For years, Father Damien Wee has asked me if I would be interested in going to Medjugorje, and I told him that I would love to go but that I wanted to go to the Holy Land first. I did that in October with him. 

When I was in the Holy Land, we had to flee to Amman, Jordan. In Amman, we ended up having to borrow some church articles from a church 15 minutes away in Muslim country. When we went to deliver the church articles before we left the Holy Land, the man that helped me gave me a rosary, a beautiful teal rosary.

I didn’t see it until I got home, but on the back of that crucifix was Medjugorje. It said Medjugorje. So I thought, “Okay, I’m ready. Soon it’s going to be time.”

Then my friend, Karen, who went with me to the Holy Land, she reached out and asked me if I wanted to go to Medjugorje in March, and I said yes.

I first heard about Medjugorje from my friend Denise. The first time she went was back in 2000 something, and she came back a changed person. She has been telling me ever since I’ve been her friend, “You need to go. You need to go. I want to tell everyone. I want to get to the top of the world and just tell everyone they need to go to Medjugorje. Because it’s peace, peace, peace.” 

And that is what I’ve experienced here. It’s just been beautiful. 

I did have an incident going up Cross Mountain where I kept smelling incense, intermittently all the way up. Then I told somebody and she said, “Well, ask God what it means.” 

I asked God, and then immediately I could see Him in adoration. I thought He was telling me that, “I’m as close to you now as I am with you in adoration.” That was pretty powerful. 

Medjugorje is beautiful, quaint, and peaceful. 

The experience was totally unexpected for me, walking up Cross Mountain and being able to hear the church bells, to hear the Mass going on and the singing, was just incredible.

I came with no expectations. I’ve had surprise after surprise.

I have a sister that has mentioned that the messages are so simple. Now I know why. Because there’s nothing new. This is what scripture tells us. This is what our Lord has told us. Nothing new. She’s just reminding us.

I’m going to take home peace, the love of Our Lady, a closer relationship with Her, which is what I’ve been wanting, and stories to tell others.

The experience that I’ve had hearing everybody speak, it’s made a difference for me. In the past, I’ve been a little skeptical. That’s because it’s not approved, but now after our local guide’s several talks I don’t think that way anymore. I believe it’s true.

The locals are so reverent. For instance, we saw one coming down from Cross Mountain today, a beautiful older woman, just handing out rosaries. She was just beautiful. That, to me speaks everything. 

I’m just very thankful that I was drawn here and could make this trip. I feel very blessed.