Hungarian Pioneer

One of the earliest members of the Church in Hungary, Horváthné Peller Erzsébet grew up under the communist regime in Budapest. As a teenager during the early 1960s, Erzsébet (in Hungary, given names are listed last) had the opportunity to spend several months developing her English skills in the United States. Thirty years later, this ability would prove providential.

In early 1990 Erzsébet’s cousin, who had lived in the United States for several years and there joined the Church, returned to Hungary. When he came to see Erzsébet and her family, he brought two missionaries with him. The elders, who were serving in the Austria Vienna East Mission, were some of the first missionaries assigned to labor in Hungary. Erzsébet met with them for the next five months and was baptized in June 1990, just a few weeks before the Hungary Budapest Mission opened.

With her fluency in English, Erzsébet was an immense help to the new mission. James L. Wilde, who served as mission president until 1994, said: “We met her the day after we arrived in Hungary. We thought she had probably been a member for many years because she had a sense of vision of the Church that many people who have lived in it their entire lives don’t have. We were absolutely floored when we found out she had been baptized only two weeks earlier.”

Because of her language skills and solid gospel knowledge, Erzsébet was asked to be on the Translation Committee for the Hungarian edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, published in 1995. She has also been asked to translate other Church materials into Hungarian.

Erzsébet has served as the Young Women and Relief Society president in her newly organized branch. With the help of her three sons, Gergö, Imre, and Péter, all of whom have joined the Church, she continues to help build the Lord’s kingdom in Hungary.—Janet Peterson, Brighton 11th Ward, Salt Lake Brighton Stake