The changes are effective immediately, according to an announcement published Thursday, Nov. 20, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Released are:

• Bishop Sean Douglas, who was recently called as second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, as president of the Mexico Area.
• Elder Jose Alonso as president of the United States Southwest Area.
• Elder Michael A. Dunn as an assistant executive director of the Church Communications Department and as a member of the Church Communication and International Coordinating committees.

The area presidency members are General Authority Seventies.

The newly called area presidencies are:

• Elder Moisés Villanueva as president of the Mexico Area, with Elder Alonso and Elder Brik V. Eyre as first and second counselors, respectively. Elder Villanueva and Elder Eyre had been serving previously as counselors to Bishop Douglas in the presidency.
• Elder Dunn as president of the United States Southwest Area, with Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt and Elder Steven C. Barlow as first and second counselors, respectively. Elder Dunn previously had been serving as first counselor to Elder Alonso and Elder Schmitt as second counselor.

First Presidency announces new Presiding Bishopric

Area presidency assignments for 2025-26 announced

The Monday, Oct. 12, rendering releases — first published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org — for the Goiânia Brazil and Campo Grande Brazil temples were the second shared milestone announcement for the two. Both had their site locations announced on the same day earlier this year, on July 13.

The two temples were both announced by the late Church President Russell M. Nelson — the announcement for Goiânia came in October 2023 general conference, and that for Campo Grande followed in the April 2025 general conference.

Groundbreaking dates, which signal the start of construction, have yet to be finalized and announced for both temples.

Goiânia Brazil Temple

Planned as an 18,850-square-foot temple of a single story, the Goiânia temple will be built on a 5.54-acre site. It will stand at the intersection of Rio Verde Avenue, Captain Breno Street and Professor Hélio França Boulevard in Loteamento Faicalville, Goiânia, the capital city in Brazil’s Central-West state of Goiás.

Campo Grande Brazil Temple

The temple will be a single-story structure of 11,300 square feet. Planned for a 5.6-acre site, it will be constructed at the intersection of Nelly Martins Avenue, Cigana Street and Rio Negro Street in Carandá Bosque, Campo Grande. The city is the capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, also in Brazil’s Central-West region.

The Church and its temples in Brazil

Brazil is home to more than 1.57 million Latter-day Saints, meeting in over 2,000 wards and branches.

Latter-day Saint missionaries began preaching in southern Brazil in 1928. By the time the São Paulo Brazil Temple — the first in South America — was dedicated in 1978, membership in the country had reached 54,000.

Of Brazil’s 24 temples in various stages, 12 have been dedicated: the Belém, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo temples. The Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple was the most recently dedicated, done by Church President Dallin H. Oaks earlier this year on Aug. 16.

Seven houses of the Lord are currently under construction in Brazil: the João Pessoa, Londrina, Maceió, Natal, Ribeirão Preto, Santos and Teresina temples. The groundbreaking for the temple in Maceió was on Oct. 10.

That leaves five in planning stages, for Campo Grande, Florianópolis, Goiânia, São Paulo East and Vitória.

Goiânia Brazil Temple | Church News Almanac

Campo Grande Brazil Temple | Church News Almanac

3 South America temple site maps released — 2 for Brazil

The first groundbreaking will be on the last Saturday in November, with the other two a week later, on the first Saturday of December.

Groundbreaking services for the Eket Nigeria Temple are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28, to be presided over by Elder D. Martin Goury, a General Authority Seventy and member of the Africa West Area presidency.

On Saturday, Dec. 5, ground will be broken for the Calabar Nigeria Temple, with Elder Christian C. Chigbundu, a General Authority Seventy and member of the Africa West Area presidency, to preside at that event. Later that same day, a groundbreaking is scheduled for the Viña del Mar Chile Temple, and Elder Sergio R. Vargas, a General Authority Seventy and member of the South America South Area presidency, will preside at that ceremony.

The three groundbreaking dates were first reported Monday, Oct. 12, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Exterior renderings for the Eket and Viña del Mar temples, which had not been published previously, were also released Monday.

Eket Nigeria Temple

On Oct. 2, 2022, then-President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Eket, Nigeria, during the October 2022 general conference.

Eket’s temple site was announced April 22, 2025. According to the location map, this house of the Lord will be built on a 7-acre site on Eket/Oron Road in Ikot Ibiok, Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Plans call for a one-story structure of approximately 18,850 square feet, with a meetinghouse on the site.

An exterior rendering of the Eket temple was released in conjunction with the groundbreaking date announcement.

Eket Nigeria Temple | Church News Almanac

Calabar Nigeria Temple

On Oct. 1, 2023, President Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Calabar, Nigeria. It was one of 20 temple locations he identified during October 2023 general conference, alongside three other Africa temples.

The Calabar temple’s site location and exterior rendering were both released Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.

Plans for the Calabar temple call for a single-story building of approximately 26,000 square feet. It will be built at Atekong Drive, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria; patron housing, arrival facilities and a meetinghouse are also planned for the 7-acre site.

Calabar Nigeria Temple | Church News Almanac

Church and its temples in Nigeria

The Church of Jesus Christ was officially established in Nigeria in 1978. Less than 10 years later, membership approached 10,000 in 1987. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles organized the Aba Nigeria Stake on May 15, 1988, the first in West Africa.

By the time of the Aba Nigeria Temple dedication in 2005, an estimated 70,000 Church members lived in the country. Today, more than 274,000 Latter-day Saints live in Nigeria and worship among the 880 congregations.

The country has seven total temples in various stages, but only the one — in Aba — is dedicated and operating. Two temples in Nigeria — in Lagos and Benin City — have been under construction since their May 2025 groundbreakings. The Eket and Calabar will be two additional houses of the Lord being built following their respective groundbreakings.

The two other temples are in planning and design — for Abuja (announced in 2024) and Uyo (2025).

Viña del Mar Chile Temple

President Nelson announced a temple for Viña del Mar during the October 2023 general conference, one of 20 temple locations identified on Oct. 1. The site location of the temple was released a month later, on Nov. 6, 2023.

Projected to be approximately 30,000 square feet, the Viña del Mar temple will be built on a 1.87-acre site between 3rd Norte and 4th Norte streets near 4 1/2 Oeste Street in Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile. A stake center for the Viña del Mar Chile Stake currently sits at Tres Norte 1105 on the site.

Along with the groundbreaking date, an exterior rendering of the Viña del Mar temple was also released Monday.

The Church and its temples in Chile

Chile is home to more than 624,000 Church members, approximately 580 congregations and six total temples in the country. Half of the six temples are dedicated and operating — the Santiago Chile Temple (dedicated in 1983), the Concepción Chile Temple (2018) and the Antofagasta Chile Temple (2025).

Following its Dec. 5 groundbreaking, the Viña del Mar temple will be the second under construction in the country, joining the Santiago West Chile Temple, which had its groundbreaking in August 2024. The sixth temple is the Puerto Montt Chile Temple, which was announced in 2024 and has a site location identified.

Viña del Mar Chile Temple | Church News Almanac

Groundbreaking services were Saturday, Oct. 10, in Iquitos, the capital city of Maynas Province in the Peruvian Amazon. Elder Sandino Román, a General Authority Seventy and member of the South America Northwest Area presidency who presided at the event, said the temple will become a city landmark.

Elder Román offered remarks and a prayer dedicating the site and the construction process during the services, which were attended by local Church leaders and members as well as government, interfaith, civic and educational leaders, according to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

“We are especially grateful for the construction of a temple in Iquitos and for the faith of those who have waited and worked for this glorious day to arrive,” Elder Román prayed. “Please bless the members of Thy Church in Iquitos, and may this construction bring blessings to the community and contribute to the well-being and prosperity of this city.”

Iquitos is reached only by air or river, the latter primarily via the Amazon River. Latter-day Saints living in and around Iquitos have to travel long distances — often by air — to attend the temple. Four stakes are headquartered in Iquitos alone, and they are assigned currently to the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple district, with that house of the Lord some 630 miles (nearly 1,015 kilometers) to the southwest.

The groundbreaking marked the first time since 2019 that construction had started for a Latter-day Saint temple in the country. The Iquitos temple is one of 10 in various stages throughout Peru and the farthest north of all 10.

Attendees at the event included Dr. Sandra Chumpitaz Santillán, prefect of the Loreto region; Dr. Federico Marco Ventre Ferro, honorary consul of Italy for Amazonas, Loreto and San Martín; Maj. Chrystiam Tavara Reyes of the General Command of the Air Force; and other local leaders.

The Iquitos groundbreaking was one of two for the Church on Saturday, Oct. 10 — with both in South America. Ground was broken for the Maceió Brazil Temple as well.

Pablo Tulumba Torres, patriarch for the Iquitos Peru Stake and the fourth young missionary from Iquitos to serve a mission, spoke at the event and highlighted the Church’s history in the area. The first stake was organized in 1980, and the Perú Iquitos Mission was created in 2013.

About the Iquitos temple and Church in Peru

On April 2, 2023, then-President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Iquitos, Peru, during the April 2023 general conference. It was one of 15 houses of the Lord he announced that day.

As previously announced, the Iquitos temple is projected to be a 20,000-square-foot structure on a 1.8-acre site at Calle San Marcos 117-137, San Juan Bautista, Iquitos, Maynas, Loreto, in northern Peru.

Four of the country’s 10 temples are dedicated and operating: the Lima Peru Temple (dedicated in 1986), Trujillo Peru Temple (2015), Arequipa Peru Temple (2019) and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple (2024).

With the Iquitos temple moving into the construction stage, two have site locations — for the Cusco and Piura temples, released in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

That leaves three more temples planned for Peru that don’t yet have site locations: for Chiclayo (announced 2022), Huancayo (2023) and Chorrillos (2025).

On Jan. 1, 1956, Frederick S. Williams — a former mission president in Argentina and Uruguay — moved to Peru with his family. He contacted Church headquarters for permission to organize a branch and begin missionary work.

A branch in Lima was subsequently organized on July 8, 1956, and four missionaries arrived on Aug. 7, 1956.

The Andes Mission, headquartered in Lima, was established on Nov. 1, 1959. There were 300 Church members and five branches at the time.

Today, more than 667,000 Latter-day Saints reside in just over 800 wards and branches in Peru.

Iquitos Peru Temple | Church News Almanac

See 6 maps showing the worldwide locations of Church’s 385 temples

Ground broken for temple in Maceió, one of Brazil’s 24 temples

Groundbreaking services were Saturday afternoon, Oct. 10, in Maceió with local Church leaders and members joined by civil authorities, religious leaders and other guests at the temple site. Elder B. Corey Cuvelier, a General Authority Seventy and counselor in the Brazil Area presidency, presided at the groundbreaking and offered a prayer dedicating the site and the construction process, reported ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

“We pray that this will be a place of inspiration and revelation, where all may feel Thy power and grow up in Thee,” Elder Cuvelier invoked. “May this house, as it rises and when it is finished, be as a light set upon a hill, that all who behold it may feel of Thy love and be filled with purpose.”

Local Latter-day Saints looked at the groundbreaking with an eye to the past and an eye to the future. Long-time Church members, some with several generations of worshiping in Maceió and the northeastern coastal state of Alagoas, see the new temple as an answer to prayers.

“The Maceió temple will bless the lives of members, bringing unity, joy and an eternal perspective. … Since the first pioneers arrived in Alagoas, members have hoped to have a temple nearby where they could serve the Lord,” said Ricardo Araújo of the Pajuçara Ward in the Maceió Brazil Stake.

Suely Valdez Santos Cavalcante, a pioneer member of the Maceió stake, spoke during the service about how temple attendance strengthens families and individuals.

“When I attend the temple, I feel closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ,” Cavalcante said. “There I find peace, receive guidance and feel His love for me and for all of God’s children more deeply. My spiritual strength is renewed there, helping me face life’s challenges. I leave with more faith, more hope and a greater desire to live better.”

Two young speakers represented how the new temple will bless the rising generation.

Pedro Oliveira Costa, age 11, of the Maceió stake, spoke about how an eternal family helps him know, love and follow Jesus Christ. And Pablo Fabrício Silva de Castro, a young man from the Maceió Brazil Litoral Stake, spoke about how covenants help individuals remain faithful on the path of discipleship and prepare for the blessings of the temple.

Currently, Latter-day Saints residing in Maceió must travel north to the Recife Brazil Temple — a distance of 170 miles (275 kilometers) and a drive of nearly four hours.

The event in Maceió marked the fourth groundbreaking in Brazil this year, following those for the João Pessoa temple on Jan. 24, the Teresina temple on April 18 and the Santos temple on Aug. 1.

Attendees at the Maceió groundbreaking included leaders and representatives from the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the state and municipal governments.

About the Maceió temple

As previously announced, the Maceió temple is planned as a single-story temple of approximately 19,000 square feet. It will be built at Avenida Dr. Durval de Góis Monteiro, S/N, Quadra 0522, Lote 0228.

Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil.

On April 3, 2022, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced this temple for Maceió. It was one of 17 temple locations he identified in the April 2022 general conference, including for Santos.

About the Church in Brazil

Latter-day Saint missionaries began preaching in southern Brazil in 1928. By the time the São Paulo Brazil Temple — the first in South America — was dedicated in 1978, membership in the country had reached 54,000.

Brazil is home to more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in over 2,000 wards and branches. Maceió’s first branch was created in June 1966, with the first stake organized in January 1982. Currently, Alagoas has approximately 14,000 Latter-day Saints, with five stakes headquartered in Maceió.

Brazil has 24 temples in various stages of operation, construction and planning.

The country’s 12 operating temples include the São Paulo (dedicated in 1978), Recife (2000), Porto Alegre (2000), Campinas (2002), Curitiba (2008), Manaus (2012), Fortaleza (2019), Rio de Janeiro (2022), Belém (2022), Brasília (2023), Salvador (2024) and Belo Horizonte (2026) temples. The latter was dedicated on Aug. 16 by Church President Dallin H. Oaks.

Seven houses of the Lord are under construction in Brazil, with Maceió now joining the Ribeirão Preto (2024), Londrina (2024), Natal (2025), João Pessoa (January 2026), Teresina (April 2026) and Santos (August 2026) temples.

That leaves five temples in planning and design stages, for São Paulo East (announced 2020), Vitória (2021), Goiânia (2023), Florianópolis (2024) and Campo Grande (2025).

Maceió Brazil Temple | Church News Almanac

President Oaks dedicates Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple

A look at 5 humanitarian efforts in Brazil so far in 2026

Brother Reid’s talk summary

The Lord invites all to teach His gospel. “Wherever we teach — in classrooms, in the mission field, in our homes or one by one — His promise remains the same: He will help us do His work. We were never meant to do His work alone.”

Before the Savior taught His disciples where to go and what to teach, He taught them who to become. His first lesson was not about teaching — rather, it was about discipleship.

“And at the heart of discipleship and all that He does is love. … The impact of a gospel teacher is not just the message — it is the love of the messenger.”

For the Master Teacher, every lesson was inspired by love for those He taught.

“Christ-centered teaching is rooted in relationships. The inspired new Sunday schedule offers weekly opportunities to know and love those we teach, helping them come closer to the Savior and helping deepen their conversion.

“That is His pattern for every gospel lesson — even shorter ones.”

Come unto the Master Teacher. “Learn of Him. Love Him. And as you do, He will help you love those you teach — and that love will make your teaching more like His.

“To teach like the Savior, we must love like the Savior.”

Read the full text of Brother Reid’s talk: ‘You Are Good Enough to Teach’

Notable quotes

“Wherever we teach — in classrooms, in the mission field, in our homes or one by one — His promise remains the same: He will help us do His work. We were never meant to do His work alone.”

“Christ-centered teaching is rooted in relationships. The inspired new Sunday schedule offers weekly opportunities to know and love those we teach, helping them come closer to the Savior and helping deepen their conversion. That is His pattern for every gospel lesson — even shorter ones.”

“Learn of Him. Love Him. And as you do, He will help you love those you teach — and that love will make your teaching more like His.”

Who is Brother Reid?

• Brother Gabriel W. Reid was the president of the Australia Sydney Mission from 2021 to 2024. He was sustained as the second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency during the April 2024 general conference.
• A native of American Samoa, Brother Reid credits his work ethic to helping his parents in their fast-food restaurant in Pago Pago, which has been in operation for over 50 years.
• After returning home from a full-time mission in the Chile Santiago South Mission, he joined the football team at Brigham Young University, where he met his wife.
• Brother Reid married Heather Lynn Sasse on June 24, 2000; they have four children.

What has Brother Reid done recently?

• He has not previously spoken in general conference
• Speaking at Ensign College’s April 2026 commencement exercises, Brother Reid shared with graduates his secret to success: “Stay in the game.”
• “Go, work and build” as the Lord directs: Brother Reid taught at a March 2025 BYU devotional about the process of acting upon personal revelation.

October 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

President Eyring’s talk summary

“Fear not, I am with thee” (see Isaiah 41:10) and more of the Lord’s promised comfort found in Isaiah 41 and “How Firm a Foundation” (“Hymns,” No. 85) “will become more important and more precious in the time ahead for all of us and for those we love.”

Why does a loving God allow mortal tests to be hard? “It is because He knows that we must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to be able to live in His presence. To make that possible, Heavenly Father gave us a Savior and the power to choose for ourselves by faith to keep His commandments and to repent and to come unto Him.”

Many have:

• Prayed to know whom the Lord would have them help for Him.
• Recognized a discouraged missionary as an invitation to lift a servant of Jesus Christ.
• Prayed regularly for the Lord’s servants in whatever calling they hold.
• Invited the Holy Ghost to help find ways to help the Lord comfort those pleading for it.

“We shed tears of joy and take courage whenever we hear the words, ‘Fear not, I am with thee,’ and we are touched that He offers us the trust of helping and loving others.”

‘Fear not, I am with thee’: What President Eyring taught about the Lord’s promises of comfort

Read the full text of President Eyrings’s talk: ‘Fear Not, I Am with Thee’

Notable quotes

“It is because He knows that we must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to be able to live in His presence. To make that possible, Heavenly Father gave us a Savior and the power to choose for ourselves by faith to keep His commandments and to repent and to come unto Him.”

“The Lord sends faithful disciples to help Him keep his promise to succor others in their distress.”

“We shed tears of joy and take courage whenever we hear the words, ‘Fear not, I am with thee,’ and we are touched that He offers us the trust of helping and loving others.”

Who is President Eyring?

• President Henry B. Eyring has been a general authority for about four decades, called in 1985 to the Presiding Bishopric. After his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995, he served as a counselor to four Prophets: President Gordon B. Hinckley from 2007 to 2008, President Thomas S. Monson from 2008 to 2018, President Russell M. Nelson from 2018 to 2025 and President Dallin H. Oaks beginning in 2025.
• While studying at Harvard, he met his wife, Sister Kathleen Johnson Eyring, when she enrolled in a Harvard summer program and he “was immediately impressed by the goodness she radiated.” They were married in the Logan Utah Temple in July 1962 and are the parents of four sons and two daughters. Sister Eyring died in October 2023.
• He served as the 10th president of BYU–Idaho — then Ricks College — from 1971 to 1977. Forty years later, his son Henry J. Eyring was the 17th president of BYU–Idaho, from 2017 to 2023.

What has President Eyring done recently?

• President Eyring spoke in the April 2026 general conference about receiving peace through prayer.
• At the June 2026 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, President Eyring promised “your missions will build faith.”
• In May, he dedicated the Lindon Utah Temple.

Read more of President Eyring’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X/Twitter.

October 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

President Farnes’ talk summary

“As covenant followers of Jesus Christ, we minister with compassion to whomever God places in our path. We do it because that’s what the Savior did. And we’ve made a covenant to follow Him.”

Through the sacrament, Latter-day Saints witness to Heavenly Father their willingness to take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ. “That means we choose to see as He sees, feel as He feels and do as He would do. His life should be reflected in ours. It means that when someone encounters us, they should experience something of Jesus Christ — His kindness, His patience, His hope, His love, His compassion.”

The Lord promises the Saints will have His Spirit with them; with the gift, they can minister as the Savior would, with His power and His loving kindness.

Connecting with God’s children is a way to stay connected to Him. “Often this happens when God places someone in our path and we have eyes to see them. I call these ‘divine appointments’ …

“Let us pray every day for eyes to see the divine appointments God places before us. Let us put compassion into action and minister to the person in front of us. It’s what Jesus did.”

Read the full text of President Farnes’ talk: ‘Divine Appointments’

Notable quotes

“As covenant followers of Jesus Christ, we minister with compassion to whomever God places in our path. We do it because that’s what the Savior did. And we’ve made a covenant to follow Him.”

“We choose to see as He sees, feel as He feels and do as He would do. His life should be reflected in ours.”

“Let us pray every day for eyes to see the divine appointments God places before us. Let us put compassion into action and minister to the person in front of us. It’s what Jesus did.”

Who is President Farnes?

• President Timothy L. Farnes served as an Area Seventy in the Utah Area prior to his calling as the Young Men general president, which he began on Aug. 1, 2025.
• He was born in Maryland then moved with his family to Sandy, Utah, where he grew up with his six younger siblings.
• He married Linsey Anne Skinner on Aug. 27, 1992, in the Salt Lake Temple. They have five children and six grandchildren.
• Shortly after his marriage, President Farnes had a near-death experience while on vacation in Hawaii. He then rededicated his life to the Lord and began integrating his core values into his work. He went on to found a variety of companies, including a humanitarian nonprofit.

What has President Farnes done recently?

• No previous general conference talks
• During the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional 2025, President Farnes spoke of a life-changing Christmas experience he had while serving as full-time missionary in Brazil.
• President Farnes ministered in the Pacific Area in December 2025.
• He appeared on the Church News podcast in August to explain how Sunday youth curriculum has changed.

October 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

Elder Sikahema’s talk summary

In 1947, Elder Sikahema’s maternal grandparents and their three children sailed across the Tongan islands to participate in the rare visit of a latter-day apostle. But their infant son died during the arduous journey.

“Perhaps you can appreciate why my beloved grandparents were so eager to be in the presence of one of the Lord’s anointed. Even in their despair and while mourning the tragic loss of their only son, … they solemnly buried him and made the herculean effort to sail to listen to an apostle of the Lord.”

The Savior foretold of false prophets who would decimate His ancient church. Reformers in the Middle Ages sought and yearned for prophetic voices but could not find them. Even in modern times, there are people who thirst to hear prophetic direction and guidance.

“I suspect the Lord knew that even when we would have these devices [cellphones] to easily see and hear His anointed servants, many of us would still take them for granted.”

What a blessing it is to live when apostles and prophets are on the earth. “Let us not be guilty of holding the oracles of God ‘as a light thing’ (Doctrine and Covenants 90:5).”

Read the full text of Elder Sikahema’s talk: ‘Prophets, Seers and Revelators’

Notable quotes

“Even in their despair and while mourning the tragic loss of their only son, … they solemnly buried him and made the herculean effort to sail to listen to an apostle of the Lord.”

“I suspect the Lord knew that even when we would have these devices [cellphones] to easily see and hear His anointed servants, many of us would still take them for granted.”

“I witness of the truths of the restored gospel and of living prophets, seers and revelators.”

Who is Elder Sikahema?

• Elder Vai Sikahema served as an Area Seventy from April 2019 to April 2021, when he was sustained as a General Authority Seventy. He is the second counselor in the Africa South Area presidency.
• Originally from Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, Elder Sikahema and his family immigrated to the United States when he was a young boy.
• He previously played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, and has worked as a sports and news anchor for NBC10 Philadelphia.
• He married Keala Heder in the Mesa Arizona Temple on July 21, 1984. They have four children.

What has Elder Sikahema done recently?

• In the October 2021 general conference, Elder Sikahema taught about “sequential patterns in life and in the gospel.”
• This year he organized three new stakes, two in Zimbabwe and one in Zambia.
• In January, Elder Sikahema gave a tour of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple to the president and vice president of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

Read Elder Sikahema’s previous general conference address.

October 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

“Fear not, I am with thee.”

The opening speaker of the Sunday morning session of October 2026 general conference, the first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recited the hymn’s second and third verses, saying the Lord’s promises found in those verses and in the 41st chapter of Isaiah “will become more important and more precious in the time ahead for all of us and for those we love.”

2. In ev’ry condition — in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land or the sea —
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

3. Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

“It is important to realize that the promise is not for the removal of challenges,” said President Eyring, recounting some of the teachings and late-life health struggles of his mother.

One might wonder why a loving and all-powerful God allows mortal tests to be so hard. “It is because He knows that we must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to be able to live in His presence,” President Eyring said. “To make that possible, Heavenly Father gave us a Savior and the power to choose for ourselves by faith to keep His commandments and to repent and to come unto Him.

“The Savior not only understands and has felt grief, but He has ‘borne [your] griefs, and carried [your] sorrows’ (Isaiah 53:4). He knows you perfectly. He knows your heart.”

The combination of trials and their duration are as varied as Heavenly Father’s children — no two are alike — President Eyring said. “But what is being tested is the same, at all times in our lives and for every person: Will we do whatsoever the Lord our God will command us?”

The Lord sends faithful disciples to help Him keep His promise to succor others in their distress, said President Eyring, thanking those who have helped the Lord and encouraging others to join Him in keeping His promise today and in hard days ahead. He also shared examples of “what so many of you have already done and are doing to help the Lord fulfill His promise to succor those in need in His earthly kingdom.”

Many have:

• Prayed in faith consistently for family members or friends to know who the Lord would have them help for Him. “As a face or a name has come into your mind, you have reached out to them. Even your simple attention was a comfort. That you felt prompted to reach out to them was evidence to them that the Lord knew and loved them.”
• Recognized a discouraged missionary as an invitation to lift a servant of Jesus Christ. “Your kindness to them, even for a few seconds, or simply a warm smile, can be a strengthening of their faith that the Lord is watching over them. When you speak to them, you will find words to build their faith that the Lord knows them and is aware of their circumstances.”
• Prayed regularly for the Lord’s servants in whatever calling they might hold. “As you show your appreciation and confidence in them that they have been inspired, they will feel evidence that God has called them, knows them and has guided and blessed them.”
• Have invited the Holy Ghost to help find ways to help the Lord comfort those who are pleading for it. The Lord “offers us the great blessing and trust to help Him keep His promise to succor Father’s children in their tests along their mortal journey home.”

President Eyring concluded: “We shed tears of joy and take courage whenever we hear the words, ‘Fear not, I am with thee,’ and we are touched that He offers us the trust of helping and loving others.

“I testify that this is His Church and that He keeps His promises both through the Holy Spirit and through His loving, true, faithful disciples.”

October 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

At 2026 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, President Eyring promises: ‘Your mission will build faith’

“On behalf of the leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we extend heartfelt prayers and greetings to Pope Leo XIV. This significant moment in time for the Catholic Church is a reminder of the enduring importance of faith to people everywhere,” wrote the First Presidency — President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring.

“As fellow followers of Jesus Christ, we look forward to continued opportunities to work together to bless the lives of God’s children everywhere. May we strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ to care for the poor and needy, become peacemakers and create a world where faith and goodness can flourish.”

The message was issued as a statement on Thursday, May 8, first published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Pope Leo XIV is the formal name taken by Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, from Chicago, Illinois, the first pontiff from the United States.

He was elected after the April 21 death of Pope Francis, 88, who had led the Catholic Church for the past 12 years. The election came through a two-day papal conclave at the Vatican as 133 cardinals had been sequestered to determine a new pontiff.

The First Presidency also had issued a statement following Pope Francis’ passing.

“We join the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. His courageous and compassionate leadership has blessed countless lives. We extend our heartfelt condolences to all who looked to him for inspiration and counsel. As the world pauses to remember his example of forgiveness and service, we feel deep gratitude for the goodness of a life well lived and rejoice in the hope of a glorious resurrection made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”

President Nelson met with Pope Francis inside the Vatican in what was the first meeting of its kind between leaders of the two faiths. Following the March 9, 2019, meeting, President Nelson talked about the experience.

“We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience with His Holiness. He was most gracious and warm and welcoming. What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving and capable leader,” he said.

A Church News video from Rome, titled “The Prophet and the Pope‚” captured the reactions of President Nelson and the late President M. Russell Ballard, the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, to the historic meeting. Elder Massimo De Feo, a General Authority Seventy, and Elder Alessandro Dini Ciacci, an Area Seventy, also attended the meeting in the Vatican.

In a November 2014 address to faith leaders gathered at the Vatican for a summit on marriage and family, President Eyring, now second counselor in the First Presidency, was warmly greeted by Pope Francis as the latter shook hands with several faith leaders after addressing the summit.

Pope Francis, 88, died on Easter Monday, April 21. A native of Argentina, he was the first Latin American pontiff and led the Catholic Church for 12 years. Suffering throughout his life from chronic lung disease, Pope Francis was hospitalized in late February for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia, but he made several public appearances at the Vatican during this year’s Holy Week.

First Presidency expresses condolences following death of Pope Francis

President Nelson becomes the first Church leader to have a formal audience with the pope

President Michael Ulrich, president of the Nancy France Stake, participated in the interreligious gathering at the Robert Schuman Conference Centre. The event focused on dialogue, peace and unity, President Ulrich’s participation seen as a reflection of an ongoing friendship between Latter-day Saints and Catholics in the region, reported the Church’s Europe Newsroom.

“It is a wonderful experience to gather with our brothers and sisters and sense a common conviction that Christ is the answer to building peace and becoming better neighbors,” President Ulrich said.

His participation in the event stems from an ongoing friendship with Archbishop Philippe Ballot of Metz. The two first met in November 2024, building a relationship of mutual respect and dialogue that has since continued.

Said President Ulrich: “In his remarks, Pope Leo XIV said that ‘the greatest of a civilization is not measured by material success but by how it cares for every human being.’ His words echo our belief that we are all children of God and our responsibility as disciples of Jesus Christ to care for one another.”

Pope Leo XIV visited France Sept. 25-28, under the theme of “That the world may have life.” His day in Metz included the interreligious meeting, a gathering focused on peace and unity in Europe and Mass at Saint-Étienne Cathedral.

Following Pope Leo XIV’s May 8, 2025, the First Presidency expressed appreciation for the longstanding relationship between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Catholic Church, adding a hope for ongoing opportunities to work together in caring for those in need.

2025: First Presidency offers goodwill message to new pope, Leo XIV

2025: First Presidency sends ‘warmest regards’ to Pope Leo XIV following Mass of Inauguration

Seven new houses of the Lord will be dedicated within the next 30 days — the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala, Ephraim Utah, Managua Nicaragua, Montpelier Idaho, Cody Wyoming, San Luis Potosí Mexico and Wichita Kansas temples.

A pair will be dedicated during the month after, in Torreón, Mexico, and Modesto, California, followed by one in December, the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple.

So far, three dedications are scheduled for the first part of 2027: the Fort Worth Texas, Knoxville Tennessee and Smithfield Utah temples.

This month, ground will be broken to start the construction phases of three temples: Maceió Brazil, Iquitos Peru and Vienna Austria.

Four groundbreakings are scheduled for November, for the Cincinnati Ohio, Piura Peru, Cuernavaca Mexico and La Paz Bolivia temples.

“What a blessing it is that so many temples have been announced,” Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told the Church News. Elder Cook chairs the Church’s Temple and Family History Executive Council.

“It is amazing to see firsthand the construction and dedication of these new temples — sometimes two on the same day. We are grateful for the spiritual guidance President Dallin H. Oaks is receiving as the hastening of God’s work continues in a dramatic fashion.”

During the past six months — since the April 2026 general conference — the Church has newly announced plans for temples in two locations: Marysville, Washington, and Otavalo, Ecuador.

President Oaks speaks about the announcements of future temples

Compare Church statistical year-end reports from 2023 to 2025

See more Church News coverage of temple news

Church membership growth across U.S. states over 25 years

Since the pioneer era, the closest have been an oft-changing pair in the state of Utah, with only 2.3 miles, or 3.7 km (by the way a bird flies), separating the Provo City Center and the under-reconstruction Provo Utah Rock Canyon temples since 2014.

But most recently — and only for the next five-plus months — the closest distance between two temples is the estimated 80 yards (73 meters) separating the Anchorage Alaska Temple and the Anchorage Alaska Temple.

Yes, you read that right.

This is the tale of two temples, both of the same name and providing — at different times — ordinances and blessings to Latter-day Saints in the state of Alaska and beyond. It’s a narrative of how the original Anchorage temple has remained operating — rather than closing — while its replacement is being constructed next door. And it’s an account of how the transition had positive impacts with other faiths and communities even before reconstruction started.

The 6,800-square-foot original Anchorage Alaska Temple was announced in October 1997, dedicated in January 1999, expanded to nearly 12,000 square feet and then rededicated in February 2004. It sits less than a football field away from the 30,000-square-foot, under-reconstruction Anchorage Alaska Temple, a project announced in 2023, started in early 2024 on the site of a demolished stake center and expected to be completed in March 2027. A May open house and June 13, 2027, dedication will follow.

That dedication will come after the original temple is closed, decommissioned and demolished, with a new meetinghouse to be built on that site.

The geography involving the two Anchorage temples is different from other temple reconstruction projects. The Ogden and Provo Rock Canyon temples were demolished but rebuilt on their same respective locations.

The original Anchorage temple was built on the southeast corner of the 5.5-acre lot of the Anchorage Alaska Stake Center, with both buildings sharing the same parking lot. In late February 2024, the demolition began on the stake center, followed by construction of the new temple.

The new temple carries the 13111 Brayton Drive street address of the former stake center, and the new stake center — to be built in over six to eight months — will take the original temple’s 13161 Brayton Drive address.

‘A tremendous blessing’

Elder Kevin J. Parks is an Area Seventy in the United States West Area who lives in the Anchorage suburb of Eagle River and works with the nine stakes that cover Alaska and extend into Canada’s Yukon territory. He knows well the temple travel required for many Latter-day Saints living beyond Anchorage.

From Fairbanks, where construction for a new temple began a year ago, members drive 360 miles to attend or work in the temple. The trip takes six to eight hours in decent weather and up to 10 hours in wintertime ice and snow.

Some arrive from Juneau, the state capital city accessible only by sea or air. “They fly in and do youth temple trips,” Elder Parks said, “and we have faithful members in Juneau that come up every week to serve in the temple and to worship in the house of the Lord.”

Others come from different parts of the state, while some drive 12 hours from Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon.

An active temple also benefits converts who shortly after their baptisms participate in temple baptisms and confirmations for deceased ancestors.

“It’s just a tremendous blessing that we have an operating temple while one is being constructed,” Elder Parks said, mindful that Anchorage will be without an operating temple from the March 22 closure to the June 13 dedication — just three months rather than several years.

Once the new stake center is completed, seminary students who now meet in a rented space will pull in past the new house of the Lord, arriving for classes in the new meetinghouse. “They’re going to be learning about covenant relationships with Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ — steps away from the temple,” Elder Parks said.

‘How does it affect the Saints?’

Brent Roberts is managing director of the Church’s Special Projects Department, which oversees the temple construction and maintenance. He explained that the Anchorage project is labeled a “reconstruction” because the new temple is on the same property site, albeit not on the same foundation, as the original temple it replaces.

Roberts detailed the reviews his department made regarding the issues facing the Anchorage temple — space limitations as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing problems resulting from age, use and extreme climate. Multiple options of locations, construction timings and closures were presented for consideration by the First Presidency, which selected the concurrent operation of the original temple and construction of its replacement.

Then came the planning, permitting, demolition and several years of construction — to say nothing of the impacts of building a temple next to an operating house of the Lord. Those challenges included a patron parking area reduced to 72 slots — a third of the normal capacity — and the noise and congestion of construction equipment and work.

“You think of jackhammers and backhoes and everything like that,” Roberts said. “In reality, our Saints understand, and they’re very patient with this. Is it perfect? No, it’s not perfect, and I’m sure they’ve heard some noise. But they understand it’s a necessary thing that we have to accomplish before we get to where we want to be.”

Alaska’s extreme weather is an additional challenge — the heavy snows, ice and permafrost. “But we don’t hire people who aren’t used to doing that,” Roberts said. “And we qualify them specifically with the ability to keep things sacred as well as to make sure they can accomplish what they need to.”

He added: “It’s easier to build a brand-new temple than it is to do this. But what I have learned personally is that the construction portion I deal with is not the important thing — the important thing is ‘How does it affect the Saints, and how do the Saints respond to it?’”

For Roberts, one of the project highlights happened before construction even started. Before the Anchorage Stake Center was demolished, local Church leaders offered the meetinghouse’s furnishings — desks, tables, chairs, pews, cabinets, cupboards, carpeting, appliances, plumbing fixtures, stage curtains, wood trim and more — to other churches, food pantries, nonprofits and community centers. For a building built in the 1970s, the donated furnishings were much newer, all having been replaced after a March 2007 fire destroyed the stake center.

“To me, that was just perfect, and I was so impressed with it,” Roberts said of the donation of items. “From my standpoint as a design and construction guy, that’s what it’s all about. That’s probably the greatest thing that I’ve seen in the whole project.”

Soon-to-be-razed stake center’s furnishings and materials donated across Alaska

‘The dedication, the detail’

Brad Hill, Josh Foote and Kurt Lovejoy are mainstays at the Anchorage temple construction site — Hill as the Church’s on-site senior project manager, Foote as Westland Construction’s project manager and Lovejoy as the electrical superintendent and foreman.

Hill acknowledges the challenges of the tight footprint, sharing the small, 5.5-acre site between an operating temple with limited patron parking and a construction site for a larger temple and the accompanying heavy equipment and various crews. Beside the actual working space, construction efforts need storage areas as well as access for large trucks, backhoes, front loaders and the like coming in and out of the parking lot.

Added Foote: “I’d be lying if I said it’s been easy in the sense of dealing with the two temples next to each other.”

While the extreme Alaska winters present an additional challenge, the past two winters have been mild compared to the previous two of 9 and 11 feet of snow. Said Hill of last year’s total of 4 feet: “We’ve been incredibly blessed with the weather.”

Foote described Alaska’s winter season as “a six-month gap where you don’t do anything outside.”

The falling snow is one obstacle — another is what to do with it. Snow has to be moved and then trucked off the small two-temple site. So, the work seemed blessed even more last winter when a couple of warmer-weather stretches resulted in snow actually melting during an Alaska winter, Hill said.

“Winter is coming along right now. Our push is getting landscape and hardscape and asphalt down before things get too cold.”

Lovejoy is one of the many construction workers from the Anchorage area on the project who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ. He and others have followed the policies and procedures of construction work at a Latter-day Saint temple site, ranging from the on-site prohibition of smoking to the avoidance of profanities. Plus, the magnitude of working on the temple is not lost on him.

“It’s not just the size of the building,” Lovejoy said. “It’s the depth of the building, the intricacies, the dedication, the detail.”

Foote and other Latter-day Saints involved in construction will sometimes spend the day working at the reconstruction of the new temple, then change and walk across the parking lot to attend the operating temple. Some construction workers also serve as temple workers.

Said Foote of the two-temple site: “It’s obviously the most unique reconstruction that we’ve done.”

‘Watched it all from the get-go’

Elder Mark Pettijohn and Sister Joy Pettijohn, who have lived in Anchorage for three decades, are serving as temple construction site missionaries. They are among the many longtime local members who have seen the area go from no temple to the original temple to two temples for the time being.

“We’ve watched it all from the get-go — all the different things that have happened,” said Sister Pettijohn.

It started with a 1995 visit by President Gordon B. Hinckley to Anchorage and three other Alaska cities, the first time a sitting Church president had been to the state. He encouraged members to have current temple recommends, to attend the temple whenever they traveled “south to the lower 48 [states]” and to strive for increased local membership in preparation for a future temple.

In October 1997 general conference, President Hinckley announced a move to building “small temples,” bringing the blessings of the house of the Lord to areas more remote with fewer members. He announced the first three — for Anchorage, the Latter-day Saint colonies in northern Mexico and Monticello, Utah. The last was given a head start, with its proximity to Church headquarters allowing leaders to closely monitor the new phase of temple building.

Two of the Pettijohns’ tasks are to document the temple’s construction with written reports and photos they’ll file with the Church and to interact with those working on site.

“We never thought that we would be able to go in with hard hats and vests and take pictures and talk to the workers and see it being built step by step, layer by layer,” Sister Pettijohn said.

Another of the Pettijohns’ responsibilities is to host member groups — from Primary children, youth, young adults or families — as well as missionaries with the friends they are teaching and any visitors. In a trailer on the site, they share presentations and answer questions.

‘An opportunity to share’

Som and Michelle Bouasri and their six children live about 10 minutes away from the Anchorage temple. They recently visited the temple grounds to recount the varied experiences there. Michelle Bouasri received her endowment there prior to serving a mission; she and her husband were married and sealed there in 2006; and they’ve watched the oldest four participate in temple baptisms.

The three oldest daughters — Preston, age 16, Emmerson, 14, and Brennan, 12 — each spoke of the peace they have felt inside the existing house of the Lord and the anticipation for a larger temple.

“We’re really excited to get a bigger temple with more space,” Preston said, “because in the baptistry, there isn’t enough space for a lot of us to sit down and watch others get baptized.”

Describing herself as “a super anxious person,” Emmerson recalled the overwhelming peace. “The Spirit was speaking to me, like, ‘I’m always with you. I always have been, and I’m going to continue to be with you.’”

The two youngest — Weston, 7, and Tai, 9 — are still a few years away from their first experiences in the temple. Weston loves to see and talk about the temple, and Tai speaks of the house of the Lord as “a place of happiness.”

Eighteen-year-old Allen Bouasri was to have an interview later that evening with the stake president to start the paperwork as a prospective missionary. His local leaders have told him that after his call and receiving his own endowment, he can start serving in the temple.

“It’s a place of covenants,” he said, underscoring the opportunity of “being able to help other people on the other side of the veil who have already passed on, to help them achieve eternal salvation.”

With no temple yet in Anchorage when she was a youth, Michelle Bouasri had just one temple trip to do baptisms — having to fly to the Seattle Washington Temple, nearly 1,450 miles (about 2,334 km) away. Today, she works weekly in the Anchorage temple office, watching temple workers and patrons coming in from shorter but still substantial distances.

Som Bouasri said the visibility of the new temple, being built just off the scenic Seward Highway, provides local Latter-day Saints a new talking point. “It gives us an opportunity to talk about the temple, that ‘new building being built,’ and some of our beliefs about the temple. It’s an opportunity to share.”

Maggie Fisher, a 16-year-old Latter-day Saint youth also visiting the Anchorage temple site, agreed. “I’m excited for the opportunity to show my friends and to take them through the temple, because most of my friends are nonmembers,” she said of next spring’s open house.

Reconstructed Anchorage Alaska Temple to be dedicated next summer

Anchorage Alaska Temple | Church News Almanac

In November 1999, a plane’s mechanical failure resulted in two temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being dedicated on the same calendar date — the Church’s first same-day dedications of two of its houses of the Lord.

Three similar same-day dedications were scheduled and realized the following year, with a break of more than two decades before two houses of the Lord were dedicated on the same date in 2022.

Same-day dedications happened twice in 2023 — including the first day of three temples being dedicated — and once again in 2024.

Already in 2026, the Church has had two same-day temple dedications, with another pair to be dedicated on the same August Sunday.

And then later this year, the Church will dedicate seven new temples over a period of four consecutive Sundays — the most temple dedications in the shortest period of time, and each in a separate state or country.

The seven houses of the Lord — the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala, Ephraim Utah, Managua Nicaragua, Montpelier Idaho, Cody Wyoming, San Luis Potosí and Wichita Kansas temples — will each be dedicated on one of four Sundays: Oct. 11, Oct. 18, Oct. 25 or Nov. 1.

And three of those Sundays will see double temple dedications — the first time so many same-day dedications have come so close together.

Combining all the completed and scheduled temple dedications to date, the Church will have seven same-day temple dedications in 2026 — or half of the total since 1999 in just a single year. And those seven same-day dedications will have occurred over just a six-month period.

Through June 28, the First Presidency has announced the following dedications of houses of the Lord and respective assigned leader to preside during that four-weekend period:

• Sunday, Oct. 11 — the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, with Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• Sunday, Oct. 11 — the Ephraim Utah Temple, with Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• Sunday, Oct. 18 — the Managua Nicaragua Temple, with Elder Rasband
• Sunday, Oct. 18 — the Montpelier Idaho Temple, with a presiding leader still to be announced
• Sunday, Oct. 25 — the Cody Wyoming Temple, also with a presiding leader still to be announced
• Sunday, Nov. 1 — the San Luis Potosí Mexico Temple, with Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• Sunday, Nov. 1 — the Wichita Kansas Temple, with Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Also, later in the month, on Sunday, Nov. 22, the Modesto California Temple will be dedicated by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The Church currently has 385 total houses of the Lord, including 219 dedicated temples, 11 scheduled for dedication, 50 under construction and five scheduled for groundbreaking. The 100 temples in planning and design complete the total of 385.

“What a blessing it is that so many temples have been announced,” said Elder Cook, who chairs the Church’s Temple and Family History Executive Council, to the Church News.

“It is amazing to see firsthand the construction and dedication of these new temples — sometimes two on the same day.

“We are grateful for the spiritual guidance President Dallin H. Oaks is receiving as the hastening of God’s work continues in a dramatic fashion.”

Following is a closer look at past same-day dedications and dedications conducted during a short time frame.

Same-day dedications

In reality, the Church’s first two-dedication day wasn’t planned as such.

In November 1999, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley was scheduled to dedicate temples on back-to-back days — the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple on Saturday, Nov. 13, and the Regina Saskatchewan Temple on Sunday, Nov. 14.

However, mechanical issues with the jet President Hinckley was to use resulted in a day’s delay. The decision was made to have him dedicate the Halifax temple a day later than planned, with President Boyd K. Packer, the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, to preside at the Regina dedication on its scheduled date. The result: The Halifax and Regina temple dedications both occurred on Sunday, Nov. 14, 1999.

The next year, as the Church continued its push to meet President Hinckley’s announced goal to have 100 dedicated temples by the end of the century, same-day dedications occurred three times in 2000.

• On Sunday, April 23, 2000, President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Memphis Tennessee Temple while President Thomas S. Monson, then First Presidency first counselor, dedicated the Reno Nevada Temple.
• On Sunday, May 21, 2000, President Faust dedicated the Nashville Tennessee Temple while President Monson dedicated the Villahermosa Mexico Temple — with the latter having dedicated the Tampico Mexico Temple the day before.
• And on Sunday, June 4, 2000, President Hinckley dedicated the Montreal Quebec Temple as President Faust dedicated the San José Costa Rica Temple. President Hinckley then left for the Pacific Rim and South Pacific to dedicate four additional temples from June 11 through June 18.

Two decades later, the Church once again had two new houses of the Lord dedicated on the same day, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 — the Belém Brazil Temple and the Quito Ecuador Temple, by Elder Renlund and Elder Cook.

And 10 months later, another historic multiple-dedication day occurred — Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, marked the first and only time so far of three houses of the Lord being dedicated on the same day in three distant cities about as different and diverse as can be. The Apostles doing the dedications were Elder Neil L. Andersen at the Brasília Brazil Temple, Elder David A. Bednar at the Bentonville Arkansas Temple and Elder Cook at the Moses Lake Washington Temple.

Three Sundays later, another two houses of the Lord were dedicated on Oct. 8, 2023, the McAllen Texas Temple by then-Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and the Feather River California Temple by Elder Ulisses Soares, both of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

On Sunday, June 16, 2024, then-Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Salta Argentina Temple, and Elder Bednar dedicated the Layton Utah Temple.

In 2026, two same-Sunday dedications occurred five weeks apart. On May 3, President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Lindon Utah Temple, while halfway around the world, Elder Renlund dedicated the Davao Philippines Temple. And on June 7, President Christofferson, now second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Yorba Linda California Temple, and President Uchtdorf, now acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple.

Multiple dedications in short periods of time

The seven dedications of houses of the Lord from Oct. 11 through Nov. 1 will be the Church’s most temple dedications for the Church over a four-weekend period. But a number of multiweek periods during the aforementioned push for completed temples in 2000 rival the seven-over-four stretch.

And in 2000, the three members of the First Presidency — President Hinckley and his counselors, President Monson and President Faust — were the ones dedicating the temples, unlike today, with dedications spread out among the 15 members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Also, a number of the dedications that year were conducted on successive weekend days, not just on Sundays. Some others were done on weekdays.

Early in 2000, the Church had six temple dedications over a four-weekend period from late February to mid-March. First, President Hinckley dedicated the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple on Saturday, Feb. 26; the Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple on Sunday, Feb. 27; and the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple on Sunday, March 5. Then President Faust dedicated the Oaxaca Mexico Temple on Saturday, March 11, and the Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple on Sunday, March 12, followed by the Sunday, March 19, dedication of the Louisville Kentucky Temple by President Monson.

Less than a month later, the Church had five dedications over four Sundays — the Fresno California Temple by President Hinckley on April 9, the Medford Oregon Temple by President Faust on April 16, the aforementioned April 23 dedications of the Memphis temple (by President Faust) and Reno temple (President Monson) and the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple by President Hinckley on April 30.

And that doesn’t include the Thursday, April 6, dedication of the Palmyra New York Temple by President Hinckley, making it six dedications of houses of the Lord over a period of three and a half weeks.

Six temple dedications were spread over a period of three weekends — actually, just 15 days — in June 2000, beginning with the aforementioned June 4 dedications of the Montreal and San José temples. Those were followed by four Eastern Hemisphere dedications by President Hinckley beginning a week later — the Fukuoka Japan Temple on Sunday, June 11, the Adelaide Australia Temple on Thursday, June 15, the Melbourne Australia Temple on Friday, June 16, and the Suva Fiji Temple on Sunday, June 18.

If you skip over Memorial Day weekend in 2000 and add in the three dedications the preceding weekend, that’s nine dedications of houses of the Lord happening over a period of five weekends. That includes the Saturday, May 20, dedication of the Tampico Mexico Temple by President Monson; the Sunday, May 21, dedications of the Nashville Tennessee Temple by President Faust and the Villahermosa Mexico Temple by President Monson.

And in 2023, five temples were dedicated over four weekends, with an October general conference conducted in between. Actually, the five came via just two same-dedication Sundays — Sept. 17 with the Brasília, Bentonville and Moses Lake temples; and Oct. 8 with the McAllen and Feather River temples.

Temple — The Church News Almanac

How rare are 2 temple dedications in the same day? It’s been done before. See when

A first for the Church of Jesus Christ: 3 temples to be dedicated on same day — Sunday, Sept. 17

See 50 years of temple growth in 4 charts

And there are all the times I’m at Salt Lake International Airport for work or personal travel, watching missionaries return home to waiting families — not much of a surprise, but still emotional.

All these moments of joy, love and happiness bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye.

I’ve occasionally replicated surprise reunions, like dressing up in an inflatable T. rex costume to welcome grandkids at the airport or arranging for my oldest son from the other side of the country to board a flight and take the empty seat between my wife and oldest daughter.

There’s no surprise, then, of my love for Alma 17, Alma 26 and Alma 27. The first chapter sets up the reunion of Alma the Younger with the four sons of Mosiah after their 14-year preaching and ministering among the Lamanites; the latter two describe the great joy when they reunite.

That account took on greater meaning as my wife, Cheryl, and I led the Arizona Phoenix Mission from 2011 to 2014 — welcoming, serving with, loving and eventually saying goodbye to some 660 missionaries during those three years. We often told them of our promise to be their “cheerleaders for life.”

For several years after, we held mission reunions — in Utah, Idaho and Arizona — and we’d connect with returned missionaries in our travels. Formal reunions have ceased, but we try to have an annual backyard barbecue for those who can make it.

That’s in addition to phone calls, emails, texts, visits, walks, dinners, sporting events, weddings and receptions over the years.

As a ward Gospel Doctrine discussion leader during the 2024 “Come, Follow Me” study of the Book of Mormon, I combined my affection for the Alma 17, 26-27 account with our love for our missionaries. Planning a couple of months in advance, I sent out a mass email to those with whom we were in contact, giving them a date when I would be teaching about Alma and the four sons of Mosiah meeting again. I invited those interested and available to help with an object lesson — and a surprise for their much-loved “Sister Taylor.”

The day of the discussion came. I briefly recapped Alma meeting the sons of Mosiah and asked my wife to come to the front of the class in the cultural hall to talk about the joys of meeting loved ones after time spent apart.

She started speaking — the cue for returned missionaries and their families watching through doorway cracks. The doors opened, and some 30 of our Phoenix missionaries and their families came in and lined the walls. Ward members knew the guests were special as they watched the Taylors smile and wave and weep with joy at the mere sight of some of our best young friends.

After introducing the guests, I had Cheryl explain what the moment meant for us. Then I dismissed her to go be with them in an adjacent room while I finished the discussion.

Our discussion points that day serve as the emphasis here.

We spoke of the joys of such reunions with loved ones — not just missionaries but family members, relatives, friends, neighbors and individuals who have impacted our lives. The reunions can happen anytime, anywhere — but can take on special meaning in a home, place of worship or temple.

Sometimes these reunions — impromptu meetings or formal gatherings — happen in challenging times. In the case of our returned missionaries, besides celebrating graduations, marriages and births, we’ve also tried to be empathetic and nurturing in times of divorce, separation and even death. And while acknowledging their progressions on the covenant pathway and spiritual well-being, we’ve also tried to be encouraging and reminding to those who have stalled on or strayed from that pathway.

Our discussion concluded by projecting future reunions with loved ones — not just those later in our mortal lives but also those that await us on the other side of the veil. Besides future family gatherings and events, I also think of future reunions in the afterlife — for me in particular, a much-anticipated meeting with my own father, who died nearly 30 years ago.

And thoughts of being with Dad again lead me to think of the most meaningful reunion of all — being again in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father has “planned” for such a reunion with His plan of happiness, His plan of salvation. The Savior has made that plan effective through His Atonement.

And we should be making the necessary plans and preparations and adjustments to one day meet again with Them, our true “cheerleaders in life.”

— Scott Taylor is managing editor of the Church News.

‘Pull together’ as families, says Church President Dallin H. Oaks at biennial family reunion

Scott Taylor: Giving a talk, sharing a testimony, making a comment? It’s about time

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the Church’s 2026-2027 area leadership assignments, which feature changes in numbers and naming.

The changes — an increase of members in some area presidencies from three to four and the dropping of specific counselor assignments — were described as “adaptions” that increase support in area presidencies to better meet the needs of a growing, modern Church, in a news release published Wednesday, April 15, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

The 2026-2027 area assignments become effective Aug. 1.

Area presidencies, which continue to have an assigned area president, no longer have specific counselor designations. In the area presidencies shown below, the area president is shown first at left, with an asterisk by his name.

The Church has 24 administrative areas — six that cover the United States and the remaining 18 covering the other countries. (See below for more information about the areas and how the Church administers its global work.)

View or download a PDF of the 2026-2027 area leadership assignments.

Area presidencies — within the United States

United States Central Area

The United States Central Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder José A. Teixeira, president; Elder Ricardo P. Giménez; Elder Karl D. Hirst; and Elder James O. Fantone.

United States Northeast Area

The United States Northeast Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Robert M. Daines, president; Elder Joni L. Koch; Elder Alan T. Phillips; and Elder Kevin J. Hathaway.

United States Southeast Area

The United States Southeast Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Massimo De Feo, president; Elder Aroldo B. Cavalcante, and Elder John D. Amos.

United States Southwest Area

The United States Southwest Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Michael A. Dunn, president; Elder Joaquin E. Costa; and Elder Pedro X. Larreal.

United States West Area

The United States West Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Takashi Wada, president; Elder Peter M. Johnson; Elder Hugo E. Martínez; and Elder Hutch U. Fale.

Utah Area

The Utah Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Brian K. Taylor, president; Elder John A. McCune; Elder Jorge T. Becerra; and Elder Thabo Lebethoa.

Area presidencies — outside the U.S.

Africa Central Area

The Africa Central Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Paul B. Pieper, president; Elder Alfred Kyungu; and Elder Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier.

Africa South Area

The Africa South Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Carlos A. Godoy, president; Elder Vaiangina Sikahema; and Elder Ozani Farias.

Africa West Area

The Africa West Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran, president; Elder Isaac K. Morrison; Elder D. Martin Goury and Elder Christian C. Chigbundu.

Asia Area

The Asia Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Kelly R. Johnson, president; Elder David L. Buckner; and Elder Wan-Liang Wu.

Asia North Area

The Asia North Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder J. Kimo Esplin, president; Elder Christopher H. Kim; and Elder Michael John U. Teh.

Brazil Area

The Brazil Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Ciro Schmeil, president; Elder Denelson Silva; Elder Ronald M. Barcellos; and Elder B. Corey Cuvelier.

Canada Area

The Canada Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Vern P. Stanfill, president; Elder Matthew L. Carpenter; and Elder James E. Evanson.

Caribbean Area

The Caribbean Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Valeri V. Cordón, president; Elder Hugo Montoya; and Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt.

Central America Area

The Central America Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Patricio M. Giuffra, president; Elder Ryan K. Olsen; and Elder Gregorio E. Casillas.

Eurasian Area

The Eurasian Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Aleksandr A. Drachyov, president; Elder Nikolai Ustyuzhaninov; and Elder Vladimir N. Astashov. All are Area Seventies.

Europe Central Area

The Europe Central Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Jack N. Gerard, president; Elder James W. McConkie III; and Elder Michael Cziesla.

Europe North Area

The Europe North Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Kevin W. Pearson, president; Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis; and Elder Paul H. Sinclair.

Mexico Area

The Mexico Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Moisés Villanueva, president; Elder Jose L. Alonso; Elder Brik V. Eyre; and Elder Jorge M. Alvarado.

Middle East / Africa North Area

The Middle East / Africa North Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Anthony D. Perkins, president; Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella; and Elder Edward B. Rowe.

Pacific Area

The Pacific Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, president; Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi, Elder Hans T. Boom; and Elder Matthew Johnson Eyring.

Philippines Area

The Philippines Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr., president; Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong; and Elder Steven D. Shumway.

South America Northwest Area

The South America Northwest Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Juan Pablo Villar, president; Elder Sandino Roman; and Elder Steven C. Barlow.

South America South Area

The South America South Area presidency for 2026–2027, from left to right: Elder Alan R. Walker, president; Elder Mathias Held; and Elder Sergio R. Vargas.

More about area presidencies and administration

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles preside over all affairs of the Church.

The Church has 12 quorums of the Seventy. The First and Second quorums are composed of General Authority Seventies, who have authority to serve anywhere in the world. The remaining 10 quorums are composed of Area Seventies. Under the direction of area presidencies, Area Seventies meet with and teach Church leaders, missionaries and members of the Church in local congregations. The work of each Area Seventy is generally limited to a specific area.

For each administrative area, a member of the Seventy is assigned by the First Presidency to serve as area president. Area presidencies work under the direction of assigned members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Presidency of the Seventy.

Doctrine and Covenants 107:34 reads: “The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve … in building up the Church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations.”

The Church first established these area designations in 1984 to help direct the work in geographic locations across a worldwide Church.

Most members of area presidencies are General Authority Seventies, with some Area Seventies — there are three Area Seventies comprising the Eurasian Area presidency, headquartered in Moscow, Russia.

Areas in the United States are administered from Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, as is the Middle East/Africa North Area.

Other international areas are administered from area offices in those areas:

• Africa Central — Nairobi, Kenya;
• Africa South — Johannesburg, South Africa;
• Africa West — Accra, Ghana;
• Asia — Hong Kong;
• Asia North — Tokyo, Japan;
• Brazil — São Paulo, Brazil;
• Canada — Calgary, Alberta;
• Caribbean — Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;
• Central America — Guatemala City, Guatemala;
• Eurasian — Moscow, Russia;
• Europe Central — Frankfurt, Germany;
• Europe North — London, England;
• Mexico — Mexico City, Mexico;
• Pacific — Auckland, New Zealand;
• Philippines — Quezon City, Philippines;
• South America Northwest — Lima, Peru; and
• South America South — Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Find out more about the Church’s 8 new General Authority Seventies

Area presidency assignments for 2025-26 announced

The idiom “eating crow” denotes having to admit being wrong after taking a strong, confident position. The idea of eating a scavenger bird that feasts on dead animals and has tough meat itself seems unpleasant.

And the saying means that if you’ve got to own up to your mistakes or wrong takes, you might as well do it promptly, as soon as possible, rather than let it linger or even worsen.

The same is true not just for words and expressions but also one’s actions as well.

And I had to learn that the hard way — “eating crow” years later. Far from fresh.

It all started with the one time I cheated on a test — and it wasn’t even my own test.

Our fifth grade teacher gave our class a pop quiz on math homework from the previous night. I hadn’t studied much and didn’t do well with the answers. We passed our papers forward, and the teacher randomly redistributed them back for students to grade their peers’ quizzes.

I ended up with the paper of one of the girls who excelled in math. Feeling both frustrated and jealous, I erased a couple of her answers, filled in wrong numbers, gave a lower grade than deserved and returned the paper forward.

Immediately, regret kicked in. I watched the girl — I’ll call her Carol — take her quiz to the teacher seated up front, pointing out the discrepancies from her original effort.

Trying to slouch out of view and avoid any contact, I braced myself for the consequences.

And the worst thing possible happened.

Nothing.

No getting called up. No trip to the principal’s office. No note home, parent-teacher conference or annotated report card.

There was never a feeling of “getting away with it” — rather a fear for what might come. But nothing did — that day or in subsequent days, weeks and months.

Sadly, I didn’t eat fresh crow and repent properly and promptly.

From then until high school graduation, Carol and I were in many classes together as well as bands and choirs and their extracurricular trips and performances. She also dated my best friend in high school.

We saw a lot of each other, becoming good friends — with my lingering self-disappointment. And although often thinking of the stupid misstep in fifth grade when around Carol, I said nothing.

As graduation approached and while with friends at lunch one day, I told Carol I needed to apologize and correct something from years earlier. Ashamed for the act and the delay, I recounted the mistake, asking for her forgiveness.

“I don’t remember that,” she replied with a shrug.

Years of guilt, regret and embarrassment could have — should have — been avoided from that fifth grade incident. I shouldn’t have altered the quiz, and because I did, I should have repented on Day 1.

In his October 2016 general conference message “Repentance: A Joyful Choice,” Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recounted a youthful indiscretion — one that he fully repented of that same day, not years later.

Elder Renlund taught: “The fact that we can repent is the good news of the gospel. Guilt can be ‘swept away’ (Enos 1:6). We can be filled with joy, receive a remission of our sins and have ‘peace of conscience’ (Mosiah 4:3). We can be freed from feelings of despair and the bondage of sin. We can be filled with the marvelous light of God and be ‘pained no more’ (Mosiah 27:29). Repentance is not only possible but also joyful because of our Savior.”

Also, Carol’s line of “I don’t remember that” reminds me of what the Lord taught about our repentance and His forgiveness.

“Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42).

Even after repentance, we remember our mistakes — not as a punishment but as a protection. We don’t want to feel the guilt, pain and embarrassment again — feelings that can be alleviated through repentance and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I wonder if a memory of our transgressions will still linger when we are in the presence of the resurrect­ed Savior.

If so, we can be assured, as the scriptures promise, that He will not bring them up to us but will remember them no more.

In the meantime, while in mortality, we still make mistakes. But may we try to promptly consume the proverbial crow — and seek “the joyful choice” of repentance.

— Scott Taylor is managing editor of the Church News.

Scott Taylor: A lesson learned from vacuuming the meetinghouse

Elder Dale G. Renlund: Repentance: A Joyful Choice

Mary Richards: A Prophet’s desire to ‘be good like my parents’

Sept. 11 — Five Latter-day Saints die in the day’s terrorist attacks.

• Mary Alice Wahlstrom, of Kaysville, Utah, and her daughter, Carolyn Beung, of Los Angeles, California, are killed as passengers aboard one of the airplanes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers.
• Ivan Carpio, a native of Peru working in the North Tower’s top-floor restaurant, dies in the attacks that resulted in the collapse of the two towers.
• Rhonda Sue Ridge Rasmussen, from Crystal City, Virginia, a civil service worker in the Pentagon, and Brady Howell, of Mount Vernon, Virginia, also at the Pentagon working in the Chief of Naval Intelligence Office, are killed.

Sept. 11 — An estimated 1,000 Latter-day Saints work on Manhattan Island, including 50 in the World Trade Center and 200 across the street in the World Financial Complex; 3,500 members live in the area of the World Trade Center in the New York New York Stake. Some 20 of the 50 working in the World Trade Center don’t go to work that day because of illness, working late the night before or a sudden change in schedule, note local Church leaders. The New York attacks result in temporary displacement of only 10 members, including four missionaries residing in the lockdown area near ground zero.

Sept. 11 — The First Presidency releases a statement after the day’s attacks, expressing sympathy, offering prayers and making relief assistance available. The Church promptly donates $160,000 to assist the American Red Cross — $150,000 to the national office to assist with search and rescue work, emergency food and shelter and other needs at the attack sites, with $10,000 to the Salt Lake chapter to help stranded travelers with food and shelter.

Sept. 11 — At the Tabernacle, President Gordon B. Hinckley turns a private performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square into an evening memorial service, offering remarks, including “there is shining through the heavy overcast of fear and anger the solemn and wonderful image of the Son of God, the Savior of the World, the Prince of Peace, the Exemplar of universal love.”

Sept. 14 — The Tabernacle hosts a pair of memorial services — at 10 a.m. and noon — held in response to U.S. President George W. Bush’s call for a national day of prayer and remembrance. President Hinckley offers remarks as “balm for wounded hearts,” with all three members of the First Presidency praying during the service. Several Apostles read from the Bible, the Tabernacle Choir sings hymns of patriotism, hope and comfort, and the Nauvoo Bell tolls for three minutes. The services are carried by the Church’s satellite system.

Sept. 14 — President Hinckley advises grieving Americans to find refuge in the Lord as he is interviewed via satellite on the CNN program “Larry King Live.” Also taking questions from callers, the Prophet says the 9/11 aftermath provides “a day of spiritual renewal for Americans.”

Sept. 16 — Following the First Presidency’s suggestion, sacrament meetings become memorial services and a time for expressions of faith in the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God. Prayers, music and talks reflect sorrow for those who have lost loved ones and the promise of the immortality of the soul.

Sept. 20 — President Hinckley is among 26 religious leaders from across the country meeting at the White House and providing a collective public statement on 9/11. They later meet with Bush, who references the statement later that evening when speaking before a joint session of Congress.

“You all have one huge and decisive thing going for you — you chose to serve a mission,” said the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then referring to Isaiah 6:8, “In the sacred act of agency, you said to the Lord, ‘Here am I; send me.’”

And paraphrasing a line from the series of “Harry Potter” books, he added: “It is your choices, not just your abilities, which show who you truly are.”

For missionaries, those choices include:

• Understanding the singular importance of inviting
• Having faith in agency, goals and plans
• And being “not weary in well-doing”

President Uchtdorf was accompanied by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, and his remarks to more than 2,800 during the Tuesday evening, Sept. 8, devotional in Provo, Utah, were broadcast to other MTCs worldwide.

A missionary’s purpose: Invite

He recited the missionary purpose from “Preach My Gospel,” singling out the first word: “invite.”

Inviting others to come and see, come and help, and come and belong are all part of the overarching principle of love, share and invite, President Uchtdorf said, adding that inviting isn’t selling, embellishing or turning to subtle craftiness, gimmicks or clever tactics.

“You simply bring the truth ‘out of obscurity and out of darkness’ (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30). You hold up the light — the Savior’s light — and let it shine brightly. You help people see how the Savior’s gospel and His Church could bless their lives, their families — now and eternally.”

Agency, goals, plans — and faith

President Uchtdorf underscored the importance of honoring the agency of others, having goals and setting plans. “Goals give life to your plans,” he said, “and plans give muscle to your goals.”

He warned about the hurt when sincere invitations are rejected. “You will feel heartache when people turn down your loving invitations. But it’s a pure, holy, godly heartache. And it is accompanied by the peaceful satisfaction that you did your part and God is pleased with your efforts.”

He reminded his listeners they will be held accountable for their own choices, not the choices of others. “If you have done your best and exercised your own agency in righteousness, you can rest peacefully at the end of each day — and then wake up the next day, ready to give your best again.”

And he told the missionaries that their faith cannot override another’s agency. “Not even God Himself will do that. God calls and invites and reaches out tirelessly, with love and encouragement. But He never compels anyone to obey — that would violate His great plan for the eternal growth of His children,” he said.

If a hoped-for miracle doesn’t happen, it isn’t a failure of faith, he said. “The purpose of faith is not to make things happen the way you want. It is to empower you to act the way God wants you to act.

“Faith is trust,” he continued. “And sometimes the most powerful expression of faith involves continuing to trust the Lord, even when the miracle is not happening.”

‘Be not weary in well-doing’

President Uchtdorf acknowledged that one of the hardest parts of serving a mission is when diligent efforts don’t seem to be making a difference. He offered Doctrine and Covenants 64:32-34 as “an emergency recalibration procedure.”

It reads: “All things must come to pass in their time. Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.”

Admitting that serving a mission is hard, President Uchtdorf said, “To receive the joy of missionary work, you have to intentionally choose to serve through the trying and difficult moments.”

The same applies to the friends that missionaries teach. “Joining this Church requires sacrifice. So often, embracing the restored gospel requires letting go of relationships, habits or lifestyles. It won’t be easy. If it were, it wouldn’t be as joyful or as sacred.”

Conclusion

President Uchtdorf concluded by testifying of Christ, His cause and His living Prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks.

“Jesus Christ loves you. He is pleased with your willingness to accept His call to serve and to follow Him. He is pleased with you, that you stepped forward and said, ‘Here am I; send me.’”

What missionaries were saying

After the devotional, missionaries spoke with the Church News of what they learned from the Spirit while listening to President Uchtdorf.

“I learned that the most powerful type of faith is trusting in God in the hard times, because it’s easy to trust in Him when everything’s going good,” said Elder Collin Taylor of Riverton, Utah, called to the Philippines Laoag Mission. “But when it’s hard, it’s harder to see Him in your life.”

Elder Jeddy Haag of Ankeny, Iowa, and assigned to the same mission, added: “There’s a flame of righteous desire, and we need to feed that flame — and that includes everything you need to do as a missionary.”

A trio of sister missionaries called to the Philippines Antipolo Mission each shared a key learning they had written in their notes from the devotional.

Sister Chloe Thorpe of Gilbert, Arizona, said her learning was “to believe in what we’re building, that it’s important, that we know the importance of the marvelous work that we’re putting forth.”

Sister Isabel Adamson of Draper, Utah, echoed the emphasis on the word “invite.” She said: “That’s the one verb in the missionary purpose that is in our control, no matter our circumstances. Compassionate, courageous disciples extend an invitation as early as possible.”

And Sister Leah Tovey of Cedar Hills, Utah, said: “Jesus is pleased with our willingness to step forward and when we say, ‘Here am I; send me.’ Also, Jesus answers us in ways that we never expect.”