More Than 900 Distinguished Guests Walk through the Bangkok Thailand Temple

Over the past three days, more than 900 distinguished guests from Thailand and elsewhere have toured the new Bangkok Thailand Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with his wife, Susan, have helped lead these groups through the house of the Lord.

Many guests expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ.

Former Thai Ambassador to the U.S. H.E. Sakthip Krairiksh said, “We are very much delighted to be here. We learned a lot [about] the culture and beliefs of the Church. Very impressive. And it’s a great honor.”

Lady Benchapa Krairiksh, chairman of the Board Pratthanadee Foundation (which helps disadvantaged women and girls) in northeast Thailand, said she has waited a “long, long, long time” for this open house. “I have a chance today to go inside your temple and see and understand. My favorite room is the meditation room. We are friends of your temple,” she said.

“I feel very happy, and I’m grateful to be able to come to the open house today,” added M. L. Panadda Diskul, former minister of the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand. “I’ve seen this temple since the groundbreaking day. It’s a good luck and an honor of Thai people and Thailand.”

Dr. Preechaya Sittipunt, chief officer of education innovation at Chulalongkorn University, called the temple a “win-win” because it takes the best of “what Thailand has to offer” and is also a “great contribution for the Thai people.”

One of the guests, Louise Horgan of the nonprofit The Good Shepherd Sisters of Thailand, has enjoyed a special relationship with the Church of Jesus Christ since at least 2018. Horgan, who is nearly 90, has spent her life providing shelter and educational training for at-risk women. Just last year, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presented Horgan with a donation that helped her organization build a teaching kitchen to provide vocational training for the women in her care.

“It was a wonderful experience. An experience that I've never had,” Horgan said. “It's just so quiet and so silent and so prayerful that I really felt the presence of God in our midst. We have been really privileged to be here with you all wonderful people of God.”

The general public can take free guided tours from September 1 through September 16, excluding Sundays.