Hello again, everyone! In the hustle and bustle surrounding the announcement about witnesses, and in the run-up to General Conference, I somehow spaced the fact that Elder Ulisses Soares celebrated his 61st birthday on October 2 (2 days ago). Consequently, this post consists of a belated tribute to him in honor of that milestone. Elder Soares has a most unique life story and background, and I am grateful to share some thoughts about him with you all now. Ulisses Soares was born to Apparecido Soares and Mercedes Carecho Soares in Sao Paulo Brazil on October 2, 1958.
He has European and Amerindian ancestry. When an aunt joined the Church, that was how the Soares' family first learned of the gospel. His parents, after being taught by the missionaries, were baptized when he was five years old. Elder Soares would later reflect on how his small branch would meet in a tiny rental place that was located above a bakery. He served a full-time mission in Rio de Janeiro, Upon his return, he connected with Rosana Fernandes Morgado, who had served in the same mission at around the same time, but whom he had not met until after they both had returned. The two were married in the Sao Paulo Temple, and together they raised three children.
His academic experience involved studying at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, from which, in 1985, he would receive a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting. He then continued his studies at the National Institute of Postgraduate Study, where he earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration. He spent his professional career working for several multi-national companies (one of which was Pirelli Tire Company) as an accountant and an auditor. Donald L. Clark, who at that time was serving as director of temporal affairs for the Church in Brazil, convinced him to take a job with the Church as a senior auditor.
When Brother Clark was asked to serve as a mission president, Brother Soares took over for him as director of temporal affairs. He went on to fill a special assignment for the Church's Presiding Bishopric. Within the Church, Elder Soares has served as an elder's quorum president, counselor in a bishopric, stake high councilman, and as a regional welfare agent. When the São Paulo Brazil Cotia Stake was created in 1995, Elder Soares was called as the first president thereof. 5 years later, he served a three-year term as president of the Porto Portugal Mission. Less than two years after his return (during the April 2005 General Conference), he was called as a General Authority Seventy.
As a General Authority Seventy, he served as First Counselor in the Brazil South Area.from 2005-2007, as First Counselor in the Brazil Area from 2007-2009, and as President of that area from 2009-2011. He served from August 2011-January 2013 as First Counselor in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency, at which point he was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy, with responsibility for the North America Southeast Area Then, in November 2015, Elder Soares was reassigned to oversee the Idaho and North America Central Areas of the Church. He still had oversight of both of those areas in 2018.
On March 31, 2018, Elder Soares was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he was ordained an apostle on Thursday April 5, 2018. He thus became both the first Latter-day Saint apostle from Brazil and the first one from Latin America. Elder Soares has had many opportunities to grow into his new assignment. Elder Soares has had 8 opportunities to speak in General Conference so far, with 2 addresses given as a General Authority Seventy, 3 while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and following his call to the apostleship. In order to review any of these wonderful addresses, you can find them here.
I gratefully and wholeheartedly sustain him and all the other prophets, seers, and revelators in their roles and responsibilities as special witnesses of Christ. 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.
Friday, October 4, 2019
LATE: Happy 61st Birthday to Elder Ulisses Soares
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.
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.
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 Southeast7: Antananarivo Madagascar; Second DR Congo Temple (in Mbuji-Mayi or
Lubumbashi); Maputo Mozambique; Kampala Uganda; Cape Town South Africa
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
Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast
Caribbean: Kingston Jamaica12
North America Central23: Missoula Montana; Green Bay Wisconsin; Wichita Kansas; Des Moines Iowa; Pueblo Colorado; Rapid City South Dakota
Augusta Maine
North America Southeast25: Jackson Mississippi; Knoxville Tennessee; Savannah Georgia;
Jacksonville Florida; Charlotte North Carolina Shreveport Louisiana
Jacksonville Florida; Charlotte North Carolina Shreveport Louisiana
North America Southwest26: Bentonville Arkansas; Fort Worth Texas; Las Cruces New Mexico;
Queen Creek Arizona; Elko Nevada
Utah28: Herriman Utah; Evanston Wyoming or Preston Idaho; Heber City Utah; Washington County Utah (Third Temple)Queen Creek Arizona; Elko Nevada
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.
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.
Predictions for Changes in Church Leadership
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.
Predictions for Changes in Church Leadership
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.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
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.
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.
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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