Micsoda!?!

The Hungary Budapest Mission Alumni News Center


July 24, 1999

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Hungary Budapest Family!

I have good news and it is OFFICIAL. EGRET is being opened to Missionary work! As of the first of August LDS Missionaries will begin proselyting and living and Baptizing in EGER. The opening of the city has been approved by the Area Presidency and one of the goals is to help strengthen the East. This is good news and everyone is happy about it. There are currently three members living in EGER and it will be exciting to watch Hungary's newest Branch grow!

The work is progressing in Hungary and a steady pace. Some Branches are growing and Baptizing and are seeing a number of less active members return, other Branches are struggling and are on a down-turn. Things are difficult, Satan is strong and the trials are great, but there are many faithful Saints that are pressing forward and trying to move the work along.

The Hungarians need your continued love and prayers!

I will update you regularly on the progress in the Church's newest city!

Love,

Kelley G. Tedd

November 15, 1998

Dear Hungary-Budapest Mission Family,

The Lord is watching over the work in Hungary and while we've got to improve we're going in the right direction!

On Sunday October 25, 1998 the Kis Pest Branch House was dedicated.  It was a wonderful weekend for that Branch.  A large Open House was organized the day before and on Sunday afternoon Brother Woolfgang Paul the Regional Representative for Hungary came from Frankfurt to Dedicate the building.  It was a beautiful Dedication Meeting with great singing from the Kis Pest Choir.

Today, Sunday November 15, 1998, over 130 of Hungary's Priesthood gathered together for an Area Priesthood Training under direction of Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  There here Priesthood holders from almost every branch un Hungary in attendance, plus President Toth and 7 other Mission Presidents from Eastern Europe and a Stake President from Saudi Arabia were also present.  The Mission Presidents are in Budapest for a Mission President's Conference tomorrow in Budapest.

It was a wonderful afternoon.  The training was 3 hours long.  It was held at Tihany Ter with the chapel almost filled with Priesthood holders.  Elder Nelson was accompanied by Elder Bouche, a member oft he 1st quorum of the 70's and a member of the Eastern European Area Presidency.

Elder Nelson, among many things, taught about the Priesthood as well as did Elder Buche.  After about the first hour, Elder Nelson turned the meeting to questions where the members asked questions like, "What do we need for a Stake?"  The answer was to "Retain Converts!"  It was also asked, "When will we have a temple in Hungary?", to that Elder Nelson replied by quoting President Kimball when asked the same thing in Somalia a number of years ago, "You will NOT have a temple here.......... UNTIL you have enough converts to staff the temple and enough names submitted to do work!".  Shortly thereafter the Somailian temple was announced due to the increased missionary activity from the members there.  Elder Nelson also added that, "You NEED a temple in Budapest and we will be watching your progress with personal interest and love!"  At one point after the questions, Elder Nelson asked, "Who is responsible for the missionary work in Hungary?"  About 20 people in the audience responded, "Mi Vagyunk", and to that Elder Nelson continued, "That's what you need to remember to reach a Stake in Hungary."

It was a great afternoon of teaching and uplift from an Apostle of the Lord to the Priesthood Saints in Hungary!

Please Pray for the work here in Hungary as it continues forth.

Brotherly Love,

Kelley G. Tedd

July 8, 1998

Hello fellow Budapest Hungary RMs.  Things are moving along quite well in Hungary.  On June 30, 1998 Hungary said "good-bye" to President and Sister Nemeth.  President and Sister Toth arrived on June 28, 1998.  President Toth is the Brother of the previous President Toth.  The Tothék are glad to be here and are hitting the ground running. There are exciting things happening, especially with buildings, right now in Hungary.  On Sunday July 5, 1998 the first Sacrament Meeting was held in the recently finished Kis Pest Chapel.  Over 100 people attended Sacrament Meeting that day, including President and Sister Toth and all of the District Leadership.

The Hûvösvölgyi building which was originally scheduled to be repaired and then sold after last years flooding is taking on a new face this summer.  The building will become the first Institute Center in Central/Eastern Europe and one of only a few in Europe.  The building will house all of the Institute programs, including Institute classes and activities and Institute dances and
much more.  There will be an Institute Lounge and Library for the students and will be opened most days all afternoon so the Single Adults can go and read or play any time they want.

The building is only a temporary place for the Institute.  It is expected that the church will purchase a lot about a 5 minute walk from Moskva Tér half-way to Déli P.U.  The building will be three stories.  It will contain the Institute Center and house the two Buda Branches.

In addition to this a floor has been purchased in an Office Building across the street from the Bus Station in Érd.  This means the end of the school rental there.  This is a huge blessing for the members in Érd.

Seminary and Institute is growing though out Hungary.  There will be Early Morning Seminary in almost every Budapest Branch starting in September and in some Vidéki branches.  The Újpesti Early Morning Seminary finished off the year with over twenty Seminary students attending every morning!!

President Didier, the Area President, and his counselors have been to Hungary a number of times over the last few months.  Every time they come, they tell us that if we work as we are supposed to, the goal is to have a Stake in Hungary
by 2000.  That is what we're working on.  Eastern Europe's first Stake by 2000.  Please continue to pray for the Hungarians and our goal of a Stake.  You're all loved and missed!

Brotherly Love,
Kelley G. Tedd  

December 17, 1997

Great things are happing in the church in Hungary! On November 16th the first Hungary was called and Set-Apart as Branch President in Kecskemet, Furko Janos. He is a great Priesthood holder and family man with a baby on the way. The following week, November 23rd the First Hungarian Branch President was called and Set-Apart in Erd!! His name is Molnar Thomas!!

On November 9th was the Budapest District Conference. It was a great Conference where Foki Lajos was released from being Branch President in South Buda Branch and made 2nd Counselor in the District Presidency because of the vacency made when President Vaczy of Dunaujvaros was made Branch President in the Spring. At the Conference President Nemeth gave a great inspirational talk on Home Teaching. "We are losing a lot of great people because we aren't going after them", he said.

On November 30th was the Gyor Conference where President Berces Laszlo and his Counselor Pongracz Ferenc were realeased as District Presidency. Hidvegi Tibor the Branch President in Gyor was sustained and that afternoon set-apart as the Gyor-West District President by President Hancock, the 2nd Counselor in the Area Presidency. Toth Csaba formerly from Gyor now living in Szombathely is the 1st counselor. The following week President Hidvegi was released as Branch President and Csore Attila became Branch President in Gyor. It was a great Conference; although fewer people are attending the Conferences now than in the old days. We have to do better Home and Visiting teaching!

Please continue to pray for the members and the growth of the Church here in Hungary and please know that you are all loved and missed here!

July 19, 1997

A Burnellek itt voltak Magyarorszagon!!! Junius 22-en volt az orszagos konferencia, ahol itt volt Bouche elnok a Teruleti elnok tanacsosa. csodalatos volt a konferencia ahol korulbelul 900-an voltunk. Julius 8-12-ig volta Csilleberci ifjuagi konferencia. Minden fiatal szerint ez volt a legcsodalatosabb Csilleberc ami valaha is volt. A gyori Toth Csaba volta foszervezo, valamint Lazanyi Orsi es Szabo Marianna segitettek neki. A legujabb hirek szerint a Lazanyi Orsi ferjhez megy egy miskolci Izso Markhoz. Ki tudja mi lesz belole? Csillebercen itt volt Elder Shutcze a CES-tol, valamint Elder Jensen. Bejelentettek, hogy a CES magyarorszagi vezetoje A miskolci Krucsko Jozsef lett, tehat a Bjarnsonek helyett nem jon senki!!!! Emily Good itt van Magyarorszagon! Dunaujvarosbol ketten adjak be a misszio papirjaikat ezen a heten, Krall Helga es Horvath Attila. Pecsrol Toth-Ivan Katalin, valamint Kispesti gyulekezetbol Toth Andras adta be a papirjait. Csillebercen kiosztottak az elso Negy Eves szeminarium es Institut bizonyitvanyokat. Ha valamire kivancsiak vagytok irjatok nekem.

Horvath Attila
Dunaujvaros

May 12, 1997

The branch house on Hüvösvölgyi flooded and is heavily damaged. It has been completely evacuated except for the geneology readers. When it flooded, it damaged everything except two rooms, including the chapel. Walls are damaged, ceilings are drooping and caving in. It smells worse than a rotten basement, and looks pretty dreary. The geneology room was quite damaged, but not a single piece of information was lost, or equipment damaged, even while the floors and walls were crumbling. Buda 3rd branch is now meeting in a rental facility in Dél Buda.

Recently a leadership conference convened in the new Tihány Tér building presided over by Elder F. Enzio Busche. Sister Mary Ellen W. Smoot, General President of the Relief Society, Susan Carol L. Warner, Second Counselor of the General Presidency of the Primary, and Jutta Baum Busche, Elder Busche's wife were also in attendance. A country-wide conference will be held June 22 presided over by Elder Busche.

Tihány Tér's Open House is coming up soon. A lot of work is being put into it right now by the mission office, and a new senior missionary couple, the Williams. The Williams will be taking over leadership training after the Josiék return home in the coming month.

Szekesfehervar no longer has to stoke wood and coal to keep its chapel warm. It has moved above an ABC, in a neat interior glass walled building. President Wilde's son is now the Branch President there. Elder BPs still preside in Kecskemet, Szekesfehervar, Erd (which has the highest activation rate in the mission), and Nyiregyhaza.

Plans are in full motion for an upcoming Pioneer Day festival. There has been a call to service for the branches to give 150 hours of service on the 19th. We hope all is going well.

Final plans are being done for Youth Conference, where Borocz (sp?) Attila will be holding a mini-MTC for the youths. Lazanyi Orsi is in charge and has one great set of programs, including the Friedrichsdorf Temple President.

President Nemeth's white Mitsubishi station wagon has been pretty nicely wrecked, by an unnamed AP. They are loking at replacing it with a more *versatile* vehicle.

The church has approved a new Hungarian version of the church logo, where Jesus Christ is much larger than the other print.

There is a lack of translated materials. Returned missionaries are encouraged to volunteer their time and language skills to translate important leadership training and instruction materials into Hungarian.

Peanut Butter, maple syrup and chocolate chips are NOW available in certain grocery stores in downtown Budapest! Still no Root Beer :-(

The Micsoda, the mission's internal newsletter, was cut due to the lack of attention paid to it by missionaries.

The gardener Wolf passed away.

Spirits are high and President Hinckley has called the church to always testify of families and teach from the proclamation of the Family in our meetings. The mission as a whole has been focusing on re-activation, and has seen incredible results. Many branches have seen a sharp rise in memebrship. In addition, next month there are over 100 scheduled baptisms. They are being blessed for their devotion and righteousness.

May 5, 1997

To those who served recently in Dunaujvaros and know Fekete Thomas, the young man in a wheelchair, you should know that late Saturday night, May 3, 1997 he passed away. For those that had close assosiations with the family, his mother would really enjoy getting a letter from you know how you are and letting her know that you are thinking of her and care. You may contact me for her address.

April 17, 1997

Report of Elder Boyd K. Packer's visit to Hungary

This April 19th will be ten years to the day from when Hungary was dedicated by Elder Russel M. Nelson. You are one of the few people that can saw that they were part of the first ten years of the building up of Zion in Hungary.

Tonight, another of one of the Lord's Apostles was in Hungary, Elder Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, accompanied by his wife,Elder Uchtdorf, a member of the 1st Quorum of the 70's and of the Western European Area Presidency, and his wife. He spoke to some of the missionaries this afternoon, and then in the evening was a country-wide fireside held in Budapest's Tihany Ter chapel with approximately 450 people, not counting missionaries. Elder Uchtdorf explained that when Elder Holland asked him to accompany President Packer to Hungary he said to Elder Holland, "But why me, that's not my area?!" Elder Holland replied, "But Elder Packer is called to preach to the entire world, that is his area and and he wants you to go with him."

Elder Uchtdorf, his wife, and Elder Packer's wife each spoke. During Elder Uchtdorf's talk we were all surprised to learn that on this occasion, Elder Packer would dedicate the Tihany Ter Chapel. He gave an inspiring talk about the importance of learning in our lives, helping others, and our responsibilities. "We all have callings," he said, "and one of those callings you can't be released from and that never ends, being Mothers and Fathers." He concluded his talk by talking about the family and then he explained that as a chapel is dedicated that is is given to the Lord and he dedicated the chapel.

April 14, 1997

The upcoming member conference was to be on April 20th and 27th but they were cancelled and reschedualed for June 22nd. It will be a country-wide conference.

Special Editorial Note:
Former Hungarian Missionaries, this is IMPORTANT! Somewhere in Hungary there is one, two, or many more Hungarians that love you very much and are very curious about you and that want to know that you are okay. I have been asked about each and everyone of you what I know about you and if you're married or not or if you are okay or not. They also complain that YOU don't write. I tell them to please understand because I know that you're going to school and you are either busy trying to find your eternal companion or enjoying being with you eternal companion AND going to school or working.
At this point the person, family, or branch that loves you dearly says, "But if he/she would just send a postcard and tell us that he's/she's alright I'd be happy. If you see him/her, please tell them that we love him/her and just want a couple of lines about them on a postcard"!
Now I've told you. Please write them. I KNOW that you don't have much time. DON'T try and tell them everything that has happened to you since you boarded the plane. Because then you'll think about how long of letter you should write and to how many people and you end up writting to no one. I know how it is! A lenyeg---> PLEASE write a short postcard saying that you're doing well and thinking of them!
If any of you have specific questions or about something that you've heard and you want to know if it is true, write and ask me. I travel around Hungary very frequently and I tend to know most everything. I won't promise that I can help, but I'll try!

Kelley G. Tedd


April 10, 1997

On Thursday April 17th Elder Boyd K. Packer President of the Quorum of the 12 will be speaking at a Country-Wide Fireside at the new branch house in Budapest, Tihany Ter.

The newest Branch house in Hungary, Budapest's Tihany Ter has been opporational since the first Sunday in February. It has not yet been dedicated because they are waiting for the yard to be done completely. The Dedication date as of yet has not been set.

In Dunaujvaros and Pecs the FIRST Early Morning Seminiary classes in Eastern Europe have been going strong since Sept. 2, 1996. This has been an incredible year so far for those students. There is one branch in Russia, now also doing Early Morning and in Gyor they began Early Morning Seminary the first week in March 1997. Classes in these three Hungarian cities are incredible and they are growing. Gyor goes to Seminary at 6 AM and in Duna and Pecs the students start their classes at 5:30AM. Sacrifice brings blessings!!

On March 8, 1997 the FIRST Institute of Religion Committee meeting was held in all of Eastern Europe in Budapest. The Budapest Institute which is being planned as the Institute Center for Hungary, are Institute students from all of the Budapest Branches and Erd. Bajo Gabor of the Kobanya Branch was called by Pres. Csapo to be the President of the Committee. The Budapest Institute currently has 50 students attending, but the Committee is working hard to help bring more students out to Institute. It is planned that in Budapest next school year, 4 or 5 classes will be held! News provided by TEDD! international news service. 

Micsoda!?! If you have any news, please e-mail me: jarrod@autosim.com If you don't tell us about it, we probably won't know!

Micsoda!?! / created by Jarrod Ribble in January 1997

last updated July 29, 1998