Looking across the span of half a century of the Church in Finland, one sees a stalwart people who have made gospel principles a part of themselves.

The Finland Helsinki Mission, originally named the Finnish Mission, was created Sept. 1, 1947, with a handful of members and a branch. Some of these members were descendants of converts from the 19th century.Today, Finland has 4,400 members in two stakes. It was the Finnish members who took the lead in carrying the gospel to Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1989.

Nearly half the members in Finland attended recent activities in Helsinki, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Finnish Mission. These activities included programs, a dance, fireside, a meeting for women, and a five-act historical play. In addition, returned missionaries are publishing a 275-page history of the Church in Finland in both Finnish and English, Muistamme (We Remember).

Attending the events were four former mission presidents, Henry A. Matis, 92, who served from 1947-54; Phileon Robinson, 1954-58; Mark E. Anderson, 1961-64; and Malcolm Asplund, 1964-67. Mission presidents and Finnish members, separated for several decades, were equally thrilled to see one another.

The mission presidents were impressed by the 2,000-plus members who gathered at the program, and the members were awed to see the men whose names have become venerated over time, particularly Henry A. Matis, the founding mission president.

Finnish member Helen Hannonen, now a resident of California, described in a letter to Pres. Matis the impact of his entry into the crowded Helsinki meetinghouse:

"Many prayers have been offered in your behalf, so you might have health on your journey," she wrote to him. "When you entered the hall, everyone reached over to get a glimpse of you. We had all heard about you but this was the first time any of us had seen you in person. As tears filled the eyes of most of us . . . those were tears of happiness and gratitude for all you have done and who you are."

Pres. Matis, in turn, commented, "The thing I noticed was the depth that the gospel has been taken into the Finnish culture. It was wonderful to me to see the Latter-day Saint theology and doctrine woven into the Finnish culture and into Finnish habits as an integral part of Finnish way of doing things."

He described a choir conductor who "in full Finnish costume conducted the choir, tenderly and actively with her full heart and testimony of the gospel."

The strength of the Church in Finland is "beyond my wildest dreams," he said. "I am so thrilled about what has happened there. This is an example not only to the rest of Finland, but also to the Baltic States and Russia, where the Church is growing so fast now."

Pres. Matis's calling as mission president in 1947 was an answer to the prayer of Elder Ezra Taft Benson, then of the Council of the Twelve. Elder Benson had traveled to Finland in July 1946 with acting Sweden Mission Pres. Fritz Johannson. They visited the recently reorganized Larsmo Branch and Elder Benson rededicated the land for the preaching of the gospel. Elder Benson was impressed by the independence and courage of the Finns, and with the missionary progress being made by the handful of Swedish missionaries and the local members.

Upon his return to the United States, he proposed a mission for Finland and, when it was approved, began searching for a mission president who could speak Finnish. He searched local universities but no one spoke Finnish. Then one day while traveling on assignment from Florida to Chicago, Elder and Sister Benson were left behind by an early departing train. Arriving on a different schedule in Chicago, they were picked up by a counselor in the Chicago Stake presidency, Pres. Henry A. Matis. Chatting informally with Pres. Matis, Sister Benson learned that he was Finnish, and fluent in the language.

Brother Matis was soon called to head the Finnish Mission, where he stayed seven years and succeeded in establishing the Church in every respect. He overcame tremendous obstacles but built a warm relationship with government authorities, legally registered the Church, obtained permission and helped in microfilming of Finnish records, and oversaw the difficult translation of Church curriculum, missionary literature, hymns and the Book of Mormon into Finnish.

He and his wife, Mae, who died in 1987, also helped provide English translation for the government. Their missionaries raised the Church's profile by teaching English and playing basketball, and even helping coach the Finnish national basketball team.

After the Brother and Sister Matis left in 1954, a former missionary, Phileon Robinson, was called to take their place. He continued making progress and the Church continued to grow. By 1958 when Pres. Robinson was released, membership was 904.

Pres. Robinson, a retired BYU professor and gerontologist, said, "The most important change that has taken place is that the members have matured in the gospel in every way. Their knowledge of gospel is obvious, their devotion to the Church and its activities is apparent. In things like temple work - some of those basic activities that separate the faithful from the social Latter-day Saints - they are active temple attenders."

The Finns became well-known at the Swiss Temple as they faithfully traveled there, beginning in 1960.

In 1961, Pres. Mark E. Anderson, who in 1946 was the first Swedish missionary to learn Finnish, was called as mission president.

"Missionary work in Finland is characterized by slow but very stable growth," said Pres. Anderson, who is currently serving a Church Educational System mission as director of the Edinburg Institute in Edinburg, Texas, with his wife, Marilyn.

"The stakes have great leadership. There are not a lot of conversions in Finland, but they are good solid people," he said.

Finland's first stake was created in 1967, with membership at 3,642.

Just as the Swedish Saints had "passed the baton" in carrying the gospel to Finland, it was Finnish Saints who "passed the baton" to Russia and Estonia as the Soviet Union disintegrated.

In doing this, the Finns overcame historic antipathy toward the Russians, who ravaged and controlled Finland after World War II.