Free resources about the Hungary Budapest Mission:
- Mission address and phone number
- Mission map
- Video interviews with returned missionaries
- Missionary blogs
- Facebook groups
- LDS Mission t-shirts and gifts
- List of past mission presidents
- Cultural articles written by returned missionaries
- Survey with RMs
Hungary Budapest Mission Address
Here’s a recent address for the Hungary Budapest Mission. We try to keep this info up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.
Hungary Budapest
Budapest
Hajnóczy József Utca 14
1122
Phone Number: 36-1-488-0660
Mission President: President Jozsef Szabadkai
Hungary Budapest Mission Map
Here’s a link to the mission map for the Hungary Budapest Mission (LDS). To access the official, up-to-date LDS.org map for the Budapest Mission:
Videos with Hungary RMs
Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Hungary Budapest Mission. We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews.
LDS-Friendly Videos about Hungary
Here are LDS-friendly educational videos about Hungary. We scoured YouTube to find the best quality videos about Hungary, that are free from inappropriate music, immodesty and profanity.
Hungary Budapest Missionary Blogs
Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Budapest Mission. This blog list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.
Hungary Budapest Mission Groups
Here are Hungary Budapest Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Budapest Mission.
- Hungary Budapest Mission Facebook Group (54 members)
- Budapest Mission Moms and Friends (LDS) Group (21 members)
Hungary Budapest Mission T-Shirts
Here are T-shirts for the Hungary Budapest Mission!
Shirt designs include Hungary Budapest Mission logo/emblem shirts and Called to Serve shirts. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. LDS Mission shirts come in all sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, up to 4XL. The mission designs are printed on white shirts and are shipped to you.
*Simply click on a shirt design to view the details and submit an order. The designs on mission t-shirts may also be printed on other LDS mission gifts, including: Hungary Budapest missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.
*Click here to browse Hungary Mission gifts
Hungary Budapest Mission Presidents
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Budapest LDS Mission.
- 2015-2018, Jozsef Szabadkai
- 2012-2015, Lowell V. Smith
- 2009-2012, Gary Scott Baughman
- 2006-2009, G. Walter Gasser
- 2003-2006, Douglas Reed Clement
- 2000-2003, David A. Peterson
- 1998-2000, Joseph Toth
- 1996-1998, William Nemeth
- 1994-1996, John Toth
- 1991-1994, James L. Wilde
Hungary LDS Statistics (2015)
- Church Membership: 5,123
- Missions: 1
- Temples: 0
- Congregations: 22
- Family History Centers: 6
Helpful Articles about Hungary
Hungary Budapest Missionary Survey
Here are survey responses from Hungary Budapest RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.
When did you serve?
- July 2013-July 2015 (Riley)
- 2011-2012 (Steph)
- 2012-2013 (Caroline)
- 2007-2009 (Brett)
- 1993-1995 (Elder)
- 2013-2015 (Steven)
- 2010-2012 (Trevor)
- 2002-2004 (Robert)
- 1993-1995 (Garrison)
- 2012-2014 (Colton)
Which areas did you serve in?
- Kecskemét, Buda, Szeged, Debrecen. (Caroline)
- Budapest (Belváros, Zugló, Csepel), Dunaújváros, Szombathely, Győr, Debrecen, Székesfehérváros. (Elder)
- Pest, Békéscsaba, Győr, Miskolc, Buda. (Steven)
- Pápa, Buda, Kaposvár, Pest-Új Pest, Szolnok, Győr. (Trevor)
- Budapest, Vac, Szeged. (Robert)
- Miskolc/Obuda/Ujpest/Debrecen/Szombathely/Erd/Delbuda. (Garrison)
- Papa, Eger, Buda, Békéscsaba, Nyíregyháza, Győr, and Pécs. (Colton)
What were some favorite foods?
- Paprikás csirke (peppered chicken). (Riley)
- Paprikás csirke (chicken paprika), lecsó (kind of like fajita mix), milka chocolate. (Steph)
- Kókuszos csiga (essentially a cinnamon roll, but instead of cinnamon it has a yummy coconut filling), Rakott krumpli (a layered potato casserole with Hungarian sausage, cheese, and sour cream). (Caroline)
- Langos, Paprikas csirke, Gulyas levels, Porkolt. (Brett)
- Stuffed cabbage, Hortobágyiyi húsos palacsinta (pancakes stuffed with meat), gulyás leves, pörkölt. (Elder)
- Rakott krumpli, Csirke paprikás, Milka. (Steven)
- Rakott Krumpli, Lecsó, Lángos. (Trevor)
- Palacsinta, Langos, Paprikas Csirka, Töltöl Kaposzta. (Robert)
- Palacsinta, langos, paprikas csirke, kakaos csiga, lecso. (Garrison)
- Töltött paprika- stuffed peppers, Lecsó- stew, Rákot krumpli- stacked potatoes. (Colton)
What was a funny experience?
- One time I accidentally flirted with a girl, because of different language problems. (Riley)
- A bum came up to me and asked me for some money, and I told him we couldn’t give money to people. “It’s okay” he said, “I’m not a person, I’m a fish!” Haha. It was sooo funny. (Caroline)
- Getting slapped in the face by an elderly man while street contacting. (Brett)
- Elder A would eat anything and Elder B would pay him to eat strange things. One day Elder A stayed home with his sick companion and decided to make “chocolate haystack” cookies. Part way through he realized he had no oatmeal and so he used buzadara (Cream of Wheat) to make them. They looked terrible, so he shaped some to look like dog droppings and put them in front of the door. The other elders came home and Elder B said “Elder A, somebody’s dog made a mess in front of our door. I’ll pay you $50 if you eat that.” So Elder A ran outside and picked up his “cookie” and ate it. Elder B paid up, but nobody told him for a few weeks what had really happened. (Elder)
- Interacting with old people and gypsies. (Steven)
- Sajt nites. (Trevor)
- Getting death gripped hugged by a drunk old lady as she shouted “I love Jesus Christ!” In a packed train station. (Robert)
- Getting on wrong section of train after zone conference. We were leaving Debrecen heading back to Miskolc and the part of the train we got on was detatched in Nyiredgehaza and ended up in Zahony way late. When we got back to Nyiregyhaza, it was too late to catch a train till early next morning so we hired a taxi to get us home. (Garrison)
- Being stuck out in a village with my companion in negative degree temperatures, and having our bus not show up, and a short bus randomly came and picked us up! (Colton)
What was a crazy/dangerous experience?
- One time we had a drunk person try to follow us home. My companion started hyperventilating as we started leaving. Luckily the man left us alone. (Riley)
- Having a gun pointed at me by a drunk investigator. (Brett)
- I had a drunk skinhead and his friends harass me one evening. They tried to provoke my companion and me into a fight. Finally all of them got off the bus except for the skinhead, who got inches from my companion’s face and stared at him. Finally we reached our stop and I was worried what would happen when we got off and no bus driver was there, but we got off. As soon as we got off, however, the skinhead got a big grin and apologized to us for the behavior of his friends. He told us how glad he was that people like us came to Hungary and tried to help the people. He was super friendly, but when we tried to arrange to talk to him again he just told me “I’m too far gone for you guys, but I’m glad you’re here.” (Elder)
- The Chinese Piac had a few crazy moments. (Trevor)
- Drunk bum vs high glue hugger on a tram heading to our apartment. The glue hugger pulled a knife, sliced up the drunk and kicked him off the tram. He then got off the next stop and ran off to finish the job. (Robert)
- Getting separated from the tour group at Eger Castle, and doing our own self guided tour and having to hide down a dark tunnel to avoid getting in trouble. (Garrison)
- One morning a man who we had tracted into invited us to come over and witness a pig killing, where they chase down the pig, kill it, and then take it home, hang it up, and strip it of all its meat. So we went one morning at 6 am to his house and as we walked up his driveway there was blood flowing down. When we found him they had a flamethrower burning all the hair off, then they had a saw and sawed open the pig stomach, and then slowly and methodically they cut everything off and had a use for it. (Colton)
What was a spiritual experience?
- One of our investigators was having legal problems getting baptized. After a few visits, and a joint fast, she told us that she realized that it didn’t really matter when she got baptized, as long as she got baptized. It was really amazing for us. (Riley)
- Too many. Seeing a family band together to make eternal covenants together. (Brett)
- I had an investigator who was a friend of another investigator. When we first met with her she wanted to argue everything from the perspective of another religion she was investigating. For some reason I felt *very* strongly that we weren’t to give her a first discussion or really talk to her about anything, but rather that we were supposed to give her a Joseph Smith history pamphlet with no explanation. I handed it to her, wondering what in the world I was doing, and arranged to meet her with her friend a few days later. When we came back, she said “I read this pamphlet and knew it was full of lies. But then I read it again and I know it is true.” So we gave her The Book of Mormon, which she read within two days, and she was baptized about three weeks later, along with her three kids. By that point she’d read The Book of Mormon at least two more times. I actually wasn’t there for the baptism. I had not been getting along with my companion (something I realize in retrospect was largely my fault) and got transferred two days before the baptism, but in retrospect, that was a good thing because it left my companion the satisfaction of baptizing two families in one day without my presence ruining it for him. (Elder)
- Giving blessings seemed to be the most moving experiences. We met with an active mom and two inactive daughters who we had been trying to meet with for a long time. We had a chance to meet with them but it was late, just as I was about to consider the time, I felt inside that I just had to take the opportunity. We talked a long time that night. We got home late. And the mom never ceased to thank me for that night until I went home that transfer. Love the people. (Trevor)
- Praying that we can find someone that we can baptize and finding that person who had been waiting for us in the next ten minutes. (Robert)
- Giving a blessing to a very sick baby of an investigator during Sacrament meeting and having the baby suddenly feel better and temperature dropping. (Garrison)
- Before my mission I had a dream I was on a dirt road, and at the end of the road there was a house. When I got my mission call to Hungary I always thought that dream I had was false and wouldn’t happen. Well one day me and my companion were in a city where we couldn’t get a swimming pool, (that morning I had the same dream by the way for the first time since before my mission, and I began to draw what I saw in my dreams on a sketch pad) to let us use it to baptize someone, so we looked on this map and saw some lakes on the outskirts of town. So we got on our bikes and biked to the lakes and as we were pulling up to the lakes I noticed we were on a dirt road and as I looked around I felt like it was all familiar and I realized it was my dream. So me and my companion went to the end of the road and walked in and talked to a lady who owned the lakes and she said she had met with missionaries in the past and that she was praying for us and would let us use the lakes to baptize. It was a miracle. (Colton)
What are some interesting facts about the Budapest Mission?
- In an area almost the size of Utah there were only 2,000 active members. (Riley)
- Hungarian is not related to any of the languages around it. The Hungarians came into Europe as Asian invaders in 896 AD and wreaked general havoc all around Central Europe before they settled down. (Elder)
- Hungarian’s a very hard language. (Steven)
- People who don’t have much will try to feed you even when they can’t afford to. (Garrison)
- They have castles everywhere that are thousands of years old. Hungarian, the language spoken, is one of the hardest languages in the world. The Huns that raided most of Europe and Asia, are Hungarian ancestors. They have a chocolate pastry, that is filled with a cream filling, that is one of the best tasting things ever. (Colton)
What was the weather like?
- Similar to Utah, just a lot more humid. (Riley)
- Very cold and very hot. Its humid. (Steph)
- Very much like the Midwestern United States. (Brett)
- Cold and humid in the winter. Hot and humid in the summer. Even though it doesn’t get as hot or as cold as folks from Utah are used to, it feels both hotter and colder due to the humidity. (Elder)
- Like Utah, but humid and less snow. (Steven)
- Similar to a Utah climate but more humid. (Trevor)
- Hot and humid in summer and cold and snowy in winter. (Robert)
- Cold in winter but not too cold and summer was not too hot. (Garrison)
- Very comparable to Utah. Really cold in the winter, but more windy. Very hot in the summer. But it was always humid. There were times when it was -5 degrees and times when it was 120 degrees. (Colton)
Any things you really like about the area/people?
- I love the people. They are very hardened and serious on the outside, but on the inside they are so warm and loving. Once a Hungarian loves you, they never stop. (Riley)
- Hungarians are very friendly once they know you. They care deeply about their friends. (Elder)
- They’re kind once you get to know them. (Steven)
- The people who you care about will always be your friends. (Trevor)
- How people would open up and share how they felt. (Robert)
- Hospitality. (Garrison)
- The people, as hard and stern as they are at first, are some of the most loving and caring people I have ever met. They will do anything for you after they get to know you. One time a lady fed us lunch instead of paying her light bill, and we didn’t find out until later. The places where I served were all so pretty, so old fashioned, cobblestone streets, great architecture, pastry shops were on every corner. (Colton)
Any packing/clothing advice?
- Take clothes that last, and will be comfortable. Style is not always the most important. (Riley)
- Buy the majority of winter clothes once you are there. I bought my boots, scarves, beanies, and gloves all while I was out. It just saved space. I left most of my mission clothes in Hungary. I gave my skirts to young women in the branch where I was serving at the time and gave some things to companions. Your wardrobe gets really boring after awhile, and getting different clothes is great. (Caroline)
- Bring a warm suit with extra trousers for the winter. The packing list when I went called for thermal garments, but I never used them: it was easier to dress warmly with layers than to lug extra clothing around with you. (Elder)
- Less is more. (Steven)
- I bought a coat there. I didn’t really need boots, but ended up buying some at the LIDL just to keep the slush out of my shoes. (Trevor)
- Don’t take things you normally don’t use. Like if you don’t use umbrellas don’t take one. You won’t start using it. Buy a suit in the country. Pack pillow cases. (Robert)
- Thermals for winter. (Garrison)
- Roll your clothes when you pack. Buy a coat in Hungary, don’t bring one from home. Be ready to wear through a lot of shoes. Make sure your baggage is sturdy, it can break really easy getting in and off trains. (Colton)
What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?
- I received a greater testimony and also was able to witness the process in which we all must go through to gain a testimony. My family was also very blessed. When I left, my family was very ill, and confused, but they were blessed while I was gone. (Riley)
- A lot. My subsequent life is not the same at all as it would have been since I did graduate work dealing with Hungary and went back many times. (Elder)
- My wife. (Steven)
- It opened my eyes to seeking more truth and not just believing what I’m told. My mission president and mission differed from what you’d hear in a common homecoming talk and it was the best I could have experienced. (Trevor)
- Understanding of meaningful work. Stronger testimony. (Robert)
- Learned how to work with others in ways I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. (Garrison)
- When I got home from my mission I applied for a job in my future field of work, and I gave my application to the secretary, and about 5 minutes later a man came out and started speaking Hungarian to me. My future boss went to Hungary on his mission 20 years before me. (Colton)
What are some skills you gained?
- I learned how to set goals and focus on the most important things in life. (Riley)
- Learning how to ask questions! If you can ask good questions and listen to what people have to say, you will learn so much and be a better friend. (Caroline)
- Speaking Hungarian ;-). Confidence and also learning to relax about some things and take other things seriously. (Elder)
- Cooking, ironing, washing, whipping. (Steven)
- Language knowledge, tons of critical thinking skills, reading people also became easier for me. (Trevor)
- Work ethic. (Robert)
- Second language, broader menu cooking skills. (Garrison)
- I gained better people skills. I am not afraid to talk in front of people. I am confident in my abilities and talents. I don’t judge people or their circumstances at all anymore. I have learned great study habits. I have learned how to endure trials and turn to God and to serve others instead of worrying about only myself. (Colton)
What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?
- I wish I would’ve stepped out of the way and let the Spirit do the work. (Riley)
- There are lots of little cultural things you don’t know. For instance, it was only after my mission that I found out that a firm door knock is considered very, very rude in Hungary (you knock quietly and then a bit louder if there is no response). It’s amazing people let us in the door when we came pounding (from their perspective) on their doors. I wish someone had also told me that, when you are offered food or drink in Hungary, you are supposed to politely refuse twice and then be reluctantly persuaded to accept on the third offer. (You can safely refuse three times if you don’t want to eat.) So often we felt that Hungarians were pushy in offering us food when in fact they were just being polite and we, in fact, were rude when we accepted on the first offer. Many missionaries were driven nuts by people “forcing” food on them, when in fact it was just a mismatch of types of politeness. (Elder)
- I wish I knew how to speak Hungarian. (Steven)
- I wish I knew that Christ has my back and that His Atonement was purpose built for me to wipe away guilt and insecurities. I thought I had to be perfect to ask others to live the higher law, but my eyes were opened with the book “Believing Christ” and I then forgot about my weaknesses and worried about helping others. No, my weaknesses did not disappear. But Christ always cleansed me as I did not give up on Him. His promise to make us clean is real. And only He can do it. (Trevor)
- How to speak Hungarian. How to teach. How to cook. (Robert)
- Wish I had had a digital camera back then. (Garrison)
- I wish I was more confident in the talents I was blessed with and had a better understanding that God sent me to Hungary for a reason. I wish I had learned patience better. At the beginning of my mission I wish I prayed more while trying to find the Lord’s will specifically in the moment. (Colton)
Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Hungary?
- Give everything to the Lord, and understand that it’s His work, not yours. You must prepare now to understand His ways, and His will. (Riley)
- Always be true to who you are. You can follow all of the rules and be obedient, and still be an individual! The most amazing miracles I saw on my mission were when I was playing my ukulele, or making people smile, or being genuinely concerned about the people I was working with. (Caroline)
- Do not go assuming you are better or smarter than the people you serve. Many of them will not agree with you or approve of us, but we come from a tremendously privileged perspective and should treat them with respect and love. It’s tough, because as an 18–19 year old, you don’t realize just how much of a know-it-all you can be, but by the end of your mission you begin to realize it. (Elder)
- Spend more time language studying. (Steven)
- Be yourself. Don’t worry about things and always be kind. (Robert)
- Learn the history of the people before you go. (Garrison)
- My advice would be, and this was my personal motto, when you are having fun and working hard, then success comes. My testimony would be that if you love those people with all your heart, and if you work hard, and remember that you are there for a specific reason. Then when you go home, and have had hard times and good times, great companions, memorable baptisms, spiritual moments, after all that you will not want to go home. Going home will and should be the hardest thing about your mission. (Colton)
What was a funny language mistake?
- It’s important to know two words for this to be a funny story. Bajos: difficult or a problem. Bájos: sweet. These words sounds SO crazy similar! Most missionaries quickly learn the word bajos, but a lot don’t even know about bájos. We were meeting with a member family when the daughter said, “Bájos vagyok!” or “I am sweet!” My companion immediately started saying no, no, no, you aren’t! The look on the poor girl’s face was so sad. I just turned to my companion and told her very rushed in English, tell her she is, it means something else, we’ll talk about it later! It was a good one. (Caroline)
- A lot of inappropriate ones happened. Some sounds in Hungarian are very difficult for Americans to make and understand. So some perfectly innocent words end up being mispronounced as swear words. One companion I had was talking about the resurrection and kept telling the investigators that in that time they would get their sword (kard) back. He mean kéz (hand), but mixed the words up. They were very confused until I jumped in and corrected him. (Elder)
- Egeszsegedre. (Steven)
- My companion once, out of habit, repeated the answer of a kid on the street… It was the F word equivalent. (Trevor)
- Mixed up the word for sorry and a slang. (Robert)
- I goofed in my first area and instead of telling the people in Sacrament meeting that I had 5 sisters and 2 brothers, I told them I Must have 5 sisters and 2 brothers. (Garrison)
- I once heard a missionary confuse the word Virgin and sauce. Another one mixed up the word cat and nipple. (Colton)