Just over two months after presiding over a monumental temple dedication in Nauvoo, Ill. President Gordon B. Hinckley made history yet again with his recent journey across the Atlantic.

President Hinckley became the first Church president to visit Iceland, Russia and Ukraine. At each stop in his six-nation tour — which also included visits to Germany and the Netherlands to dedicate temples and a visit of several hours in France — the Church leader was greeted by people of myriad ages and backgrounds hungry to listen to a prophet's voice and counsel.

The journey left a lasting impression upon the widely traveled Church president, who was accompanied on the historic trip by his wife, Marjorie.

"As I reflect upon the images which come to mind from this historic trip, I feel so grateful for the opportunity to visit with our people in this part of the world," said President Hinckley after returning to Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. "For many of them, particularly those in Eastern Europe, their journey of travail has dawned to a brighter day of hope. They look wonderful, with families coming together into the Church. Young and old alike are growing in the gospel.

"We are building temples among them, including the new temple in the Netherlands, with more to come in the future as our numbers continue to increase."

President Hinckley's European tour began in Germany on Sept. 7 with the rededication of the Freiberg Germany Temple, which was reconstructed, in part, to enlarge the size of the temple. The German members participating in the dedicatory ceremony were joined by fellow members from the Czech Republic, Poland and other former Eastern Bloc nations.

The Church president rededicated the holy edifice that he originally sanctified for temple work more that 17 years ago. (See Church News, Sept. 14, 2002.)

Leaving Freiberg Sept. 7, President Hinckley went to France where he spent several hours on Church business. No member meetings were held there.

A day after rededicating the temple in Freiberg, President Hinckley presided over the dedication of The Hague Netherlands Temple, the Church's 114th temple and the first of its kind in Holland. The temple now serves members living in the Netherlands, Belgium and part of France. (See Church News, Sept. 14, 2002.)

President Hinckley's journey continued at a near frantic pace. On Sept. 9 the Church president found himself in a small reception room in Kiev, Ukraine, meeting with Viktor Bondarenko, chairman of the State Committee of Ukraine for Religious Affairs. President Hinckley thanked Mr. Bondarenko for his kindness in assisting the Church.

Later, President Hinckley spoke to some 3,200 members gathered at the Ukraine Palace Concert Hall. The meeting marked the first time a Church president had spoken to members on Ukrainian soil.

The next day, Sept. 10, President Hinckley became the first Church president to visit Russia. More than 2,000 members gathered to hear him speak at Moscow's Cosmos Hotel. (See Church News, Sept. 14, 2002.)

President Hinckley was greeted warmly in Moscow by local government and religious officials, including Viktor Zorkaltsev, chairman of the Public Unions and Religious Organizations Affairs Committee of the Russian Duma.

President Hinckley concluded his tour Sept. 11 in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was President Hinckley's first visit to the Iceland, and he was also the first Church president to set foot in the Nordic island nation.

Besides meeting with the Icelandic members, President Hinckley also paid a visit to the country's head of state, President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson. President Hinckley also met with the Icelandic media, who asked about the Church president's feelings on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on his native United States.

"This is a day of remembrance, it's a day of mourning, it's a day of resolutions," President Hinckley said. "It's a sad occasion, but we're facing up to it. We're making the most of a very bad situation. We remember those who died in this infamous act and our country is determined to ferret out terrorism wherever it's found."

Upon returning home, President Hinckley had kind words for the people he had visited in Germany, the Netherland, Ukraine, Russia and Iceland.

"We hope and pray the Lord will bless the people of these great lands, that they will prosper and have peace and that the Church will grow and develop among them," he said.

E-mail: jswensen@desnews.com