Ellen Miller

I was really moved by the message and Our Blessed Mother. I was looking for healing in my heart. I was looking for answers on how I could best support my daughter who at the time was struggling in college life style. 

I came on pilgrimage to Medjugorje and I learned about the 5 stones. That was one thing I took back with me. I thought to myself, “I got nothing to lose.” 

I went home and really started to live them. I started fasting on Fridays.  I started going to daily Mass, which was a big deal for me. I read Scripture daily, on my phone, and prayed the rosary. I had nothing to lose and started implementing all of it, and it just changes your life. 

My husband came back with me the following year. We came home from that trip and my husband and I started fasting for our kids and what they were dealing with. 

I’ve been fasting now for 15 years. It’s allowed me to view things so differently. I thought I was fasting for my family, but really in so many ways I was fasting for myself. I was visiting with my priest and he said, “I bet you are able to do some of those things because of your fasting.” 

I think fasting is the hardest prayer and one that I feel has been very impactful to my prayer life. 

Christ Our Life is a fruit of Medjugorje. It came about by the fact that we were so passionate about Medjugorje and praying the rosary. As I was praying the rosary, it came to my heart that we need a conference in the heartland of America that would help us to understand what we believe as Catholic Christians.  I called my best friend Marilyn, because I knew I couldn’t do it on my own. Marilyn and I have been bringing pilgrims to Medjugorje for the past 15 years. She felt she was having the same calling and so together we got ahold of our Monsignor Joe and we created Christ Our Life. 

In 2008, we were in Medjugorje and we ran into Magnus from Mary’s Meals and we invited him to the Christ Our Life conference and every conference since. We had no idea the ripple effect the conference would make in people’s lives and how it would help to support the work of Mary’s Meals. 

We thought it would be a one time conference, and that we’d invite Mirjana (Soldo) as well as other speakers who would move hearts and change lives.  We thought instead of bringing 7,000 people to the other side of the world, maybe we could create and bring a Medjugorje Christ Our Life moment to Iowa and the people there.  

We invited Mirjana and she couldn’t make it, so we tried again in 2012, and 2014, and 2016, and 2018. I think we were wearing her down. It was one of the moments, when we thought, “Do we ask her again? This is getting humiliating.” Then we asked her again and she said yes! We are so excited that she’s given her yes in 2020 and we are going to fill the arena. 

It’s on Sept 26 and 27th, 2020 in the Wells Fargo arena, the biggest arena in the state of Iowa. www.christourlifeiowa.com/ 

For more information or to register visit, www.christourlifeiowa.com/