Gusztinné Tulipán Mária was born to Christian parents in Hungary at a time in that country's history when Christ followers were being persecuted under Communist rule. By the 1990's, the culture had begun to change in monumental ways. Mária was an eyewitness to great events.

As she reflects on her years serving as an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene, Mária says this about her homeland: "I do like the complexity of the ugly and the good together...and discovering the touch of God's hand through it all."