Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Yemen. Civil war has resulted in a serious humanitarian crisis in Yemen as four-fifths of the population is in need of immediate assistance. Latter-day Saints have lived in Yemen since as early as the 1970s. Yemen is assigned to the Manama Bahrain Stake although it is unclear whether any members currently live in the country. The following paragraph is from the country profile and describes the current religious freedom conditions and Yemen, and prospects for an LDS establishment one day:
The government does permit meetings for non-Muslim religious groups, which likely indicates that any LDS gatherings would likely not be met with government interference. However, non-Muslims have been the focus of increased violence and persecution in recent years. Meetings would likely have to be done in private in order to avoid any potential threats. The Church is barred from the proselytism of Muslims, rendering all but a few thousand inhabitants legally unreachable by potential missionary efforts. There are no legal procedures for religious groups to obtain government recognition, which may discourage an LDS establishment one day if conditions improve and no formal process for the registration of religious groups is established. Rebel-controlled regions experience less religious freedom and will be likely unsuitable for any LDS activity among foreigners until government control is restored.
There are countries that are Mormon chapters 2-5 cursed, and this seems to be one of them for the time being.
ReplyDeleteHope lingers even in Aden and Sanaa and Hudaydah. The Shia-Sunni thing is pretty serious.
Ironically, Yemen has been an area resistant to prophets for a LONG time.
ReplyDeleteLehi traversed through there as did Hud. Both met opposition there. The Great and Spacious Building could have easily been an archetype for the zones of Thamood and 'Ad where Lehi (and Hud) would have walked through.
The Koran spoke of Hud's journey, and Thamood's destruction after Hud's preaching and their rejection of him.
What was Lehi doing for eight years between al Shazir and Bountiful? The Book of Mormon is scant but shows that once they traveled east they were not even to light their fires. Probably to escape bandits, or worse.
Interesting insights. Thanks, Matt, for the report, and to Eduardo and Bryan for your thoughts. With my thanks to Matt as well for continuing to allow me to do so, and in the hopes that those who are not following the reddit conversations will see this, I am pleased to share the address of a blog post I did recently to share a refined and consolidated version of the list of prospective temple locations I have published in preparation for the October General Conference. Just as a reminder, there will be an open commenting period for the next 3.5 weeks on the contents of that list. I would welcome any insights any of you has to share on either that list specifically or any other post in general that you have thoughts about. Thanks again to you all.
ReplyDeletehttp://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2018/08/updated-list-of-prospective-temple.html
Accra Ghana Kasoa Stake
ReplyDelete- Adom Estate Ward created
Winneba Ghana Stake downgraded to District
- wards yet to be downgraded to branches
Uyo Nigeria South Stake
- Jonathan Boulevard Ward created
San Antonio Philippines District upgraded to Stake
- Cabangan, Castillejos, San Felipe, San Marcelino Branches upgraded to Wards
Tolosa Philippines District upgraded to Stake
- Abuyog, Burauen, Canmogsay, Dagami, Dulag, Tolosa Branches upgraded to Wards
Sydney Australia Mortdale Stake
- Hurstville Ward discontinued
- East Lake Ward (Tongan) transferred from Sydney Australia Harbour Stake
Ljubljana Slovenia District
- Kranj Branch discontinued
L'viv Ukraine District
- Uzhhorod Branch created
Buenos Aires Argentina Marcos Paz Stake
- Villa Prosse Ward discontinued
Planaltina Brazil District
- Cabeceiras Branch discontinued
Praia Grande Brazil Stake
- Boqueirão Ward created
- Praia Grande Ward renamed Guilhermina Ward
São José do Rio Preto Brazil Stake
- Jardim Vetorasso Ward created
Teresina Brazil Planalto Stake
- Bela Vista Ward created
Vale do Itajaí Brazil Stake
- Piçarras Branch upgraded to Ward
Bogotá Colombia Suba Stake
- Cota Branch created
Durán Ecuador North Stake
- Abel Gilbert Ward renamed Quinto de Junio Ward
Samborondon Ecuador Stake created
- La Aurora, La Joya, Samborondon Wards transferred from Durán Ecuador North Stake
- Metrópolis Ward transferred from Guayaquil Ecuador Las Orquideas Stake
- Pascuales Ward transferred from Guayaquil Ecuador Pascuales Stake (renamed Guayaquil Ecuador Via Duale Stake)
Puno Perú Central Stake
- Estudiante Ward created
Rogers Arkansas Stake
- Pleasant Grove Branch upgraded to Ward
Chino California Stake
- Chino Valley YSA Ward renamed Inland Empire YSA Ward
Eureka California Stake
- Eureka 1st Ward renamed Eureka Ward
- Eureka 2nd Ward discontinued
Ontario California Stake
- Chaffey YSA Branch discontinued
Orlando Florida Stake
- College Park YSA Ward transferred from Lake Mary Florida Stake
Rexburg Idaho Married Student 2nd Stake
- Rexburg Married Student 38th Ward created
Rexburg Idaho YSA 1st Stake
- Rexburg YSA 118th Ward created
Kearney Nebraska Stake
- Kearney YSA Branch discontinued
Newburgh New York Stake
- Poughkeepsie 2nd Ward discontinued
- Poughkeepsie 1st Ward renamed Poughkeepsie Ward
Charlotte North Carolina South Stake
- Steele Creek Ward created
- Matthews Ward transferred from Charlotte North Carolina Central Stake
Oregon City Stake
- Canyon Creek Ward discontinued
Fort Mill South Carolina Stake created
- Catawba, Fort Mill 1st, Fort Mill 2nd Wards and Lancaster Branch transferred from Charlotte North Carolina South Stake
- Newport, Rock Hill, York Wards transferred from Gastonia North Carolina Stake
- Indian Land Ward created
Bluffdale Utah Independence Stake
- Independence 6th Ward created
Lindon Utah West Stake
- Lindon 29th Ward created
Logan Utah YSA 4th Stake
- Logan YSA 53rd Ward created
- Logan YSA 54th Ward created
Ogden Utah Rock Cliff Stake
- Rock Cliff 1st Ward renamed Foothill Trails Ward
- Rock Cliff 3rd Ward renamed Paradise Acres Ward
- Rock Cliff 4th Ward renamed Shoreline Ridge Ward
- Rock Cliff 6th Ward renamed Highland Ward
- Rock Cliff 7th Ward renamed Evergreen Park Ward
- Rock Cliff 2nd Ward discontinued
- Rock Cliff 5th Ward discontinued
Provo Utah YSA 5th Stake
- Provo YSA 71st Ward discontinued
Wow! Thanks, Gnesileah! You've been busy! We all appreciate your diligence in helping us keep current with organizational changes.
ReplyDeleteThank you! But I can't take credit. This is a team effort, with other dedicated readers doing much of the grunt work. You know who you are -- thank you!
ReplyDeleteGnesileah, there's one remaining question regarding recent changes, and that is that Peru, while having 11 new wards so far this year (second only in South America to Brazil, with 34 new wards) is showing only 103 stakes for a couple of days after recently reaching 104 stakes. Do you have any word on that change? Thanks.
ReplyDeletePresident Nelson will be visiting the Dominican Republic tomorrow Sep. 1 and Puerto Rico Sunday Sep. 2.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mormonnewsroom.org.jm/article/president-nelson-will-visit-the-dominican-republic-and-puerto-rico
I wouldn't be surprised for a temple announcement in Puerto Rico on Sunday.
ReplyDeletePuerto Rico deserves its own temple by geographical definition. I don't know if the membership has shown that, though.
ReplyDeleteThat would be really good news.
I wish other Caribbean islands with significant numbers would show more Church growth. Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Martinique...
Cuba seems to to have some slow steady growth and without missionaries. I would like to see more member efforts. What if any restrictions are there in that country?
ReplyDeleteSome of my ancestors came from Uzhgorod. It is neat to finally see a branch there.
ReplyDeleteI know that many have said a temple in Puerto Rico would be amazing, and I also know that, according to the last list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence that do not have a temple (which was published on this blog by Matt after General Conference last April), Puerto Rico came in at #2 on that list. At the same time, there has been a lot of coverage of President Nelson's plans to visit the Caribbean, and in the article the Church News released on that subject, it was noted that the Puerto Rican Saints are still trying to recover from the aftermath of the storm that struck that nation at around this time last year.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, it has been a while (if it has happened at all) since a Church president announced a new temple a month before any General Conference. For these reasons, I would anticipate that no temple will be announced for Puerto Rico this weekend. Whether or not that could occur during the October General Conference is another question entirely. I have heard mixed opinions on that, ranging from the view that perhaps the Church will hold off on doing so until that island community has more time to recover to the thought that a temple announcement for the Puerto Rican capital city of San Juan in October would give the Saints there something for which to work and hope.
The timing and likelihood of a temple announcement in Puerto Rico, or anywhere else for that matter, might depend on how soon President Nelson reveals more details about his plans to expand the number of temples, what those plans might involve, and the timing within which those plans will be set to come to fruition.
And in that regard, except for a few enlightening comments from those who have been privy to those discussions, not a lot is currently known about anything related to whatever those plans entailed and to whatever extent they will be implemented in the next little while. That said, if, as has been indicated by some of those leaders, President Nelson's plans will outpace and overshadow what we saw occur during the "Hinckley temple-building boom" between the late 1990s and early 2000s, perhaps the plan will involve doubling (or even tripling) the number of temples in a 5-7 year period.
And if that turns out to be the case, then we are surely in for a windfall of announcements at some point, which will likely include locations that, to so many of us, may seem to be more distant prospects at the moment. It will be interesting to see how that occurs. Hope these thoughts, for what they might be worth, are helpful to the ongoing discussion.
To keep all the temples busy, ancestors must be found and added to Family Tree, and it is common knowledge among those that work on things there that names people submit to the temple where they let the temple provide the people doing the wor, vs. you yourself doing the same work for them, any you submit for the temple to provide proxies are done at the temple your ward and stake is assigned to.
ReplyDeleteFurther, it was noted at the consultant training leadership meeting in March during Rootstech that all names we are doing work for are now member provided. One can recall a day when only one in five names we did at temples was provided by members, the rest came from extracted records. And before Family Tree, duplications of work for the same person was very common, one in six we did was a duplicate of earlier work. Family Tree is supposed to clear that up, but some still get duplicated but the percentage is far less than before.
All aspects of family history will need to be ramped up. Indexing, etc. Five years ago only 2.3 percent of members were doing any work, now it is over 5 percent, and Ivory Coast was reporting 12 percent. They got a temple even though we do not yet know a timetable for construction. The members there are going to be able to meet their temple and have local member-submitted names from day one.
James - where do you find those stats for member temple name submissions?
ReplyDeleteThere are no published numbers, but this has been mentioned at Rootstech in sessions that were not recorded.
ReplyDeleteMormon Channel originally broadcast thison Youtube, but they took it down. But someone else had already posted another copy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcUWnh7Z3oY
The stats you quoted are they in this YouTube video? The audio quality is really quite poor and I tried finding it but I could not. Who was the speaker that shared them? Are there any other countries they provide statistics for?
DeleteCuba should be able to support 5-10 missions, ideally.
ReplyDeleteThe Phoenix, Gila Valley and Chandler Temples were announced about a month before general conference. I think Phoenix a lot less than a month. However that was about 7 months before the general trend of making all new temple announcements at General Conference began.
ReplyDeleteThe Gila Valley and Gilbert Temples were both announced on April 28, 2008 (according to the Church's official release on the Newsroom, although the Temples subpage on the Church's official website notes different dates for both temples), and the Phoenix Arizona Temple was announced less than a month later (on May 24, 2008, though again, the Temples subpage lists the wrong date). AFAIK, there is no temple in Chandler Arizona, although one of the temples may be located near that city. And the main reason these three were likely announced outside of General Conference primarily because President Monson's preparations for his first General Conference as Church President did not leave him enough time to consult about temples.
ReplyDeleteI know that, having read that, some people may wonder why President Nelson had sufficient time to make all the decisions he made prior to his first General Conference as Church President if President Monson did not have time to do so. There may be more to it than that. President Monson had 63 days between his ordination and his first General Conference as Church President, which began roughly 3.5 weeks (25 days, to be precise) before the first temple announcements of his presidency.
President Nelson, by contrast, had 78 days between his ordination and his first General Conference as Church President. In addition to having more days in which to prepare, however, there is more to it than that. President Nelson may be said to be more healthy now than any Church president has been for at least the last 20 years, if not longer, although he is only the second-oldest man to ever become Church President. So those two facts gave him more than enough time, vigor, and inspiration to make the first temple announcements in his Church Presidency, while that did not occur for President Monson. Does that make sense?