of the Asuncion Paraguay rededication with a translator in tow, and then Elder Christofferson might dedicate the Arequipa Peru Temple. Stay tuned for more on that as I learn more about both events.

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.

Church President Russell M. Nelson Officially Marks His 95th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! I am back once again, this time to share a post which will serve as a tribute to our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, who, following the recent worldwide celebration for his 95th birthday, is officially marking that milestone today (September 9, 2019). So let's talk about this wonderful man whom we sustain as the President of the Church and as a prophet, seer and revelator. Russell Marion Nelson was born in Salt Lake City Utah to Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson on this day in 1924 (just a day before the birth of Boyd K. Packer, his future immediate predecessor to the Presidency of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) . Though he grew up in a loving family, his parents were not active in the Church.


As a teenager, he went looking for books about the Church at Deseret Book. His parents allowed him and his siblings to be baptized when he was 16. In terms of his amily, President Nelson married his first wife, Dantzel, in the Salt Lake Temple. They have nine daughters and one son. When his wife unexpectedly died in 2005, he described having "inconsolable grief" for a time. He married Wendy Watson, a BYU professor, the following April. He studied at LDS Business College and went on to obtain his BA and MD at the University of Utah. He simultaneously trained as a surgeon and did doctoral studies at the University of Utah. He was part of the research team that developed the heart-lung machine that was used in 1951 on the first open-heart operation on a human being. He spent two years on medical duty for the US Army during the Korean War, then underwent another training period in Boston at the prestigious Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital.

At some point in his medical career, the University of Chicago was anxious to get him to come and teach at their school of medicine, so the president of that university asked Dallin H., Oaks, a professor at the law school, to try and persuade him to come. Then-Brother Oaks did his best to convince then-Brother Nelson to accept the offer. But Church President David O. McKay advised Brother Nelson not to go, so he rejected the offer. In 1955, he accepted a teaching opportunity at the University of Utah School of Medicine. where he built his own heart-and-lung machine. Around a year later, he was on duty to perform the first pediatric cardiac operation. In 1960, he performed the first successful operative repair of a tricuspid heart valve. Being worried that a surgical procedure he had been asked to perform was too risky for anyone, he requested and received a blessing from then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball, who was one of his patients.

That surgery was a success, and he later w used the same technique to operate on Elder Kimball himself, a risky procedure, which only moved forward following a pointed directive from President Harold B. Lee, who at that time was serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency. While performing that operation, Brother Nelson had the overwhelming feeling that President Kimball would one day be President of the Church. As a result of that operation's success, Church members were blessed to enjoy the counsel and ministry of President Kimball for almost another decade and a half. The doctor-patient relationship he experienced with President Kimball enabled Brother Nelson to write a letter of assurance about President Kimball's health when the latter was called as Church President.

He has served in many positions on different hospital boards and has received several awards for his pioneering work. He likewise had many service opportunities in the Church. He served as a stake president for over six years, during which time he served alongside another future apostle, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. In mid-1970, Ernest L. Wilkinson, then president of BYU, submitted his resignation, which went into effect early the following year. As Neal A. Maxwell, Commissioner of Church Education, searched for a replacement, Brother Nelson was one of the candidates considered for the position, which was in due course filled by Brother Nelson's future apostolic seatement, Dallin H. Oaks.

In the meantime, Brother Nelson was called in June of 1971 as the Sunday School General President (during which time, Brother Wirthlin would again serve alongside him.) Brother Nelson would go on to also serve in the now-defunct calling of regional representative, during which time, having been present when President Kimball suggested that some of them should learn Mandarin Chinese, took on that task in obedience to the prophet's counsel. In April 1984, with the advice and consent of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called Brother Nelson to fill one of two vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then-Brother Oaks was called to fill the other vacancy, and the two have sat side-by-side in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since that time.

Over the next 31.25 years, each one of the living apostles junior to President Monson but senior to Elder Nelson would pass away. When President Boyd K. Packer died on July 3, 2015, Elder Nelson became the de facto President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was officially set apart in that capacity 12 days later, on Wednesday July 15, 2015, by Church President Thomas S. Monson, who had by that time begun to decrease his involvement in the day-to-day administration of the Church. When the Church released an official statement in mid-May 2017 noting that President Monson would no longer be taking an active role in leading the Church, as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Nelson filled a vital role in assisting President Monson's counselors, President Henry B. Eyring and then-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in taking care of the day-to-day administration of the Church.

When President Monson passed away on January 2. 2018, President Nelson directed the affairs of the Church as the senior apostle (and the de facto Acting President of the Church) for 12 days before his ordination as Church President. After meeting individually with each of the other 12 apostles, he selected his seatmate, Elder Oaks, and Elder Eyring, who had served as a counselor to both Presidents Monson and Gordon B. Hinckley, as his First and Second Counselors, respectively, in the First Presidency.

As a result of that reorganization, Elder Uchtdorf again took his place in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. During the broadcast and subsequent press conference when the new First Presidency was introduced to the world on Tuesday January 16, President Nelson paid tribute to his predecessor's counselors and mentioned that both were willing to now serve where they were most needed. And the responsibilities assigned to Elder Uchtdorf were those previously held by Presidents Nelson and Oaks, and the new Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, M. Russell Ballard. Even prior to serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, or subsequently as President of the Church, President Nelson took great care of his fellow Brethren in the apostleship.

Many of you will recall how, in the midst of an address about charity, the pure love of Christ, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin began shaking uncontrollably, In a silent demonstration of what his colleague was teaching, Elder Nelson stood by and supported Elder Wirthlin until he closed his address, then gently helped him back to his seat. Not long after Elder Richard G. Scott underwent a needed surgical procedure, he was surprised to learn that President Nelson had stood inside the operating room observing the procedure in its' entirety. And, of course, as recounted during the funeral of Elder Robert D. Hales, following the Sunday Morning Session of the October 2017 General Conference, President Nelson felt impressed skip his lunch break and go immediately to the hospital to visit Elder Robert D. Hales, who passed away within a few minutes after President Nelson arrived.

President Nelson has demonstrated a keen intellect, a willingness to seek for and follow revelation from the Lord, and an undeviating loyalty and full commitment to his family, his Church, and his apostolic colleagues. We have seen him respond swiftly to such revelation, and perhaps the greatest details of the revelation he continues to receive regularly are yet-to-be revealed in the upcoming General Conference. I have always been impressed and touched by President Nelson's remarks. He has given 82 addresses thus far in General Conference, 5 of which were given while he served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and 12 so far which he has given since becoming President of the Church. I am grateful for the chance to have paid this birthday tribute to President Nelson.  He and all of the other apostles have my unequivocal and everlasting support and sustaining vote.

I know for myself that President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God, that he will not lead us astray, that he speaks for and in behalf of the Lord and that we will be blessed by the Lord as we follow the counsel given by His chosen mouthpiece. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Puebla Mexico Temple Groundbreaking to Be Held in November

Hello again, everyone! I have breaking temple news to report today. According to information shared in another thread of this blog from my Church member contact in Mexico, the groundbreaking for the Puebla Mexico Temple is set to be held in November. This information was confirmed to the Saints in Puebla by their local leaders earlier today. The report did not specific a date, although I imgaine one has been set. I want to be very clear here, however: there has been no offical announcement from the Church at this point to confirm the information, though that should be coming within the next couple of weeks or less.

This means that the Puebla Mexico Temple will be one of the next (if not the very next) to have a groundbreaking following the recently-announced October groundbreaking for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. And the Peubla Temple will thus become the fourth temple announced in October 2018 to have a groundbreaking. Construction will reportedly take around 3 years to construct, and the temple is anticipated to be fairly large, though not as big as the Mexico City Mexico Temple. This information replaces any previous information I have offered on that temple here.

Again, to clarify, there has been no official confirmation from Church headquarters or on the Mexico Newsroom of the Church as of yet, and this information is subject to such official confirmation. But I wanted to share what is known here thus far, and I am sure that confirmation of the specifics will be provided at some point before General Conference. Stay tuned for more information on that. In the meantime, to reiterate, the Nairobi Kenya Temple has had a construction contract awarded, so I anticipate a groundbreaking being held for that temple either before General Conference or not long after it.

The same may prove true for the Brasilia Brazil Temple, if the Church at any point confirms that the concept designs for the temple which have reportedly been floating around social media are offical.. I am similarly hoping for more information on the Greater Manila Philippines, Harare Zimbabwe, and Bengauluru India Temples, at very minimum, although I wouldn't rule out any other temples, due to the unexpected nature of recently-announced groundbreakings. I continue to monitor all temple updates and official Church news to the best of my ability, and will pass word of such developments along to you all as I receive it.

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.

Tribute to Elder Quentin L. Cook on His 79th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! As mentioned towards the end of my last post, I am back in the early morning hours of September 8 to share some thoughts about Elder Quentin L. Cook in honor of his 79th birthday today. Let's dive right into that subject. Quentin LaMar Cook was born to J. Vernon and Bernice Cook on this day in 1940 in Logan, Utah. He was a middle child, having an older brother and a younger sister. He grew up in a very gospel-centered home, although his father eventually lost interest in Church activity. roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">At age 15, he had a discussion with his brother Joe that changed his life. Joe was unsure whether to continue with his medical school studies, or to delay that in order to serve a mission, with their father favoring the first option. During that conversation, they determined that either the gospel was true or it wasn't, and that if it was, serving a mission would be the best use of Joe's time. Joe’s decision to go resulted in young Quentin eventually accepting his own call to serve in the British Mission. One of his two mission presidents was, Elder Marion D. Hanks, who simultaneously served as a general authority. At one point during his mission, his companion was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Though the two didn't know it at the time, both would go on to serve as General Authorities and as colleagues in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Elder Cook returned from his mission with a strong testimony of the Savior and a resolve to associate with people who love the Savior, both within and outside of the Church. He married his high school sweetheart Mary Gaddie in the Logan Utah Temple on November 30, 1962. Their posterity includes three children and numerous grandchildren. He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in political science and from Stanford University with a juris doctorate degree. As a managing partner in San Francisco Bay area law firm, he specialized in business law. He later became president and chief executive officer of California Healthcare System, and vice chairman of Sutter Health Systems.

His church service has included being a bishop, stake president’s counselor, stake president, regional representative, and area authority. While he was in the stake presidency, he was instilled with a love of people from all nations when he had responsibility for Spanish, Tongan, Samoan, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Cantonese congregations. He was named a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy on April 6, 1996, and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 4, 1998. He served as a member of area presidencies in the Philippines, the Pacific, and North America, and he also served executive director of the Church Missionary Department during the time the Church developed and encouraged the use of the new missionary guidebook "Preach My Gospel".

He was subsequently called to the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2007. Nine days after that, the death of President James E. Faust, who had been serving as Second Counselor to Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, would wind up having an unexpected impact on his life. As the October General Conference rolled around, then-Elder Henry B. Eyring was called as President Hinckley's new Second Counselor, which created a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles/ On October 6, 2007, Elder Cook was sustained to fill that vacancy, and he was ordained an apostle five days later.  Elder Cook has spoken 26 times in General Conference: twice as a General Authority Seventy and  2 dozen additional times in the almost-12 years since his call to the apostleship.

I am grateful for his service as a special witness of Christ, and I wholeheartedly sustain him and the other apostles. 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.

Top Picks from List of Locations Which May Have a Temple Announced During the October 2019 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Several days ago, I referenced the fact that I was working on thinning out my list of potential locations which could have a temple announced during the upcoming October General Conference to focus on the most likely picks from that list. Something told me to hold off on doing so, and in the interim, my attention was drawn to the video interview with President Nelson and Elder Cook where President Nelson indicated more temples were coming for remote areas of the world.  And based on my belief that 14-16 new temples will be announced, I offered additional thoughts regarding the general parameters I believed would come into play in the temples that will specifically be announced this go-round.

Working off of those parameters, I have thinned down my list as hoped to what I see as the top contenders for the top geographical areas in which I see a temple being announced. So I am posting again now to share that list of refined locations. I would like to reiterate a couple of things before sharing those refined picks. First of all, the following list will not be supplanting the more thorough list of locations I mentioned earlier. Within the last few General Conferences, even if I have had any of the right locations on my list, some of those locations for which temples were announced were not my top prioritized candidates for the corresponding goegraphical areas in which they were announced. So the more extensive list from July will remain my complete list of potential picks for October.

Additionally, since publishing that July list of locations, Mongolia has been transferred from the Asia Area to the Asia North Area of the Church. So that particular change impacted my assessment on the Asia and Asia North Areas in terms of the most likely candidates to get a temple in October. That said, the list follows below. In order to not disturb the flow thereof, 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.

Africa Southeast: Antananarivo Madagascar

Africa West: Freetown Sierra Leone and/or Kumasi Ghana or Monrovia Liberia

Asia: Jakarta Indonesia or Singapore

Asia North: Ulaanbaatar Mongolia

Brazil: Belo Horizonte or Florianopolis Brazil

Caribbean: Kingston Jamaica

Central America: Coban Guatemala

Europe: Edinburgh Scotland or Berlin Germany

Europe East: Vilnius Lithuania

Middle East/Africa North:

North America: Bentonville Arkansas or Missoula Montana

Pacific: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

Philippines: Tacloban or Bacolod Philippines

South America Northwest: Santa Cruz Bolivia or Iquitos Peru

South America South: Bahia Blanca Argentina

Utah: Herriman or Heber City Utah