Vibol Pen, the first Cambodian district president, his wife, Vanny You, and their four children — daughter Bun Naa Roat, 20; sons Phiroum, 19, and Wirak, 16, and 3-year-old daughter Viriya — traveled to Hong Kong from Cambodia to be sealed in the Temple on May 9, 2000.

The family climbed into the plane in Phnom Penn at 7 a.m. on May 9. They had a three-hour layover in Bangkok, Thailand, before arriving in Hong Kong that evening.

Originally, the Hong Kong temple presidency had planned for the Pens to be at the temple for their own work that evening and the next day. But because Elder David and Sister Velma Blodgett, the Latter-day Saints Charities country directors for Cambodia who had accompanied them to Hong Kong, had another commitment it was decided to complete everything that evening so the Blodgetts could be there.

They were the mentors for the Pens and, as President Pen said, taught them "line upon line and precept upon precept." The Pens were most anxious to have the Blodgetts with them and so it was arranged by temple President Brent Hardy.

Temple matron Elaine Hardy told of how sweet the children were as they waited to be sealed to their parents. She said Viriya loved the white dress she wore. "She twirled and played with the ribbons; you could tell she felt like a little princess."

President Hardy said that communicating back and forth could have been a challenge, but that it went well. He said that when he shared his experiences with Brother Chung Lap Choi, a temple worker, "He said, 'You spoke with the tongue of an angel and they were angels and they understood.' "

President Hardy assured Brother Pen the Lord would pour out blessings upon their family and their country as they continue to teach and inspire the members in Cambodia to go to the temple.

The following day, Brother Choi had the Pens gather their family genealogy and he helped them prepare their own family names so they could use them as they continued to work in the temple over the following two days.

It is hard to measure the blessings that will come to the Vibol Pen Family and to the nation of Cambodia because of their family going to the Hong Kong China Temple. They are pioneers of Cambodia.— W. Jay Fellows, Asia Area Public Affairs

Another in a series of "Temple Moments."

Illustration by John Clark