Church of Jesus Christ Dedicates First Temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated its first temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Aug. 30, marking its 222nd operating temple and 32 years of growth since missionaries first arrived. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated its first temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Aug. 30. The new temple, located in the heart of the capital, became the church's 222nd operating temple worldwide. The dedication marks 32 years since the first missionaries arrived in Cambodia in 1994, following the church's official recognition by the government in February 1994. Early Missionary Work in CambodiaVichit Ith, who fled Cambodia as a teenager shortly before Pol Pot's communist Khmer Rouge came to power, played a key role in establishing the church in Cambodia. In 1993, Larry White, then president of the Thailand Bangkok Mission, approached Ith, who attended a ward in Bangkok with his family, and asked him to travel to Cambodia. Ith had not returned to his native country in nearly 20 years. He initially resisted, recalling that he told White that no one wants to return to hell.At the time, Cambodia was changing rapidly after years of war and held its first free elections shortly after their trip. The new prime minister asked Ith to be an economic advisor, a role that helped open doors for the church. Official recognition came in February 1994, and the first missionaries quickly followed.In August 2026, Ith and White reunited in Phnom Penh for the temple open house and dedication. White reflected on the significance of the temple for a people who have suffered greatly, noting that many have lost loved ones and now have something to bless the lives of their deceased ancestors. He described the experience as pretty touching.The church has grown significantly in Cambodia. There are now almost 18,000 members, along with two stakes and two missions. Ith described the temple's presence as a miracle not only for him but for Cambodia, a land that has suffered a lot.Family's Journey Through War and RefugeLeang and Saroeun Eav had a toddler, Alain, when the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975. Their daughter Rachna was born soon after. Over the next four years, the family survived forced marches, hard labor and very little food. Death surrounded them, and their daughter Mithona Nielsen recalled that there were multiple times when her father was taken in the middle of the night. She said that when someone was taken at night, it was almost guaranteed that they would not come back.In 1979, a family friend paid a guide to rescue his own relatives and the Eav family, giving them a way out. Nielsen said she thinks her father must have been a really good friend for them to remember him and love him that way. They walked over 20 miles through land mines and jungle. Saroeun Eav was eight weeks pregnant with Mithona. Rachna Grunkemeier recalled that when their father got to the border, he was walking on his knees because his feet were so blistered. The Eav family spent the next 18 months in a Thai refugee camp before settling in Seattle, Washington, where another son, Michael, was born.Descendants Return to Serve in CambodiaThe extended Eav family traveled to Cambodia in 2023. Alain said that they knew him when he was a little baby, and it was just so neat. He expressed a strong desire to serve in Cambodia and to give his heart to the people there. Over the next two years, Alain Eav, Jr., Anthony Eav, Jaden Grunkemeier and Arleigh Eav also received mission calls to Cambodia. Five cousins were all called to serve in a country with profound meaning for their family.Anthony Eav said that Cambodian people are just to die for, and that the instant he got to Cambodia, he fell in love with them. Then Leang and Saroeun Eav received an unexpected call to serve in the temple presidency in Phnom Penh for a three-year assignment. This took them back to the country where their story and family began.The temple dedication was featured in a program titled Kingdom of Faith: The Saints in Cambodia, which aired Sunday, Oct. 4 at 12:30 on KSL, between sessions of general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The article's key takeaways were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by the editorial team, while the article itself is solely human-written.