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The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approved another $5 million in aid to fund refugee assistance in Europe -- specifically food, clothing, shelter and other supplies.

For one of the church's most visible leaders, this issue is especially personal. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, was a refugee himself -- not just once, but twice.

With his mother and siblings, he had to flee his home several times.

"These were trips of fear," Uchtdorf told 2News in an exclusive interview. He said he was just four years old the first time he and his family had to leave.

"We left everything behind and started with zero," he said. "We could just take what we could carry."

Young Dieter's father was a soldier in the German army. World War Two was raging. The family's home in Czechoslovakia was no longer safe.

"We had to leave under the guidance of our mother," Uchtdorf said. "Four kids, I was the youngest."

They boarded a refugee train heading west and set out for Germany where Dieter's grandparents lived. But the journey was perilous.

A difficult journey

"It was one of the coldest winters ever, the winter of 44 to 45," Uchtdorf said.

At times, the trip was almost disastrous.

"The train stopped, my mother went out and tried to get food," Uchtdorf remembers. "When she tried to find the train, the train was gone with her four children in there."

After scouring the large train station, his mother found the train with her children inside. Together, they pushed on, eventually making it to Zwickau, part of East Germany.

Uchtdorf says the family's safe arrival was largely thanks to the kindness of others.

"People came up and brought us food and brought us tea or something to drink and were kind to us when we stopped on this long trip during the cold winter," he said.

It's a kindness he said he tries to exhibit today as he looks at people who are just like he once was.

"When I look at the situation now, with the worldwide refugee situation, it is almost a tsunami of refugees," Uchtdorf said.

The CCC wrote:I doubt it.

Being in the First Presidency is a very high profile in the Church.

Upon President Monson's death the First Presidency is dissolved and authority returns to Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Tradition and Church law dictates that the most senior tenured member becomes President. In this case Russel M. Nelson

I have a question wrote:
Nelson is currently President of the Q12.
When Monson dies a new Q12 President will need to be appointed.

Themis wrote:

I have a question wrote:
Nelson is currently President of the Q12.
When Monson dies a new Q12 President will need to be appointed.

The councilors will become part of the Q12 with the most senior member as president. In this case Nelson. Tradition is the most senior becomes the new President, but there is no law in this regard. Joseph never really created any rules for when he was gone. If the most senior behind the Prophet is a councilor the next most senior actually becomes the acting Q12 president. This was the case during part of the time Hinkley was a councilor.

The CCC wrote:SEE https://www.LDS.org/manual/teachings-of ... y?lang=eng

SEE https://www.LDS.org/scriptures/dc-testa ... 6?lang=eng

Themis wrote:

The CCC wrote:SEE https://www.LDS.org/manual/teachings-of ... y?lang=eng

SEE https://www.LDS.org/scriptures/dc-testa ... 6?lang=eng

You need to make an argument then provide quotes and then the links. I don't know specifically what you are trying to say. I would clarify my comments that Joseph never came up with clearly defined rules on succession. This is why we had a succession crisis. The rules today do not go back to Joseph, but probably BY or JT.

I have a question wrote:I thought it was to satisfy the conditions needed for the articles of association when the Church incorporated?

Themis wrote:

I have a question wrote:I thought it was to satisfy the conditions needed for the articles of association when the Church incorporated?

Possibly, but I have not done much research in these areas. Not that important.