Tribute to Elder David A. Bednar, Who Observes His 70th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! Given that today is June 15, I wanted to take an opportunity to pay tribute to Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is marking his 70th birthday today. He thus becomes the tenth of our fifteen current apostles who are 70 or older. We now have 2 apostolic nonagenarians, with a third (President Oaks) set to join that group in a couple of months, 3 other octogenarians, and, given Elder Bednar's birthday, we now have 4 septuagenarian apostles.

Having noted that, let's get into some details about the 7 decades of Elder Bednar's life thus far. David Allan Bednar was born in Oakland California on this day in 1952 to Anthony George and Lavina Whitney Bednar. His mother came from a long line of Latter-day Saint ancestors, but his father was not a member of the Church. Despite not having a formal Church membership, Anthony Bednar fully supported the rest of his family in their Church membership, and he would often step in and participate in meetings and Church activities, including various service projects, whereby he was in essence functioning in the same supportive way as other Church members did, but as one who was not a Church member. Young David would often ask Anthony when he would be baptized, to which his father replied that he would do so when he felt it was right.

Elder Bednar served a mission in southern Germany, during which time, then-Elder Boyd K. Packer visited his mission, and was advised that to get through the necessary border security, he would need money. The future President Packer would later recount in General Conference that a young missionary provided him with the money he needed, and later revealed that Elder Bednar had been that missionary. Elder Bednar attended BYU-Provo, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in organizational communication. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from the prestigious Purdue University.

He met Susan Kae Robinson at an activity for young adults. He recounts that they were playing flag football and that he threw a pass, which she caught. Susan would later note that, incidentally, that was the only time she could remember catching a pass. That experience left a positive impression on both of them, and the two started dating not long afterward. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and would go on to raise 3 sons together. One major highlight of Elder Bednar's life came long after his marriage. Anthony called his son one day and asked, "Would you be free on (and he named a near-future date)? I would like you to come and baptize me." He was able to baptize and confirm his father, and also ordained him to the priesthood.

He spent his vocational career as an educator at several secondary schools. For four years (1980-1984), he was an assistant professor of management at what was then the College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas. He spent the next two years as an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, after which he returned to Arkansas, where he served first as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, then as the Director of the Management Decision-Making Lab. During this time, he was recognized as being an outstanding educator through the receipt of many prestigious awards and honors.

He also had a few ecclesiastical responsibilities within the Church at around the same time. He spent several months as a bishop, then went on to serve first as the president of what was then the Fort Smith Arkansas Stake, then as the first president of the newly-established Rogers Arkansas Stake. During the final months of his service as a stake president, he was called to serve as a regional representative. In 1997, he was among the first men called to serve in the new position of area seventy. That same year, he was also called by the Church Board of Education to serve as president of Ricks College. His tenure there spanned from 1997-2004, during which time he led the transition of that college to BYU-Idaho. In October 2004, as a result of the apostolic vacancies which resulted from the July deaths of Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight (which occurred 10 days apart), Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that the vacancies would be filled by Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar.

At the time of his call to the apostleship, Elder Bednar, who was 52 at that time, was the youngest apostle to have been called since then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks (who had been called to the apostleship in 1984 Although he immediately commenced his service in the apostleship, he also continued to serve as president of BYU-Idaho for several weeks before the appointment of an interim president. Elder Bednar's tenure as an educator has molded how he speaks and ministers as an apostle. One of his common traditions, as he speaks at General Conference, is to invite the Holy Ghost to bless him and the rest of us as we listen to his remarks.

Since his October 2004 call to the apostleship, he has given 36 General Conference addresses, which are always well crafted and insightful, and are well worthy of review by all of us. He is currently the fourth-most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, including the current members of the First Presidency, makes him the seventh in apostolic seniority), and is still among the younger apostles, being the fifth-youngest both among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and all 15 ordained apostles as well. While I have never had the honor of personally meeting him, from the moment his apostolic call was first announced and onward since then, I have had a testimony that his apostolic call has been inspired and directed by the Lord, which I reiterate to you all today.

Given his relatively younger age in comparison to both the six apostles senior to him, and four of the eight apostles who are junior to him, I fully believe it is likely that Elder Bednar may serve as Church President. someday That, of course, will be up to the Lord’s will and the health and longevity of Presidents Nelson, Oaks, Eyring, and Ballard, and that of Elders Holland and Uchtdorf. And I want to make it very clear that such a prospect is merely my personal opinion and not anything I can attribute to anyone else. That being said, some of you will no doubt notice that one of the labels attached to this post is "Temple Construction Update". That may warrant additional context from me.

Generally, when a new president of the Church is ordained, he has the prophetic prerogative to make assignment changes for his fellow apostles. Before the passing of President Thomas S. Monson, Elder Quentin L. Cook was serving as the Chairman of the Temple and Family History Executive Council. Within a couple of months after President Nelson's ordination and setting apart as Church President, Elder Cook was reassigned as the Chairman of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, with Elder Bednar succeeding his immediate apostolic junior and seatmate as the Chairman of the Church's and Family History Executive Council. While Elder Bednar has served in that capacity, President Nelson has announced an unprecedented 100 new temples, so there has been a lot for that council to consider throughout the last several years, which will likely continue to be true for the foreseeable future.

I am grateful to have been able to provide this tribute to Elder Bednar as he marks his 69th birthday today. I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will be sure to bring you word of those reports as I receive them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: Official Names Revealed for the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala and Rexburg North Idaho Temples

Note: This post was originally published on June 11, 2022 @ 4:15 PM, and expanded at 8:15 PM in view of additional developments reported in the comments section.

Hello again, everyone! As most of you are aware, since 2016, when the second temple for Lima Peru was announced by President Monson, several major metropolitan areas have had second temples announced. That includes the greater Manila Philippines Temple in 2017, the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala and East Sao Paulo Brazil areas in 2020, the Santiago West Chile and Rexburg North Idaho temples in October of last year, and the Mexico City area in April of this year (specifically in the region of Benemerito).

It has not been uncommon for those temples to be announced and to have official names released later. For the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, with the site location confirmed and an exterior rendering released, I've felt strongly that that temple will likely have a groundbreaking at some point this year, so I surmised that the release of an official name for that temple was only a matter of time. That time is now. I am pleased to report that, on the Church's official temple list, the name of that temple has been officially confirmed as the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. 

I can't remember the last time I checked on the page for announced temples from that official temple list, but I believe this is a very recent development. With an official name confirmed, hopefully that means the Church is getting closer to announcing a groundbreaking ceremony for that temple. And this development may put that temple ahead of some others in the queue of temples for which groundbreakings might soon be announced. 

The following information about the official name for the Rexburg Idaho Temple was added at 8:15 PM: If the official name for the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was the only update I had to share today, that would be wonderful enough, but, as detailed in the comments of this post, the Church's official temple list also verifies the official name for the Rexburg North Idaho Temple. 

That temple will be known as the Teton River Idaho Temple. That name continues a relatively regular practice of the Church in paying homage to prominent landmarks. I brought this up in the comments of this post, but it's worth repeating it here in this post as well: The Church had previously released the confirmation of the location and the rendering for the Greater Guatemala City Guatemala Temple before its' name was updated.

By contrast, we got the probable location, the update indicating that the site in question was being cleared, and now this update on the name of the Rexburg North Idaho Temple, but we have not yet had official confirmation from the Church indicating that the land in question is the official location on which the temple will be built, and we also do not have a rendering for that temple currently. 

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this blog, the Church has sometimes confirmed the location, released a rendering, and set a groundbreaking for temples in a single announcement (the most recent examples being the Freetown Sierra Leone and Bahia Blanca Argentina Temples), so it's not out of the question that the Church could potentially do that for the Teton River Temple. 

But with other temples for which the site confirmations and artist's renderings were already released, some of them could potentially be ahead of the Teton River Idaho Temple in terms of having a groundbreaking. With all of that said, I continue to monitor all Church news reports and temple developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all here as I become aware thereof.

In the meantime, that does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below.&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: Revised Rendering Released for Yorba Linda California Temple

Hello again, everyone! I have some breaking temple news to report. I had mentioned in the threads of another post that a provisional permit had been granted for the Yorba Linda California Temple, conditional on the Church reducing the height of the steeple. This afternoon, we now have information about the revised rendering, which was just released this afternoon. The spire has been lowered, and will now be located just above the entrance (the previous rendering showed the spire in the center of the temple).

Based on the fact that the Church has met the requirements to lower the spire, unless something changes, plans for the groundbreaking of that temple (which will occur next Saturday, June 18, on the same day as the groundbreaking for the Smithfield Utah Temple) are likely good to go ahead as scheduled. Speaking of the next two groundbreakings, the Church has indirectly confirmed today that the groundbreaking for the Yorba Linda California Temple will take place at 11:00 AM here in Utah, which is 10:00 AM in Yorba Linda. I haven't yet heard anything indicating what time the Smithfield Utah Temple groundbreaking might occur, but I assume that will be sometime around 11:00 AM as well. I will have reports on those events as soon as they are provided.

In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines.I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: Slight Adjustment Made to Temple Scheduling.

Hello again, everyone! An interesting development has been reported today regarding temple scheduling this morning. While appointments will still be required for those receiving their own ordinances, the Church will now shift to a dual option for proxy work. While formal appointments are still going to be encouraged, patrons who desire to attend the temple will be able to do so without a formal appointment. 

When it comes to temple ordinances, priority will be given first to those with an appointment, then to others who have come to the temple without one.  Just yesterday, I had voiced the opinion that appointments would likely remain the normal status quo for temple attendance, and it appears I was correct on that, with the caveat that, where time and circumstances allow, patrons will now have the option to go without a formal appointment. 

But it makes sense that the priority will be given to those who have a formal appointment. It will be interesting to see how things unfold worldwide with this adjustment. For my part, I continue to monitor all Church News and Newsroom updates, along with all temple construction developments, and I will be sure to pass the word along of such updates as they cross my radar. In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines.I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: 12 More Temples Have Transitioned to Phase 4 (Normal Operations)

Hello again, everyone! Within the last few weeks, only the temple reopening status tracker has been updated, without corresponding updates being shared in a regular Church News article. In addition, the status tracker went from being updated on Tuesday to being updated on Wednesday in the last couple of weeks. When there was no new update yesterday, I had assumed (and may have asserted) that the Church would hold steady to its' existing status of temple reopenings.  But I am pleased to be able to report that today, not only has the status tracker been updated, the Church News has shared the first major update since May 17. 

So what has changed today? Let's take a look. 12 additional temples have begun the process of transitioning to phase 4 (normal operations). Those 12 include  3 in Europe (Helsinki Finland, Lisbon Portugal, and London England), 2 in the Philippines (Cebu City and Manila Philippines), 2 in the United States (Atlanta Georgia and Fort Lauderdale Florida), and 1 each in Africa (Accra Ghana), Asia (Yigo Guam) Brazil (Rio de Janeiro Brazil), Canada (Halifax Nova Scotia),  and the Pacific (Perth Australia).

As a result of these updates, 8 temples remain closed for renovation, with all 8 granted phase 3 status so that the patrons in those districts can schedule living and proxy ordinances at the nearest open temple. 1 other (Kyiv Ukraine) has had operations paused/suspended in phase 3 due to the ongoing Russian invasion. 1 more (Suva Fiji) remains in phase 1, with no temples in phases 2 or 2-B. As a result of today's update, 15 temples remain in phase 3, with the remaining 148 in phase 4 and returning to normal operations.

It did occur to me to wonder if the Church will grant any of the 8 temples closed for renovation a phase 4 status since most of the temples closest to those that are in various renovation stages are now in phase 4. In any case, with rededications scheduled for 4 of those 8 temples, the phase 4 transitions should follow their respective rededications. As I read about today's update, my gratitude for the inspiration attending such changes once again increased.

Given that all operating temples suspended operations in March of 2020, it is heartening to see the Church getting ever closer to normal operations for all of its' temples. That has been inspiring to watch. I continue to monitor all Church news developments and temple construction updates and will continue to bring those to you all here as I become aware thereof. In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

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.

2,200th Blog Post: Tribute to President Henry B. Eyring, Who Observes His 89th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! On this last day in May, I am grateful for the opportunity I have to pay tribute to President Henry Bennion Eyring, who is celebrating his 89th birthday today. "Hal" as he is known, was born in Princeton New Jersey in 1933, to well-known physicist Henry Eyring and Mildred Bennion. His father's sister, Camilla Eyring, married Spencer W. Kimball, while his father's first cousin was Marion G. Romney. He was generally a very good student. He recounted an experience where his father was helping to explain a scientific concept to him. When Hal still had trouble understanding the material, his father asked him whether or not he wanted to become a scientist. When Hal said he didn't, his father asked him what he thought about when he had nothing else to consider, and told him that he should pursue that subject.

This led young Hal to an eventual career as an educator and academic administrator. His family would later relocate from New Jersey to Salt Lake City, Utah. Although he did not serve a full-time mission, he was an active member of the U. S. Air Force, and was stationed in New Mexico, where he served as a liaison between military officers and scientists, where he was responsible for analyzing data from tests done on nuclear weapons. Prior to his military service, he had earned a degree in physics from the University of Utah. He also studied at Harvard, where he eventually earned both a masters' and doctoral degrees in Business Administration.

While he was highly sought after by business owners who admired his analytical work, he chose to continue to pursue his education. In the meantime, it was not until 1960 (when Hal was 26 or 27 and serving in a district presidency) that he met Kathleen Johnson at a YSA meeting in New Hampshire. She was born in Palo Alto California, and had studied at Stanford before coming to Harvard. She also spent some time studying at the Universities of Vienna and Paris.

Because Hal was serving as a counselor in the district presidency, his district president (Wilbur Cox) adjusted his assignments to accommodate his desire to date Kathleen. Much of their dating relationship was built through long-distance communication or travel, with Kathleen making several cross-country trips prior to their engagement in the early months of 1961.

They continued their courtship for the next year or so, and were married in the Logan Utah Temple on July 27, 1962, by which time Hal was 29 years old. Their marriage was solemnized by his uncle, then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Their family would eventually include six children (four sons and two daughters).

Two of their sons are Henry J. Eyring (who current serves as president of BYU-Idaho and as an area seventy) and Matthew J. Eyring (who is a Chief Strategy Innovation Officer with Vivint, a company specializing in home automation, who served previously as an area seventy as well.). Hal eventually became a professor at Stanford University. He continued his career as an associate professor at the Stanford School of Business for 9 years (between 1972 and 1981), and went on to be a Sloan Visiting Faculty Fellow at MIT, during which time he also took courses in human behavior.

Sometime between late 1970 and early 1971, his wife asked him if he shouldn't be studying with Neal A. Maxwell, who was serving at that time as Commissioner of Church Education. After considering her question and following a lot of reflection, Hal accepted an offer to become president of Ricks College. Although other job offers came his way during his 6-year tenure at the college, he continued to serve until his release in 1977. His previous Church callings included being a bishop, serving as a member of the Sunday School General Board, and as a regional representative.

In 1980, Hal was called to serve as the Commissioner of Church Education, succeeding Jeffrey R. Holland. He would continue to serve in that capacity until 1986. When the Church reorganized the Presiding Bishopric in April 1985, Robert D. Hales was called as the new Presiding Bishop, and he recommended that Hal serve as his First Counselor. After serving in that capacity for 7.5 years, he was called in October 1992 to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

When he began his new assignment, he was called for a second time to serve as the Commissioner of Church Education, an assignment in which he would continue until 2004. While Hal continued that service, Church President Howard W. Hunter passed away. Following the subsequent reorganization of the First Presidency in March 1995, new Church president Gordon B. Hinckley called Elder Eyring to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

12.5 years later, following the death of President James E. Faust, who had served as Second Counselor to President Hinckley, Elder Eyring was invited to join Presidents Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson in the First Presidency. The way that came about is an interesting story. Elder Eyring had taken the phone call from President Hinckley and had heard his invitation to join the First Presidency, but because he had occasionally taken calls on the Church's phone system that were meant for some of his apostolic colleagues, he asked President Hinckley if he was sure he was talking to the right person. "This is Hal Eyring." he said. President Hinckley quickly responded, "I know who this is." Thus it was that the first apostle appointed during President Hinckley's administration was called to serve in the First Presidency for an almost four-month period prior to President Hinckley's passing.

When the First Presidency was reorganized, new Church President Thomas S. Monson called President Eyring to continue serving in the First Presidency, this time as his First Counselor. While in that capacity, President Eyring dedicated 8 temples (San Salvador El Salvador, Gilbert Arizona, Payson Utah, Indianapolis Indiana, Philadelphia Pennsylvania (for which he had also presided at the groundbreaking), Hartford Connecticut, Paris France, and Cedar City Utah). The dedication of the Gilbert Arizona Temple was an interesting anomaly. Although President Monson presided at all three sessions, he requested that President Eyring read the prayer during the first session, so that was one recent example of how the dedication duties were shared by two apostles.

President Eyring also rededicated seven temples (Ogden Utah, Buenos Aires Argentina Mexico City Mexico, Montreal Quebec, Suva Fiji, Idaho Falls Idaho, and Jordan River Utah Temple). The Ogden Utah Temple rededication is another interesting case. President Eyring conducted all three sessions and presided at the final two sessions, in which he also offered the dedicatory prayer, with President Monson having presided at and offered the dedicatory prayer in the first session. As we also know, roughly 5 years ago (on May 23, 2017), the Church announced that President Monson would be stepping back from an active role in the day-to-day administration of the Church.

was that the first apostle appointed during President Hinckley's administration was called to serve in the First Presidency for an almost four-month period prior to President Hinckley's passing.

Following the release of that statement, Presidents Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf assumed oversight of all decisions except for those requiring the prophet's direct approval. Following President Monson's passing last year on January 2, the First Presidency was reorganized on January 14, at which time President Eyring was called to continue his service in the First Presidency, and is serving as Second Counselor a second time, working with Church President Russell M. Nelson and his First Counselor, President Dallin H. Oaks. For the last several years, President Eyring's wife has been in ill health, and he has done a remarkable job of balancing his responsibilities in the First Presidency with his role being his wife's caregiver.

Because President Eyring has a familial connection to both Presidents Spencer W. Kimball and Marion G. Romney, who were both involved in the 1981 dedication of the Jordan River Utah Temple, President Nelson asked President Eyring to preside over that temple’s rededication on May 20, 2018. As noted in an earlier post, President Eyring drew heavily on the original dedicatory prayer in composing the dedicatory prayer for that temple. Just about one year later, he was asked to preside over the one-session private rededication for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple, since he also has ancestral connections to that temple. As we also know, in July, he will preside at the rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple, which was also originally dedicated by President Spencer W. Kimball.

Although he is now 89 years old, by all accounts, he continues to be in good health. His lifelong devotion to education and his decades of committed Church service is an inspiration to all. I had the opportunity to attend a stake conference around 16 years ago, over which then-Elder Eyring presided. His message to us at that time focused on unity. It is a message he has since shared repeatedly in several General Conference addresses, a focus that has since been adopted by the current First Presidency, with multiple efforts underway to unify the Church on a global scale and to streamline and standardize policies and procedures.

That message of unity was particularly poignant during the October 2017 General Conference, when he, as First Counselor to the ailing President Monson, served as the de facto presiding authority, since his talks highlighted the important concept that the Lord is at the helm of His work, and that, regardless of the health of His chosen prophet, He continues to move the work forward. To date, President Eyring has given a total of 111 addresses in General Conference.

Of those, 5 were given during his 7 years in the Presiding Bishopric (including his first which, for unknown reasons, is not in the main repository page where his other talks can be found), with 25 others given during his 12.5 years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the remaining 78 since he was first called to the First Presidency in October 2007. During his apostolic tenure thus far, he has served as a counselor to 3 Church Presidents. Aside from his being the junior and youngest member of the current First Presidency, he is the fifth-most senior apostle and the fourth oldest overall. Among his fellow apostles, President Eyring has been one who has clearly shown when the feeling behind the message he is giving during each General Conference has had a direct impact on him. We are blessed to see how deeply he wants to convey such ideas, thoughts, and feelings to each of us.

I am grateful for the life, ministry, and service of this amazing man, whom I sustain with all my heart, and for the opportunity I have had in this small way to pay tribute to him on this day as he celebrates his 89th birthday. That does if 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! It has been a tradition on this blog for me to provide updates on apostolic data every 7 weeks. Having last done so on February 20, it is time to publish the newest such data. As with every two-part update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 17 Church Presidents. The first part also includes updated information on the tenure length records for each of the 28 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The first document also shows information on three sets of apostolic groups: the longest-serving First Presidencies (which will not be updated with the First Presidency as presently constituted until 2024), in addition to the longest-serving groups of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles (the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).

The latest version of that document also shows when the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as currently comprised will move up on the list of the longest-serving Quorums of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to specifics on when the current members of that Quorum, along with the current First Presidency, will reach the next milestones on that list.

Meanwhile, the second part of today's update 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. In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines.

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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 October 2022 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to report to you all now that I have completed the initial draft of my predictions for the October 2022 General Conference. At the outset, I would like to note that there has not yet been any official announcement about the type of session that will be held on Saturday evening. Therefore, for the purposes of these predictions, I am assuming that it will be another Saturday Evening Session for all members and friends of the Church. A First Presidency announcement in the coming months will either confirm, clarify, or correct that supposition.

That being said, here are my predictions for the potential speaker lineup (for which I used patterns of the past to attempt to predict the future). I have also prepared a list of the most likely changes in the general leadership of the Church. The final document I have is the list of locations in which a new temple announcement is most likely. On that document, where I have felt impressed to do so, you'll see that I have added one or more new locations to just about every area of the Church.

This is because the trend of announced temple locations by President Nelson has been harder to anticipate. So in addition to everything else I typically do to prepare the list of locations (searching existing temple districts, weighing in considerations for lengthy or dangerous travel, current known conditions that could impact such announcements, and the unpredictability of the times in which we live), I also took more time to look at any trends in the announced temples under the direction of President Nelson.

The times have changed, so the usual criteria for likely new temples has changed as well. Given the recent Nelsonian trend of temples being announced in more isolated areas, I have particularly opened up my Brazil and Mexico picks. And I needed to make additional considerations for any type of surprising or unexpected scenarios. Anyways, hope that information is helpful to all who view and comment on these predictions. Effective immediately, I am initiating an open commenting period. Since General Conference Saturday is on October 1, that commenting period will run from now until 10:00 PM on Thursday, September 28.

And of course, whenever that First Presidency announcement confirming the details relating to General Conference is made public, I will be adjusting the Saturday Evening Session information if needed. I look forward to your feedback.

In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines.  I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below.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.

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to report to you all now that I have completed the initial draft of my predictions for the October 2022 General Conference. At the outset, I would like to note that there has not yet been any official announcement about the type of session that will be held on Saturday evening. Therefore, for the purposes of these predictions, I am assuming that it will be another Saturday Evening Session for all members and friends of the Church. A First Presidency announcement in the coming months will either confirm, clarify, or correct that supposition.

That being said, here are my predictions for the potential speaker lineup (for which I used patterns of the past to attempt to predict the future). I have also prepared a list of the most likely changes in the general leadership of the Church. The final document I have is the list of locations in which a new temple announcement is most likely. On that document, where I have felt impressed to do so, you'll see that I have added one or more new locations to just about every area of the Church.

This is because the trend of announced temple locations by President Nelson has been harder to anticipate. So in addition to everything else I typically do to prepare the list of locations (searching existing temple districts, weighing in considerations for lengthy or dangerous travel, current known conditions that could impact such announcements, and the unpredictability of the times in which we live), I also took more time to look at any trends in the announced temples under the direction of President Nelson.

The times have changed, so the usual criteria for likely new temples has changed as well. Given the recent Nelsonian trend of temples being announced in more isolated areas, I have particularly opened up my Brazil and Mexico picks. And I needed to make additional considerations for any type of surprising or unexpected scenarios. Anyways, hope that information is helpful to all who view and comment on these predictions. Effective immediately, I am initiating an open commenting period. Since General Conference Saturday is on October 1, that commenting period will run from now until 10:00 PM on Thursday, September 28.

And of course, whenever that First Presidency announcement confirming the details relating to General Conference is made public, I will be adjusting the Saturday Evening Session information if needed. I look forward to your feedback.

In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines.  I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below.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: Location and Initial Details Confirmed for the Montpelier Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! This morning, the First Presidency announced the initial details for the Montpelier Idaho Temple, which was announced in General Conference less than 7 weeks ago. The temple will be built on the corner where Sixth North and Washington intersect. The site upon which the Church will build the 27,000 square-foot temple is 2.6 acres. 

Although no exterior rendering or groundbreaking date has been released yet, we do know, per a report from the Church Temples site, that the final residence was removed from the temple site late last month. In view of that, I anticipate that approvals are going to be fairly swift. I tried to ascertain if the Montpelier temple was going to be comparable in size to any current temple under construction, but was unsuccessful

I look forward to seeing how swiftly things happen with this temple. I also continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will bring you all word thereof as I become aware of those. In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines.

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: 9 More Temples Will Transition to Phase 4

Hello again, everyone! The Church News shared yet another new report on temple reopenings this morning. The latest update indicates that 9 more temples of the Church will begin to transition to phase 4 (normal operations). Let's get into the details: 162 of the Church's 171 dedicated temples are operational. With 8 closed for major renovations, 1 other (the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple) has been dedicated and is anticipated to begin operations soon.

The 9 temples moving toward normal operations include: 4 in the United States (Boston Massachusetts, Hartford Connecticut, Louisville Kentucky, and Nashville Tennessee);  2 in Europe (Madrid Spain and Preston England) and 1 each in Canada (Montreal Quebec); Central America (San Salvador El Salvador); and Asia (Seoul Korea).

As a result of these details, the status of the Church's 171 temples stands as follows: 1 (Rio de Janeiro Brazil) will begin operations soon; 8 are closed for major renovations (with all 8 having been granted phase 3 status, allowing patrons in those districts to schedule phase 3 living and proxy work at the nearest temple); 1 (Kyiv Ukraine) has had operations paused/suspended in phase 3 out of an abundance of caution due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine; and 1 (Suva Fiji) remains in phase 1.

With no temples currently in phases 2 or 2-B, of the remaining temples, 26 are in phase 3 (those 26 do not include the 8 temples undergoing renovation, which are being separately categorized for the time being), and, with the changes announced today, the total number of temples now in phase 4 is 134. The Church News has also updated the temple reopening status tracker, which shows an area-by-area breakdown of temples worldwide.

Incidentally, on that status tracker, if you look at the Brazil Area specifically, there is an entry for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple. The text on that entry reads: "Dedicated May 8, 2022. Ordination work for patrons begins May 19, 2022." I assume that "Ordination work" was supposed to be "Ordinance work" because otherwise, it doesn't make much sense. But if the temple is officially open for ordinance work on May 19, I assume that it will be granted phase 4 status right away, since all other Brazilian temples are now in phase 4. 

Either way, the status of that temple is likely to be clarified by the Church News in the update next week. I will continue to monitor all updates from the Newsroom and the Church News, along with any updates on the status of temples in the construction queue (under construction, undergoing renovation, or those in various other phases) and pass those along to you all here as I become aware thereof.

In the meantime, 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 offered is consistent with the established guidelines.  I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

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.