My name is Livia, I live in Slovakia with my family and visiting Medjugorje was my big dream.

     My late grandmother brought me to faith. I went to church with her, but only sporadically. When I stayed at hers, we always prayed together on our knees in the bedroom in front of the great image of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Even now I have tears in my eyes when I think about it. I was very happy when I met my current husband, who respected my faith and the wedding in the church was a matter of course. The Lord has blessed us with two beautiful, healthy children. I raised children in the belief that God exists, they are baptized, they have First Holy Communion and confirmation. During our marriage, we experienced joys and worries, and after some time I lost the right direction. I lived my life, but God was absent.

Up until Covid came and with it a huge fear came into my life. It was the fear of the unknown, the fear of death, the fear of loss, the fear of the future. My heart was so excited for God. Since the churches were closed, I began to watch online masses and spiritual exercises. One day I came across the Light of Mary and Medjugorje and I can say with all seriousness that it changed my life. Until then, for me, the boring act – the prayer of the rosary – has become a “drug”for me. The community gave me a completely different perspective on this prayer and, most importantly, through it I began to come to know Our Lady, whom I did not know until then as I do now. I prayed the rosary with them daily via the YouTube channel and always waited eagerly for the second day of the month and the first Saturday of the month when they shot a new video of the rosary. My heart yearned for confession, so I went to general confession, since I had not been to confession for years. The priest was a great support to me, and thanks to his sermons my heart opened more and more to God. The masses suddenly took on a new dimension for me. At one time, I was still watching the time, my thoughts were flying up and down, but now for me the mass is an important encounter with God, and I’m not talking about adoration.

The rosary videos showed me the beauty and secrets of Medjugorje and I was very eager to go there. Just how and with whom . God solved that too. A few years ago I met a priest of an armed forces and I learned from him that he worked for 2 years in the community of Cenacolo and Medjugorje is his second home. He became our close friend and it was he who fulfilled my dream to go to Medjugorje. Well, it wasn’t that simple. When we finally found the date for departure, I got Covid, which pinned me to bed for 2 weeks. I was so weak that even the second term for departure did not work out. We set the third deadline for 14. 9. 2022. But my mom got Covid and the hope of traveling was lost. My husband offered to stay home and take care of everything. I radically refused, but the huge desire for Medjugorje broke me. I surrendered this situation over to the Lord to take care of. And that was the best decision.

So 14. 9. 2022 at 23. 59 hrs I was in Medjugorje in front of the Church of St. Jacob. The emotions that I experienced cannot be described. Tears of happiness rolled uncontrollably down my cheeks. The priest said we are going to rest. How can he be serious, I thought. How could I fall asleep when my heart calls me to the Our Lady to Podbrdo? But I had to obey, after all, he was the one to accompany me in Medjugorje.

Three days spent in Medjugorje was like a dream, I felt like I was in ecstasy. Seeing the Podbrdo live, praying the rosaries, kneeling in front of the statue of aOur Lady and at the Blue Cross, celebrating evening masses with many people who love God, filled my heart with great love and I experienced such peace as never before in my life. My thoughts didn’t go their way in prayer, I was able to focus on every single word. But when the priest told me that I was going to meet the light of Mary Community , I had to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming. The next day I met the girls. While they looked at me as an ordinary pilgrim, I thought of them as old friends with whom I prayed daily for 3 years. It was the gift of the Merciful Lord who saw my desire. For some, maybe pettiness, for me a dream came true. I am immensely grateful to God for this pilgrimage and for all the graces I receive from him daily. I am grateful for the community Light of Mary, which lifted me out of the darkness and opened the way to God and Our Lady . I still have to go back to Medjugorje and show this place to my husband.

Livia, Slovakia