A Book of Mormon in Hungarian

For many years, the Hungarian Saints had prayed for their own translation of the Book of Mormon. Although selections of the Book of Mormon had been available for several years, copies were in such short supply that missionaries often lent their copies to investigators and members. Finally, in December 1991, the mission received word that the complete translation in Hungarian had been printed.

The week before Christmas, Johannes Gutjahr loaded his car with 1,600 books and drove from Germany to Hungary—about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles)—arriving in the border city of Győr at nearly three o’clock on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, he was told that he could not pass customs clearance there and would have to continue to Budapest. He drove through a heavy snowstorm to the mission office, where he was met by Elders Victor Sipos and Kuen Damiano. They drove to the customs office in Budapest, offering fervent prayers for a miracle, since it was just after closing time. Because of the holidays, the office would not be open again until January.

They felt blessed when they found one official still in the office. However, his reply was “Absolutely not! Come back in January.” They persisted. They explained that these were religious books and very important to the Hungarian Saints. They would really like to deliver them in time for Christmas. His answer continued to be no.

Silent prayers were offered. Suddenly, the officer changed his mind. He agreed to process the books. “Something finally touched him,” said Elder Sipos. The customs officer became very helpful, even offering to take personal responsibility for the shipment. The books were now in the country legally, but there was only one day to get them to 10 cities throughout Hungary. Missionaries were summoned, and cars were loaded to make the deliveries.

Elders Sipos and Damiano made their last stop in Debrecen in Eastern Hungary on Saturday night. They stayed for Church meetings the following day.

On Sunday morning, István Berente, a Hungarian missionary, made the announcement during his talk on the importance of prophets. He said, “President Benson wants us to study the Book of Mormon. To help you do this, we have a little something for you.” The missionaries started handing out copies of the Hungarian Book of Mormon. The reaction was instantaneous. Some people cried, some cheered, and some prayed. They thanked God for the opportunity to read stories they had only heard from the missionaries.

The members spent the rest of the day reading the Book of Mormon and writing their testimonies in each other’s books. “I am so happy,” wrote one sister, Ágnes Fegyyerneki. “This was the greatest Christmas present I’ve received. Please don’t ever forget what this Christmas means for us.”