The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason

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The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
- X' i% q. n+ l+ H% _. f- a! K; Sto their first ministry, to reopen a church
, x% @3 {, e1 o4 ]in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
8 S9 v, @2 d$ |2 Y" E" m( Y' k8 Eexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
5 q$ |/ r) y4 l+ N$ m6 omuch work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
( \+ G" F" i7 O9 n+ ~4 xon Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
$ x0 Y4 ^1 K+ F9 J8 X& gpainting, etc, and on December 18
, p# N# X2 M6 k! i0 y3 {were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
* V% g* \, e4 ^; {' n" CO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
$ D9 j7 [- \( g- C+ u, |rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
  O2 l9 A5 x! p0 E1 A$ G' `leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
5 p' _, `% g) |, X* ?& r+ Z20 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
( ^! E  r& R6 Y1 m# q! Hthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
1 B( X4 B  m1 k* Ghaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
+ |6 X" p5 P& g4 Nstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
! H3 C2 ?9 D! V! t8 G5 nhandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
2 k" {1 O) M/ j- `8 O2 b4 V/ E4 zwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
* K) m! r$ ^  j: q' Dembroidered right in the center. It was just  

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" d6 o' _! c& b" \% bthe 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
6 M. e& L, Q- V" ?! z& L8 pwoman running from the opposite direction was
6 r+ r2 g9 [, m' N4 {6 h/ M( Xtrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
/ f* p& g4 d8 |) q8 K! r) vinvited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.
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She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
: I& j# C4 n9 X( D  W7 scould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
/ B: r: S) y5 A0 @T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
/ r3 N/ O+ L2 q/ p# l* \: n) S% ]3 j. hshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
( g  A8 j; l1 w' Z* ^it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
, u% u- b8 g5 `; V) j1 F) LT 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.
) G- o7 W! a% ?' qHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
/ b' u9 Y6 d0 r! `husband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
5 J5 V7 c+ l  E0 D( K0 \2 r2 Dbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
6 p8 |6 G* a+ A: E+ b8 iThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
6 I7 k/ a- v* }; m% Hwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
1 n* b' u+ h4 l6 P3 t) mside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
% _# u+ E& [0 f  I0 Pfor the day for a housecleaning job.
2 _5 C0 u1 w" o/ X+ J3 @W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
! |* C$ o+ G8 t% {Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
7 m* @, d5 b6 Q# P( `5 Rspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
and many said that they would return..
3 t' @( a" i: M* X" G1 b+ \, POne older man, whom the pastor recognized
& D, j: a# Q' J* hfrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
# v7 j' F! F# T) b" U: JThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
+ w" H7 [, x: _- ?the front wall because it was identical to one
( m5 U$ R/ g1 m( F5 y5 O! |that his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
) U! s8 S+ ]0 _; p" ~; Q' ]! z) pcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
5 B! v5 i5 J/ r2 hsupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
& r( o/ I0 u/ X! [' f3 ?put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
1 a* p& ^9 M% J2 \7 b6 dagain all the 35 years between.
T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
) L/ w- k  E: T. X7 \0 L- ], `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.
* ]* f( p' {6 O6 |He helped the man climb the three flights of
/ o, @; Z  u! q) C' d+ H+ J5 ystairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
9 r- g. M0 }" ~- R2 {reunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
* L3 H/ U' o, {$ ~8 o0 `( Jwho says God does work in mysterious ways.
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
) ~6 I+ \2 Z( U! r! P( F6 talong your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
+ D+ {1 Z5 S# n  G$ s: k* mcares we know He will see us through.
; }- w& f/ d) k1 cS o when the road you're traveling seems
7 }1 V' ^  v4 D, P( G, |difficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
* @3 G$ G$ S2 c0 ~  Z. ?6 ?! gto those you want God to bless and remember
/ B/ c- m( X. v, Z( s8 Uto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
8 I0 o7 x4 q0 J. `2 wyou first.
5 m( Z& R0 O: L1 D  C, Z* w( H! FW 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
6 E  m! `9 E! ?: usay the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
  |" M7 h% K4 W4 O3 h' ?2 z$ fFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
ever it is that You know they may be needing this
4 v$ B' Y7 H$ c4 r8 rday! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
8 v& C; y3 w9 O( S4 s" Pcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!