PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — With an invitation for all to let thoughts, focus and gaze be drawn heavenward, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple on Sunday, Aug. 30.
Everything about the Phnom Penh temple points toward heaven, Elder Kearon said, from the traditional architecture that draws the eye toward the beautiful spires and then heavenward, to the covenants made inside with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
“As we let our gaze be drawn heavenward in this way, we find the inward peace which can be so elusive in our busy lives,” Elder Kearon said.
This new house of the Lord, standing in Cambodia’s capital city, is the 222nd temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Announced in 2018 by late President Russell M. Nelson and with a groundbreaking in 2021, this temple allows Latter-day Saints here to worship more regularly — and turn their focus more regularly toward heaven.
The history of Cambodia has a dark and sad period — one not far removed from today. Many Cambodian Latter-day Saints lost relatives during the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970s.
“We are in a land that has known extraordinary pain, hardship, loss and despair,” Elder Kearon said. “It is so fitting that the Lord has seen to provide a house here which will draw our hands and hearts far beyond the trials of mortality and into eternity.”
Also participating in the dedication was Elder Kearon’s wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon, as well as Elder I. Raymond Egbo, General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Comfort Egbo; and Elder David L. Buckner, General Authority Seventy and member of the Church’s Asia Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Jennifer Buckner.
Sister Kearon said the temple is a gift and a blessing.
“Everything we do in the temple is to draw us closer to our Savior. Everything we do in the temple is also to prepare us and to prepare those we love, our families, our ancestors, but also very much ourselves right now today, to prepare us to reenter the presence of our Heavenly Father,” she said. “That’s why I am grateful that the Cambodian people have their own temple here now within close reach. It is such a gift.”
Elder Kearon shared his gratitude to those who brought the gospel to this country 30 years ago and many who followed them, serving in missions, branches, districts, wards and stakes.
They are pioneers of faith in their communities and their country, he said, sharing the hope and joy of Jesus Christ so that others can know the light and truth they have discovered. Now, with this temple, Latter-day Saints can increase in holiness as they make further covenants with Heavenly Father and seal their families together.
“Through these sacred ordinances made possible through the atoning gift of our Redeemer, old wounds can be healed and broken hearts can be mended, on both sides of the veil. This is a house of miracles,” he said.
‘Let your gaze be drawn heavenward more often’
The temple stands on a 3.2-acre site along Russian Federation Boulevard, a major east-west thoroughfare in Phnom Penh. A constant stream of cars, motorcycles and tuk tuks passes over the prominent nearby bridge, and the temple is clearly visible from the busy road.
The nearly 10,000-square-foot building rises approximately 35 meters (115 feet) to the top of its spire — with architecture inspired by traditional Cambodian religious structures. Designs and colors inside the building reflect traditional Cambodian textiles and patterns as well as local flowers and vegetation. Original artwork inside the temple includes depictions of local lands.
On several occasions as he has ministered around the world, Elder Kearon has been surprised when driving in an unfamiliar area and passing over a rise or turning a corner to unexpectedly see a Latter-day Saint temple.
It is not just the beauty of the building or its location. “It is the immediate association with the sacred, the holy, the ordinances performed and the faith of those who serve there. I love the effect of seeing past the present and being drawn toward the future and eternity whenever I see a temple.”
In a world that often wears people down, the temple can be a constant reminder to people of God’s love for them and for all of His children, Elder Kearon said. When they are worshipping or serving inside, by being still and present, they will find the peace the Savior promises to them.
He has felt that peace in his own life. In his native England, a long day’s work and a long drive to the temple could get frustrating. But once inside, he would come back to “that beautiful foundation, who we are, that we are just here for a moment in mortality, and that we have this extraordinarily beautiful future ahead of us, and that we are loved more than anything that we can understand.”
Sister Kearon said prophets and the scriptures have promised that the house of the Lord is a place of holiness and a place of revelation. Latter-day Saints can go there with their woes, concerns and worries and lay them at the feet of the Savior. “We can exchange our sorrows for holiness here and for revelation,” she said.
Elder Kearon’s invitation to Latter-day Saints in Cambodia and everywhere in the world is: “May you be blessed as you let your gaze be drawn heavenward more often and as you return frequently to the temple. … Come as often as your circumstances permit. Draw near to the Lord here, and He will draw near unto you.”
‘The Light of Christ, shining to the rest of our city’
Over the three decades since the Church came to Cambodia, membership has expanded from a handful of members to more than 18,000. Members have traveled to Hong Kong or the Philippines to worship in a temple — a long and costly trip for many.
Phnom Penh Cambodia North Stake President Samnang Sea said now that the temple is dedicated, members of his stake are waiting eagerly to make covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the house of the Lord. He knows this will change them and change the country.
“You take the people inside the house of the Lord, and they become strong and ready to be the light of the world,” he said. “They come with full bright, the Light of Christ, shining to the rest of our city.”
President Sea worked with the Cambodian government about the new temple. In a tremendous show of respect by the government toward the Church, many government dignitaries and religious dignitaries came to participate in an open house event on Aug. 12. Hundreds of Church members and nonmembers gathered as well to welcome the country’s new temple that day, and the public toured the building Aug. 15-22.
Nhem Sokunthea and her husband, Thlong Sokheoun, served as coordinators for the temple open house and dedication. Sokunthea has interviewed hundreds of people through BYU’s Cambodian Oral History Project, learning their personal stories about the killing fields and horrors of the communist Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979.
“Cambodian people have suffered from war, and so many people died,” she said. “The temple helps us. We can do our family history and start to find names of our ancestors to accompany them to the temple. Our ancestors will be happy for us to do their ordinances for them.”
Sokheoun said the open house was remarkable and unforgettable. Many people came from different backgrounds and different religions who went from room to room and learned about the Church’s teachings. “They were really amazed that our Church is based on family,” he said.
Family is deeply important to the Cambodian people, said Cambodia Phnom Penh East Mission President Allen D. Hicken. “The temple is a powerful symbol of the importance of families in God’s plan and a sacred opportunity for members here to honor their ancestors by doing temple work on their behalf.”
Missionary work has grown because of the open house, and the temple will continue to bless missionaries’ efforts to teach about the plan of salvation and eternal families, said President David B.J. Hoare, the mission president of the Cambodia Phnom Penh West Mission.
“The Cambodian people could be justified in being hurt and angry, yet they are happy and joyful. They are an example of Christlike living. They are gentle. They love. They forgive,” President Hoare said. “Heavenly Father loves them. He has provided this temple for them. He has provided ordinances to create eternal families. The miracle of the temple will provide the means to make life’s injustices fair.”
‘A brighter hope for their life’
Sister Sok Bolinda, an area organization adviser in Cambodia, had relatives killed in the genocide. She became emotional when thinking of the opportunity to find peace and healing through temple worship.
“What I hope is to help a lot of members to come to feel the peace and to feel the Savior’s love,” she said. “Cambodian people went through a lot of hardship, but because of the love of Christ, they can pursue and move forward in life. That’s the most beautiful thing.”
Moek Thavy just returned from his full-time mission in California, where he spoke Cambodian, also known as Khmer. There as well as here in Phnom Penh he has testified about the blessings of the restored gospel in his life and what it can do for others.
“The temple is the best place that I can find peace and hope and comfort,” he said. “I know in the world right now we have a lot of contention or hard things, but in the temple it’s a sacred place. It’s a place that we can rest and find hope.”
His fellow young single adult, Khoune Sopich, had a role on the temple committee to help the media during the open house period. She said sitting in the celestial room during the tours, “I feel peace and quietness. And I feel like God is near to me.”
Sopich knows the future is bright for the country, especially as youth and young adults serve in the temple more regularly.
Over the years, the Church has built schools, provided clean water, given wheelchairs and sent emergency relief to people affected by natural disasters in Cambodia. The government has acknowledged and appreciated this support.
While there is great need and poverty in the country, covenants made with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will give Church members increased capacity for their daily lives, Sokheoun said. And the temple helps him come closer to Jesus Christ.
“It has helped me to calm my heart, to feel peace in my mind and also to try to escape from the really noisy world. … We know that we have Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we can rely on, and through His gospel that has been restored and through all the authority that has been restored on us, that we can do any work to help Him to fulfill His purpose on the earth.”
Elder Bun Huoch Eng, an Area Seventy, said every time he enters the temple, he can feel the presence of the Lord.
“When I sit in the celestial room, I feel peace, joy and a sacred stillness that allows me to open my heart to Heavenly Father. Having a temple close to our homes means that temple worship can become a regular part of our lives. Members can come often to worship, remember their covenants, receive inspiration and draw closer to Jesus Christ.”
To be able to feel the love of the Lord is so comforting, President Sea said. Members of his stake worry about many things. But inside the temple, they will feel the love they need and make covenants with heaven to give them “a brighter hope for their life.”
Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple
Address: Russian Federation Boulevard, Phnom Penh 12040, Cambodia
Temple announced: Oct. 7, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: Sept. 18, 2021, presided over by then-Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission President Veasna Kuonno Neang
Public open house: Saturday, Aug. 15, through Saturday, Aug. 22, excluding Sunday.
Dedication: Aug. 30, 2026, by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property Size: 3.2 acres
Building Size: Approximately 924 square meters or 10,000 square feet
Building Height: Approximately 35 meters or 115 feet to the top of the spire
Temple district: Cambodia and parts of Vietnam
See more photos from the dedication weekend below.
