I was fortunate to have served a mission to Thailand under President Paul D. Morris and his wife Betty J. Morris (1973-1975). Doing so I came to love Thailand and its people. I've reached the age at which American citizens normally retire. I've found it more difficult to keep up with events in Thailand than it was previously. I hope someone younger than myself with a similar passion for tracking the development of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand, will step up and take over my former role. I pledge to keep this website on-line until January 1, 2021. Over the next few years I hope to complete the transition of the site to HTML5, but I don't plan to add any future history except for the most significant events. If anyone has events of a historical nature that took place before 2019, I'd be happy to add those to this site.
Since the beginnings in the 1960s, the church has grown slowly but surely, progressing to the point where ground is about to be broken for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, with an expected completion date of 2023 (my opinion - you are free to speculate on your own). A great achievement in a country that is solidly Buddhist and where it is widely believed that to be a good Thai, one must be a good Buddhist.I have authored two books on the church in Thailand and surrounding countries. The first Translating Scripture: The Thai Book of Mormon © 2006 and second, The Light Breaks on Southeast Asia ©2012. Copies of the latter book are still available for sale at HTown Publishing. These efforts took hundreds of hours and what I learned was simply fascinating and testimony building. Copies of these books are already being preserved at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints History Library in Salt Lake City. I feel I did my best to present an accurate history detailing both things that went well and things that went not so well. That is the role of a proper historian.
After I moved the contents of LDS_THailand into my Familyh web site, I've been working on fixing broken links. Many but not all of these have been resolved. Also on July 25, 2023, I restoed the page regardaing the 40th Anniversary of the Dedication of Thailand for the Preaching of the Gospel.
Sincerely - Reed B. Haslam - Web-master, Author, Computer and Atmospheric Scientist, Sandy, Utah, United States of America
The Thailand Bangkok Temple was announced on April 5, 2018 by President Thomas S. Monson, during the 185th Annual General Conference. Breaking with the tradition of not displaying the artistic rendering of a temple prior to groundbreaking, the artwork was released on March 19, 2018. The design fearure a multi-story temple with 9 spires, four in front and four in back, with the center spire holding the statue of Moroni.
While not a requirement to build a temple, it is customary to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. For that saints in Thailand today was their day for that event. The program of the day. This was the program of the day.
Presiding ..............................................................Elder Robert G. Gay, Presidency of the Seventy
Invocation ...................................................Suchat Chaichana President Bangkok Thailand Stake
Speaker .................................................Sister Wipharat Uanphoklang - Korat Ward - Ubon Stake
Speaker ................................................................Elder Robert G. Gay, Presidency of the Seventy
Speaker and Site Dedication..............Elder David F. Evans, GA Seventy and Asia Area President
Benediction..............................................................................................Sister Pramong Jongkhao
..............................................Ceremonial Breaking of the ground...................................................
Among the mission presidents attending were Presidents Hammond (current), Eldredge, White, Slater, Hansen, Smith and Senior.
One issue that needs to be settled before the temple opens is the selection of a way to translate the letters in Thai names into English and then back into Thai. Family Search stores all names using Roman characters. Hopefully that can get solved sooner rather than later by the responsible parties.
Larry R. White who attended the groundbreking along with his wife, added the following comment. . The weather was exceptionally fine, sunny with a very slight breeze, with no smog, and not too hot" [January often is a pleasant month in Bangkok -rbh]. "I remember that one of the hymns the very exceptional Thai choir sang in four part harmony in the Thai language was, “The Morning Breaks the Shadows Flee,” which deeply moved me to the point of tears thinking back on our very humble beginnings in 1968 and the fact that there were those who dreamed of this day who could only be present if they were permitted to view the proceedings of this auspicious occasion from the world of spirits."
President and Sister Hansen, President and Sister Smith, President and Sister White, Mani and Nadda Seangsuwan
Sister Khanakham is a ward Primary secretary and patriarch scribe and a former district Relief Society president and ward Primary president. She was born in Mahasarakham, Thailand, to Manoon Srisarakam and Saengtong Suebsarakam.
- Open House - Media Day - August 28, Invited Guests Days August 29- 1. General Open House - September 1 - 16, 2023 (excluding Sundays).
- Dedication - Sunday October 22 at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm. Elder Renlund, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, has been assigned to dedicate the temple.
- First Day of Ordinance Work - To be Determined.
Two reunions for missionaries are currently planned for September 1, 2023 and October 21, 2023 at the Asoke Chapel Meetinghouse. Email TBMReunion2023 for additional information.
The church always assigns a general authority to the opening days of a new temple open house. Historically this has been a General Authority Seventy. Elder Bednar attended the opening of the Bentonville Arkansas Temple and will dedicate that temple in September.