Back in 2000, Brandy Mineault was eight months pregnant, just lost her job, and drove a broken-down vehicle. Little did she know the blessing headed her way.

CHVN had just started up as the first Christian radio station in Manitoba and was holding a huge contest; giving away a brand new car. 

Mineault recalls the contest, says, "When it first started, you had to meet at a certain location they gave out and you had to be one of three people. Then they gave you a red t-shirt they made into a car."

Mineault was a stay-at-home mom back then, having just recently lost her job when the store she worked at closed down. Her husband had also just started a new job.

The contest began with giving away 95 shirts over the course of a few weeks at different locations around Winnipeg. Listeners had to tune in, and when the location was announced, the first three people there received the shirts. 

"I pulled up [to the location], it was a bridal store. I couldn't get out of my car because my door wouldn't open very well and I couldn't move my seat back because the seat was broken, and I was eight months pregnant and short. I had to kind of push open my door, scrunch down to the bottom, and roll out. I said, 'I'm here, I'm here.'"

This was only the first step toward winning the car.

"The gentleman handing out the shirts, the look on his face was like 'Oh, she needs this car'."

One of the 95 shirts given away before winning the car(Supplied)

The second part of the contest was gathering the 95 shirt owners together at the car dealership where 95 keys would be displayed.

"We all waited to go to Landmark. The day came and I went with my husband, mom, sister, and my niece. Our car broke down probably three times on the way out. We honestly didn't think we were gonna make it there, plus I was super emotional because I was pregnant."

People would pick a random key and then each person would try to open the car until the winning key would actually unlock the door.

"We all had to pick a key. I picked one and waited for my turn. I stuck the key in the door, it unlocked and I opened it. I didn't even know it unlocked. I was ready to go through like everyone else, but they said, 'No stop, you won the car'. 

It was an emotional day for many who were there.

"I said, 'No I didn't' and they said again, 'You won the car'. I started crying. I think Tressa Lemky was there and everybody was crying. She said 'Please don't go into labour'."

Although Mineault and her husband did have a chance of winning, the couple truly didn't believe they would win with a one in 95 chance.

"It was so surreal. When I won the shirt, I was praying for the winner of that car. But I really did not believe it was us. My husband and I both believed that we were going to go to Landmark Motors and find a really great deal that we could afford on a car. For weeks after we said, 'Seriously is this our car?"

She says that having a safe vehicle to bring their child home in was a blessing.

"It was absolutely an answer to our prayers. Bringing a child into the world, being scared to have the car we had, it was so amazing."

The Sunfire from Landmark Motors lasted the family for just over a decade before it got written off.