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The Tablecloth

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发表于 2009-10-30 12:04 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式
老杨团队,追求完美;客户至上,服务到位!
Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason0 V8 i: w8 N1 \" D# y: d: v8 z

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The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
& ]  \; ~8 A9 }; E. P3 ^to their first ministry, to reopen a church
5 F( {  s$ C0 c3 vin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
" @1 a9 M' j$ }' ^$ J7 `$ a7 ~4 ~excited about their opportunities. When they saw , ~) W1 J/ @: p) q$ o& i* |$ u
their church, it was very run down and needed
6 I( H- ~! s) p" |) C5 |$ Ymuch work. They set a goal to have everything : f0 h4 h0 I) N
done in time to have their first service , E4 |0 D2 B3 q
on Christmas Eve. # t- b: e, x$ O+ c/ j
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,. i  ?4 t, \& z" }  ~
painting, etc, and on December 18 # U8 [6 W1 z% A9 Y
were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
7 _* Z1 |2 J& K  u# _4 DO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving   _% F! W/ a, R  _; i$ ^) i9 Z
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
( ]1 p, M# v5 G- F# g( F5 c1 { O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
/ m4 l- g+ H3 X$ g' J7 K0 R: q; uHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had  B3 ^8 n6 ]( `% i# J: m3 p) I
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 6 s6 o6 ^! k3 u
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall ' h$ e0 t+ H$ H
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
7 @# f1 o2 r7 i  R9 Kbeginning about head high. & d4 |8 R; r0 T8 j- k7 @
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, 7 r2 Z' e% @7 @  j8 g
and not knowing what else to do but postpone $ H( f* Y  [! I$ R! j2 n
the Christmas Eve service, headed home. 4 t; K9 ~( c# Y" ^
On the way he noticed that a local business was 3 x1 o# A, G, I5 q8 [' l
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
& [) n) z/ u+ T, h  V+ @# `% Kstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, 1 l  a0 ]0 Y/ |; k
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth - v! q9 M: {3 v( E0 \  d0 S
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross $ j1 T- B* B, q5 ^1 I  V0 f! b
embroidered right in the center. It was just  
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6 j" q( u9 M: r* `: d$ D/ \, M" Q

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) m4 T( p: V- |' D* M/ a6 [$ Z0 K  I3 wthe right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church. / ~7 o" `8 E: w& D! A0 ^
B y this time it had started to snow. An older
+ p* F+ r' C3 xwoman running from the opposite direction was # d2 m: j0 y6 t; S/ _
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
& f" \. ]# e  b7 yinvited her to wait in the warm church for
0 p2 {6 b7 E; B: Ythe next bus 45 minutes later.
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She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
* B+ W3 m  Y3 Dwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
9 I3 Z7 w* R) P$ N+ n1 gup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor 2 e* [: |! q' I% n+ X- [
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. 0 K8 x% G$ R% b8 b& h( t( P
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center0 J7 X8 d7 C+ v5 d% P/ l
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"; x6 w. t' s4 l) [: E1 K
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
' n# E6 j2 z8 h/ z* t5 f2 f9 WThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check" j- i! @+ }1 Z8 Q0 @9 c
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
( _) ]1 p; j* A3 _it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had ' T: n: \7 W' A7 u5 i8 R* V
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
. {( D7 Q4 A" W) P4 j: [- k* y3 q$ p5 mT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
% k4 D+ }7 s( y% {0 Htold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
9 _  f5 j1 |. g/ B8 zwoman explained that before the war she and $ q" m+ L2 E9 w' r" g( v! r
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. . O, R2 i* u- Z/ ]
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
$ n/ e3 v8 g; w/ GHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her 0 Y, h" J0 K& k, F2 }; b' P
husband or her home again.
# a1 \/ J' A$ T  A. |T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
8 `- d5 o( ~2 x' ~  Gbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.% T+ Y( T& d1 t! T1 Q& G3 E! e
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That2 ?+ ?2 X7 `0 k+ \! D3 Q% ?' \+ ^
was the least he could do. She lived on the other
4 ?4 h  i0 q* k% Z! rside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
$ [3 K" z4 _; o: u7 c6 Afor the day for a housecleaning job.
' ]) d  `0 q$ dW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas / p( {! ]1 Y* U% n1 R& d* u, ]
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the + X+ I- H  [5 a! k
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
7 L$ p% x" b+ K+ Q+ |  i. ~, H/ G0 spastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
, W; G( e* K" [and many said that they would return..
, n; ~2 L/ J; JOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
- A$ J  @3 w: {+ p. S0 ifrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the & i  C  ^4 s" a4 ?7 g, B, t
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
7 S/ {2 C' ]1 T# Qwasn't leaving.
+ l+ S' l6 T! `: b; X4 {The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
5 l' K- i1 T1 J9 bthe front wall because it was identical to one 9 ?2 C1 V1 I# n+ x: _+ W1 X
that his wife had made years ago when
8 X1 N% v3 ~6 A1 }, T% y, athey lived in Austria before the war and how 2 m9 t8 S' U' R# K6 b" o
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
* `% J) }3 W+ |+ _" J. _" q& b+ l  @H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he # D8 }; T* Q: j/ e  h( d3 x
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was 4 u. K1 z; c3 _/ z  G8 a% f' n
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and6 _1 i- @. O! r/ R$ r0 w$ T
put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
% S/ l0 @) X; _" |again all the 35 years between.
0 W; H4 N2 E& {T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to / v$ t5 L" n" R% W
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten 1 @0 w# R8 @4 A% j5 s
Island and to the same house where the pastor ! ?! P0 t, l" z
had taken the woman three days earlier. 5 o% z: M- Q" g2 q/ O+ t/ P
He helped the man climb the three flights of
2 G4 A% l  ]1 m/ V0 ?; ~" bstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
8 H$ |$ T# }, J  [5 Qthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas 0 a" Q8 }- O3 c8 z! a# U( G
reunion he could ever imagine.
2 p* }. f$ `  X2 _$ YT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
- q, b/ K+ Y  p: P" g$ N6 H! o; Awho says God does work in mysterious ways.
. S' A, i  T0 l; J+ hI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
: g, U( j: \8 Nyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
" y( ~( T  q- T1 P% U4 jalong your way. His love is always with you. His
1 n6 Q- N# `9 z: I, w0 [+ a: Xpromises are true, and when we give Him all our
/ m5 I& C9 L4 x: M1 h9 v+ Ycares we know He will see us through. ; B4 [, A# T* k
S o when the road you're traveling seems
. V2 e5 A/ I, D& Q1 @% rdifficult at best, just remember I'm here 3 z* ?' z+ b0 d8 Z, a
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
' o+ `( v& u8 m+ ^" Z! B$ s  Oto those you want God to bless and remember 3 L; K" q5 _1 j  a3 t) x- X  ]- o
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
, e1 A6 O; _. pyou first. # I# t3 e: b* h& m. V
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
/ ^. m$ d( P' t# s: Z6 D/ nyou find out that God is all you need Take 60
+ E9 i  [* y( x6 b) \seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
4 J. L5 M- `4 O( {( ^6 }2 }" n! R% C2 Hsay the following small prayer for the person / K( [4 _; i+ m8 q4 Y) T
who sent this to you.
/ q9 `( \9 L' V: g) lFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
* p0 o7 N  x3 ~- V  X$ g; r8 S3 e+ ^( @ever it is that You know they may be needing this
/ r( ], f& {! b3 V, d1 _day! May their lives be full of Your peace, 0 C% {5 i% E9 B* A0 x
prosperity and power as they seek to have a $ |& x( K8 S+ m# M* a" t; k5 u4 z3 u
closer relationship with You. Amen.
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发表于 2009-10-30 15:24 | 显示全部楼层
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