Review of Temple Construction Progress During 2020

Hello again, everyone! As the final minutes of 2020 draw closer to their inevitable conclusion, I am pleased to be able to provide you all now with a review of temple construction progress that occurred throghout 2020. Over the course of five reports that have been edited as progress has been noted, I have tracked the many wonderful upddates that have been provided through the Newsroom, the Church News, and via the Church Temples website throughout the year.  Perhaps the most impressive thing reflected in these reports has been the fact that, even in the midst of a global pandemic that resulted in all operating temples being closed for a period of roughly two months, temple construction has progressed unabated. 

As a particular result of this year's events, there are now more temples under construction than there are announced (not yet under construction).  That number now includes multiple temples under construction in Utah alone, in taddition to multiple others throughout the United States, in the Philippines, and in Latin America, for what I believe is the first time each of those regions have had multiple temples in the queue at the same time in the history of the Church. The developments largely speak for themselves. So here's a look at where temple construction stood as 2020 began, at the end of the first quarter, halfway through the year, just prior to the October 2020 General Conference, and where things stand at this year-ending hour. 

I have gradually restructured various portions of the report, and the content in the latest one is almost certain to change as we move into 2021. As I hope is evident by these reports and the information compiled therein, the temple construction program of the Church is one of many that has seen the promise of President Nelson come to fruition. Part of the way the work is moving forward at an accelerated pace is in the temple construction milestones we have seen since President Nelson's statement on that was made last year. 

To reiterate something I have previously noted, as many as 12 temples could have groundbreakings in the first part of 2021, with at least 6 of those almost certain to occur prior to the April 2021 General Conference, if all goes well. So I'm certain that we have just scratched the surface on what is to come in terms of temple construction. With that in mind, whatever occurs in that respect in the coming year, you can count on my tracking those developmnts and passing those along here as I becine aware of 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.

Looking Back on 2020 and Ahead to 2021.

Hello again, everyone! As 2020 draws closer to a conclusion, I have my year-end temple construction review ready for automatic publication during the final moments of this year. But in this post, I wanted to take a brief oportunity to note the Church News overview of the major developments covered in 2020. Aside from those developments, I myself on this blog have provided these scheduled updates this year, in addition to an untold number of breaking news developments which I could not have possibly anticipatede in advance. 

In a very direct and specific way, the prophecy uttered by President Nelson late last year has come to fruition. The work has indeed moved forward at an accelerated Even in the midst of a global pandemic and an untold number of other global crises, the voice of the Church and the consuel offered by the general leaders of the Church has remained constant, consisstent, and inspiring. As some of you may recall, I was skeptical when the potential effects of what would become the first major global pandemic in over 100 years were first mentioned to us here on the threads of this blog.

But the devastation caused by the pandemic, and by other natural disasters, pretty much speaks for itself. There have been very few parts of the world unaffected by it. And while many governments and religious leaders have struggled to adjust during the increased spread of COVID-19 around the world, the Church was able to quickly pivot whenever the need arose because of the adjustments that had been made in the years prior to that. Practically all normal functions of the Church have been impacted in some way, but the adjustments which were made as the need arose for them allowed much of the work of the Church to continue,  move forward, and even accelrate in so many miraculous ways.

Even though General Conferences held in April and October were virtual-only, the inspiration that attended those sssessions, even with then being held on a smaller scale, was inspiriing to see. In the meantime, numerous adjustments have enabled the Church to prepare long-term for the future. While a global pandemic raged, the Church held 21 temple groundbreakings, which led to multiple temples being under construction in Utah sapecifically, in the United States generally, and in a few South American nations, the Philippines, and Asia (although in the case of 10 of those 21 temples, full-scale construction is still pending as 2020 nears its' conclusion. 

The Church also took major steps to prepare for the future growth and expansion of the work, which involved greater utilization of technology at the general Church leadership level and in relation to global missionary work, and the announcement of the shift from 4 magazines (only 1 of which was specifically geared to members outside the United States) to 3 global magazines. And in preparation for a time when the needs of the Church, due to its' anticipated growth and expansion, will eventually require more area seventies serving worldwide to assist in that work, the Church created 4 new Quorums of the Seventy, marking the first time in nearly 15 years that new area seventies' Quorums were formed, and the first time that occurred for a reason other than geographical proximity or the size of the existing Quorums.

As the year winds to a close, the Church has been able to see a net increase in the number of stakes totaling at least 30, which is still an impressive 56% of the increase in the total number of stakes that occurred between the end of 2018 and the year-end figures from last year. In the meantime, likely because of the more complete embrace of technology in missionary work, many of the Church's missions have reported more overall success this year in finding and retaiining new coverts. And the growth seen this year is laying a clear foundation for what is anticipated to occur next year.

The way the Church has figured out a "new normal" relative to adjustments thave have been made up to this point could mean that the Church will keep many of those adjustments as the standard status quo going forward. And despite the wide-spread devastation caused this year, whether due to the pandemic, natural disasters, political, racial, societal, or systemic unrest, so many wonderful things have happened. The sheer number of new developments has had an impact on me personally due to the increased number of additional unanticipated reports I was able to provide on this blog throughout the year as those developments occurred.

This year alone, I began coverage on this blog with just over 1800 published posts. By mid-une, I'd hit the 1900th post milestone. And as of today, with one planned post left for the year (an overview of temple counstruction progress that has occurred throughout 2020), barring any additional unexpected breaking developments from the Church before the end of the year, 2020 will conclude with my having just under 2000 published posts here. 

With the current year set to end around 82-83 hours from now here in Utah, I am pleased in this post to also provide an advanced look ahead at the developments I can anticipate for next year, which are formally scheduled to occur as specified. But I fully anticipate having many currently-unknown breaking news updates to pass along as well. And I will do my level best to remain on top of all such developments in the days, weeks, month and year ahead.

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: Apia Samoa and Brisbane Australia Temples To Shift To Phase 3 Next Week

Hello again, everyone! The Newsroom and the Church News have announced this morning e the Apia Samoa and Brisbane Australia Temples will reopen under phase 3 next week, which will allow all ordinances for the living and some proxy work for the dead as arranged through scheduling.

This brings me total number of temples in phase 3 to 4. The Church continues to evaluate COVID-19 conditions worldwide and area-by-area and will continue to adjust accordingly. These latest updates are the only ones relating to COVID-19 conditions for today. For more information, please also consult the temple status tracker from the Church News.

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.

Birthday Tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Who Marks His 67th Today

Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a birthday tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is celebrating his 67th today. As I mentioned earlier this month his is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2021 will be Elder D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 76th on January 24. Incidentally, for the first time ever on this blog, the next update I will provide on the latest apostolic data will be featured on the same day as my tribute to Elder Christofferson.

Having dropped that teaser, we turn our attention again to today's tribute to Elder Gong. Gerrit Walter Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on this day in 1953, to Walter and Jean Char Gong. While he was given his father's name for his middle name, his first name was given in honor of and out of respect to Gerrit de Jong, whose family his mother had lived with while studying at BYU-Provo. Both of Elder Gong's parents trace their ancestry back to China, although his father's family emigrated from China to the US during the late 19th century, and his mother's family are ethnic Chinese who lived in Hawaii.

After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, young Gerrit served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree at BYU, then continued his education at Oxford University, where, as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy. He first met Susan Lindsay, the woman he would later marry, while giving presentations at the MTC focused on the culture of Taiwan, to groups of missionaries assigned to serve in that nation (Sister Lindsay, at that time, was preparing to serve her mission in Taiwan).

At some point following her return from missionary service, while he was on summer break from Oxford, the two began dating. After Gerrit returned to Oxford, he and Susan (who was a BYU student) continued their courtship long-distance The couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 1980, and raised 4 sons. They spent most of their married lives in Virginia and Maryland. Brother Gong became a special assistant to the US Secretary of State in 1985. He went on to be a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.

He continued his career as a special assistant in the US State Department and as a special assistant to the US embassy in China. In 1989, he served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was also invited to participate in multiple education summits, in addition to serving on the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. Towards the end of his professional career, he served as an Assistant to the President of BYU for Planning and Assessment.

As impressive as his career may have been, the far more significant things he accomplished was in the course of Church service over several decades, during which he was a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. During his time in the latter assignment, he accompanied the presiding authority to my parent's Stake Conference. As he spoke, I was impressed by his warmth, knowledge of the scriptures, and ability to teach from them. While I may not remember any specifics of what he said, the power of the Spirit which I felt when he was speaking was unmistakable.

After that conference, I had the opportunity to greet and chat with him informally. What I had seen at the pulpit while he spoke was even more apparent in his personal interactions with me and other members of my parent's stake. This is a man who feels and teaches by the Spirit. During the April 2010 General Conference, Elder Gong was among those called as a General Authority Seventy. He filled various assignments at Church headquarters for the first year or so after his call. From August 2011-August 2013, he served in the Asia Area Presidency as a counselor. In 2013, he was called as president of that same area.

As a result of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the October 2015 General Conference, Elder Gong was called to the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. He transitioned out of his role as Asia Area President and into that new assignment effective January 4, 2016. During his two years of active service in the Presidency of the Seventy, he had responsibility for overseeing the work of the Church in the North America Northeast Area. He also served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards.Following the October 2017 and January 2018 deaths of Elder Robert D. Hales and Church President Thomas S. Monson, new Church President Russell M. Nelson called both Elder Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares to serve as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, marking history as the first Asian American and Latin American apostles of the Church.. They were sustained as such on March 31, 2018, and both were ordained to the apostleship the following Thursday (April 5, 2018).

Consistent with the general practice of the Church, and for the first time since the October 2015 appointments of Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund, with the two apostles called, sustained, and ordained on the same day, Elder Gong, who is older, became the senior apostle to Elder Soares. In June 2018, Elders Gong and Soares met with representatives of the media for the first time as new apostles, at which time Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. He also serves as a member of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee, and had apostolic oversight for the Asia and Asia North Areas.

Elder Gong has given a total of 8 addresses in General Conference thus far, which includes 1 as a General Authority, 1 other given while he served in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 6 since beginning his service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Due to his potential exposure to COVID-19 (for which he tested positive a few days later), he had pre-recorded his remarks in the days leading up to the most recent General Conference. Having successfully completed his quarantine, he was able to preside at the groundbreaking for the Taylorsville Utah Temple later that month.

And because he had originally been assigned to preside at the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, even though that event has been postponed, hopefully 2021 will see Elder Gong able to preside at that event or another temple dedication. I am grateful to have been able to honor Elder Gong on this, his 67th birthday. Because of my previously-referenced personal interaction with him, I can testify that the Lord has prepared him for his present assignment, and I whole-heartedly sustain him and the other 14 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple To Reopen Under Phase 3 Next Week; Site Location Announced for the Lindon Utah Temple

Hello again, everyone! Two breaking temple developments have been announced by the Church wintin the last hour. First of all, a couple of weeks ago, the Church announced that some temples would soon reopen under phase 3 of the four-phase plan. Phase 3 allows the scheduling of limited proxy work, where local COVID-19 conditions and restrictions allow, and as scheduled. The first four temples set to reopen in that phase were based in the Pacific Islands and the Asia North Area of the Church. The Taipei Taiwan Temple became the first of those to reopen under phase 3, which became effective today.

Today, the Church announced that the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple will be the second of the original four announced to reopen under phase 3, and that change will go into effect next week. That is the one and only change in the phased reopening of temples that will go into effect next week. As of today, 11 temples remain in a "paused" status in their reopening due to local COVID-19 conditions and restrictions. 23 others remain in phase 1 of the reopening process, whiich allows for limited living husband-to-wife sealings were both individuals have previously been endowed. 

The reamining 121 temples that are reeopened remain in phase 2, which allows for all living ordinances, with priority given first to previously-endowed couples to be sealed in the temple, then to those preparing to be married who have not yet received those ordinances, then to missionaries already out in the field who were not able to receive those ordinances before their departure, then to all missionaries preparing to go out into the mission field, then to anyone else who may need to receive their own ordiancnes for any other reason.

I am grateful that the phased reopening of temples continues relatively unabated, and if that were the only news to report today, I'd be happy enough. But the Newsroom also reported today on the announcement of the location and preliminary details for the Lindon Utah Temple. Utah County's newest temple had been announced in General Conference two months ago, and the confirmation of the first official initial details today makes sense in light of the fact that the Church has announced temple locations for many United States cities of late within 2-3 months of the original announcement for that temple.

So let's get to the details. The Lindon Utah Temple is planned to be a 3-story edifice of roughly 81,000 square feet and will be built on property near 800 East and Center Street in Lindon. In the coming days, project managers will beging working with city leaders through the approvals process for that temple. One the necessary approvals and permits are issued, the Church will then set a groundbreaking time-frame for the temple. An exterior rendering for that temple will also be released once the necessary approvals are given for that.

Today's announcement marks the first time in roughly two months since the Church last announced any offficial details for previously-announced temples. This is also the first time the Church has identified a temple site without releasing a temple rendering at the same time since the announcement of the temple for Syracuse Utah, for which the preliminary information was announced on August 28. We see from this announcement that the Church continues to work on the current queue of announced temples. It will be interesting to see if any other announcements related to temple construction are made before the end of this year.

I will keep tabs on all those developments, in addition to all Church news updates, and will provide information about all of that here as I become aware of 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