SPANISH FORK, Utah — Friendship is a key element for young single adults to remain faithful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a native Icelander told descendents of her native country during a fireside on Sunday.

"We must be strong and keep the standard," Kristjana H. Bardardottir said.

In Iceland young couples often live together without marriage, she said, which is contrary to the teachings of the LDS Church. She attends a small branch of the church there.

"The culture is different (than in the United States) and we must be unified and stick together," she said. "Living it brings you happiness."

Strength is in friendship and having friends in the church give each other strength, she said at the Heritage Fireside of the Icelandic Days 2009 annual event.

The LDS Church came to Iceland in 1851 when two Icelanders were converted while visiting Denmark, Thorariun Haflidasson and Gudnundur Gudnundsson. The latter convert did most of the teaching after returning to Iceland when his friend drowned, Bardardottir said, and the religion took hold and grew.

However, the new converts suffered religious persecution so in 1854 they began to immigrate to the United States where 400 of them eventually made their way to Spanish Fork, then a new settlement.

Every year the descendents of those first Icelanders celebrate their heritage with a thee-day series of events, culminating in the Heritage Fireside.