Stephanie

I first heard about Medjugorje in 1984 when my grandmother and my two aunts went to Medjugorje and they came back with their experience. I was very young so I didn’t think too much of it at the time, but it stuck with me. 

It’s been 22 years I’ve felt called to Medjugorje, to come. And I knew that was far off in the future because I was just having children and I couldn’t afford it, but I’ve always felt like when the time was right, I will go.

It kind of snuck up on me in the past fews months. All of a sudden, I felt like I was going to go next year. Then I was thinking of my son. He’s going to be moving away from home. 

I just knew overnight. I felt Mary holding my hand, and that made me cry. And I knew that I should go with my son. 

Because in the past ten years, I knew that I wanted to bring my family. I know what’s happening in the world and how hard it is. It’s getting harder and harder to follow Christ on a daily basis. I knew that I needed to bring my family so that we could be stronger and pray more together and put Christ first and keep that going. 

So it started with my son, Shane. He’s going off to college, and I knew it was time. 

I didn’t have any money, but I just felt overwhelmed. I started praying the Rosary in preparation. I have a grotto in the backyard. I bring roses out to Mary before I pray. I had some roses in the kitchen that my mother brought me. They were almost wilted and dying, but I picked the best one that was a decent looking one, and I brought it out to the grotto to pray. Somewhere in that Rosary, it changed to the most beautiful fresh rose. I felt Mary telling me, “This is the right thing to do.” 

I have complete faith in what is happening here. I have no doubt in my mind. I have no problems with any of that. But the thing that almost felt like a cross to me, is that I wanted to give it to everybody. I see people who don’t know these things. But now I have a peace about it that I don’t have to worry about it. I feel more at peace just to pray for them. I needed that, and I got that this trip. 

I’m just so grateful that I got to meet Mirjana because I followed her the most, out of all the visionaries. I read her book [My Heart Will Triumph]. Her book was so personal. She’s just a beautiful example of what it means to be a Christian and to love Our Mother. I definitely will take a lot back from just meeting her and being around her. I could feel her faith and her peace, the peace that she has. 

When my two aunts and my grandmother went, one of my aunts was just on fire. She’s deceased now. I remember how she was during that time and her passion for knowing what’s happening here. I feel that way now. I wish she was here to experience it with me.

My son has a deep faith, but I can tell it’s strengthened him and rejuvenated his faith. I can just tell. It was everything I hoped it would be for him. 

I know that I’m going to bring my other son and my husband soon too so that we can have the strength and the clarity and bring that back to our lives.