According to monks and priests, only people with a pure heart filled with love can experience miracles. So did sixteen-year-old Nikola Ivkovich. His family claims to have witnessed several times inexplicable situations . They consider St. Basil of Ostrog (Sv Vasilije Ostroski) as their saint and protector, because, as they say, he not only preserved Nikola, but also answered their prayers for further posterity.
Ivkovich’s family is very devout, especially sixteen year old Nikola. The central place in their home is occupied by the icon of Saint Basil of Ostrog (Vasilije Ostroski), to whom this family thanks and prays. Natasa Ivkovich, 38, Nikola’s mother, says that one night 14 years ago, as well as what later followed, had convinced her that miracles are happening and that they are very much possible.
“When Nikola was little, he was often ill and had high fevers.
One night my husband was awaken by a hit on the shoulder. It wasn’t me that hit him since I was sleeping on the opposite side. We both woke up and looked at Nikola, who was two years old at the time, and was burning and feverish. At one point he began to shout, “I will not die, I want to be baptized.” Wedid everything possible to get rid of his fever until the morning, and all the time he was talking about wanting to be baptized” – testifies for “Alo News” Natasha.
The next day, she claims, there was an imprint on her husband’s shoulder, the same on which he felt a hit. And the imprint of a hand was much larger than hers.
That imprint had recovered and disappeared after seven days. Shortly afterwards, Nikola saw the icon of St. Basil of Ostrog (Vasilije Ostroski) on television and immediately shouted: “He was there that night and he didn’t let me die. He woke Dad up. I want to be baptized.” At that moment we literally ignored it because we heard it from the mouth of a child who had barely learned to speak. However, we went to a church anyway and did what Nikola was looking for and baptize him” – Natasha states.
Nikola was baptized a year and a half after that night, in the monastery of Ostrog. Since that day, Natasha points out, he has never been ill again.
“The priests and monks whom we have told about it have told us that Nikola is guarded by Saint Basil of Ostrog (Sv. Vasilije Ostroski). We very often pray to the saint because he has done a great miracle for us. Unfortunately, we don’t go to Ostrog every year. We have only been there five or six times so far. The last time was this year in July.
Our son Nicholas fasts every required fast and receives communion regularly. He is a sophomore in High School and is the best in the class. His school professors have only words of praise for him. Since the age of six, he has been practicing water polo and winning cups and medals. He really is a good and smart kid. He is our pride” – says Natasha.
Natasha and her husband Alexander (44) have two children in addition to Nikola. They were bestowed by Dejan (9) and Jovan (8) after years of fighting for further offspring. One day on their way back from Ostrog and after six years she found out that she was pregnant again.
“After Nikola, I couldn’t get pregnant for a long time. Our struggle to extend the family lasted as long as six years. One year, when we were in the monastery of Ostrog, a monk approached me after a prayer and told me: “You are carrying a male child.” Not long after, I found out I was pregnant and Dejan was born on January 25th. Two days before Dejan’s first birthday, I gave birth to Jovan …
I had a need to share everything my family and I experienced with the public and to tell everyone that miracles are happening, that miracles are possible. We just have to believe. Also, we should all do good deeds and fill our heart with love”, says Natasha.