Robert

Story captured on March 17, 2020.

This is my 21st trip. As far as I am concerned God is in charge of my life. I am not concerned about anything. I was here to be here for Our Lady’s visit on the 18th of March, Mirjana’s birthday.

The plane was surprisingly empty and the only difficulty they had was having to fill out some paperwork in Sarajevo. They had one agent that was taking care of everyone, and it just slowed things down for everyone.

This is a place of grace that you can’t get anywhere else on the Earth, period. I tell people that, I try to explain to them in this way… If you look up into the sky you will see a couple of angels and they have five-gallon buckets and they’re dumping them in a funnel and a really, really, really, fine hose that is coming down to Earth. Where is it going? *gasp* My gosh, it’s Medjugorje! So, yes, God’s grace goes over the whole Earth, but there’s extra portions of grace here. I’ve witnessed so many things over the years, there’s no doubt in my mind. I would not miss this for anything.

My flight home was canceled and the next flight was scheduled for March 18th, in the morning. I said no way, I didn’t come all this way to turn around and go back home. That’s ridiculous and now I have to stay until after Easter, praise God! What a gift!

You have to live the Padre Pio principle: “pray, hope and don’t worry.” Fear comes from the devil. I had an actual physical attack when my pilgrimage group was canceling, and I just told that demon to get away from me. It was a strong pressure on my chest. I’ve been working with an exorcist since 2012 helping out in the deliverance ministry. Our Lady called me [to this ministry] because a priest asked me if I wanted to do it. He said, “Ask Our Lady when you go to Medjugorje.” It was in the second or third sentence in her message while I was there was, “…and now children I will take you by the hand and walk with you against the evil spirits…” I keep trying as best I can to follow God’s leads and live my life that way. 

I did some work for Fr. Slavko on one particular trip. Years later, in Wisconsin, I am up in a deer stand. All of sudden I hear audibly, “Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.” Three times, just like Fr. Slavko used to do with the Blessed Sacrament or the Holy Cross. I was just shaken. I get home and I have an email Fr. Slavko died today. It was a little visit. It was a little “Hey Roberts!” 

[On that particular trip] I was there for two weeks. I walked around and tried to be empty-headed so I could hear God’s voice. And what I understood was, “every priest you see, ask if there’s something you can do to help them.” Fr. Slavko put me to work right away, and then some more work, and some more work. And then up on the mountain, you know, right where you get and can’t talk because the air is getting thin he says, “Hey, English.” Then he hands me the microphone and I have to take the next decade. I am like “Haail Maaary *inhales* full of graaace *inhales* the Lord is with you…” 

Then I get to the top of the mountain and I hear again “Hey, English, hey, English?” and look, there’s Fr. Slavko. He says, “come here, come here.” I go over by him. He says, “take this down.” There were like a dozen big garbage bags. He’d go up on the mountain and clean up all the trash that the pilgrims left. He loved that mountain. He’d go up at 5:30 in the morning every day. So, he says “take this down.” I thought “Oh my God, this is going to be like 6 trips. I am not going to be able to do this. Then I remembered there was a group of college-aged guys and I found them. I said, “Hey guys come here.” We each took two bags, one trip. Done.

The people here admired him. I mean they saw in him a holy priest. There was so much sadness when he died. But then Our Lady’s message was “Your brother Slavko is with me and intercedes for you” and the whole place filled with joy. See we rush to things; we think something is a reason to be sad… just wait there’s something else coming. Be patient.