Mirjana & Marco Visit California
By: Annemarie Yeseta

I spent the last three days with Mirjana and her husband Marco and I just wanted to share some of the things I've learned this last weekend.

First of all, Mirjana is such a wonderful girl, mild and humble, with a wonderful sense of humor. I picked her and her husband up from the airport and went directly to the Hilton in Anaheim, right next to Disneyland. The next morning at 10:30am she gave her first lecture, I guess you could call it. Some of the things we've all probably heard before such as how many secrets there are, and what the Blessed Mother looks like, but there are a few things that were new.

She says that the Blessed Mother or "Gospa" is a little taller than she is and Mirjana is about 5'4" and that she has a little curl of black hair always on the right side of her cheek and you can see that her hair is long because it comes at her waist underneath her veil.

Mirjana has an apparition with the Gospa on March 18th every year and she has a longer apparition with Gospa on the 2nd of every month. This second apparition is longer and different that the rest of the apparitions because Mirjana never knows when the Blessed Mother will come, she knows she will come, but not when. Therefore, Mirjana stays in prayer the WHOLE day. This started in 1987. When the Blessed Mother comes, they either talk about things or they just pray. This Saturday was the 2nd of the month, so everyone left her alone to pray. Marco, her husband, asked me if I could take him around so he could give Mirjana the privacy that she needs. I took him to Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Blvd. and I even showed him where the O.J. Simpson and Nicole tragedy took place. He wanted to see as much as we had time for. He couldn't get over the houses, of course, in Beverly Hills.

I asked him a couple of questions about his life with Mirjana and the happenings of Medjugorje. First I asked him how they met and was he scared to start dating Mirjana knowing who she was speaking to all the time. He laughed. He told me that they had known each other since they were children, and they always stayed in contact with each other. He was living in Sarajevo, and she was going back and forth from Medjugorje to Sarajevo where she went to school at the University after the Blessed Mother told her it would be good for her to go. Marco said then that he had heard that in Medjugorje the Gospa was coming to six children there, then he found out that Mirjana, his friend, was one of them. His eyes got really big. He asked Mirjana if this was true and she told him it was. Mirjana said that Marco was always a church going Catholic who prayed the Rosary daily, went to confession and just was a really good person to begin with so he didn't have to go through a big conversion like most people would think. They started dating off and on. I told him that a lot of people thought that the visionaries would probably become nuns and did Mirjana think she wanted to become a nun. Mirjana always said that the Blessed Mother would bless any decision that they made and she would not force them to do anything but if she got married, that it should be a marriage that would need to be an example for others on how a marriage should be. So a while later, they were married and now have 2 children (4yr old and 1 1/2yr old), and she wants to have more. She said the Blessed Mother says that it is wonderful to have children and there is a reason for it too, the more children you have the better but she didn't want to expand on why at the time. I also heard that some of the visionaries were thinking strongly about becoming nuns and Ivan a priest but their purpose in life right now is to welcome and speak with pilgrims and this is what the Blessed Mother wants them to do. They were told that if they became nuns, and were given orders to stay in seclusion, then they wouldn't be able to speak and spread the word to pilgrims like the Blessed Mother would like them to.

Marco, was a wonderful, gentle man who seems to me to be taking on a role similar to that of St. Joseph. He protects Mirjana, always is thinking of her and how she's getting along, doesn't want her to get too tired, wants her to have her privacy when she needs it (especially when it's time for her to be alone with Gospa). Mirjana has so many responsibilities and he never interferes with what she is doing because he knows it needs to be done. She speaks to pilgrims wherever she goes and he is usually taking care of the kids when they're at home and helps with the housework. Whatever she needs, he's there for her and always seems to take the backseat to wherever she is and he loves it, he loves his wife with all his heart. They always pray together as a family, This impression of St. Joseph always sprang in my head whenever I saw them and it was wonderful.

Like I said, Mirjana likes to joke around a little too. She didn't mention that she sees Gospa to her then two year old little girl because she thought she was too young. They still prayed together always, but she was waiting to tell her about the visions. One day, her little daughter was playing with a friend in the front room of their house and the girls started to have a little argument. The one girl said, my mom's better than your mom because my mom can drive a car. Mirjana's little girl said, well that's nothing, my mom sees the Blessed Mother. Mirjana finally realized that it was about time to explain it to her because her daughter figured out what was going on.

Mirjana is the girl that was given the parchment containing the 10 secrets. It used to be with her in Sarajevo, but then when she moved it went with her back to Medjugorje. Many people wanted to know this because of the craziness that is going on there; 20 of Mirjana's relatives were massacred there, I'll find out more on this later. She doesn't have to hide the parchment because no one can read what is on it. She took it out once to show a couple of her cousins and one girl saw a prayer on it, another girl saw something else, and they were shown it at the same time, so Mirjana is not worried than anyone will break the code. ha ha

There is always speculation and a lot of other apparitions going around. Mirjana was asked to please ask the Blessed Mother about all these other apparitions and were they real. Mirjana said the Blessed Mother told her to "Please pray for these people". Mirjana also said that people are coming all the time and saying that the first secret of Medjugorje has come to pass. Mirjana says this is nonsense. She has to tell Fr. Petar Ljubicic in Medjugorje 10 days before the secret is to happen and then both her and the priest are supposed to fast and pray for 7 days and then three days before the secret is supposed to happen, the priest will announce it to the whole world for all to see. Mirjana said, she has never told her priest that any secret happened yet and she has never spoken to any one about them. And that NO secrets have come to pass. She jokes and said that her confessor which is Father Petar, tells her to come to confession and just tell him one. She always laughs at this. The reason she chose Father Peter Ljubicic (if any has been to Medjugorje, he is the one with the big glasses) is because from the first time she met him, he always was kind to the very poor people and the orphans and she loves this about him.

Speaking of orphans, besides visiting with pilgrims everyday when she is in Medjugorje, she also helps out and takes care of many children in the orphanage. She wants to build another orphanage there in Medjugorje because there are so many Croatian refugees from other villages without a mother or a father or sometimes both. She would like to see 10 homes for the poor and the orphans there. Her life is dedicated to helping all the little ones she can besides her own. One thing is certain though, if the U.N. peace keepers can't get food and supplies to people throughout Croatia, Medjugorje has been able to do it for a long time. The people in Medjugorje, even Father Jozo, and the visionaries personally take medicine, food, clothing to all the poor they can find.

Mirjana, asked me some questions that were cute like, how do the girls in America get such shiny hair, is there something they use. They also said that to live here you must really like to drive. ha ha

Marco works as an auto repair man in a body shop near Medjugorje and he works hard. Mirjana works mostly with the children and orphans and speaks with pilgrims and I know she said something else but I just can't think of it right now.

I asked her what she feels like before the Gospa comes, what are her emotions like. She said that she feels so excited, and nervous and full of anticipation because she knows that for however long the Blessed Mother is with her, she feels no pain, sorrow or fear, only happiness, love and she feels like she's in Heaven. She has never hugged the Blessed Mother or vice versa but she says that just being so close to her like that you almost want to burst with love. You feel sooooo loved by her.

Never has the Blessed Mother told her, "Come to me and I will give you....." it has always been. "Come to me and I will lead you to my son and he will give you ...."

Well, that's all I can remember right now but I prayed like crazy so that I wouldn't forget anything, or twist anything around, or say something that wasn't truthful. If I can remember something I'll let you all know. If you have any questions that might jog my memory more, feel free to ask. I love talking about this subject as if you haven't already noticed.

Oh, one other thing. Mirjana asked me to come and stay with her when I went to Medjugorje, I know some people are going in October and I would really love to go. Maybe there are some of you out there in cyberspace who might want to make a pilgrimage. Just a thought. Mirjana says that now is the quietest time they have had there in a long time. Everything is peaceful there she said, So, what do you think.

God bless everyone

Anna - Hvaljen Isus I Marija