Good morning

I was thinking about all this what happens here with the people who come on a pilgrimage. I just met one of the tourist guides from Italy who told me that he is planning to come back with the groups from his town, but he thinks that we need to add more interesting things into the program for our pilgrim. OH! Really?! - I said.

When people come here at first sight they really can think that there is just nothing to do here ... But once you let go and you open your heart and after you have said YES to Our Lady while climbing the Apparition Hill, or maybe just sitting down there by the church listening ( and not understanding one word, except maybe for AMEN)... Once you have that river flowing into your heart then through your body an soul, and you start praying and meditating, then your stay in Mejdugorje passes so quickly and you think of coming back again and again and again.
Medjugore is not about seeing things (although there are things to see :-) ) it is all about feeling. And what you will feel is something that cannot be explained, cannot be put in words.. That extraordinary encounter with your heavenly mother who is present here in Medjugojre in a very special way. And then trough Her you will meet your God, your Lord.
There is no better way to go to Jesus than trough Mary. I suggest you read Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort and his most famous work "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary", and Medjugorje gives us a chance to go that way.
Well I am sure my Italian friend will realize that once in Medjugorje you get so busy with prayers climbing hills, evening programs etc. That you really do not think, not even for one second , that you need to add anything. Sometimes just one mass can be an overwhelming experience.
I hope many of you will come to experience the power of Medjugorje, the power of the presence of our Mother and Her warm embrace.
Hope many of you will come back to this place as one returns to one's spiritual source.

Surely you are all very welcome.

God bless!
Emanuel

The 6th International Meeting for Married Couples

"The 6th International Meeting for Married Couples will take place in Medjugorje in the New Hall from October 26 to 29, 2005. The theme of the seminar is "Dialog in the Family - How to Educate Children?" Participation per couple: 40 €. You may make reservations by e-mail: seminar.marija@medjugorje.hr, or by fax +387-36-651-999 (for Marija Dugandzic). The number of participants is limited because of the available space in the hall, se we ask you to send your registration as soon as possible, latest by the end of September. All the participants are invited to individually provide their accommodation in Medjugorje."

The above is the invitation for all of you married couples to come to Medjugorje and combine the unique experience of living in the presence of Our Lady of Peace and attending one of the famous Medjugorje international retreats.
I am sure you will find it most rewarding.

We are expeting you

God bless!
Emanuel

Message from Our Lady - pray pray pray !

This month of august is really very eventful :-)

As one cannot write all, I choose to write about certain things which are important to me personally. After all this is a personal web journal isn't it ?

On August 15th we have all went to the Apparition Hill for the apparition of Our Lady with Ivan visionary. We had rain and mud all over but still the hill was full. Thanks to dear God rain has stopped and we did not have to have umbrella in our hands during prayers and apparition.
Our Lady came all joyfully, with many angles who sung and praised the mother of God.
Many people had different experiences on that night. Some saw the light, some part of Our Lady's dress ... Some saw angels dancing and singing.. It has been really special night, although I ( as usual) have not seen anything.

Our Lady prayed over all of us. She prayed for us, and for our families, she gave us her motherly blessing.

Also Our Lady gave us her message: "Dear children, today also I invite you with joy: dear children, pray in these days for my intentions. Pray for my plan to be realized for this world. Pray for peace. Peace, peace, peace. Dear children, pray together with Mother for the peace in the world and peace in the families.
Thank you my children for having accepted my messages."

As we were instructed by father Ljubo, messages given trough visionary Ivan on the Blue Cross or Apparition Hill, during this nightly apparition at 22h are messages for the people gathered at the apparition. Therefore messages are not translated and distributed officially, like monthly message on each 25th.

But as many came and cannot hear due to the non existing or poor loud speakers I have decided to translate the message and put it like this online for all to see. Please bare in mind that I have not spoke to the visionary after the apparition so I have not double checked for errors. I just hope there were not so many :-)

weather here is unusual cold. That should not be considered all bad. Since when it is not all that hot one can climb mountains at any time. Meaning , no early morning wake up call...

There is a good side to all things. But I hope no more raind untill the end of the month, at least!

Until next, may God bless you all!
Emanuel

Good morning peaceful Mejdugorje!

Several days after Festival all is peaceful in Mejdugorje. Yes, we do have pilgrims all the time but it is nothing compared to the period of first week in august when we had over 30 000 people.
The program for Festival was great and the information we are receiving from our visitors are just wonderful. I guess next year we just might have some few thousands more.
As all days in Mejdugorje are very interesting so this week also is full of the events.
Highlights are (so far) the amazing photo of Our Lady of Fatima, we had a opportunity to see. It is the photo of the statue where you can see Our Lady smiling. Now this would not be something special if one is not able to see her teeth.... Yes! Our Lady of Fatima, smiling, showing teeth.
Now we have seen so many statues but I have never in my life heard of statue showing teeth. Of course this statue has no teeth either it is just on that photo. Amazing.
Our Lady was actually there with those people and she was really smiling to them , isn't that great!
I am so happy for those people who were, as I have heard later, fasting and praying all day long and were very tired and hungry but still decided to stay with Our Lady and pray. What a great reward for them.

Second thing is the fall of an older man on Podbrdo ( Apparition Hill) ... This elderly man , about 2 meters tall has just flipped over those stones and fall backwards...Rolled three times down the hill and then just got up with nothing
broken or injured ! Our Lady was with him and she helped him not to be injured.


This is it for today, we do not know what God is planning for us today. Only it is sure that it will not be a boring day. Simply there are no boring days in Medjugorje.

May God bless you all
Emanuel

Festival is over!

This morning at three o'clock we went up the mountain and then at 5 the holy mass was celebrated. With the decent from the mountain our Festival has finished for this year. Some youth has gone up earlier in the evening and spent the night there. Even it was unusual cold weather for this year, our young were not discouraged to climb the mountain.

Now we need several days to gather all emotions and all experiences we had during Festival. Program was quite intense with few great surprises. The witnesses were great and had given wonderful example of faith, joy, love...

As I can see everyone is happy and thinks of coming back again next year.
Now , now is the time to go home, rest and then pack your bags and we go to Cologne :-)

God bless you all!

Emanuel

Youth Festival

This morning we got up and went to church early in the morning. Already at 7 the streets were beginning crowded. Oh, yes! It is the first day of Festival. The amazing week of youth starts here in extremely warm Medjugorje. The sun is up, the youth is out and first mass at 7h30 already full with us, little older people.

The main celebration will begin with evening program at 18 and then we will actual be able to say how many people has come. For now we are calculating about 15 ooo.

For us, the Youth Festival is a wonderful week, filed with prayer and singing. We always enjoy it since seeing those young people truly brings hope to many.

I hope it will be all good like last year or even better.

The procession on Tuesday, then Spectacle from Cenacolo , then Way of the Cross and mass at 5 am on the Cross mountain, then stories, lectures... Adoration and holy mass... Wonderful.

Water, umbrella, hat, FM radio with earphones and decent close... If you have all this, you are already ready for your first Youth Festival ...

We have prepared all in our gift shop so you do not have to worry if you have made last minute decision and just went off without getting all these things before coming to Medjugorje.

God bless you all !

Emanuel