Cote d'Ivoire
The Church organized its eighth stake in the Abidjan metropolitan area on September 6th. The Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Yopougon Attie Stake was organized from a division of the Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Toit Rouge Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Andokoi, Foncier, Koute, Nankoko, Selmer, Toit Rouge 2nd, and Toit Rouge 3rd Wards. Explosive LDS growth has occurred within the Yopougon sector of Abidjan as the number of stakes has mushroomed from one in 2009 to four at present.
There are now nine stakes and three districts in Cote d'Ivoire.
El Salvador
The Church organized a new stake in El Salvador on August 30th. The Usulután El Salvador Stake was organized from the Usulután El Salvador District and a portion of the San Miguel El Salvador Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and three branches: the Jucuapa, Occidental, Oriental, Roosevelt, Usulután 1st, and Usulután 2nd Wards and the Berlín, Jiquilisco, and Santiago de María Branches.
There are now 19 stakes and one district in El Salvador.
Florida
The Church organized a new stake in Miami, Florida last Sunday. The Miami Florida Stake appears to have been organized from the Miami Lakes Florida Stake. No information is currently available on which congregations have been assigned to the new stake. The Church in South Florida has undergone a surprising reversal to stagnant/declining growth over the past decade. The Church discontinued the Miami Florida (Spanish) Stake in 2008 due to problems with member activity, leadership development, and stagnant "real growth" in the area. The realignment of LDS units in the Miami metropolitan area, combined with accelerated growth in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission, has culminated in the organization of two new stakes since 2014. The Church also dedicated its Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple in 2014. The Church has continued to regularly organize new units in the area to service several demographics including specialized units for Spanish and Portuguese speakers and additional young single adult (YSA) congregations. English-speaking wards have also been organized within the past couple years.
There are now 29 stakes in Florida
New Jersey
The Church organized a new stake in New Jersey last Sunday called the Liberty Park New Jersey Stake. Details on congregations assigned to the new stake are not currently available. The new stake appeared to be primarily organized from the Caldwell New Jersey Stake. The Paterson New Jersey District may have also been consolidated as part of the new stake creation.
There are now six stakes and one district in New Jersey.
Nigeria
The Church organized a new stake in Nigeria on September 13th. The Okpuala Ngwa Nigeria Stake was organized from the Okpuala Ngwa Nigeria District and includes the following six wards and two branches: the Amapu, Nbawsi, Okpuala Ngwa, Ovungwu, Umuapu, and Umuchima Wards and the Ndiolumbe and Ntigha Branches.
There are now 29 stakes and 19 districts in Nigeria
Philippines
The Church organized a new stake in the Philippines on August 30th. The Mabalacat Philippines Stake was organized from a division of the Angeles Philippines Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Balibago, Dau, Mabalacat 1st, Mabalacat 2nd, and Pandan Wards and the Santa Lucia Branch.
There are now 95 stakes and 78 districts in the Philippines
Costa Rica
The Church discontinued the Limón Costa Rica District in July. Two of the three branches in the former district were discontinued and the sole remaining branch became a ward in the newly organized Guapiles Costa Rica Stake.
There are now nine stakes and two districts in Costa Rica.
Peru
The Church recently discontinued the Ayaviri Perú District. Only two branches pertained to the former district - both of which have been reassigned to the Perú Cusco Mission.
There are now 100 stakes and 20 districts in Peru.
Yesterday a new ward was created in the Kaysville Utah Stake. Four wards were divided to make five. There are now 10 wards in the stake. With much land in the stake boundaries currently being developed into houses, more wards in the near future are likely for this area. The name of the new ward is Wellington.
ReplyDeleteThat is good news about a new stake in New Jersey. I am hoping the Cherry Hill New Jersey stake will also be divided soon. It is wonderful to see things turning around in south Florida. Are there still Haitian-speaking units in south Florida?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere are not any Haitian-speaking units in south Florida, at least not in the Fort Lauderdale mission (and it looks like not in the temple district, either). Instead, they have a number of Creole magnet wards, where those who speak Haitian Creole go even if they are normally not in that ward's boundaries. The Miami Shores Ward of the Fort Lauderdale Stake is an example, or at least it was in 2009 when it was in the Miami Lakes Stake. I think the Fort Lauderdale Ward is another magnet ward.
ReplyDeleteThat's similar to here in Orlando. There are about 3 missionaries in the Orlando Mission that speak Haitian, (they like to say that they are Haitianing the work of salvation.) The ward I am currently in serves as a Haitian magnet but they recently pulled out one of the Haitian speaking Elders so we currently only have English speaking Elders. We've been trying to find ways to foster a better community among the Haitians in our ward, but most are less active and few/if any are currently in leadership positions.
ReplyDeleteAnyone here following the book - "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton Christensen. It seems to have a lot of insight into why some areas do very well in attracting converts and new member retention. I've just finished it and it is causing me to rethink my personal duty as a member missionary in the Church.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Miami Lakes Stake Facebook Page, here are the new wards to the new Miami Florida Stake. (Most wards came from the Miami Lakes Stake, and Blue Lagoon Ward came from the Miami South Stake)
ReplyDeleteMiami Beach 1st Ward (Spanish)
Miami Beach 2nd Ward
El Portal Ward (Spanish)
Blue Lagoon Ward
Riverside Ward (Spanish)
Fountainebleau Ward (Spanish)
Flagler Ward
new YSA Branch (Miami Beach YSA, perhaps)
The Liberty Park Stake looks like it is Hudson County (West New York past Jersey City to Bayonne) and Newark. Several Spanish speaking wards, a YSA ward, 1 English speaking ward and 2 English speaking branches (Bayonne and Newark [Spring Garden]). This is one example of a majority Spanish speaking stake with a few English speaking units. I forgot to mention a Portuguese speaking branch as well.
ReplyDeleteWith Elder Scott passing tonight, do you know the last time 3 apostles were called in one general conference?
ReplyDeleteApril 1906.
ReplyDeleteThat was following the death of my great-great grandfather.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see which changes come about. I think it will be a very interesting conference.
Great news on all of the new stake creations.
ReplyDeleteThe Caldwell New Jersey Stake has been renamed Soldier Hill New Jersey Stake. The Emerson Ward (which met in the building on Soldier Hill Road) is now the Soldier Hill Ward.
The Patterson District has been discontinued, its 3 branches are now in the Soldier Hill Stake.
The new Liberty Park Stake took 5 units from the Caldwell Stake (Jersey City 1st Ward (Spanish), Jersey City 2nd Ward, Union City Ward (Spanish), West New York Ward (Spanish), Bayonne Branch) and 3 units from the Scotch Plains Stake (Newark Ward (Spanish), Ironbound Branch (Portuguese), Spring Garden Branch). The Liberty Park Stake also has the Hoboken YSA Ward, which I did not have in my list.
I don't want to seem to be dictating or suggesting--and I suspect I will be happy with any choice--but with three vacancies, I hope that at least one comes from Africa, Latin America, or Asia.
ReplyDeleteElder Scott's passing makes this coming general conference likely to be the first since April 1906 in which 3 new members of the quorum of the 12 are called.
ReplyDeleteThe Caldwell YSA Ward was renamed as the Hoboken YSA Ward.
ReplyDeleteIt has been over 100 years since there were three vacancies in the Quorum of Twelve. But vacancies of 25% of the Quorum (or more) were commonplace in the 19th century -- but for very different reasons.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to three apostles simultaneously called in 1906, triple additions also took place in 1889 and 1877. (In 1849, four new apostles were added at once.) If I am counting right, the three new apostles to be called will be the 98th, 99th, and 100th apostles to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve since it was reestablished in 1835.
ReplyDeleteThe simultaneous calling of two apostles has occurred in 1838, 1839, 1880, 1882, 1897, 1934, 1943, 1984, and 2004.
ReplyDeletePost on a resource for ward Mission Leaders over at LDS Media Talk
http://ldsmediatalk.com/2015/09/23/missionaryleaders-org-helps-lds-ward-missionary-work
13 Sept
Ponta Verde Branch, São Filipe Cape Verde Stake (2 Branches, 5 Wards)
Soubre 2nd Branch, Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission (14 Branches, 3 Districts, 5 Stakes)
Trindade Branch, Goiânia Brazil North Stake (1 Branch, 6 Wards)
Willow Creek Ward, Houston Texas North Stake (11 Wards)
20 Sept
Liberty Park New Jersey Stake (3 Branches, 6 Wards)
Bayonne Branch
Ironbound Branch (Portuguese)
Spring Garden Branch
Hoboken YSA Ward
Jersey City 1st Ward (Spanish)
Jersey City 2nd Ward
Newark Ward (Spanish)
Union City Ward (Spanish)
West New York Ward (Spanish)
Anibong Julita Branch, Tolosa Philippines District (9 Branches)
Bogor 2nd Ward, Jakarta Indonesia Stake (1 Branch, 9 Wards)
Hannover 2nd Branch (English), Hannover Germany Stake (7 Branches, 5 Wards)
Hickory YSA Branch, Hickory North Carolina Stake (2 Branches, 8 Wards)
Huichapan Branch, Tula México Stake (1 Branch, 9 Wards)
Kuishan Ward, Tao Yuan Taiwan Stake (9 Wards)
Riverside 2nd Branch (Care Center), Salt Lake Riverside Stake (2 Branches, 6 Wards)
Taoyuan 4th Ward, Tao Yuan Taiwan Stake (9 Wards)
Vera Cruz Ward, Passo Fundo Brazil Stake (1 Branch, 10 Wards)
Villa Rica Ward, Powder Springs Georgia Stake (3 Branches, 6 Wards)
Wellington Ward, Kaysville Utah Stake (10 Wards)
YTD 432(11.37/week 38)
Africa 134, 31.0%
Asia 14, 3.2%
Europe 15, 3.5%
North America (w/ Caribbean) 117, 27.1%
Pacific 36, 8.3%
South and Central America 44, 10.2%
Utah & Idaho 72, 16.7%
Totals no-sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 24 148 418 3,149 543 22,451 7,345 34,078
Us/Can 10 81 131 1,589 10 12,528 2,067 16,416
US n/a 73 124 1,542 7 12,192 1,917 15,855
Utah n/a 15 10 576 1 4,673 328 5,603
Canada n/a 8 7 47 3 336 150 551
Out 14 67 287 1,560 533 9,923 5,278 17,662
With Sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 25 148 418 3,146 554 22,455 7,436 34,185
It looks like the North Africa/Mideast Area has been made sensitive in the last two weeks.
I think this blog should look at an evaluation of the Spanish speaking work in the United States. It is a really interesting subject and is quite unique in the Church. I served a Spanish speaking mission in Idaho, and the challenges we faced there really seemed different to that of the rest of the church and it's ways of growth. I would really enjoy an evaluation of it.
ReplyDeleteNew Stake in Sete Lagoas, Brazil. That makes 10 stakes in the area around Belo Horizonte.
ReplyDeleteBelo Horizonte Brazil East Stake
Belo Horizonte Brazil Pampulha Stake
Belo Horizonte Brazil Stake
Belo Horizonte Brazil West Stake
Betim Brazil Stake
Contagem Brazil Stake
Ipatinga Brazil Stake
Lafaiete Brazil Stake
Sete Lagoas Brazil East Stake
Sete Lagoas Brazil Stake
What are the changes Belo Horizonte will get a temple soon?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJohn Pack Lambert, I would say the chances of Belo Horizonte getting a temple announced in the near future are very slim. Belo Horizonte is in the Campinas temple district. So are Rio de Janeiro (will be taking a huge chunk out of Campinas' stake load, possibly including Belo Horizonte) and Brasilia (much farther from Campinas and Rio, with plenty of stakes to run a small to medium temple, so it will almost definitely get a temple before Belo Horizonte). Also, even before losing stakes to an announced Rio temple (and possibly a Brasilia temple), Campinas is running less than hourly with 4 ordinance rooms in a 2-stage progressive format, which means by the numbers, it's not at capacity, so unless Belo Horizonte is providing a huge chunk of the Campinas temple work (unlikely), I bet the Church won't announce a Belo Horizonte temple until they can see the impact of the Rio Temple and until Brasilia is announced and underway. This will likely take at least 5-6 years. The Church also has other sites in Brazil that seem to be much closer to getting a temple, including Salvador and Belem. With Fortaleza stalled and no indication that Rio will have a groundbreaking anytime soon, I don't see the Church putting 3-4 more Brazil temples (Brasilia, Salvador, possibly Belem, and then Belo Horizonte) in the pipeline for at least the next decade, so in my opinion, Belo Horizonte will not happen for a good while.
ReplyDeleteBelo Horizonte has a good road between it and Rio, which will be a better connection than it has now. BR-040 is a good four-lane highway and freeway almost all the way down to Rio, versus the two-lane roads that give a more direct connection to Campinas.
ReplyDeleteRio to SP State is also good, one mountain with some bad curves on it around the Serra Araras area, but a four-lane freeway (BR-116) all the way into Sao Paulo and even Campinas with a connection via another freeway at Jacarei (SP-065), which then goes within maybe a mile or two of the Campinas Temple itself.
Brasilia is much further north than Rio is south.
It looks like we'll be close to matching last year in the number of new stakes created. Ldschurchtemples.com is reporting that the Salt Lake Wells Stake has been discontinued. Anyone have information on that?
ReplyDeleteI hear that the U.N. will be hearing a case from Bolivia claiming it still owns a portion of northern Chile (the part it lost during the War of the Pacific). I wonder how this will turn out.
ReplyDeleteThe wards and branches that used to be in the Salt Lake Wells Stake now show up as follows:
ReplyDeleteArbor Branch - (Spanish) 200 East Chapel ==> Salt Lake Liberty Stake
Jefferson Ward - West Temple Chapel ==> Salt Lake Liberty Stake
McKay Ward - Wells Stake Center ==> Salt Lake Liberty Stake
McKinley Ward - West Temple Chapel ==> Salt Lake Liberty Stake
Waterloo Ward - Wells Stake Center ==> Salt Lake Liberty Stake
Whittier Ward - 200 East Chapel ==> Salt Lake Liberty Stake
Belvedere Ward - Downington Chapel ==> Salt Lake Granite Stake
Ivins Ward - 300 East Chapel ==> Salt Lake Granite Stake
Temple View Branch - Retiremont Home Care Center Branch ==> Salt Lake Stake
My grandparents lived in the Wells Stake, when they were alive. My father attended South High School (now the South City Campus of Salt Lake Community College) in the middle of the recently discontinued Salt Lake Wells Stake.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the Temple View Branch is now in the Salt Lake Stake, a small island surrounding the retirement care center between the Salt Lake Liberty and Salt Lake Granite stakes.
Chile giving up its territory won since the 1880s is as likely as Canada giving up BC to Britain or Colombia.
ReplyDeleteThe UN tries a lot of things but a lot us question their effectivity; Korea ended up with mixed results. Other cases abound with some successes.
My cousin is in the bishopric in Wells Ward, and it looks like it's been moved to the Salt Lake Granite Stake.
ReplyDeleteUnit Update
ReplyDeleteBenin City Nigeria Oregbeni Stake, (7 Wards)
Esigie Ward
Igun 1st Ward
Igun 2nd Ward
Ogbeson Ward
Oregbeni Ward
Sokponba Ward
Ugbekun Ward
Sete Lagoas Brazil East Stake (5 Wards)
Belo Vale Ward
Curvelo Ward
Interlagos Ward
Nova Cidade Ward
Sete Lagoas 2nd Ward
Prairiewood 3rd Ward (Samoan), Sydney Australia Fairfield Stake (8 Wards)
YTD 435(11.37/week 38)
Africa 135, 31.0%
Asia 14, 3.2%
Europe 15, 3.4%
North America (w/ Caribbean) 117, 26.9%
Pacific 37, 8.5%
South and Central America 45, 10.4%
Utah & Idaho 72, 16.6%
Totals no-sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 24 148 418 3,151 542 22,452 7,346 34,081
Us/Can 10 81 131 1,589 10 12,528 2,067 16,416
US n/a 73 124 1,542 7 12,192 1,917 15,855
Utah n/a 15 10 576 1 4,673 328 5,603
Canada n/a 8 7 47 3 336 150 551
Out 14 67 287 1,562 532 9,924 5,279 17,665
With Sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 25 148 418 3,151 553 22,456 7,437 34,188
This isn't necessarily growth news, but it could easily develop into something greater.
ReplyDeleteI just received word that in August, a group of local members (in Anchorage) have organized into a company, called Temple View Partners, LLC with the goal of purchasing the houses that sit immediately behind the temple (there are 7 houses on Legacy Dr behind the temple, between Brayton Dr and Sues Way). The main objective is to obtain these properties (as they become available) with the purpose of demolishing the homes, expanding the temple grounds, and allow for greater visibility of the temple (the house on the corner blocks the view the greatest, and is currently for sale).
There is a lot of information to go through, so that is what I have to offer right now, I will update you more when I have more information.
When our temple was first built, the grounds were sufficient, but the size of the temple was not. It was soon after expanded (almost doubled in size), and now, the grounds are insufficient. The house on the corner is apparently, horribly not up to code. Demolishing the house has no issues with the city, but adding the properties to the temple grounds only requires city approval. There is a sound barrier between Brayton Dr and the Seward Highway, and there is a current petition (which requires State involvement) to replace the sound barriers with a see-through design so the temple can at least be seen travelling north on the highway (currently, you wouldn't even be able to see it. You might be able to see the stake center's spire).
ReplyDeleteAccording to a letter dated August 25, 2015 by our temple president, the main objectives of this group is to increase visibility of the temple (unless you go there a lot, it is extremely easy to miss); expand the grounds and landscaping (there is a small area that usually has wedding photos, but it is right outside the recommend desk and the baptistry, and the noise interferes with operations); and improve accessibility to the temple (presently only accessible on one side, purchasing houses behind will allow rear access).
Another document alludes to the possibility of building a visitor's center and a house for the temple president.
As a note, the Anchorage Alaska Temple gets almost 1 million visitors each summer (and growing)
ReplyDeleteWhen President Hinckley announced the plan for the small temples he said the temple presidents would be "local brethren". So in the initial plan a house for the temple president was not needed. Here in Detroit fairly early on the Church purchased a condo within about a mile of the temple. The first 3 temple presidents were from stakes in the Detroit area, but far enough away that at times they would stay in the condo. The 3rd temple president was from Utah and so lived in the condo. The current president is from the Ann Arbor, which some might call the Detroit area, but is not quite. He and his wife still live in their house, but may on occasion stay at the condo. Probably more so in the winter.
ReplyDeleteOriginally temple presidents in small temples served for about 5 years. At least that is how long our first president served (1999-2004). However around 2005 or so the Church decided that they would seek to not have any temple president serve for more than 3 years. I believe earlier larger temples had had 3 year terms for temple presidents. I once found a report on a talk by President Hinckley given in Mexico in the mid-1990s, where he mentioned that Agricol Lozano serving for more than 3 years as temple president was a special case.
One more note, on the new apostles. I would love to see one from Asia, one from Africa and one from Latin America. I will be surprised if we get that, but it is possible. There are multiple general authorities from those continents, and since Elder Bednar was an Area Seventy at the time of his call, it is possible that an Area Seventy will be called, although not likely.
Hey guys, random question for the whole group:
ReplyDeletePreface to my question: like many returned missionaries, there is a special place in my heart for the areas I served in and want to see the units and members in those areas succeed and continue to mature in the gospel while continuing to reach non-members and less active members.
My question is this: In what ways could I continue to support and contribute to missionary efforts 'remotely' but specific to a particular geographic area (such as my old mission cities)?
I would love to hear anyone and everyone's ideas, no matter how random. Consider this a brainstorming session where any and every idea is worth contributing.
Keep in email and-/or social media contact with them.
ReplyDeleteI have spent about 9 months combined in my old mission, but it is hard to assess how much that helped.
Pray. Stay clean. Try to go back or catch up with them.
A while ago, Matt and some others in the vicinity of the Cumorah Foundation started running facebook advertisements for mormon.org. You can find and participate in this initiative here:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/goyeintoalltheworld?fref=ts
Pascal, excellent suggestion, thank you. is the cumorah foundation initiative geared toward areas where the church is very young and/or not at all established? I served in the United States so I wonder if initiating a Facebook ad would be 'stepping on the toes' of the church's operating mission, public relations, or other existing institutions?
ReplyDeleteOr maybe in thinking too much about church bureaucracy and not enough about the great commission here... Thoughts?
And yes thanks Pascal and Ed for the suggestion of staying in touch with old mission friends. With Facebook this is more possible than ever and this has been very rewarding for me, especially in contacting folks I worked with who are no longer active.
Any other thoughts on how to help hasten the work by initiating missionary contact with non-members? I might try the Facebook ad idea.
I meant today: hastening the work by remotely contact non-members...
ReplyDeleteWow, *to say, not "today". Sorry!
ReplyDeleteHow to support the church growth in remote lands ?
ReplyDelete- Run ads for Mormon.org targeted to that specific geographical region
- Be active on social media with old contacts there
- Checkout the website - EverydayMissionaries.org - post your question there!
- Foreign Language? Translate other news and blogs into your mission language.
Will you step on the toes of the beauracracy? Probably. But hey, just count how many times this weekend the brethren tell you the missionary work is the one of the top 3 efforts of the church? And Count how many times they warn you about stepping on the toes of the beauracracy.
It has been announced that the new stake in Missouri (being created from the Liberty and Platte City stakes) will be called the Far West Missouri Stake.
ReplyDeleteGnesileah,
ReplyDeleteIn my church almanac I don't see any apostles called in 1877 - only the release of 4 apostles who had been serving as additional counselors to Brigham Young, who returned to the Quorum of the Twelve upon his death. Am I missing something?
By the way, my count of the apostles agrees with yours.
ReplyDelete@ twinnumerouno: a few days ago, I went through my data with a fine-tooth comb and discovered my mistake too, but was hoping no one would notice. :) You’re correct, no apostles were called in 1877. I was thrown off by the dates these apostles returned to the quorum following the dissolution of the First Presidency at the death of Brigham Young. Which makes the potential for three new apostles to be called this weekend all the more rare…
ReplyDeleteA few more “fun facts” about apostles: the oldest apostle to be ordained was George Q. Morris (1954) at the age of 80 years, 1 month, and 19 days.
ReplyDeleteThe youngest apostle to be ordained was John Willard Young (1855) at the age of 11 years, 1 month, and 21 days(!). He was one of three sons of Brigham Young ordained as an apostle, but only one of them actually served in the Quorum – Brigham Young, Jr. John Willard Young was reconfirmed an apostle in 1864, at the age of 19 years, 4 months, and 7 days, and served in the First Presidency between 1873-1877, then as a counselor to the Quorum of the Twelve until 1891, when he resigned. He would have become the President of the Church following the death of Lorenzo Snow in 1901, since he was the most senior apostle, but in 1900 the First Presidency changed the policy of presidential succession from the person who had been ordained an apostle the longest, to the person who had been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the longest period.
The youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was George A. Smith (1839) at the age of 21 years and 10 months.
There have been 105 (possibly 107) men ordained as apostles, but only 97 have served in the Quorum of the Twelve. (David Whitmer and Martin Harris are alleged to have been ordained apostles in about 1829/1830, but their ordinations are disputed.) Of the 97 men, 15 were in their 20s when added to the Quorum (the most recent being Hyrum M. Smith [1901]); 25 men were in their 30s (the most recent being Thomas S. Monson [1963]); 16 were in their 40s (the most recent being Boyd K. Packer [1970]; 22 were in their 50s; 16 in their 60s; two in their 70s (the most recent being Hugh B. Brown [1958]); and one was in his 80s (see above).
The youngest apostle to die was Abraham O. Woodruff (1904) at the age of 31 years, 6 months, 28 days. The eldest was David B. Haight (2004) at 97 years, 10 months, 29 days (Gordon B. Hinckley (2008) was a close second at 97 years, 7 months, and 4 days).
Of the 97 members of the Quorum, 16 were removed or resigned from the quorum for apostasy or sin. Thirteen were excommunicated, five were rebaptized, three were returned to the Quorum (one of the three was subsequently removed again), and two had their apostleship posthumously restored.
I heard about the LDS character stories on the new series "Quantico". I guess imitation can be a decent form of flattery. Hopefully some people might actually take more interest or have more empathy for our members and missionaries.
ReplyDeleteBrasilia and Nicaragua need temples. So does Malaysia and India. And east Africa and Ivory Coast.
Malaysia will be a super easy commute to Bangkok once that temple is built. It's just an $80 roundtrip ticket 2 hour flight from Kuala Lumpur and no visa is required for Malaysian citizens. Sometimes there are even cheaper ticket deals too, like $20 flights, since AirAsia is based out of KL. Or you can also drive from KL to Bangkok in about 18 hours (googlemap). So, it'll be quite a while before they get their own temple.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the rest of what you said though. (Ivory Coast was already announced last conference.) Hopefully with India getting its 2nd (and hopefully more soon) stake soon, it'll be that much closer to getting a temple. A lot more temples are needed in Brazil and Africa to keep up with the growth. We get spoiled in the US, but part of that is that it's relatively easy to get construction permits here, I think.
I wasn't happy with the portrayal of the LDS character on "Quantico" and I hope it doesn't lead to propagation of stereotypes. It made for a dramatic event on the first show and that will be it.
ReplyDeleteOver the years Catholic priests and some ministers have been the subject of scrutiny and artistic interpretation, so I guess full time missionaries as they are lampooned by Matt Parker and Tre Stone and other pieces of drama and humor is par for the course in accepting LDS presence as a normalized thing.
ReplyDeleteKinda good an bad.
18 hours is way too far to drive. We used to drive 12 hours to the DC temple as a kid and that was pretty much our spring break, and we were first world relative wealthy people with cars.
A Kuala Lampur temple, for example, would serve 6 current Malaysian districts, the Singapore Stake, and 3 or more units in Indonesia.
Thailand is great for a temple, but is too far for many other countries.
Yeah, Cote de Ivoire has a temple coming! Now for missionaries in the Guineas and the Gambia...
Eduardo, you make a good point about distance, but you have to remember that that's not the only reason a temple gets built. The Church in recent years has had a habit of fulfilling the prophetic promises made earlier to build temples in certain cities. This includes Star Valley, Wyoming; Bangkok, Thailand; and Paris, France. Because Pres. Hinckley once challenged the Saints in Singapore to prepare for a Singapore Temple in the future (reference: http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/singapore), I see Singapore (especially given its large established stake) getting a temple to serve Malaysia and Indonesia long before Kuala Lampur (one district) or Jakarta (2 stakes in the country, but no prophetic promise), though I don't see any of those sites getting a temple until after Bangkok is at least mostly done, Malaysia gets at least 1-2 stakes, and the Singapore stake divides. I agree that it is super far for those Saints to travel to a temple; however, once Bangkok is in place, likely near a major airport, India, Mongolia, and East Africa will all have better pure distance arguments. Eastern Europe, most of Africa, and even the 2 stakes and a few districts in the Middle East can also put up good arguments for distance needs. At that point, the question is who can staff a temple given the huge shortage of senior couples (the Church would rather have local members staff the temple rather than import temple workers), and Malaysia just doesn't have the best argument for staff-ability right now.
ReplyDeleteSide note: in an earlier post, you mentioned Nicaragua. Then-Elder Nelson promised the Saints in Managua that there would be a temple in Nicaragua one day, so I think they'll get their wish in the next couple years, if not next week. Pres. Hinckley promised a temple in Kenya, and Elder Maxwell promised the Saints in New Delhi that they would get a temple, too, so I expect those to happen eventually, probably once there are a few more stakes in each place that can service a small temple.
Unit Update
ReplyDelete6 Sept
Pioneiros Ward, Curitiba Brazil Jardim do Sol Stake (1 Branch, 8 Wards)
13 Sept
Trindade Branch, Goiânia Brazil North Stake (1 Branch, 6 Wards)
20 Sept
Cordova Branch, Mandaue Philippines Stake (1 Branch, 9 Wards)
Patim Branch, São Filipe Cape Verde Stake (3 Branch, 7 Wards)
Unicafe Ward, Abobo Cote d'Ivoire West Stake (1 Branch, 8 Wards)
27 Sept
Punilla Argentina District(4 Branches)
Cosquin Branch
Cruz del Eje Branch
Dean Funes Branch
La Falda Branch
Chaska Ward, Minneapolis Minnesota Stake (8 Wards)
Cottonwood Canyon Ward, Yakima Washington Stake (3 Branches, 8 Wards)
Everton Ward, Mesa Arizona Eastmark Stake (8 Wards)
Foxboro 9th Ward, North Salt Lake Utah Legacy Stake (11 Wards)
Jersey Village Ward (Spanish), Houston Texas West Stake (Spanish)(10 Wards)
Lehi Ranches Ward, Lehi Utah South Stake (9 Wards)
Lincoln 8th Ward, Iona Idaho Stake (8 Wards)
Mapleton 10th Ward, Mapleton Utah Stake (13 Wards)
Miramar Ward, Miami Lakes Florida Stake (1 Branch, 7 Wards)
Novo Maracanaú Ward, Maracanaú Brazil Stake (1 Branch, 10 Wards)
Pioneer Crossing Ward, Lehi Utah Jordan River Stake (8 Wards)
YTD 452(11.59/week 38)
Africa 136, 30.1%
Asia 14, 3.1%
Europe 16, 3.5%
North America (w/ Caribbean) 122, 27.0%
Pacific 38, 8.4%
South and Central America 48, 10.6%
Utah & Idaho 78, 17.3%
Totals no-sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 24 148 418 3,151 543 22,465 7,350 34,099
Us/Can 10 81 131 1,589 10 12,538 2,068 16,427
US n/a 73 124 1,542 7 12,202 1,918 15,866
Utah n/a 15 10 576 1 4,678 328 5,608
Canada n/a 8 7 47 3 336 150 551
Out 14 67 287 1,562 533 9,927 5,282 17,672
With Sensitive
Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
Global 25 148 418 3,151 554 22,469 7,441 34,206
new district in punilla cordoba argentina
ReplyDeleteI have a new one for you. We found out that our stake, the South Jordan Country Crossing stake will be split at Stake Conference on October 11.
ReplyDeleteI did a facebook campaign for my zip code in the US. Such things are not problematic because they might step on others toes. Creating anything that ups the recognition of the Church and the chances of people requesting a Book of Mormon is good. However for places like the US the cost per contact is much higher than it would be in Nigeria or Indonesia.
ReplyDeleteI expect Nairobi, Kenya to get a temple. However I do not expect it to be announced until there are a few more stakes in East Africa. Currently there is one in Uganda and 1 in Kenya, although Kenya seems close to a 2nd stake.
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe to me seems the top contender for the next temple in Africa. With the addition of a stake in Zambia, and church growth in Malawi I can see it happening. It might not be announced until the Durban Temple is completed. That temple seems to be one that is seeing very little progress since announcement.