BANGKOK, Thailand — During his first trip to Thailand in 1966, President Russell M. Nelson traveled by boat through the canals and klongs of Bangkok.

He watched women gather water for their daily needs from the same river as their children bathed. He shopped at floating markets. And he visited the home of a medical colleague, spotting geckos on the walls controlling the insect population.

He did not meet another member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Greeted by highways and skyscrapers 52 years later, President Nelson returned to Thailand Friday as part of his world ministry tour, reflecting on the city’s past half-century of growth.

It’s hard, he said, to believe the transformation that has taken place “in the space of one man’s lifetime.”

A capacity crowd filled the Queen Sirikit Conference Center in anticipation of President Nelson’s visit. Some 30 minutes before the leader’s arrival, the crowd of more than 3,000 grew silent.

Read the rest of the article on Faith News | Deseret News.