October 2019 General Conference Final Predictions: Part Two—Prospective Temple Locations

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the second part of the final version of my October 2019 General Conference predictions. This part will share the final version of my list of prospective locations in which a temple could be announced this weekend. That list follows below. So as not to disturb its' flow, 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.

Temple predictions: 14-16 new temples announced for any of the following locations6:

Africa Southeast7: Antananarivo Madagascar; Second DR Congo Temple (in Mbuji-Mayi or
Lubumbashi); Maputo Mozambique; Kampala Uganda; Cape Town South Africa

Africa West8: Bo/Freetown Sierra Leone; Kumasi Ghana; Monrovia Liberia; Benin City Nigeria;
Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast

Asia9: Jakarta Indonesia; Singapore; Taichung Taiwan; Hanoi Vietnam

Asia North10: Ulaanbaatar Mongolia; Osaka Japan

Brazil11: Belo Horizonte, Florianopolis, João Pessoa, or Ribeirão Preto Brazil

Caribbean: Kingston Jamaica12

Central America13: Coban Guatemala

Europe14: Edinburgh Scotland; Berlin Germany; Barcelona Spain; Oslo Norway; Vienna Austria

Europe East15: Vilnius Lithuania

Mexico16: Torreon or Queretaro Mexico

Middle East/Africa North17: Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

Pacific18: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea; Tarawa Kiribati; Savaii Samoa; Christchurch New Zealand

Philippines19: Tacloban or Bacolod Philippines

South America Northwest20: Santa Cruz Bolivia; Iquitos Peru; Cali Colombia; Maracaibo Venezuela

South America South21: Bahia Blanca Argentina; Vina del Mar Chile; Ciudad del Este Paraguay

                                                                    

North America (including the United States and Canada)22:

North America Central23: Missoula Montana; Green Bay Wisconsin; Wichita Kansas; Des Moines Iowa; Pueblo Colorado; Rapid City South Dakota

North America Northeast24: Cleveland Ohio; East Brunswick New Jersey; Montpelier Vermont;

Augusta Maine

North America Southeast25: Jackson Mississippi; Knoxville Tennessee; Savannah Georgia;
Jacksonville Florida; Charlotte North Carolina Shreveport Louisiana

North America Southwest26: Bentonville Arkansas; Fort Worth Texas; Las Cruces New Mexico;
Queen Creek Arizona; Elko Nevada

North America West27: Victoria British Columbia; Fairbanks Alaska; Bakersfield California

Utah28: Herriman Utah; Evanston Wyoming or Preston Idaho; Heber City Utah; Washington County Utah (Third Temple)

October 2019 General Conference Final Predictions: Part One—Speaking Order and Changes in General Church Leadership

Hello again, everyone! With the commenting period for my October 2019 General Conference predictions now having come to a close, I wanted to provide a look at the final version of those predictions. I will do so in two parts. This part will share the predictions I have made for the speaker order and the changes I am anticipating will be made in general Church leadership. That will be followed in a few minutes by a second post highlighting the final version of my list of prospective locations in which a temple could be announced. Those predictions speak for themselves and 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.

October 2019 General Conference Predictions (Text in brackets denote differences)1

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

Predictions for Changes in Church Leadership

General Authority Seventies: Elders Wilford W. Andersen, Kim B. Clark, Lawrence E. Corbridge, Claudio R. M. Costa, Bradley D. Foster, O. Vincent Haleck, Donald L. Hallstrom, Steven E. Snow, and Larry Y. Wilson released and granted emeritus status2; Elder Steven E. Snow released and Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. sustained as Church Historian and Recorder; Elder Kim B. Clark released and Elder Paul V. Johnson sustained as Commissioner of Church Education3

Area Seventies: The following area seventies may be released for the following reasons: Called as mission presidents: Aley K. Auna, Walter Chatora, J. Kevin Ence, Jose L. Isaguierre,  Bryan R. Larsen, George Kenneth Lee, W. Jean-Pierre Lono, Khumbulani Mdletshe, Hoi Seng Leonard Woo Called as temple president: Milan F. Kunz; Yutaka Onda; ’Aisake K. Tukuafu; Juan A. Urra Longest-tenured4: Ruben Acosta, Frederick O. Akinbo, Omar A. Alvarez, Grant C. Bennett, Wilson B. Calderon, Hernando Camargo, M.T. Ben Davis, Robert J. Dudfield, E. Xavier Espinoza, Meliula M. Fata, Sam M. Galvez, Claude R. Gamiette, John A. Koranteng, Jose E. Maravilla, Joaquim J. Moreira, Adeyinka J. Ojediran, Gennady A. Podvodov, Abraham E. Quero, Francisco J. Ruiz de Mendoza, Gordon H. Smith, Raul S. Villanueva, and Kevin J. Worthen5

BREAKING NEWS: President Nelson Announces Changes in Witness Policies During General Conference Leadership Sessionr

Hello again, everyone! As has been traditional during the days before each General Conference, today marked the beginning of General Conference Leadership Sessions in advance of the October 2019 General Conference. Those leadership sessions began with a significant announcement from Church President Russell M. Nelson, which clarified the differents between doctrine, policy, and tradition. In the Doctrine and Covenants, directives have been given about witnesses to ordinances, particularly those performed in the temple.

In the ensuing years since those revelations were originally received, the Church has observed the tradition of priesthood holders (who have at least been ordained to the office of priest)  serve as wtinesses for baptisms, while endowed males have traditionally served as witnesses to temple ordiinances. In perhaps the last adjustment made before President Thomas S. Monson passed away, in December 2017, Church leaders announced added opportunities for youth in the temple, which included that priests could also serve as witnesses to proxy bajptisms in the temple.

Today, an announcement was made that further tweaked the Church's long-observed tradition relating to witnesses of baptisms and temple ordinances. President Nelson announced that, effective immediately, any previously-baptized member of the Church, male or female 8 and above may serve as a witness for baptisms. Additionally, any worthy male or female with a valid temple recommend may now serve as a witness to proxy baptisms, and any endowed member of the Church may now serve as a witness to sealings performed in the temple.

This announcement is a vitally important step, because it clarifies the difference between tradition, practice, and doctrine as understood by the Church. As President Nelson observed when announcing these historic adjustments, the Lord reveals to each of His prophets those revelations and instructions that would be most beneficial and expedient for the Church and the world in their own time. And as he also aptly observed, there will be no end to such adjustments and tweaks, either under President Nelson or any of his future successors. Living and ongoing revelation has been, is, and always will be part of the Lord's living Church.

President Nelson's two counselors, Presidents Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring, also spoke at today's leadership sessions. President Oaks focused his remarks on how the commandments to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves can help us understand the eternal nature of God's children and His plans for them, which in turn can help inform how we respond to those within the LGBT community. While the laws of God are clear, unequivocal, and irrevocable, each of us can reach out in love and understanding towards those whose sexual orientation or gender identity may put them at odds with what we as members of the Lord's Church stand for. He also reaffirmed several of the doctrines found in the Family Proclamation, which are eternal and unalterable truths.

And President Eyring focused his remarks on providing encouragement and reassurance to all those who may at times feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities the Lord has given them. He quoted his uncle, President Spencer W. Kimball, who said,  “What we desire is to have Church programs serve Church members, not the reverse. We also want priesthood leaders to take into account, prayerfully and carefully, the needs of their members and to focus on meeting those basic needs.” What I love most about these three addresses is that they are all interconnected with a common theme that is in line with the three-fold mission of the Church: Proclaim the gospel, perfect the saints, and redeem the dead.

The leadership sessions will continue prior to General Conference tomorrow, with instruction from members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other general authorities and general officers of the Church. How blessed we are to live in a time when those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators are not hesitant to change traditional practices, procedures, or policies in favor of recognizing the difference between tradition and the doctrines and practices of the Church. With that noted, I also wanted to note that I have no idea whether or not any other temple developments will be announced before General Conference, but that I am anxious to see how many temples may be announced this weekend and whatever else might be coming down the pike.

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.

Temple Construction Progress During the Third Quarter of 2019: Part Five—Announced Temples

Hello again, everyone! I am back again with my fifth and final post in this mini-series which has shared the temple progress made during this second quarter of 2019. This post, which serves as a capstone to that coverage, will share the two different versions of the "Announced Temples" section of my report, the first one as it was on April 1, and the second as it is today. The information, which speaks for itself, follows 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 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.

July 1, 2019.

Note on announced temples: During 2019, I again reevaluated the information I had available, and made further adjustments to this section following the completion of the revision process for the “Groundbreaking anticipated” section. The following estimates represent my best efforts to predict the timing for the future groundbreaking of each of these temples based on what I currently know about them.

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

189. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

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

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

Note: On March 7, 2019, based on the unexpected timing whereby groundbreakings were announced for the Quito Ecuador and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples, and given the anticipated timing for the groundbreaking of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple, the Belem Brazil Temple is the only other one announced in April 2016 that is not yet close to a groundbreaking. And since President Nelson has given some priority to the “oldest” among the announced temples, I am hoping the Lord will similarly surprise us with word on this temple’s site and groundbreaking in the not-too-distant future.

191. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Note: I found out several years ago that the Church had held land in reserve for a temple in this city for a while now, so I hope that means a site confirmation will occur sooner rather than later.

192. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson toured potential locations on April 19, 2018.

193. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Note: I found out several years ago that the Church had held land in reserve for a temple in this city for a while now (with that fact confirmed by a Church member living in that area), so I hope that means a site confirmation will occur sooner rather than later.

194. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

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

195. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

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

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

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

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

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

200. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

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

September 30, 2019.

Note on announced temples: During 2019, I again reevaluated the information I had available, and made further adjustments to this section following the completion of the revision process for the “Groundbreaking anticipated” section. The following estimates represent my best efforts to predict the timing for the future groundbreaking of each of these temples based on what I currently know about them.

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

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

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

197. Moses Lake Washington Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation

198. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site identified.

199. Antofagasta Chile Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site identified.

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

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

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

203. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

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

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

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

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

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

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