Ambassadors from two nations recently visited Church headquarters within three days.

Iceland's Ambassador Ingvi S. Ingvarsson paid a courtesy call at Church headquarters Oct. 15, and met with President Gordon B. Hinckley of the First Presidency.On 18, Uganda's Ambassador Stephen K. Katenta-Apuli called at Church headquarters. He met with President Hinckley and Elders James E. Faust and Neal A. Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve.

Ambassador Ingvarsson and his wife, Holm Fridur, were accompanied by Thor Leifson, a Church member and Iceland's honorary consul in Salt Lake City.

Earlier, on Oct. 13, the ambassador and his wife visited Spanish Fork, Utah, which began as a Mormon colony of Icelandic settlers in the 1850s.

Mr. and Mrs. Ingvarsson were guests also at BYU, where they attended a Saturday afternoon football game, Oct. 13. On Sunday, Oct. 14, they attended the Tabernacle Choir's Music and the Spoken Word broadcast and toured Temple Square.

During their visit to Utah, Mr. and Mrs. Ingvarsson were guests of honor at a reception in the home of Daniel and Luene Leifson Ludlow in Provo. Sister Ludlow is of Icelandic descent. Several other guests at the reception also trace their roots back to Iceland.

"The ambassador said he felt he related very well with the Mormon folk because they seem to have many of the same principles that Icelanders have, such as being hard working, conscientious, friendly, outgoing, highly literate and skilled workers," Leifson said. "He mentioned all these qualities that made him feel right at home here among the Mormon people."

Uganda's Ambassador Katenta-Apuli was accompanied on his Oct. 17-21 visit to Salt Lake City by Francis Katana, governmental minister and counselor, and his wife, Betty Katana, who is LDS.

"We had a very cordial meeting," said Elder Maxwell. "The ambassador indicated there is religious freedom in Uganda. The country has passed through some very difficult times, but it is re-establishing itself. The ambassador spoke of bright hopes for the future."

At a dinner on the evening of Oct. 18, Church leaders had the opportunity to discuss with Ambassador Katenta-Apuli some of the health challenges in Africa. Among those at the dinner were Elders Jack H. Goaslind and Alexander B. Morrison of the Seventy and formerly of the United Kingdom/Ireland/Africa Area presidency.

Before he was called to the Seventy in 1987, Elder Morrison was Canada's assistant deputy minister of the Department of National Health and Welfare and a former professor and chairman of the Food Science Department, University of Guelph in Ontario. An internationally known scientist, he also was an officer in the World Health Organization.

"At the dinner, Elder Morrison spoke out of his experiences on health problems in the world," said Elder Maxwell. "We had a very friendly exchange with the ambassador."

Elder Maxwell said there are about 32 Church members in Uganda, mostly members who joined the Church while living abroad before returning to their homeland.