Interview with: Gail Boos

We learned from the pansion (hotel) that the village was experiencing the worst storm in 50 years.   Our pansion had no heat except for one little space heater.   The pansion was 2 story home and only one bathroom on each floor.   It was so cold we had to sleep in our clothing including shoes, socks and long winter coats.  

We all received so many special graces, some unexplainable and I came home on fire for my Catholic Faith (I’m a convert) and Medjugorje.   All I could do was to talk about Medjugorje and turned my entire family away from me for a while.  While in Medjugorje, I met Nancy Latta who was Fr. Jozo Zovko’s translator.   There was something so special about Nancy and she touched my heart in a special way.   She had a holiness about her and I craved that holiness but did not know how to achieve it.   Nancy became my mentor.   She looked me in the eyes and said, "One day you will bring many souls to Medjugorje" and I just looked at her.   Little did I know what lie ahead for me.  

I returned to Medjugorje again each year and in 1998, we received a fax from Nancy seeking help with some medical needs for a health clinic in Ravno, Bosnia-Herzegovina.   They were in desperate need of medicine as the Serbs had blown up the health clinic.   On my 1997 pilgrimage to Medjugorje and Rome, my roommate was an RN from Boston.   It was through her that we were able to get paramedical samples and my husband, Jack Boos and family friend, Nick Loder took over 2 large suitcases each filled with medicine to Medjugorje.   Patrick and Nancy Latta drove Jack, Nick and the medicine to Ravno and the doctors just cried.   This is how our non-profit got started.  

We were also blessed to serve Fr. Jozo Zovko, (the parish priest at St. James when the apparitions started), to be his official US Sponsor for his ministry in raising funds, etc. and to head up all his English speaking retreats.   Over the past years, we have been so blessed to take hundreds of our Lady’s Children to her and to see how the graces work in the souls of those that say “Yes” to her and go to confession.  

One of the greatest miracles we experienced was the complete healing of Colleen Willard in September 3, 2003.  Colleen was given about one and half months to live by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.   She had been in a hospital bed for 3 years with an inoperable brain tumor in the center of her brain and fourteen major things wrong with her.   We had met Colleen at a Fr. Sudac conference in Chicago and stayed in touch with her.   She did not know why she had to go to Medjugorje but just felt the calling so strong and it was quite a journey for her.  (You can Google and read her story).   Colleen was prayed over by Vicka (one of the visionaries) and afterwards we went to mass.   After mass,  John, Colleen’s husband went to get her as she was at the front of the altar and she stood up from her wheelchair and walked out of the church, completely healed.  

There are so so many stories and only wish I could share more.  It is so beautiful to see souls going to confession after 20, 30, 40 years and returning to their faith on fire.  Everything changes when you go to confession.  One lady went to confession after many years and when she returned to the pansion, no one recognized her as her face had changed so much.

In 2017, a wonderful group of pilgrims from OH went to Medjugorje with me for the first time.   Many have returned each year and some of those ladies had the experience of helping deliver wood and food to the poorest of the poor in and around Medjugorje through St. Joseph, The Worker program.  

This is how Our Lady’s Children was born, another fruit of Medjugorje.   Because of age and health issues my last pilgrimage will be this May, 2021.   It is so difficult to let go and surrender something I love so much but it has to be.   From the bottom of my heart I thank Our Blessed Mother for allowing me to bring souls to her for so many years.