In August, faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled many miles from their homes in Lithuania to the country of Finland in northern Europe to connect with the blessings of the house of the Lord while serving and worshipping in the Helsinki Finland Temple.
This was the first time some of the Lithuanian Latter-day Saints had been to the temple, while others experienced a long-awaited return. Around 100 members of the Church made the journey from Aug. 11-16.
President Miguel M. Rissi, president of the Vilnius Lithuania District — whose five branches cover the whole country of Lithuania — said the trip was wonderful, joyful and filled with miracles and service.
The joy began Monday, Aug. 11, during the 13-hour bus ride north from Vilnius, through the countries of Latvia and Estonia.
“Members were sharing food, thoughts of anticipation, games being played and just such a good feeling of a gathering of Saints united by faith and purpose,” President Rissi wrote in an email to the Church News.
When they reached the coast of Estonia, the members and their bus boarded a ferry for a two-hour ride across the Gulf of Finland to Finland. Then they rode on their bus another 35 minutes to the Helsinki temple grounds and their lodgings.
The members began their work at the temple the next day, having brought hundreds of names with them of their ancestors. Others received their own endowments.
“This was the first time that some members entered the temple, and their smile was from ear-to-ear,” President Rissi said. “It was such a good spiritual experience to be around them as they appreciated the beauty and symbolism found all over the temple.”
The experiences were quite tender, he said, and the Spirit and power they felt were very real and lasting.
President Rissi’s wife, Sister Marina Moreira Rissi, also had a strong spiritual experience as she performed the work for her aunt, who died some years ago.
“Those present in the session have later told her that they too felt that the ordinances were accepted — that’s how strong the Spirit manifested during the sessions,” President Rissi said.
One evening during the week, the members met to share their testimonies and experiences worshipping in the temple and the gratitude they had for the opportunity they had to travel together, worship together and deepen their friendships.
“I believe the Lord did unite our hearts and helped us see each other with greater love and through a clearer Christlike lens,” President Rissi said.
The Church is small but strong in Lithuania
The first Latter-day Saint missionaries to preach in the modern territory of Lithuania did so in 1907 in Memel, Germany (now Klaipėda, Lithuania). A branch was established in Klaipėda in 1909, but contact with the branch was lost during World War II, and the country became part of the former Soviet Union.
In the late 1980s, a number of Lithuanians who had been baptized in other countries returned home, with full-time missionaries assigned to Lithuania in late 1992, after the country regained independence.
On May 20, 1993, then-Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to Vilnius and dedicated the land for the preaching of the restored gospel.
The Vilnius Lithuania District operates under the Church’s Baltic Mission. While there are only five branches for now — which is a small percentage of the total Church membership — the members’ love and desire to follow the Lord is just as strong, President Rissi said.
“As district president, I felt that this trip truly allowed us to draw near to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through the experiences we had in the temple and also by the way we saw others serving us,” he said. “This trip will be the foundation of the future growth that will happen in the country. The Lord needs His people to serve more, with greater kindness and patience for each other.”
