I was christened Catholic, in Croatia, but it was during the time of communism and my family never went to church. Although I didn’t practice my faith I got married to my first husband in the church, which was silly really, as I didn’t understand what Christian marriage was. We weren’t married that long, but I had a son Mark, and it was when he was born that I started going to Sunday Mass. But even then I didn’t really understand what it was all about.

After my divorce I met Gary and we fell in love and moved in together. Looking back I can see that this was sinful, but I didn’t think so at the time, as I wasn’t converted myself. When Mark was four years old, Fr Ivan Miskic from Croatia rang me and insisted that we went to a charismatic event with Sr Briege McKenna. It was here that I was convicted about my lifestyle and I went to confession for the first time in many years. This was the turning point for me. I remember crying my eyes out. Mark had a problem with his ears at the time and he had a vision of Jesus who told him that he would be healed and he was. My spiritual ears were opened and it seems Mark’s physical ears at the same time. Then my mother invited me to another conference given by an Indian priest called Fr James Manjackal in Split. I remember him saying in the conference “Elizabeta, God is calling you”. My name is not common in Croatia and I knew it was God calling me. This was when I was baptised in the Spirit and started speaking in tongues.

When I got home I began to feel very uncomfortable about the way Gary and I were living and I realised it was wrong, but it was a bit difficult to sort out as we had been living together for a couple of years and had already bought the house together. We talked it through and for two years we lived as brother and sister in the same house, until we got married. This was not always easy, and it was also difficult for Gary, as he didn’t straight away give his heart to Jesus.

“Welcome each other into your houses without grumbling”
(1 Peter 4:9-11)

I became friends with a wonderful Croatian priest called Fr Drazen Radigovic from Zagreb. When he came to England he would stay with us and he became my spiritual director. He taught Gary and me a lot of things. He was always telling me that I should be in a prayer group, but I couldn’t find out anything about the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England. When you are in the Charismatic Renewal network, you know where there are conferences and prayer groups but when you are on the outside it is very difficult to find these things out in the normal parish set up. For a long time I just prayed on my own as Gary at this stage wasn’t interested in praying with me.

Fr Drazen said I should at least find one other person to pray with and God provided this when I met Dawn who is in my parish. She told me that she had been praying for three years that God would send her someone to pray with. We prayed together just the two of us every week for three years. Then Gary had his own conversion experience. Although in the beginning he wouldn’t pray with me, he would sometimes come with me to charismatic events, and three years ago he came with me to the Catholic Miracle Rally. He almost didn’t come back after the first day and had a lot of inner struggle. But on the second day, he had an amazing touch from God. During the meeting he suddenly felt that he had become paralysed and it seemed as if there were nails in his feet and hands and a hand holding him down. Then an inner voice said to him “confess all your sins!” He did this silently in his mind and immediately he was spiritually, physically and emotionally released. The change in him was amazing. Almost immediately he began chatting and befriending a young black guy, who had got speaking to us, whom he had been ignoring before. God gave him a new compassion for others.

“If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you should make hospitality your special care”
(Romans 12.:13)

I have always been a hospitable person but I never saw it as a gift from God, but just part of my nature. But I can see over these years since I have been baptised in the Holy Spirit that God has anointed this and expanded it in me. He has made me more aware of people. I was brought up in a well off family and I have to admit that before I was a bit of snob and would only associate with people from the same background as myself.

Most of my friends came from high society and were prominent people socially. I would never consider making friends with poor or vulnerable people as I felt that I had no common ground with them. But after my baptism in the Spirit I started to look at people with new eyes. Now I will go and sit in the streets with a homeless person, take them food or simply befriend them and have a chat. When I used to work in this finance company I would take lunch every day to a homeless girl on the way. I made an arrangement with a local coffee shop to pay for her to have a hot drink every day. It was through my friendship with her that I realised that some people are really not able to fend for themselves for whatever reason and we need to help them.

Jesus was always a welcome guest at the home of Mary and Martha (cf Luke 38-39)

God has given me a special compassion for the vulnerable and mentally ill. I am now a part-time interpreter and I work with the council, police and social services. Many of the people I am called to interpret for are mentally ill. Often because they can’t speak English and because of their psychological state, I am the only person they can talk to. So often I befriend them outside my work. I take them to church, or invite them to my house for a meal. When you open your home to people in need, you open your house to Jesus too. Gary is very good and patient about this too and he allows me to invite people for Christmas dinner and we take them out for trips. One year a lady came and she was so happy to be with us for Christmas that my family cried and were filled with joy themselves. My husband and son too have come to realise that our home is a gift from God not just for ourselves but for others too.

I love baking cakes and take them to work or wherever I am going to give away to others. Whilst I am baking I always praise and worship the Lord. Often I will put down my mixing bowl so I can dance to the Lord. I always pray for the people who will eat my cakes and I ask the Lord to bless them. And I have noticed that when I give cakes to people they always seem to have joy in their hearts. Sometimes we don’t appreciate those around us in the community who serve us, so I also have made it a point to invite the dustman in to the house for cakes and coffee every few weeks and I have made friends with them all, and I share about my faith.

Through hospitality our family has received so many blessings, both spiritual and financial and God has enabled us to always have an overflowing food cupboard. When people think about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they tend to just think about the gift of prophecy, tongues or words of knowledge etc, but there are so many, and I thank the Lord that he has given me the gift of hospitality which I can use for the up building of His kingdom.

Liz Tanner, from Croatia, is married to Gary and lives in Reading