Company Outing
in the Black Forest of Germany
Our Schoenstatt Center on Liebfrauenhoehe would be inconceivable without our many dedicated employees,
– who responsibly, joyfully, and wholeheartedly make the people in the conference center feel at home,
– prepare the meals for the guests and the Schoenstatt Sisters,
– raise the animals on the Marienhof, manage the facilities, and grow fruit,
– or the team at the sisters’ retirement home, which cares for the elderly and sick sisters day and night.
This year, we went on a trip to the Black Forest as a thank you for all the hard work. A date was offered in June and another in September allowing as many people as possible to participate. The anticipation was great and in the end everyone was really enthusiastic.
Each time we looked at the weather forecast our trust was tested. Many prayers ascended to heaven, as everyone is ultimately a collaborator of the Blessed Mother and our Father and Founder.
In June we set off in pouring rain. In September we drove straight into a wall of rain and rain was forecast was for the entire day. But that didn’t deter anyone; we kept trusting.
Our first destination was the Schoenstatt Center in Oberkirch, where the first time Sister M. Vernita Weiß and the second time Sister M. Magdalyn Brendle spoke inspiringly about the topic of confidence. Everyone was able to take away something for their everyday lives. We can learn confidence
- through encouragement, a positive outlook,
- by remaining realistic,
- and fostering trust in God.
The sentence from a proverbial card mentioned in the lecture became the second group’s own experience:
You have to expect everything – even the good things!
We were expecting a rainy day, but there was much more sun than rain. The ascent along the Allerheiligen waterfalls and the stay at the legendary Lake Mummelsee were a wonderful experience. We discovered the imprint of God displayed in the beautiful natural surroundings.
The second group didn’t expect the road to Mummelsee to be closed from that day onwards and continued on anyway after the first sign. But after a few kilometers we were faced with a barrier. What were we do? A gentleman in a car labeled “SECURITY” was very friendly and offered to drive to our destination. How well heaven takes care of us, our employees! We had the best opportunity to learn trust in a very practical way.
The fact that our employees had paid close attention to the inspiring talk was demonstrated on the bus ride home, when the maintanence man became the spokesperson for everyone. He addressed the sisters as employers and applied the trust they had acquired: He
- Encouraged management to undertake such a trip from time to time. He said that
- A day trip every two years would be realistic. And he said,
- We trust in God to support us in this.