Mischa Markow preached in Rīga in 1903, but a lasting Church presence in Latvia began only in 1992 with the first missionaries to the country. The first branch was organized the same year, and the Book of Mormon was translated into Latvian in 2001.
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History of the Church in Latvia
Although Mischa Markow preached the gospel in Rīga in 1903, a lasting Church presence in Latvia was not established until 1992, when Gvido and Velga Senkāns moved to Rīga, followed shortly by the first missionaries. On March 17, 1992, James E. Faust of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated Latvia for the preaching of the gospel. Two months later, the first branch was organized.
Additional Latvian- and Russian-speaking branches were organized over the next decade. In 2001 the Book of Mormon was published in Latvian, and a ceremony was held for the groundbreaking of the first Church-constructed meetinghouse in the country. Latvian Saints have worshipped together, supported each other, and contributed to their communities through regular service projects, keeping their baptismal covenant to “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9). By 2019 there were roughly 1,000 Latter-day Saints in Latvia, with branches in Rīga, Liepāja, and Daugavpils.
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Notes
- Mehr, Kahlile B. Mormon Missionaries Enter Eastern Europe. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2002.
- Senkans, Gvido. “Latvia.” In A Global Testimony: Sixty Different Countries, One Powerful Message, edited by Katarina Jambrešić. New York City: Katarina Jambrešić, 2014, 37–42.
- “Tā Kunga roka: 20 gadi Baznīcasi Latvijā” [The hand of the Lord: 20 years of the Church in Latvia]. Video, 2012.
- Ursuļans, Jānis and Oksana Ursuļana. “Jēzus mūs aicināja.” Liahona (Latvian), Apr. 2014, L7–L8.
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