[marjorie coates]

Hello
My name is Marjorie and I would like to tell you about my daughter's conversion in Medjugorje, October 2002.
Ten years ago my daughter and son both stopped believing. They had both been brought up as Catholics.
My grandson died age seven months. Sam was their nephew.
My other daughter Wendy whose son it was continued to believe. Wendy started to help families in intensive care and give them hope. Very soon she will qualify as a midwife. I am sure this has occurred because of her love for her son.
Debbie and Paul were also really devasted, and I could see how they turned their back on God.
For the last nine years I have prayed that they will both get their faith back. By a miracle I managed to persuade Debbie to come with me to Medjugorje. she really wasn't too keen to go, I said to her "Think of it as a holiday, it's a lovely place and we would probably have good weather. and, we would pay for her to go."
She wasn't happy from the start and the week before she complained, "I really don't want to go and if you think I am going to go into a church or pray. No way." So I answered "If you don't want to go in a church I won't go in one either. Just relax and enjoy it." I then handed her over to Our Lady's care, because I knew I couldn't preach to her or press her."
It was the most amazing eight days. She made friends with a girl about the same age on the plane, about 30, and she would go off with her the odd time, which suited me fine, I knew this was part of Our Lady's plan.
By the second day Debbie and Maria went up Apparition Hill, It had been really bad weather very dull and stormy. As Debbie reached the statue of Our Lady on the hill, she said she just stood there and couldn't move, she wanted to pray but couldn't. A light came completely around the statue, and prayer came from her, but it just happened, not of her own will and something touched her. It seems she told Our Lady how sad she was about Sam and her Grandmother who she loved dearly, and had died years earlier. And somehow she knew they were fine. She came down the hill, and just to be sure, she went back up, and once again this light came around the statue and she felt this peace.
She came to me in the house and she just said, "Mum I believe and I love Mary." Can you imagine, my prayers of nine years were answered.
Many times that week we had this beautiful perfume with us, which we are sure was from Our Lady. It would float past us and we would feel a peace at the same time.
Another occasion at about 1.00 in the morning, walking behind St. Jame's church, a beautiful starry night, Debbie said to Our Lady "Please give me another sign if you are there." I didn't at the time realise she had asked this. We came out of the area where The Ressurrected Christ is out of the brightness, into the most beautiful clear starry sky. I have never seen a night sky like it. And Debbie said to me "Can you see what I can see" I answered yes thinking she meant these beautiful stars, and then I looked at her face and she was shining. "Can you see the angels" she cried, no I couldn't, but, I knew from her face she could see something very special.
What a glorious walk back to our house that morning.
We went to the English mass that morning and Debbie had to stand up at the back, there was a dirty, smelly man stood next to her and she felt sick with the smell. As she was leaving, the same gentleman gave her a tiny prayer card. When we came out of St. James we looked at it and it was a picture of Our Lady and the angels. I am sure this was a confirmation of the early morning stroll in Medjugorje.
Two months after we came home. She had a dream. She was in the Medjugorje main street with me, she looked up and saw Our Lady, it was as if Our Lady was saying follow me. The next minute she was on Apparition Hill holding her dads hand running up over the stones but not touching them, Our Lady was there, and she said her face was so beautiful, blue eyes, beautiful skin and a beautiful smile. She can never forget it.
I had wanted her dad to come with me to Medjugorje with me for at least ten years. This year October 8th 2003 Debbie and my husband came with me.
I thank Our Lady for so many graces, and continue to pray for Paul's conversion, which I know will be when the time is right. I urge you never to give up hope. God is with us, and through prayer. Miracles do happen.
[/quote]

[cjmg]

Marjorie,
I just read your conversion story. How absolutely beautiful!

I know you posted it years ago, and I only hope you are still accessing this site so you can know it made me feel very good inside.

My husband is Catholic but refuses to pray or attend church (except special occasions). He is quite disillusioned with the Church what with the scandals, and the corruption that occasionally is revealed, etc. But I suspect it's more than that because he quit going long ago.

Please pray for his conversion!
cjmg

[Patty Cowan]

Thanks so much for responding to this beautiful conversion story. I had tears in my eyes AND in my heart. So powerful, so filled with love. I had not read this one before so I am glad you brought it forward cjmg.
Thanks,
Patty, AR, USA

[Sarah K]

I felt the same way, Patty...I thought I had read all these conversion stories before, but it was new to me too.

Thanks for "bumping" it up to the top, and God bless the original poster. It's a great example of the power of Medjugorje to work on the most difficult cases.

[marjorie coates]

Thanks for your inspiring replies.

Never give up hope, prayer works. Pray continually for conversion of your families.

Since writing about my daughters conversion, which I am happy to say she has continued to believe, and still loves Our Lady very much. She wears a Rosary bracelet, which is a wonderful way to witness about Medjugorje.

Sam's mother, Wendy has been a qualified midwife for nearly two years, and through her experience of Sam's premature death she has a beautiful compassion for the mother's and families she works with. Especially those with problems. God is amazing.

My husband came to Medjugorje after Debbie shared her dream, he has returned twice since, he has a great love for Our Lady. In July he is going to Lourdes for three weeks to volunteer in a hotel that provides poor people with accommodation at a very reasonable rate, or freely, if the need arises. I have also kept my husband in prayer for many years. He used to get angry with me about my faith, and think I was over the top, I continued in the truth. If that would have been taken from me, I might as well not exist. we should be able to practise our faith. Muslims, Islams, Bhuddists freely show their faith, which I think is wonderful, yet we seem to hide it. Not anymore, how can we hide this wonderful jewel we have found.

I did at one time pester my husband to come to church with me, and it made him more stubborn not to come, when I stepped back and prayed for him, he has gradually come back to faith. I think gentleness, love and example is the way.

My sister also stopped practising the Catholic faith, recently she has been interested in the Bhuddist faith, each time she sees me she brings the conversation to God, I believe she will convert to the Christian faith before long, she is really searching.

My son still doesn't believe, after my prayers for twelve years, and the prayers of many friends, I trust in God and know he will return to faith.
I can see a softening in him, and God and Our Lady has him in their hands.

I know of several people who have come back to faith after their mother has died. A neighbour died about four years ago, she thought her son wasn't interested in God. The week she died he was at mass, he has been every week since.

'All things are possible with God'
Pray to St Monica, her husband and son lost faith, they both came back to faith through her prayers for them, she treated them tenderly with much love, and through her example, they eventually saw the light.

I love Our Lady so much, she understands our cry, especially as a mother.

I try to spread Phils witness 'A Walk in The Dark' which is on conversion Story Swap. I have sent this witness to many people and a few have converted with the inspiration of Phils witness, maybe you could print it off and show it to your husband cjmg. It may touch his heart. I assist Phil with a Medjugorje site, www.gospa-oratorio.co.uk It is a recent site, I recommed that you browse it, there are some beautiful conversion stories on it.

There is a wonderful lourdes site, where you can send petitions, they go directly to the Grotto in Lourdes. Here is the email address. A wonderful way to ask Our Lady to intercede for us. www.lourdes-france.org (Place your petitions at the Grotto of Lourdes) Click on the Union Jack to display English Language.

I hope this will have helped you, I will keep you in my prayers.


Pray, Hope and don't worry. (Padre Pio)

Marjie

[Patty Cowan]

Hi Marjie and everyone!
My mom bought me a St. Monica medal when I got out of treatment for alocholism in 1996. I didn't know much about her but definitely learned. I was so blown away with her story and praying for the conversion of her son...BIG time partier and not much into God. She lived to see his conversion, our great St. Augustine, who became one of the Doctors of the Church! Such a powerful witness to God.

I wore that medal for many, many years, she brought me great comfort in the struggles with addiction.

Our families will be protected and saved through our prayers, of this I am confident.
Peace, Love & Prayers,
Patty, AR, USA

[marjorie coates]

Hi Patty

Thanks for your reply.

You are a living witness to how mother's prayers are answered, it still happens today as it did in St Augustine's day.

My son Paul stopped believing, he also has a drink problem, as I mentioned in my witness, 'Daughter's Conversion' on Conversion Story Swap. I pray each day for him and ask St Monica and Our Lady for help, I believe Paul will be converted and used in a special way because of the suffering he is going through at this present time. God is wonderful, and when the time is right, in God's time, I believe he will touch Paul in a tremendous way.

In a way because of Paul's addiction, God has used me as an instrument to help many young addicts to enter Cenacolo Community, one of them a wonderful young man called Billy who was a heroin addict and homeless. Through myself and many others encouraging Billy, he is now in Community Cenacolo, and yesterday he was received into Catholic church. Praise God, he works amazing graces, especially with those that have come through addiction.

If you log on www.gospa-oratorio.co.uk a site that I am part of promoting Medjugorje, you will be able to read the witness about Billy which I entered for him. See how God uses us if we allow him in our trials?

I thank God for my beautiful son Paul, he has been a ray of sunshine from the minute he was born, although of course he is not perfect, this lets me see how much God loves us as we are. Amazing.

God Bless

Marjie

[marek999]

This is a very nice story and thread. Regarding the bliss that Debbie received (the "Daughters conversion" post), it seems to me that the power of prayers gathered during the years by Marjorie, made possible the trip of Debbie to Medjugorje - a spiritually warm place, where only a little spark can create a mighty blaze of love in the souls. Repeated, accumulated prayers of other people can make starting of such blaze faster and more intensive.
In this case, the spark seems to be only a walk of Debbie to Podbrdo. Such strong and unforgettable impulses have even potential to change completely the rest of life; such souls would tend to call back the bliss and love of their experiences, which then leads them towards living a valuable, spiritual life.

[marek999]

Even, it is not discussed often, I am convinced, that in Medjugorje there are LOT of angels, which are in the service of The Almighty and Our Lady, upon prayers and other spiritual effort. Those angels with joy and love arranges and creates such and similar events. They can also operate and help upon the prayers regardless the place, e.g. to help the right person to get at the right time to the right place - again upon prayers, however in Medjugorje, they operate more openly and strongly. They can even reveal themselves, as it was in the Debbie's case before the statue of The Resurrected Christ.

I am very joyful of Debbie’s testimony including the visions of angels, just as it would happen to me before some days.

[Patty Cowan]

Hi everyone,
You know it never ceases to amaze me how I'll pick up something different each time I read something. I read the beginning of this post as if I had never read it before (and I've read it TWICE). I need to 'let go and let God' in reference to my daughter. I NEED to pray not nag. I need to remember that God and Mary know her needs, not me. Thanks again as I have learned another thing this day, praying not nagging will help my daughter most of all.

[Pippy]

Patty, I find that when I introduce God to my daughter if I start it out as a question or an open invitation to her, she responds fine. She hasn't yet said the Rosary with me...but I tell her that there is going to come the time when I will ask her to say it with me and that there is going to be a good reason for me asking. After the June 2nd message, I told her that the time was nearing when I would be asking her to join me and I just wanted her to be aware of that. Also, we say a certain prayer to school each morning and 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, and 1 Glory Be. I'm starting her out slowly! Pip

[karen lyons]

Thanks for sharing your lovely story about your daughters conversion. I have two daughters and one son to help to get to know God better, please pray for them. I will pray for your daughter still, she might pray for my family please.xxKaren

[karen lyons]

Dear marjorie coates
I read the lovely story of your daughters conversion, it brought me deep tears and great Hope for my daughters and son to believe and go to Mass and confessions. I am going for an examination in the hospital this week, I pray I live to be able to see my son and daughters pray and love Jesus and Our Lady with me. I pray to St. Monica and St. Agustine and St. Joseph with all the Saints, for all our intentions, Amen
Thank you Karen x

[Caoimhin]

" I urge you never to give up hope. God is with us, and through prayer. Miracles do happen. "

How very true.

A friend sent me this the other day. Thought it lovely and again so very true.


"Mighty Force Of Prayer" by E.M. Bounds

The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil everywhere. Prayer, in one phase of its operation, is a disinfectant and a preventative. It purifies the air; it destroys the contagion of evil. Prayer is no fitful, short-lived thing. It is no voice crying unheard and unheeded in the silence. It is a voice which goes into God’s ear, and it lives as long as God’s ear is open to holy pleas, as long as God’s heart is alive to holy things.

God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed in death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God’s heart is set on them. Prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them, outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.

That man is the most immortal who has done the most and the best praying. They are God’s heroes, God’s saints, God’s servants, God’s vicegerents. A man can pray better because of the prayers of the past; a man can live holier because of the prayers of the past. The man of many and acceptable prayers has done the truest and greatest service to the incoming generation. The prayers of God’s saints strengthen the unborn generation against the desolating waves of sin and evil.


God bless us all and our families and friends.


Mary guide