From the Desk of Sr. Emmanuel Maillard Medjugorje, 15 August 2016,  Assumption of the Holy Mother of God   Dear Children of Medjugorje, Praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. On 2 August 2016, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, in the presence of a large crowd of young people who came for the Youth Festival. After the apparition, she conveyed the following message:    "Dear children! I have come to you - among you - for you to give me your concerns so that I may offer them to my Son; that I may intercede for you before Him for your good. I know that each of you has his concerns, his trials. Therefore I am inviting you in a motherly way: come to the table of my Son. He is breaking bread for you; He is giving Himself to you; He is giving you hope; He is asking for more faith, hope and serenity from you. He is seeking of you to battle within against egoism, judgment and human weaknesses. Therefore, as a mother, I am saying: pray; because prayer gives you strength for the interior battle. My Son, when He was little, often said to me that there will be many who will love me and call me 'mother'. Among you, I feel love. Thank you. For the sake of that love I am imploring my Son that none of you, my children, will return home the same as he came; that you may take with you all the more hope, mercy and love; that you may be my apostles of love who will witness with their lives that the Heavenly Father is the source of life and not of death. Dear children, anew, in a motherly way I am imploring you, pray for the chosen ones of my Son, for their blessed hands - for your shepherds - that they may preach my Son with all the more love and in this way bring about conversions. Thank you." 2. The Youth Festival was beautiful.  With the World Youth Day being in Poland, we expected there to be fewer young people than there were, but we were pleasantly surprised by their number, barely less than last year. 70 countries were represented on the 1st day, and over 400 priests were present at the altar (instead of 500 last year). We made a short five-minute video of the highlights available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPscoGbo5Pk     3. Franciscans In the Province of Herzegovina, it is common for Franciscan priests to be moved around to different countries. With great regret we have to say goodbye to Father Boris, who was in charge of the French-speaking pilgrims! We are pleased that the pastor, Father Marinko Sakota, will be staying!  He has transformed the parish and he knows how to deal with the crowds of pilgrims speaking different languages, from all cultures and traditions. May Our Lady keep him with us for a long time! Many people have asked us for news of Father Jozo Zovko. He is still with the Franciscans in Zagreb, Croatia. But during the summer, his Community asked him to restore a former monastery in ruins on the island of Badija, the aim being to restore the monastery's former spiritual influence. Despite his fatigue, his health is still good at the age of 75. Let us continue to pray for him! Who knows what the Lord is preparing him for in the future?       4. The Blessed Mother constantly stresses the need to pray as a family!  On the evening of August 12th, surrounded by many pilgrims on the mountain, Ivan received this message: "Dear children, today I invite you once again to persevere in prayer. Pray, dear children, and above all persevere in praying as a family. Today I pray with you for the family. I desire holiness in families, for there to be more holy families who pray and live the words of my Son, as well as the messages that I give you..." 5. A major event, not widely known... Vicka is in the Holy Land! Over the years, Vicka has traveled 8 times to Israel, but privately, with Italian families. Then the Mother of God made her understand that the time had come to convey her messages to her people. So Vicka made her 9th pilgrimage in August 2013. Charbel Maroun, a young 27-year-old Catholic Israeli Arab, organized the trip. (In Galilee particularly, there are many Catholics born in Israel, who speak perfect Hebrew and Arabic, and often another language). In the Holy Land, there are at least 7 Catholic and Orthodox rites. Wanting to do everything in agreement with the Authorities, both religious and civilian, Charbel had already obtained permission from the Patriarch of Jerusalem and all the bishops. To inform them about Medjugorje, he gave talks to the bishops and the 40 priests involved during their annual retreat at Tiberias. He also visited 80 Catholic parishes. The bishops were pleased and gave the green light for Vicka to come. Charbel's team had prepared a piece of land for the arrival of 18,000 people. The preparation alone cost 140,000 euros, and they did not have one cent. But Providence took care of them, as is the case for all those who "seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness!" However, suddenly on August 17, two days before flying to Tel Aviv, Vicka had to undergo surgery in Zagreb for her back, and the doctors prescribed complete rest. When Charbel heard this news, he was overcome with shock! After all these costly preparations, everything had collapsed. But the Gospa had her plan: that very evening, during the apparition, she said to Vicka: "Arise and go to my people!"  On August 19, Vicka flew to Israel. However, the civil authorities did not authorize her to land in Tel Aviv, and the entire plane with her. It was therefore necessary to very quickly organize another solution. The aircraft was forced to land in Jordan. They had prepared a special car for Vicka, like a "Pope mobile", with the flag of the Vatican. And that is how she arrived in Nazareth. The reception was amazing! The crowd was larger than when the Pope visited! 18,000 people. Among them was an impressive number of Muslims. The State of Israel feared a terrorist attack, so 400 Israeli soldiers were dispatched for the protection of Vicka. As a result, all these soldiers heard the words of Vicka and the messages of Our Lady. When Vicka walked past their ranks, as they sought her blessing, she stopped for a long time to bless them, 2 by 2, as usual, thus delaying the entire program... In living memory, this was the largest Marian gathering ever seen in Israel. The Israeli Police were amazed to witness the order and peace prevailing among the people. They said they had not seen such a thing before. On August 20, Our Lady appeared in the cave of Nazareth. She told Vicka many things about the childhood of Jesus in this house and she expressed her joy to "be back home". But she was anxious seeing the situation of the churches in Galilee. Easy to understand why. Satan had done everything to prevent the meeting. On the eve of this day, August 19, two missiles fell on the northern part of Israel and destroyed many houses. The same day, another missile fell close to Nazareth. These events generated a great deal of fear among the Israeli soldiers who said that they would no longer be able to protect Vicka and the crowd. The Police as a result wanted to block the meeting. But the believers wouldn't give up, and refused to give in to fear. The meeting was able to take place in peace. On August 21, during the apparition in Nazareth, Syria was attacked with chemical weapons, which resulted in 1400 deaths. This was the 1st chemical attack since World War II. Vicka did not know about this. However, she was surprised by an unusual occurrence during the apparition: Our Lady turned her back, and placing herself in the direction of Syria and Lebanon, she blessed these two countries, one after the other. Let us remember this period where the situation was critical. We were on the verge of a third world war! It seems that the Mother of God, through this blessing, prevented the war. A few weeks later, on 7 September, Pope Francis issued his call for a day of prayer and fasting. When Our Lady appeared in Jerusalem, there was an incredible deployment of security. There, after having blessed the Patriarch, the bishops, the priests and the people, Our Lady said a single sentence: "The heart of the Church is sick." On August 25th, in Bethlehem, 10,000 people were waiting for Vicka to arrive, including the Patriarch, the bishops, and a large number of priests and nuns. The Patriarch dedicated the country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Addressing the Blessed Mother in his homily, he said: "2000 years ago, the people of Bethlehem did not want you. But today, we say to you: "We welcome you! You are most welcome!" In response to this welcome, Our Lady said during the apparition: "I will never forsake you. I am here, do not be afraid!" In those days, the Marian movement of the Apostles of Divine Mercy was born. The goal of its members is to represent the Virgin of Medjugorje in the Holy Land. Today, over 3 years later, 1500 people gather each month to pray together. Among them, there are many young people and students. Their impact is remarkable: reformation of the faith in families, baptism of many Muslims, Hebrew prayer groups, street evangelization, etc. In Tel Aviv they show active charity toward the most abandoned Jews. Vicka's coming was an act of prophetic significance, and we have not finished seeing its fruits in the Middle East! (See PS1) Dearest Gospa,  like the people of Bethlehem, we in turn say to you, "You are most welcome in our lives! Please, help us never reject you and your motherly instructions!" Sister Emmanuel + (Translated from French)