Haleigh

My mom and my brother talk about Medjugorje nonstop since their trip so they were really pushing for me to come. I was never against coming, but I wasn’t going to be the one to book my own trip or take it upon myself.

My mom just booked it and said, “You’re going.” So that’s why I’m here.

I knew what to expect in a way, like what this place was all about, but I wasn’t expecting anything to happen. I wasn’t looking for any miracles or things like that. I was open to everything. 

I instantly felt calm and peaceful as soon as I got here. I even told my brothers, Gage and Garret, “I just feel really good. Peaceful.”

One of the big things that my mom was pushing for me to do was go to confession. I haven’t gone to confession in years, maybe five or six. She would always tell me at home, “You’ve got to go.” I was like, “Yeah I know.” I always knew I had to, but I was nervous because I haven’t gone for so long. Things build up. 

My faith has expanded so much in the past year that I knew what was on the line if I never went to confession. I know how important that is. But I was being stubborn because I’m very stubborn. I would push it off, “Oh I’ll go then,” and I never did. 

It’s funny because I would always think in the back of my mind, if I ever went to Medjugorje, then I would go to confession. Then I would do it. That’s what I did for the past year and a half, but I never took the leap to come here. Someone else had to book the trip for me. Now I’m here so I needed to go to confession.

I put it off for the first couple days. Then it was the third or fourth day I was here, I was just like, “I have to go.”

I was nervous about it. Waiting in line, I thought, “I’ll just come back. This line is too long.” I was making excuses. But I went, and I did it. 

It was difficult, obviously, to talk about things you’ve done wrong, but afterwards I felt a huge weight off my shoulders. Huge. Things that I was carrying around with me for so long that I had in the back of my mind. Now I feel so much better. I took that leap, and I went to confession. I feel a lot better. That was the best thing out of this trip, to actually feel genuinely peaceful in my heart.

It’s definitely hard because no one likes to look at their flaws. When you do things wrong that you know are wrong, you bury them in the back of your mind, and you’re like, “I won’t ever think about it.” You might not be thinking about it all the time, but you kind of feel it inside of you, and you know something’s not right. 

You’ve got to take that leap, and just do it. Go to confession. Afterwards, you will feel something. There’s no way you can’t. It’s very powerful. 

Being here and witnessing day by day, not just myself, but watching other people change too and really realize what’s important in life. It makes me happy to see other people happy and have peace in their hearts as well.

I loved coming with my brothers. It was such an awesome experience for us to share. It may never happen again where all three of us are here at the same time. It’s such great experience to share with your siblings.

We climbed Apparition Hill, just the three of us. Just being up there together and praying was really nice. That was a moment we got to share together. 

I came in with an open heart, and I’m leaving with an even bigger open heart. I know how great this place is and how much it can really change someone. I might not have come in here being like, “Oh I don’t believe,” because I always believed, but now my faith is definitely a lot stronger. 

I’m definitely going to be a lot more relaxed and calm and peaceful with myself. That’s something I’ve always struggled with, not being as relaxed as I should be because I hold so much in. Now, knowing what I need to do, I’ll be more peaceful which is something huge.

A huge part of finding peace within myself was going to confession and getting rid of all the bad things and the sins because now I do have peace. I was holding all that negativity in. 

That’s really what I came here for, to find peace within myself, and I definitely found it.