How Providence Helped us Fulfill
a Promise – After all –
It was Tuesday, July 30, 2024. At 2:15 p.m. I registered to donate blood at the German Red Cross in the Breitwiesen Hall in Ergenzingen, Germany. The appointment was an extra one, because there is a shortage of donated blood during the vacation season. When I checked in, I found out that there would be a raffle that day for a so-called Lotus grill. The Red Cross volunteer who checked me in reminded me of a conversation after my tenth donation in 2018. Back then, there was also a raffle in which we Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary won a sum of money. At that time, the spontaneous idea arose to use this money for a barbecue at the Liebfrauenhoehe Schoenstatt Centre with the Red Cross. But this plan was never realized.
On this day we agreed:
If I actually won the grill, there finally would be a barbecue at Liebfrauenhoehe!
We laughed heartily about this agreement.
Around 2:00 my telephone rang: “Sister, you donated blood today, didn’t you? You won the grill!” My first thought was: This can’t be right! I asked, “Has the raffle already taken place?” “Yes, a neutral person actually drew the slip of paper with your name on it!” Can there really be such a coincidence? I have to believe so. The Red Cross employee asked if he could come over with the local leader to give me the grill. I thought for a moment and then said yes. After that I went to the front office.
When I met the superior and another sister on the way, I asked them to come with me. They were willing to do so. The three of us awaited the two men from the Ergenzingen Red Cross. They arrived in their emergency vehicle and placed at my feet the box with the Lotus grill that I won. They also give me charcoal and a pair of tongs.
After thanking them and taking the obligatory photo, we developed the following idea in a conversation: to finally have the barbecue – with the new grill. This fall we will arrange a drill with the fire department and Red Cross on Liebfrauenhoehe and afterwards there will be a thank-you barbecue. The local Red Cross leader and the person in charge of the volunteer fire department will arrange a suitable date and let me know.