date: 15.04.2016.
Magnus MacFarlane Barrow from Scotland is the founder of the organisation Mary’s Meals. On the occasion of the presentation of his book “The Shed that Fed a Million Children” Magnus gave an interview for a programme on Radio “Mir” Međugorje and spoke about his connection with Medjugorje: “It was in 1983 that I came to Medjugorje for the first time with my brothers and sister. It was the week we spent here which changed our lives in the true sense of the word. Our faith was renewed. I was only 15 and my sister was 19. When we returned home, our parents could see that something had changed in us. We began to invite them to say the Rosary every night. It was a big surprise for them, as previously they used to invite us for family prayer. Soon, they went to Medjugorje and had the same experience as we did. My parents then decided to change the small family hotel they owned into a House of Prayer. It has become a place where even now people come for a spiritual experience. This tells you already how much that trip changed my life as well as the life of my family”. Magnus spoke about the beginning of his humanitarian work: “Ten years later, I became aware that there was a war here. One night I watched a TV programme about the refugees who were suffering greatly. I spoke to my brother about how we could best help these people and we invited people to join us in collecting aid. At that time, we were involved in a salmon rearing business and we took a week off and personally brought aid here. Upon our return home, I thought I would go back to my old job, but God already had a different plan for me. Immediately after we returned, aid began to arrive at our home; people were sending it all the time. I prayed about it and I decided to leave my job. I sold my home and bought a small truck. I used that truck for years to bring aid from Scotland to this region. That was the very beginning, it was not something I planned” said Magnus. He then spoke about the beginning of Mary’s Meals: “In 2002, I began a small project in Malawi, as there was a great famine there at the time. A local priest took me on a visit to a family. The father had died and the mother was on her death-bed surrounded by her six children. I began to talk to her eldest son who was 14. At one point, I asked him about his hopes in life and he said that his only wish was to have enough food and to go to school. We can say that Mary’s Meals was a way of responding to his wish. We realised that if were able to ensure just one meal in a school per child, we would be able to satisfy their needs. What was interesting was that they would receive an education and that would save them from poverty in the future. We strongly believe that from the very beginning this was all Gospa’s work.” Magnus also spoke about the importance of Medjugorje in his life today and said: “Međugorje means a lot to me. I am here now with my wife and my children. As a family, we try to come as often as possible. When I say that Mary’s Meals is a fruit of prayer, I mean that this organisation is a fruit of Medjugorje and of the graces poured out here. I know that there are many fruits of Medjugorje and I believe that this is one of them “.
