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Carole Mikita ReportingLatter-day Saints recently celebrated the opening of a new temple in Helsinki, Finland. Church members from six nations are now traveling there to worship together.
That means people who were once enemies are now united in faith.
The view represents centuries of struggle. On one side of the Narva River rests a castle the Estonians built. On the other, an equally impressive structure for the Russians. So they lived for hundreds of years.
But following World War II, the Soviet Union swept through the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, taking over all aspects of life.
Rasma Liepa/ Latvian: "It was dangerous to go to church at that time. It wasn't allowed at all."
Today in Latvia (free since 1991) there are four congregations of Latter-day Saints-- two Russian, two Latvian.
There were cultural differences with the people, but the biggest problem was the language. After decades under Soviet rule, the Latvians no longer wanted to have to speak Russian.
Ziegfried Liepa/ Latvian: "That was history what happened in the World War. I don't really hate them. They are good people."
In Estonia, as in the other two nations, the younger generation now learns English as a second language, not Russian. Church members meet separately here, too.
Erki Koiv/ Estonian LDS District President: "The only difficulty on this is the language. I mean, people are getting very well along. And something which is doing in politics doesn't mean it's the people."
They say the governments, the militaries may hate each other, but they don't.
Despite their differences, the languages, the cultures, even the countries they come from, there is one place where they are all united.
Latter-day Saints from six nations come together in a new temple in Helsinki, Finland. The Finns, too, lived under Russian rule.
Phillip Estes/ Mission President, Finland: "Two countries that were at war with each other just a few years ago. Now these individuals will be sitting next to each other in the temple. Who could imagine that that would happen?"
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley not only imagined it, but was there to see it happen. He traveled to Finland to dedicate his faith's newest temple.
Polina Kondradyev/ St. Petersburg, Russia: "It's a miracle that I am here. I am grateful to be here. I know the Lord can turn our weaknesses into strengths."
Inara Jegina/ Riga, Latvia: "When we are in the temple, we somehow don't think about what nationality you are, which country you come from. You are sons and daughters of your God."
Whatever their past experiences, they say, they now have a common purpose-- their faith.
