Temple Construction Progress Report Overhauled as Completion Order and Estimates Are Frequently Adjusted

Hello again, everyone! As we near the half-way point of the second month in 2021, I wanted to publish new content today. I have mentioned repeatedly in recent threads of several of my previous posts that the completion order for temples now under construction, along with their completion estimates, have been fluctuating frequently of late. In consideration of the massive and significant nature of those changes, I wanted to provide two links to my temple construction progress report

The first shows the changes that have been made as of today, and as of the time at which this post is being published. And the second link I wanted to share today is for the version of my report that will be continuously updated from today until my first-quarter temple construction progress report is shared (which I am planning to take care of on either March 31 or April 1).

It appears that there will be a need to keep tabs on the queue of temples which are now or may soon be under full-scale construction, since there will surely be many more such changes in the days ahead. As the saying goes, "The only thing that's truly constant is change." Within the last couple of weeks alone, on several of the days therein, there have even been multiple chnages to the queue in a single day. That will no doubt continue to be the case for the foreseeable future.

I remain committed to continuing to track those changes, and will do my level best to continue to bring word of those to you all here as I become aware of them. I also will be monitoring all other Church news updates and will similarly bring you summaries thereof as I am able to do so.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: 6 Temples Will Move to Phase 3; 6 Others Will Move to Phase 2 in the Next Two Weeks

Hello again, everyone! At this hour, we have some breaking Church news to get to. So let's dive right in. The Church has announced this morning that 12 additional temples will have changes in their reopening status that will go into effect over the next two weeks, with 6 of those temples transitioning to phase 3 on Monday February 22, and 6 others moving to phase 2 effective next week. Additionally, next week will also see 3 temples that previously had their reopenings paused or downgraded terutning to their former status.

So let's break down this information. First, for the 6 temples transiitioning to phase 3 in two weeks, that marks the largest number to-date transitioning to that phase on the same date. The six temples tranisitioning to phase 3 in two weeks include 3 in Mexico (Merida, Oaxaca, and Tuxtla Guitierrez); and 1 each in Central America (Guatemala City Guatemala); Canada (Halifax Nova Scotia); and the Pacific (Sydney Australia). Phase 3 allows those temples to perform all living ordinances, along with some ordinances for the dead, while ensuring proper COVID-19 protocols are followed.

With those phase 3 reopenings occurring in two weeks, for next week, 3 temples will begin phase 2 for the firs timet, offering all ordinances for the living, with the priority given first to those previously-endowed couples who are going to be sealed, with limited guests in attendance; then to those preparing for a temple sealing in the neear future who have not previously been endowed; then to missionaries already out in the field, who departed without being able to receive their own endowments; then to those missionaries preparing to depart for the mission field; then to anyone else who made need to receive their own ordinances for any other reason.

The Palmyra New York, Rome Italy, and San Jose Costa Rica Temples are the 3 that will start phase 2 for the first time next week. The Johannesburg South Africa and Santiago Chile Temples were previously paused, and now resume phase 2 operations. And the Quetzeltenango Guatemala Temple, which had returned to phase 1 briefly due to local COVID-19 restrictions, will again resume phase 2.

The Church News provides additional details on the reopening, including updates made to the status tracker for all temples worldwide. Church leaders are continuing the inspired process of monitoring global COVID-19 restrictions or adjustments, and to adjust the temple reopenings accordingly. The cautiously-coordinated efforts have also involved receiving and evaluating information on nations worldwide from those serving in area presidencies or as area seventies, and it is inspiring to witness that occurring the way it has.

For my part, I continue to monitor any and all such developments, in addition to any breaking Church news, and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware thereof. 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.

All Current Apostles Observe Their First Group Tenure Length Milestone

Hello again, everyone! As demonstrated in the last update I provided on apostolic data (posted on January 24), the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, both on their own and in company with the current First Presidency, were set to observe serefveral apostolic group milestones this year. As the documents I shared in that last update showed, the first of those milestones has been reached today, Monday February 8. As of today, the current members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have served together for a period of 2 years, 10 months, and 8 days.

The length of their service has now matched that of the apostolic group which included Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and James E. Faust in the First Presidency, and when the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was comprised of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry, Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Joseph B. Wirthlin, Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales, Jeffrey R. Holland, Henry B. Eyring, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, and David A. Bednar.

That group served together from October 2, 2004, when Elders Uchtdorf and Bednar were called to the apostleship until the death of President Faust on August 10, 2007. Oddly enough, this first milestone for our current group of apostles will not be the only one they observe this month. They will be marking their second one on February 26.

On that date, the length of their tenure as an apostolic group will match that of the First Presidency consisting of Presidents Heber J. Grant, Charles W. Penrose, and Anthony W. Ivins, while the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles consisted of President Rudger Clawson and Elders Reed Smoot, George Albert Smith, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, David O. McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, James E. Talmage, Stephen L Richards, Richard R. Lyman, Melvin J. Ballard, and John A. Widtsoe.

With both milestones being observed this month, the current group of apostles will then become the twelfth longst-serving such group in Church history, and they will be observing their next two milestones 15 days apart in July, followed by 1 more that will coincide with President Nelson's 97th birthday.

Meanwhile, the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will mark 3 years of continuous service together on March 31, and will be observing 3 milestones of their own this year as well, with one a few days after their third anniversary, and the final two also coincidentally in July, but not necessarily on the same days as the two milestones for the current group of 15 apostles as a whole.

I will provide more specific details on these milestones closer to the dates on which each will be reached. In the meantime, I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments, and will be sure to bring word of all of them to you here as they are brought to my attention.

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.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband Observes His Birthday; Becomes the Second Current Septuagenarian Apostle

Hello again, everyone! As I noted in a previous comment on this blog, on January 19, the First Presidency and those 5 apostles over 70 received the vaccine for COVID-19. When I shared that report on this blog, I failed to mention that two more of our apostles would turn 70 this year as well: Elder Ronald A. Rasband today (February 6), and his immediate senior apostolic seatmate, Elder Neil L. Andersen, will do so in roughly 6 months (on August 9). So I have no doubt that Elder Rasband will be in line for the vaccine himself soon. And perhaps by Elder Andersen’s birthday, the priority order for vaccinations may have expanded to allow all other apostles to get it as well.

While I am grateful for the example of top Church leaders in getting the vaccine as they are eligible to do so (especially given the fact that the three junior apostles of the Church have dealt with that virus, that’s a sidenote. My point in mentioning it is that this post is written in honor of Elder Rasband, who today becomes the second current septuagenarian apostle. I am pleased to share a biographical overview of his life with you all on his special day. Ronald Anderson Rasband was born to Rulon Hawkins Rasband and Verda Anderson in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 6, 1951.

He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and encompassed the whole New York Metro area, while also stretching into western New York and Pennsylvania. He met Melanie Twitchell in a class they both attended at BYU. At the time, both of them were dating other people, but they soon made arrangements to go on a date themselves, and once they started dating, that was it for both of them. They got engaged eight weeks later, were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1973, and they raised five children.

Following their marriage, they continued their studies at the University of Utah. He later discontinued his college experience in order to begin his professional career in the Huntsman Container Company as a Sales Representative in 1976. Still in that employment 11 years later (in 1987), he was promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, where he closely worked with Jon Huntsman Sr. and later served on the board of directors of that company. It was not until 1995 that, as a tribute to his success as a businessman, he received an honorary degree in business and commerce from Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University).

As prestigious as his professional career might have been, his life, in similarity to those of his fellow apostles, has been characterized by a variety of assignments in the Church. Elder Rasband has served as a bishop, Temple Square missionary guide, member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee, and, from 1996-1999, as president of the New York New York North Mission. On April 1, 2000, he was sustained as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Over the next 5 years, he served in the Europe North & Europe Central Areas from 2000-2003 (with both areas having since been consolidated). From 2003-2004, he presided over the Utah Salt Lake City Area. In August 2004, responsibility for oversight of the work of the Church in North America was transferred to the Presidency of the Sevent

He then served from 2004-2005 as Executive Director of the Temple Department. He was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2005, at which time he was assigned oversight for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. Two years later, his assignment shifted to supervising the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas (from 2007-2009).

By August of 2008, he had become the second most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. The following April, as a result of Elder Neil L. Andersen's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband became the Senior President of the Seventy, and, as such, was given oversight for all areas in the United States and Canada.

He was still serving in that same assignment when, in October 2015, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund called at the same time (something that had not happened since 1906), the number of those who had served as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reached a total of 100. He is currently the eighth in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the eleventh in overall apostolic seniority. He also ranks as the sixth oldest among the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve, and the ninth oldest among all 15 apostles.

As I’ve noted previously, I have an indirect personal connection to Elder Rasband. When my wife was initially involved in the institute program, Elder Rasband was one of her instructors. As a result of the three apostolic vacancies in 2015, my wife was one of many who felt Elder Rasband would be called to the apostleship to fill one of those, and she (and others who felt the same way) turned out to be right.

I will never forget praying in advance of the October 2015 General Conference for my own personal witness to know that whoever was called had indeed been chosen by the Lord. The moment President Eyring read the names of the three new apostles, I received the witness I had requested. For that reason, I gratefully sustain not just Elder Rasband. That experience is one that has been repeated for every apostle called since I entered my adult years. I gratefully sustain each of our 15 apostles in their divinely appointed roles.

Having served for nearly 21 years as a General Authority, Elder Rasband has had 17 opportunities to address us in General Conference: 1 as a General Authority Seventy, 5 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 11 since his call to the apostleship almost 5.5 years ago. Any of those addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, is well worthy of review. I am grateful for this opportunity I have had, in my own small way, to pay tribute to and reflect on Elder Rasband’s life on this day, when he is celebrating his 70th birthday. I do continue to monitor all apostolic updates, general Church news, and any temple-related developments and will keep bringing you word of those as I receive it.

It is worth noting that I have another post set to publish two days from now, which will highlight one of several milestones one of our current apostolic groups will be observing on that date, so stay tuned for that.

That does it for this post. 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: Tokyo Japan Temple Annex Dedicated Last Month

Hello again, everyone! Based on the newest information for the Tokyo Japan Temple, I did some additional digging on my end. I found an article from the Japan Newsroom, dated January 27, which that the new annex for the Tokyo Japan Temple was dedicated 2.5 weeks earlier, on Sunday January 10. Elder Takashi Wada, the Asia North Area president, presided at that event, accompanied by both of his counselors, Elders James R. Rasband and John A. McCune.

Although only the apostles have the doctrinal authority to preside at and officiate in the dedication or rededication of any completed temple, as assigned to do so by the First Presidency and/or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, area presidencies, other General Authority Seventies, area seventies, local congregational leaders, or (in the early days of the Church) temple building missionaries, have been able to preside at temple groundbreakings, the dedication of chapels, etc.

The reasoning behind dedicating the annex last month when the full rededication of the temple proper may not occur for at least 8 months was because parts of that annex will be used by local congregations for Sunday worship, and will also be used as office and meeting spaces for the president of the Tokyo Japan stake and some of the bishops serving in the same stake. and the headquarters offices for the Japan Tokyo Mission and the Asia North Area.

It was also noted that Elder McCune conducted the dedicatory services, with remarks being offered by Elders Rasband and Wada, and a video message of congratulations featuring Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was also shown. Throughout the dedicatory services, it was frequently emphasized that the dedication of the annex would be a stepping stone to the eventual anticipated open house and rededication of the temple in its' entirety.

I would just add a few other observations here: Prior to the onset of COVID-19, the Church had originally planned to wrap up the renovation of the Tokyo Japan Temple and rededicate it last year in advance of the commencement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in mid-July. Conditions related to the global pandemic, along the decision to add the annex to the project, which had not been part of the original plan, delayed that process.

Given the information I have previously shared (indicating that the fall months in the Northern hemisphere are likely the soonest that any temple dedications or rededications may be held this year), the potential timing for any such events may be difficult to determine. That being said, there are parts of Asia and the Pacific, among other regions, that have kept the impact of COVID-19 to a relative minimum.

So whenever temple dedications and rededications do resume, I'd anticipate the Tokyo temple to be one of the first (but likely not the very first) to have an open house and (in Tokyo's case) a rededication. The second thing I wanted to mention is that both Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Gerrit W. Gong have connections to the Asian continent, with Elder Stevenson having served as a member of the Asia North Area Presidency for a few years prior to his call as the Presiding Bishop, which in turn preceded his call as an apostle.

Given the fact that both apostles have connections to Asia, it might be easy to surmise that either of the two apostles could be called upon to preside at the eventual rededication for this temple whenever that might happen. But despite Elder Stevenson's connections to Japan, he was not the one assigned to dedicate the Sapporo Japan Temple in 2016, although he did accompany President Russell M. Nelson, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, to that dedication.

If that temple had been dedicated after President Nelson became the Church President, he might have opted to send Elder Stevenson to handle that dedication on his own. But that didn't occur.

In the interim, three years after the dedication of the Sapporo temple, President Nelson, who had since become Church President, started giving his fellow apostles opportunities to officiate at temple dedications and rededications. But for each temple rededicated that year, those were handled by 8 of the 9 most senior apostles (with President Nelson himself not rededicating any of those).

That to me suggests a potential precedent that Elder Christofferson may be the most junior apostle asked preside at a temple rededication. While the President of the Church is free to delegate any task to any other apostle as he is prompted or inclined to do so, until there is an established precedent for any of the 6 junior apostles to be assigned to rededicate a temple, it's my assumption (for the time being) that temple rededications may continue to be presided over by any member of the First Presidency, or any of the 6 most senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

I could, however, see a scenario where the senior apostle presiding takes either Elder Stevenson, Elder Gong, or both, with him to rededicate the Tokyo Japan Temple, whenever that might occur. I need to offer the standard disclaimer here: i do not have any inside track to any information that would corroborate that theory, nor is it within my prerogative or privilege to receive any revelation that would justify that theory.

President Nelson has proven to be a very non-traditional prophet in so many ways, including when it comes to deviating from anything that has been typically a long-time established status quo, and the President of the Church is free to do whatever he is inspired to do. It is his prerogative to determine who to assign to each temple dedication or rededication. So if he is prompted to do so, he could send any of the six junior apostles to rededicate a temple.

But since Elder Christofferson has been the most junior apostle thus far to rededicate a temple, I am not entirely convinced that anyone more junior than Elder Christofferson will be sent to rededicate a temple. The Lord has proven me wrong in the past, and it will surely happen again, but for the time being, my research on recent temple dedications and rededications point me towards that theory.

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.

Initial Predictions for the April 2021 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! As we begin this second month of 2021, I have a few different projects in the pipeline. Among those on which I have had to put in frequent but sporadic work are my initial predictions for the April 2021 General Conference. I am pleased to present those to you today for your review and feedback. I will do so by sharing links to the relevant files. I will note at the outset that my predictions for the speaker layout are based on the announced parameters for the upcoming General Conference, and that the changes in Church leadership have been based on the announcement of new mission and temple presidents

Additionally, the projected numbers for the statistical report (which are featured in the same document covering anticipated Church leadership changes) are based on what has been confirmed, what can be calculated, or otherwise, thorugh a complex algorithm that hasn't always worked. In the meantime, new to the initial draft of my predictions this go-round, I have adjusted my list of potential locations in which a temple could be announced.

Aside from some new locations making the list for the first time, I have in some cases provided two or more potential locations for a specific nation or state because I had a hard time narrowing them down further than that. I have also opted, for this initial draft, to eliminate the accompanying references for context, because I want the list to be able to speak for itself until I have it slimmed down a bit more. I also hope that without the distraction of the lengthy notes section for the temple locations, that might more fully open up the conversation about these predictions. At some point, should the need arise to do so, I will add any adjusted notes for context.

That said, I am pleased to declare the commenting period on these predictions is open, effective immediately, through Thursday April 1 at 10:00 PM, which will give me 36 hours to make any final adjustments to these predictions. Between now and then, when appropriate, I will be providing updates that may be needed based on the feedback I receive on them here. Thanks for your consideration of these predictions. I look forward to your input.

I will also continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments, and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of them. For the immediate future, I am planning on providing a new post on Saturday in honor of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's 70th birthday, and have a couple of apostolic tenure milestones to cover before I provide the next full apostolic data update on March 14. Stay tuned for all of that.

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.

UPDATED: Current Apostolic Data

Hello again, everyone! As most of you are almost certainly aware, I have provided updates on the latest apostolic data (specifically relating to lifespan or tenure length milestones) roughly every seven weeks. Having last done so on (through utilizing two consolidated documents) on December 6, it is time to publish the first such update for this year. 

As with that last update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 17 Church Presidents, information on the tenure length records for each of the 28 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and information on the longest-serving First Presidencies, Quorums of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles, which will be relevant for our current apostolic groups beginning next year.

And the second part shows the long-form and decimal ages for the members of the current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the apostolic groups overall, in addition to the average ages of each group and apostolic nonagenarians (with 2 of the current 15 apostles being on that list, and the timing noted for when each of the other 13 apostles will join that list).

Hopefully this shared data will be of interest to you all, and again, I offer an open invitation to anyone who has any questions about those documents to ask them here. I will, of course, continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments, and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of all such reports.

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 D. Todd Christofferson, Who Marks His 76th Today

Hello again, everyone! I am back this morning for the purpose of posting a birthday tribute to Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who is today observing his 75th. As with the posts I have written for every other apostle, I will be sharing a biography herein with highlights about his life. Let's get right into all of that. David Todd Christofferson was born to Paul Vickery and Jeanne Swenson Christofferson in American Fork, Utah (a place I proudly claim as my hometown) this day in 1945 He spent his formative years in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, and his family subsequently relocated to Somerset New Jersey. While there, he participated in the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant, and, having been urged by his bishop to do so, he earnestly sought a personal testimony of the gospel. Although he felt for a while that his prayer at that time had not been answered, the witness he was seeking came about a month later. At around this same time, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery for it. While his father learned later that he had gathered his brothers to pray for their mom, it would be years later before Elder Christofferson learned about his father's personal sacrifices to supply what his wife needed to help her with the housework. Young Todd Christofferson also stepped in to help his mom by making homemade bread for his family, after being taught how to do so by his grandmother. After graduating from high school, he studied for a year at BYU prior to serving full-time in the Argentina North Mission, where he had two mission presidents, Ronald V. Stone, and his future colleague in the Quorum of the Twelve, Richard G. Scott. Following the conclusion of his missionary service, Elder Christofferson returned to BYU, and there he met Kathy Jacob, whom he married in May 1968. He earned his bachelor's degree from BYU, and went on to get a doctor of law degree from the School of Law at Duke University. During his years as a young attorney, he clerked for Judge John J. Sirica at the time the Watergate hearings were occurring. When his clerkship ended, he took active duty with the US Army for a year, after which he served in the Army reserves for 8 years, by which time, he had achieved the rank of Captain. His professional career took his family to Washington DC, Nashville Tennesee, and Charlotte North Carolina. During that same period of time, he would serve as a bishop, stake president, and in the now-defunct calling of regional representative to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

After being called as a general authority in April 1993 (at the same time as Elder Neil L. Andersen, alongside whom he now serves in the apostleship), he served in a variety of capacities (including as a member of area presidencies outside the US) until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in August 1998. During his service in that presidency, he first served as the executive director for the Church's Family and Church History Department (which have since been split into two departments), where he worked to negotiate with Jewish religious leaders on the matter of performing temple ordinances for Holocaust victims, which in turn shaped the policy of Church members only being allowed to perform such ordinances for direct-line family members. In 2004, the First Presidency announced that the Presidency of the Seventy would be relieved of responsibility for the Church Departments and would instead oversee areas in the United States and Canada. Elder Christofferson was given responsibility for the North America Southeast Area of the Church, holding that assignment from August 2004-August 2007, at which time he was reassigned to oversee the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. He continued that assignment for 8 months, then, as we know, he was the first apostle called by President Thomas S. Monson in April 2008. At the time of his release from the Presidency of the Seventy, which came in conjunction with his call as an apostle, he had become the second-most senior member thereof.

During his time as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as noted, Elder Christofferson served alongside his former mission president, Richard G. Scott. Since his ordination as an apostle, Elder Christofferson has filled a wide variety of assignments, and he was serving as the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve assigned to oversee the Church Public Affairs Committee when he was asked by President Nelson to introduce the new First Presidency in a worldwide broadcast on January 16, 2018. He has given 30 addresses in General Conference so far, 1 of which was given in the conference following his call as a General Authority, with 5 others given during his near decade in the Presidency of the Seventy. Elder Christofferson currently ranks as the fifth most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he is also the fifth oldest.

He remains the ninth in overall apostolic seniority and the seventh oldest among all of the apostles. I am grateful for the life and ministry of Elder Christofferson. I had a couple of choice opportunities to meet him. His niece and her family lived in my parent's ward, so when their newest baby was blessed, Elder Christofferson presided at our Sacrament Meeting. A few years later, our paths crossed again while I was a temple worker, and he was the speaker at our yearly devotional. As one who has had the opportunity to chat informally with him on these two occasions, I testify that his call as one of the Savior's special witnesses is divinely inspired.
I greatly appreciate the chance to share these thoughts with you. 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 NEWS: April 2021 General Conference Will Again Be Virtual Only

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news has been reported by both the Newsroom and the Church News within the last few minutes. The First Presidency has announced this morning that, as COVID-19 conditons continue to have a worldwide impact, the April 2021 General Conference will again be virtual only, with the music being prerecorded, the sessions being broadcast from a small auditorium on Temple Square, and only the First Presidency (and possibly the entire Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) will attend all sessions. 

There is one slight difference between the April 2021 General Conference and the two held last year. While session attendance had been restricted last year to top leadership and those speaking at or praying during each session, today's announcement indicates that the spouses of each person speaking or praying during a session will be able to attend thereat. 

Aside from that change, the conference will follow the same procedures as the two from last year. While not explictly stated, it appears that means that all general leaders serving outhiside the United States will again be excused from attending the April 2021 General Conference, and that all pre-conference leadership sessions will again be deferred. 

With vaccines being gradually rolled out for COVID-19, perhaps by October things will return to normal as far as General Conference is concerned. Aside from that, it is also worth noting that, after the Saturday Evening General Session for all members was held in place of the Priesthood Session last April, this April General Conference will see the return of the Priesthood Session as usual on Saturday evening. 

Although I'm sure all of us are looking forward to the day when COVID-19 conditions will not impact normal Church functions anymore, I am grateful for the Brethren's once again well-measured approach to ensure the health and safety of all Church members and leaders. Given the special spirit that attended the last two General Conferences, I have no doubt that the April 2021 General Conference will similarly be absolutely wonderful, even though it is the "new normal" for the Church while COVID-19 lasts. 

Parenthetically, it may also be worth noting that, if the Church is continuing to defer or alter large gatherings, including today's changes to the April 2021 General Conference and the changes announced earlier this week by President Ballard on FSY conferences being postponed, it's my theory that it could be mid-2021 before the Church is able to resume temnple open houses and dedications or rededications. But I do not believe that any temple groundbreakings for this year would be delayed or deferred, unless COVID-19 conditions specifically necessitate that. I am working as quickly as I can on putting together my predictions for the April General Conference, and hope to have those posted before the end of this month. In the meantime, I continue to monitor all major Church news updates and reported temple developments and will be sure to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of those 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.

2000th Blog Post: BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Location and Rendering Released for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple; Tooele Valley Utah Temple Relocated and Renamed

Hello again, everyone! For my 2000th post on this blog, I am pleased to bring you word of two breaking temple developments which have been shared by the Newsroom this morning. The Church has released the location and rendering for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple, and has announced a relocation and renaming for the Tooele Valley Utah Temple. Let's get right into the breakdown of these announcements. 

We start with Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. That temple will be located at the site that was widely speculated as the spot for the temple, at 2093 Powell Road in Cranberry Township Pennsylvania. The single-story temple of 32,000 square feet is currently in the approvals process, where project leaders are working with local governmental leaders through the approvals process. This is another temple announced in the United States less than a year ago (in April 2020) by Church President Russell M. Nelson. No groundbreaking has been announced for this temple, but given its' smaller size, I anticipate we could see that occur within the next 6-8 months, if not sooner.

Next, we turn our attention to the changes announced for the Tooele Valley Utah Temple. First, the big news is a change to the name of it. Although it has been known by that generic name, it has been renamed the Deseret Peak Utah Temple. And given the residential objections to the original temple plans for the Erda Utah location, the temple has now been relocated and will rise just west of the intersection of 2400 North and 400 West in Tooele City. 

Although no mention is made of any accompanying residential development, it has been noted that the temple's exterior and interior renderings, in addition to the estimated size (70,000 square feet) and plans for an adjacent meetinghouse (of 20,000 square feet) remain unchanged. The Church also notes the following in the newest release on the Deseret Peak Utah Temple: "The First Presidency expresses gratitude for the faith and prayers of Church members in this area, and continues to encourage all people to treat one another with kindness and Christlike love."

I am grateful that the Church has made these announcements. With regard to the Deseret Peak Utah Temple, I also personally want to put out an apology to longtime reader Kenny, who had commented on another post 4 days ago on a rumor he had heard that the location might be changed as a result of that opposition to the residential development. At the time, based on the evidence and sources I had on my end, I shared my personal opinion that the Church would try to make the originally-announced lcoation work, and I included some sources available to me at the time that led me to assert that opinion.

Today, however, the Lord has once again confirmed that my personal research is imperfect even at the best of times, and that His ways and thoughts did not align with my personally-offered analysis. So I take this opportunity to publicly apologize to Kenny, and to also make a new commitment as we get further into this new year. Over the last little while, I have felt sufficiently confident enough in some of my personal research and reasoning to discount some earnestly-offered feedback from my regular readers.

What happened regarding my response to Kenny a few days ago is similar to what has recently happened with the announcement of Utah temples, where feedback received on suggestions for future Utah locations has turned out to trump and be more accurate than my own personally-offered estimates. Those comments, recently offered by Jim Anderson, another longtime reader, should have been given more earnest consideration and corresponding changes that I have not yet made to my personal list.

And so, recognizing these recent repeated personal follies, where my ego, pride, and attitude have led to clear evidence of how much I've missed the mark, I want to make a new commitment. When I say "any and all comments are welcome and appreciated", I will hereafter make an extra effort to be more earnest in my consideration of all such feedback, and attempt to not be so dismissive or appear so unappreciative of the feedback that is offered.

I could not possibly have gotten to this 2000th blog post milestone today without the kindness of so many of you who read, follow, and regularly comment on reports and information I share here, and it's become more obvious in recent months that some of that feedback has more merit and validity than I may have tried to suggest. I hope, going forward, to be more inclined to listen to those suggestions, and to request more information when I am uncertain on anything relating to that feedback. 

In the meantime, I sincerely request forgiveness from any who have offered those comments and any who may have been put off by my short-sighted response to those suggestions. It's plain that I need to spend more time listening and less time advancing my own ideas. I also hope you all will continue to be patient with me as I try to change these elements in my life. As I begin working on the next 2000 posts and beyond, I also hope to show more profoundly the gratitutde I feel for all of you who are always so willing to read, follow, comment, and share.

I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will be sure to pass those along to you all as I become aware of those 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.