The Tablecloth

propeller

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

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6 `% s  y( ]; y( S& ~: Y( | The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
2 @) y  H4 M7 I: W  B: @7 l5 ito their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
, C) F+ y) y( Sexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
1 \* s& [/ R4 H, u' Jdone in time to have their first service
# h; T3 M* d. e* g' M' a- Fon Christmas Eve.
; I$ e$ M8 p2 N( ?# DT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
6 e  x% s9 p' Q) U: ypainting, etc, and on December 18
  K( @' o& |5 e$ ?' }, s5 Gwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
( l) Z! S6 R$ v) L  i9 r& \# [O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
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
  C7 s5 H" x; ?( Lleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
, @$ n' ~& x! t4 t1 C+ V4 Oof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
! h9 N# j5 m7 W  [/ f+ P: g4 `- tT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
% y/ ^6 F. V2 i5 S5 U) ?7 A: {and not knowing what else to do but postpone
& R, b- O) \- @4 Kthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
5 L3 [- J% Y- D0 Ghaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
3 c, f! B' A) V9 _0 Istopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
- w4 }9 ]7 @! W  `/ ^handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
" u  I) V7 |, t8 V4 fwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
# {+ H9 H7 J8 F/ E- p# x, 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
$ ?2 ?# M& O0 ]+ w. Z+ cwoman running from the opposite direction was
4 [3 M# [# M* v( Z6 Ktrying 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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: y6 g  H3 ]8 I- uShe sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
' o  I; a7 P9 Owhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
. R3 G0 \. x9 K/ u) s* fcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
+ B/ y* M$ \2 y) E+ b6 Waisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
5 A& E( j! I/ g9 n0 UThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
2 X% a* L% K. {9 h0 Dthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
3 R( ^# y+ K- d) i: I& b* LT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
( J( D4 D) y) u+ U4 stold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
% O% j, v4 T9 dwoman explained that before the war she and
, n6 h' O7 p" M: Dher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
5 M; B3 `3 [  X: ?  Z9 n. r( W2 V' @% qHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
  \1 y; X* X" p8 U& ]T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
: {% p* M, J. Z# Y# obut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
: \3 G6 K# H4 r5 i1 R! b+ ewas the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
  |, E% p. E, r$ y- [: [for the day for a housecleaning job.
) g9 \8 _8 V, kW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
0 h+ ^% B. q( g2 o, z8 [Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
: K! ?( L- V. _9 l5 I# g  B  S+ }0 u7 Dand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
! t0 u- C! C& k$ t2 a2 f. Ofrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
$ }) M3 y* t0 f5 H2 tpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
! ?/ y/ }  `# E! gwasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
  y9 f% ^) [& x- o; ythe front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
/ [2 A+ M( Z( ]. r" |; {5 othey lived in Austria before the war and how
7 k+ L. ?2 V% W$ E! }6 y& _could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
  l* {5 R# L3 o; z$ v8 C1 AH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
) K+ N& ~! _$ `( R" `forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
! A3 V& C6 C* V. B. e/ vsupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
& |8 |/ B+ F4 Y% dput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
9 C  H% }# n( Q+ f1 Q! {3 U: ?again 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
7 x7 H! \; Q9 Ghad taken the woman three days earlier.
! m, g( B0 P/ `: M) `3 XHe helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs 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
# F6 r) y6 H" swho says God does work in mysterious ways.
) t3 Z) v- E% V/ |1 v- @I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you. His
3 S5 r. K7 l0 j% N& k( C; a7 t; Fpromises are true, and when we give Him all our
& B6 r7 f  ?: [" _, E- tcares we know He will see us through.
. V8 q2 g- w  ^! S' }9 ]0 S' ^! gS o when the road you're traveling seems
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
- F! ^9 `7 v' F0 Sto those you want God to bless and remember
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
* p9 }2 g- F4 p8 jW 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
say the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
ever it is that You know they may be needing this
7 [: Y. s7 l4 H3 M- O1 B! o4 Qday! 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!