The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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4 K9 d4 \2 v. |+ b% G The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
5 m+ O$ }2 D& [excited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
' W6 p6 M1 |3 T% o) {/ fon Christmas Eve.
4 J4 b- k4 ?' y: m3 P7 gT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
1 x0 x2 O( G0 {7 aO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
; T4 k& k- h! M6 d O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
4 v- G0 m! _7 R# X% \: k2 }8 cHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
$ n$ c/ ^$ w9 ^8 Jleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
& @$ D6 y; W0 q8 T' T0 N$ M  l" ?the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
1 l. A: u$ Y& f" r% mOn the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
9 _) M' f( q1 O- membroidered 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.
B y this time it had started to snow. An older
woman running from the opposite direction was
+ ]( z; O: P. F& t+ A  q7 z2 ~trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.
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- y2 G; J) f; ]% i* m* IShe sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
% ?, C/ l3 X! b4 c4 }up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
: W( V& b- p) o& k1 lcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
) [& ]$ c% Q) E) c8 K( I; TT hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
1 G3 ?7 a1 s. haisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
- `- z  b  I6 }6 H- G5 Kshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
- z9 B! G1 M; L% w2 O  @) xThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
/ p* a& J6 O7 |; G; Y% _0 Eit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
4 g# Q8 W0 X9 o0 W: N8 nmade this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
woman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
$ p4 k  ]' c0 e+ X! ^husband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
3 [5 j9 L+ b6 E, n5 p+ Nbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
' l0 x* }5 s# I) v" C& _, _The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
( n( `& o- g' k: Q* rwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
: A2 d; P, I, I0 T3 C( Cside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
3 p, r; M" N7 G% C% D3 K% Xfor the day for a housecleaning job.
W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
% w& [+ I3 h0 t& ]( B8 Bspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
* V* B* k6 t  X( P; s! s+ a& tpastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
3 Q9 K  j5 G' Rand many said that they would return..
4 V# }/ U7 j. Q" H) d+ X7 AOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
( P$ O* c; @7 k$ F8 `& xwasn't leaving.
3 J' b, v* n# X. l! N- w. p1 xThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
1 H1 C5 b& C; k- t+ ^the front wall because it was identical to one
) c6 m( G) A  cthat his wife had made years ago when
7 C+ X4 l/ }) g6 Vthey lived in Austria before the war and how
4 v/ O! ]/ t" V* bcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
* D6 q8 O+ j# X$ fforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
/ S5 m8 O8 Y# Z( B, Z$ l! cput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
# Q5 l; i, ^7 R$ y3 ]# Hagain all the 35 years between.
T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
% B+ X8 g1 k8 G/ {" a( t; BHe helped the man climb the three flights of
( ?' [; X4 \" k/ B6 n+ @$ U5 Sstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
reunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
6 A3 I/ k: \5 D' Kwho says God does work in mysterious ways.
: Z, }# D% J1 kI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
, i# Z, L, g: xyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
7 y7 r( b, ?- n2 z. `$ ealong your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
cares we know He will see us through.
# f) K8 `! T+ R' g) TS o when the road you're traveling seems
) f. i* l: _# E  ~" Y5 K9 Sdifficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
) v6 b- \3 ^4 Q0 J* J. v2 rto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
5 ]+ V1 |) F' o" r2 U* xsay the following small prayer for the person
5 B/ X. W# F% I* \* h, p4 Iwho sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
" _3 v" _, n* }$ Wever it is that You know they may be needing this
& ]. Y( `6 D7 B& }7 \day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
closer relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!