The Church of Saint Edward in Bloomington, MN, has had a relationship with Hogar Teresa Toda, a girls’ home run by Carmelite nuns, since 1997.
The relationship began when Bloomington Rotarians financed a well for the home. The Rotarians had only planned to sponsor another well in the region, but the Sisters convinced them to sponsor a well for the new home also. After digging and digging, the crew was not hitting water. The prospects were looking grim until the Sisters gathered the girls in a circle around the hole. The digging crew asked “What’s going on?” The head Sister said “You dig, we pray.” Within minutes, the crew hit water, fresh water—enough water for years to come. After that success, the Sisters expressed interest in maintaining a relationship with an American organization. This was not in the scope of the Bloomington Rotary, but someone there knew a Saint Edward’s parishioner.
The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Although I’ve told this story many, many times to audiences of one and over two hundred, I learned recently that it is not true. Here are some things I learned.
- The first well in the story (in the region) was dug through a program at Bethany Global Institution (in Bloomington, MN) and Bloomington Rotary. Maybe the Rotarians provided the money and Bethany missionaries supervised the initial well-digging.
- The well at the home was financed by Rotarians. No Rotarian dug. They might not have even visited the site. The well was dug by Spanish speaking Dominicans. And there was no drama about whether they’d hit water.
- I don’t know how I came up with this story. When I first learned it, my Spanish was not even good enough to mishear the language. But, I still like the story and tell it with a caveat. Many have decided to join based on that goose-bump inducing story. I’m going with “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” And leave it at that.
Campamento 2023 