We urgently need your help!  Our biggest financial concern at this moment is to replace the roof on The House of Love in Medjugorje.

By the end of summer 2011, the House of Love will have a new, permanent roof.  Thank you to everyone who donated!  Mike (Tobin) will be crawling around on the roof with the roofer after Easter, taking photos so we can show you the damage.  There is much more structural damage than we knew existed.  If you have any $$$ left from your tax refused, we could put it to excellent use.

Just after the Bosnian War, generous benefactors helped Pilgrims’ Peace Center building “The House of Love” a housing project with three apartments, located just off the main road in Medjugorje.

House of Love in Medjugorje

The first three families to live there were families that we had worked with throughout the war. These were families that we had worked with throughout the war.

These were families who had lost everything and, in each family, there was someone with special needs.  They had no hope and no help, other than what we were able to provide.

Despite 80 percent unemployment, these families work hard at whatever jobs they can find, earning enough to pay for electricity and the are necessities of life.  They have a large vegetable garden and they also raise chickens and rabbits for food.  They take excellent care of the building and they pray for everyone who helped build this house.

Over the years, one family was able to get a small piece of land from the government and stone by stone built a basement into which they moved.

When they went on their own, someone else moved in.

When we built The House of Love, we didn’t have enough money to put a proper tile roof on the building.  It’s the only kind of roof that can withstand Medjugorje’s extreme hot and cold temperatures.  We had to settle for a single roof because we couldn’t wait until there was enough money to do the job properly.

One family, with three generations, including five children, lived in an abandoned store front with sheets of thin plastic for a roof.  When the grandmother froze to death, we could wait no longer.

The roof and gutters have needed to be replaced for more than three years.  There is standing water under the shingles, mold and mildew on many of the walls and structural damage that will only get worse if this is not taken care of immediately!

You can leave a lasting legacy in the beautiful town of Medjugorje, chosen by the Mother of God, to bring her messages to us and to all the world.

Project H.A.L.O. Inspired by Mother Teresa who said, “Help at least one, then go one, by one, by one.”  Many of you who have traveled with us have helped us deliver food to the 25 homeless families who live in little shacks constructed from materials they get from the dump.  With your help, we’ve been able to purchase 20′ x 8′ x 8′ containers for some of them which has dramatically improved their situations.

Now these families (including the family of precious little Fadila who we brought to Florida for live saving, open heart surgery) are being brutally victimized by the Gypsy Mafia that have moved in and taken over the recycling business these people had going with materials scavenged from the dump.  But what’s worse is that their children are being raped and their little girls are forced into prostitution.  The situation is so serious that both government and the Red Cross have told us it is too dangerous for us to go there to deliver food!

Fadila after her heart surgery

We need prayers for our safety – we will not let them starve to death!  We also need funds to purchase a small piece of land where we can move them and their containers as soon as possible!

Can you help?

You may donate online with a credit card by clicking on the PayPal icon below. PayPal securely processes donations for Pilgrims’ Peace Center. You can complete your payment with just a few clicks.

If you would like to send a check or money order, please mail them to:

Pilgrims’ Peace Center
PO Box 1439
Crystal River, FL 34423-1439

Everyone who contributes $1,000 or more to the House of Love will have their name, or the name of a loved one, permanently engraved on the building.

God bless you!