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
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
5 c+ y! W3 J/ j, Tin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
$ m0 R5 Y1 d" V9 v+ G2 ~excited about their opportunities. When they saw
) K% K5 A3 X- F; S) k# @+ L% {their church, it was very run down and needed
, D, r- y) v% o- zmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
5 A' }) A3 {* [: v% \done in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
5 E/ u* C( {8 |5 oT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
9 P: x) `) P) ~; f4 G6 h0 YO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
, o& `  l6 I( U+ Arainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
, r9 W  G) _7 k) A9 @) j5 o O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
2 h1 Q4 F. |9 Y) ~( d4 R8 V! ~, [His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
  B( e- }% L1 w+ R' Lleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
9 w$ N. u2 H% I% z0 G" L0 M$ d20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
* Y1 H" ]/ X  ?beginning about head high.
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On 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
% l0 T! ~4 j+ {8 d5 J* Zwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
/ W/ B; k; I* t; Z# h( {: }embroidered 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.
* k2 W. d  c3 ~5 x7 i" ?7 }B y this time it had started to snow. An older
7 B- N5 X# \* ?1 n# kwoman running from the opposite direction was
# Q7 [2 z# m: |: l& G9 p2 U  Ztrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
$ D6 q& ^0 S0 J# Wthe next bus 45 minutes later.

. N, U4 L! h5 \7 A8 f4 kShe sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
0 A+ t3 ~" Z) D0 wwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
5 k# H1 x" o9 J# P; o/ t2 ?; ~could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
7 H/ r6 L1 e2 m) r# R. O3 sThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
; G9 d4 p0 N1 bthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
0 X3 ]& h# F- x* a) iit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
7 z. O/ l4 s) vtold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
) P+ Z- E! b4 V. A# @6 Twoman explained that before the war she and
! j1 v9 J5 m. m& aher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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6 J& f7 z# y# S8 Y7 W$ \3 R8 CWhen 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
. I( J' g& u8 ~) Rhusband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
3 x9 k+ E9 {, pThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
$ \; t: S+ n# |; r0 V$ C3 Xwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
/ ?; H( ?5 K, W; B  D3 }4 dfor the day for a housecleaning job.
8 T4 G  _( N; I6 ~: ^5 XW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
5 H/ I4 V; L1 rspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
) p! @; ~1 x7 E$ Ipastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
% K( H0 m' \% T  nand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
, _# f" @+ U7 {pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
# @1 K, D- v; B& CThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
2 y' X) K( d0 S. bthat his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
) K, w: L, Q( Y6 Q  U: bH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
7 F4 @$ ?& T0 }; T$ wforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
5 e' A* ?; K. w; }* p/ ?again all the 35 years between.
6 v2 ^/ C$ b, U8 AT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
# g' g7 S' b7 Z% E4 H. u# E9 {Island and to the same house where the pastor
/ e. S. Y# y8 ahad taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of
/ g* Y  R& K! |9 H3 F+ gstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
/ J0 ?5 Y1 p) }. j( {9 _2 ^" cthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas
reunion he could ever imagine.
8 e; G( y  ~# @$ k3 X$ BT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
$ b  B* P6 z( q8 Y- TI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
# L+ v1 e4 z4 i; M% w9 Kyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
" t* i9 p  ~1 U& Ualong your way. His love is always with you. His
/ T. m/ E4 Q8 H- d. K& [! g2 y% Ypromises are true, and when we give Him all our
cares we know He will see us through.
7 v; p7 _. Y2 u! b4 A: G$ mS o when the road you're traveling seems
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
: E5 ~# S2 \* n: X0 V7 n  y4 Mpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
, q6 T6 S- U' D6 p$ Jto those you want God to bless and remember
5 c/ @: g+ c( E' Q3 D% Z* U+ |to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
. A1 r& N! |8 c- Ayou first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
9 k* v+ I; g/ \2 V0 |you find out that God is all you need Take 60
, S; ]- ^6 V0 m( m6 c& }seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
* j) E7 ^$ y8 K* J3 I! Y4 ssay the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
9 H. n- j( w2 z- k5 ^: N0 ~ever it is that You know they may be needing this
& r- {5 @0 E6 v- {day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
/ C! x/ }+ J2 G9 o8 |1 Lcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!