When the Medjugorje apparitions began in the 1980s, the youngest among the seers was Jakov , who was 10 years old, says Sister Emmanuelle Maillard , a French nun who lives in Medjugorje and writes testimonies and miraculous events that have followed this place for forty years.

“He was very poor, a street child, without education, but the Holy Virgin chose him. She chose this little boy and told him in a privileged way: “Jacove, you are important to me, I need you.”

One day, during an apparition, the Virgin said to him: “You know, Jacob, you should pray constantly. Having little sentences like ‘Jesus I love you, Jesus I adore you; oh father, I surrender to you; Oh Mary, come, I need you; Oh Mary, I love you so much; O guardian angel, come, help me.”

He prayed as Our Lady told him

Jakov received this message in his childish heart and the next day he, who loved football very much, played with his friends from Medjugorje.

In love with football, he got dressed and ran to the field to join his friends. And as he ran, he remembered the message from the night before and realized that the Virgin had asked him to always pray small prayers.

He thought: “Not to pray, I want to run, let’s start the game.” However, he paused for love of the Blessed Virgin and quickly recited the Hail Mary, then continued playing with his friends.

The Virgin Mary showed him the fruit of this ‘incidental’ prayer

That night, the Virgin appeared to him as usual and said: “Jacob, I thank you for the prayer you sent me.”

And then in a vision, he doesn’t know how it happened, she took him to China where he met the Blessed Virgin. They entered a room and in that room was a bed and in that bed was a man. That man was lying in bed and the Virgin said to him: “You see, Jacob, this man was dead and he was a very bad man, very bad, and he was going to hell.

But thanks to the prayer you gave me, I was able to use it and use it to encourage repentance. Now, this man is saved for eternity, he is not in hell, he had a moment of repentance.” “Saved for eternity? Wow,” said Jacob who, from that moment to this day, has not stopped praying spontaneous prayers in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.