Inspiration in the Nations: Daria Fritz
“Oma” is what my kids fondly call this lovely lady. Who knew that while we were living in Spain they would have an Austrian granny who would come for long visits to be with her daughter’s family and also be a caring, generous and kind grandparent to them when they were far from their own. We all love to have Oma praying for us, as well, because she is full of faith!
Joy Matienzo: Hi Daria, Thanks for agreeing to talk to us about your life in Austria.
Let’s start by describing what it was like growing up in your home and how your family influenced your beliefs about God.
Daria Fritz: I grew up in a Catholic home, but my family was very dysfunctional. God seemed to be very far away and upset with me. I feared religion in school, because our priest had a loose hand so to speak. It was not uncommon for me and my classmates to get a beating when he was teaching religion as a subject.
JM: That kind of experience could turn a person away from Jesus. How did you decide to follow Him? What was happening in your life at the time and how did you know you needed Him?
DF: How I wish I could have known the LORD much earlier in my life!! I think I was always searching for the truth, but I was already 45 years old when I first heard the gospel explained to me the way I could really understand it. Looking back, I know that Jesus has always kept me safe and led me to the point where I could get to know Him personally. He saved me from dying in our burning house when I was only 3 years old, and I could share many more tragic, even dangerous moments God rescued me from.
When I first set foot in a church that was not Catholic, our family as a whole was not in a good place. So I will always be grateful to the American friend of my daughter who told us about this church so close to our home in Austria. The moment I entered the building, I instantly knew: this is where I belong! The preaching was WOW! I had never heard anything like that before! To hear that we truly have a SAVIOR who loves me and who was not angry at me… I was already looking forward to the following Sunday!
JM: That’s amazing! How did things change once you surrendered your life to Christ?
DF: With me and my two children attending that Christian church, my husband wasn’t particularly happy about it at first. He was often angry and couldn’t understand why we would desert our Catholic faith. But we kept on praying for him, and after a few months, he also gave his life to the Lord, and we all got baptized together! Our family relationships changed so much. We were able to forgive each other for things that happened in the past, and for the first time in my life I truly felt alive! The community and fellowship in the church was also amazing, something I will always treasure.
We all became much closer to one another, and we started doing things together again. We even attended a 2 year Bible School together! I loved this time, and up until now I am still eager to learn and share new things about God and His Word.
A lot of things have changed in our marriage since then as well. My husband stopped drinking and playing in the folk music band (which was a big problem in our marriage). Two of my kids gave their life to the Lord together with me that first time we went to church. 8 years later, my other daughter got saved as well!
JM: Can you share with us about your experience as an intercessor and some of the answers to prayer that you have witnessed in your life or the lives of others.
DF: When it comes to interceding for people, I just have it in my heart! It comes natural to me to pray for them. I cannot really say that I ever felt a special calling to be an intercessor. I guess, it just happened as I love spending time with God in prayer and worship. I did start interceding a lot from the start for my husband and then later on for my two kids who are both missionaries, one in Spain and the other one in Germany. I am so grateful that they are both serving God full-time.
One other example of an answered prayer is my niece: I prayed for her salvation for 18 years, and last year she made that decision to follow Jesus all by herself!
JM: Is there an especially memorable time when your sisters in the body of Christ came around you and encouraged you during a difficult situation?
DF: When my youngest got married and first moved to Asia, I had a really hard time accepting the fact that she would be so far away from me/us. During that time, I appreciated the prayers and time together with friends from our church more than ever. The same is true for those times when I had to face operations (e.g. on my thyroid or a knee operation). Prayer changes everything, and my sisters in Christ really lifted my spirit during these difficult times.
JM: What one piece of advice would you give a woman who is struggling right now?
DF: I would say to her that no matter what hardship you are facing right now, I am convinced and have seen it again and again in my own life, that when we put God first, taking time to worship HIM on a daily basis, things will begin to change! Worship is like a secret weapon in the battlefield of our life. I don’t ever want to be without it. It is also important to forgive those who have hurt us, no matter what. Otherwise we end up harming ourselves the most!
JM: What is your favorite verse in the Bible and why?
DF: PHILIPPIANS 4:13 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible:
“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH!”
I love it because it’s so tangible and practical to me – a Scripture I like to apply in all situations.
JM: What do you enjoy doing when you have a free afternoon?
DF: I love spending time outside. When I’m surrounded by nature, it makes me feel closer to God. It’s so easy for me to be grateful when hiking or going for walks. I simply enjoy how beautiful and unique HE created everything! I also like to cook & bake
JM: Would you like to share a recipe for something you like to cook or bake that your family loves/requests?
DF: My son-in-law loves what we in Austria call TOPFENSTRUDEL (quark or yogurt strudel).
TOPFENSTRUDEL
INGREDIENTS:
Ready made puff pastry
500 g (about 2 cups) quark or yogurt
80 g (or 2/3 cup) butter,
80 g (or 2/3 cup) sugar
2 eggs
A pinch of salt
1 little package of vanilla sugar
The juice of half a lemon and a bit of grated lemon zest.
Mix the butter & sugar with the spices
Separate the eggs & add the egg yolk to that mixture.
Stir everything until it is frothy. Then add the quark or yogurt and stir again. If you want, you can also add a tablespoon of raisins.
Roll the puff pastry out and put the sweet quark filling on top of it. Then roll the strudel as tightly as possible (otherwise the filling will come out while baking).
Put it in a (glass) casserole that is not too big or wide.
Brush the top with liquid butter and bake on medium heat for about 40 minutes until golden brown.
When finished, serve hot or cold, sprinkled with icing sugar.
Have fun baking this Austrian dessert!!
