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 Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason% A) o" h8 ~" ~4 D: A) D9 h: v
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The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned & D! u. K' f) f) C% `
to their first ministry, to reopen a church & c! @ m N' [0 g$ W5 x6 b
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
; C4 r B+ }' P* p: w% _+ texcited about their opportunities. When they saw 2 u" M: d# `' Z! v
their church, it was very run down and needed / i* c! x5 a3 E, H9 x$ g7 W& O
much work. They set a goal to have everything
" N6 _0 g F) P" n' C7 g( {( udone in time to have their first service . }, w Z; k1 ], T4 c- q. f1 r9 T
on Christmas Eve. : {1 f5 w$ P0 k! I5 h
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,7 U5 }) r% V& L/ Y8 R+ Y. `
painting, etc, and on December 18 . p* A- {# J: Q; b! Z z/ D
were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
0 [( d- |% A+ A" F, o& TO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving * |9 \8 w" l/ M) E+ T
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. 5 X( q! u, x3 |8 G X+ _
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church./ w7 f' P* E4 W
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had7 h4 _- }0 b6 |) `. B, U
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
; c9 b& u- Y' u0 L+ M8 v20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
1 M$ _8 k- p0 p' qof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
1 A8 |7 c+ O0 [ _( j, ibeginning about head high. 3 g# |% Z- @ K
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, 8 Q) [7 I3 v( o2 Q$ J3 v
and not knowing what else to do but postpone . j, w* x" @: g! t9 K9 X" `0 Y
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
, i- X C. X+ _$ P6 ] @On the way he noticed that a local business was & B! b$ y4 f% [+ a; b& Z
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he 9 f" R* m2 R) X) @
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, 5 }0 \3 e1 L$ s; @! i# e
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
- R; U& V: Y6 M% D; wwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
% R1 x; f6 c* Z2 ^8 m- x1 Rembroidered right in the center. It was just
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the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
2 K3 ?+ j/ I% A( x7 iB y this time it had started to snow. An older
" t% b V3 [ s6 Uwoman running from the opposite direction was
/ s5 ^) `7 C& ~8 L, utrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor ; A6 d n) K) e7 u
invited her to wait in the warm church for : t# }1 q4 p# N7 u) K& R
the next bus 45 minutes later. 5 ]$ ]- \6 ] Y1 }/ z8 V+ y# G
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She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
) H7 w4 @$ _) c7 D Qwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
" b: Q& n `, x2 J' `4 n4 h7 g9 Bup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
! {. z) H6 {1 O; G- o% f+ ncould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
" v( L5 ~4 F" K9 f8 O; fT hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
6 Q3 ^2 o" q" Y6 ^/ taisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"1 T. O6 m+ t, I7 P8 N
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" - Z2 g5 H! T: G; |; {( }7 ^ x
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check3 F8 W/ ?' d* R: R' N4 G
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into4 g E/ Z+ ^5 ]7 t/ a7 R& a
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had 9 r5 D. Z. M) }
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria . % d8 [* m+ ~8 N1 f* |6 ]; D
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor % _2 p3 W) G2 y$ m) b' w5 t9 T8 y
told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The # Y9 `3 N# o" Z
woman explained that before the war she and ; }4 o5 d- @) ~
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria . + U0 x: e+ x/ B" l
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When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
+ J: C$ A8 ^. }. aHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
4 H# [! m9 ]" u. h; s' lHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
9 t G3 u2 f; h5 O: L4 o3 Z2 hhusband or her home again.
1 ] O; z: {7 t9 w, CT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;$ d8 z/ ~3 A6 b; Y! t
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.6 D- m a& R" i1 m* @1 a5 y
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That+ o5 \1 c4 z* N3 c4 ]
was the least he could do. She lived on the other6 r# V `7 _/ }3 T
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn 3 I( j2 A: @/ E9 p$ n3 R5 ]- ]/ m% A
for the day for a housecleaning job.
+ W2 m; V1 Y! C6 C! SW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas . o5 Y* n* n6 g5 i3 W1 z
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the * [4 [" w, J0 q6 U
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
, b) Y5 U- n: m5 opastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door - B* ~$ U- ^2 s" g" }3 c/ w
and many said that they would return..
# o, i. A4 a& P0 HOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
6 d: \% x, w* sfrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the 6 r( Z3 G6 P, U; s
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
$ x: m, o3 p3 m! C' A9 n/ Xwasn't leaving.
, ~' _8 M: a% ]. l, IThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on $ g8 \) A! N1 ]* N: H0 O
the front wall because it was identical to one & y( F7 {* z- Q/ V' I6 ^- P
that his wife had made years ago when
+ z0 N" V. V6 X& x3 p. Wthey lived in Austria before the war and how 8 |8 [2 H L# u3 c$ [9 f( M% Y
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
# E5 g9 ~8 W. A' a! qH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
( b# w2 w$ R4 g- P: Tforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
. V5 |' z6 N7 W, U8 zsupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and( W# i: K$ O& n1 x
put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home
# e% t; d# h: T5 m+ g- Pagain all the 35 years between. $ z8 |: q: h7 P2 k. y5 O0 l
T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
- k6 m! o" H H" K& u9 Otake him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
! x( l3 T- v& ?+ l5 p* j( ?Island and to the same house where the pastor
- A5 n u U/ ohad taken the woman three days earlier. ( I( U- P4 a3 _7 b
He helped the man climb the three flights of
: L/ F6 p u' W; W/ hstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
5 I9 B& Z, g: F7 ]1 [0 }the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
: q6 t/ M1 i+ D% f7 Mreunion he could ever imagine.
3 K8 @( y' l/ X& S1 i$ LT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid 3 }( p1 C+ u$ ^* d- A7 e1 |
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
7 A4 A. h' f4 Z* `5 W7 p# tI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
. ~6 x1 b# q. j3 m. U; xyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
! f2 A7 T O+ D% k* Ualong your way. His love is always with you. His ! O( A8 @# r( P( N9 @
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
& E* i. k, B1 Q Gcares we know He will see us through. 2 m5 L( g" n; l2 I& r5 K
S o when the road you're traveling seems
% n$ @& F0 E9 u, G" Xdifficult at best, just remember I'm here + d$ O6 R9 ~0 I& P( K( K' x$ L, w
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on 9 t0 w3 E; \3 ^* b* U5 F* B4 ?# P
to those you want God to bless and remember $ e, k4 T3 Q: P* [
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
( B2 v! r1 h7 c5 {3 jyou first. 6 ]( L3 y/ N1 N- B6 U
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
+ Q- M. Z2 C( ^4 M% l8 w" y: ]" {you find out that God is all you need Take 605 l* Q* I; W, |; h% x0 N. n
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
3 ^( z" N2 Z5 K& W$ Jsay the following small prayer for the person
) m) ~2 U/ ~! x9 f4 P$ V5 gwho sent this to you.
. y- F& R' K l& N' J) C5 b5 IFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what 7 y$ e) A* b' I
ever it is that You know they may be needing this 0 F. n- E) \# Z: c) q
day! May their lives be full of Your peace, 4 n/ z5 }' _ y* i: H, B
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
: H* S9 [0 w/ m5 B2 {1 ecloser relationship with You. Amen. |
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