The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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, t, S: c0 `6 ^0 y% z The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
" u% s, V3 j) @their church, it was very run down and needed
, w7 l& b+ m- B% s! Xmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
3 Z! y, Y8 ~$ {7 s# Ydone in time to have their first service
$ ?0 [  H% z; f" yon Christmas Eve.
; w1 [8 w. y/ uT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
2 f0 Z6 n0 n# kwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
; _' p) I% X* Q& p. A* D6 H2 G8 Urainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
4 ^& r) |  e9 c0 KHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
! g) P- \# e) W' Z( X8 t20 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,
; z) g# K8 p  W! b) O: P* C' f; ]and not knowing what else to do but postpone
- v6 y4 @. g8 G$ J5 Dthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
" [8 h, B( Q$ L3 xOn the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
' b  d$ e7 {* Xstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
7 w! V( a" ]( V3 M' o( l- v) phandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
3 a9 n( c9 {6 d; J0 @6 Y; ~' iwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
" M4 ~+ Y1 h8 a  M" e5 X+ Pembroidered right in the center. It was just  


  h/ H: X' R! v4 C5 I
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the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
! r5 _0 G8 O3 q: L/ m: DB y this time it had started to snow. An older
% e7 Y+ t. w# Qwoman running from the opposite direction was
3 Y+ E: V8 @- E. Qtrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.
5 I: Z: N2 d# n$ z* D) }
She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
  o& w* U( r* I3 }while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
4 n& i- e) h: q5 K& IT hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
7 m3 V7 H* j1 P2 \- Pshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
! h9 h7 G4 U4 _' R3 J6 n, cThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
( B0 H& {5 {( p& c. qthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
3 }* }5 t& A  {( w, i  x, Kit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
& G" d. {3 r3 E& S3 `& K6 XT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
* M( d: r: u- l' p" w7 J4 @. i: r: p, ztold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
woman explained that before the war she and
) Z/ O0 E8 {3 rher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

8 y4 u$ [" M( f3 n; w6 lWhen the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
1 {: V# U0 o: a* k) \Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
- o/ j  @9 X/ U" Uhusband or her home again.
, q6 x, P5 k" C! W* C) R! pT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
) m: L3 A  M" g% n7 n. v/ bbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
+ R; O7 Z9 M3 L; ^The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
was the least he could do. She lived on the other
/ {! a; ~; z: k, ?8 X+ K+ f' Lside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
+ k" y) X3 }" F( p, P& Gfor the day for a housecleaning job.
$ |4 X7 V& y) JW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
" Y2 }) n6 \1 k: _+ e% O6 O' sEve. The church was almost full. The music and the
% a! q# u- q: W) Hspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
& N+ H0 _( I8 b" m- H- opastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
and many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
* N: c" s3 ^* l, ]from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
6 b- H5 @1 k, |2 ^; m* h. {! Rpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
3 b8 \  O" U7 @4 U6 T$ ]) d" r* YThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
% @8 h" e" C) k  o9 X+ u/ tthey lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
! k8 I8 B5 {' G! w  g. VH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced 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
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
- S- T/ i. s2 ]8 xIsland and to the same house where the pastor
( n/ F, x- V3 q: ]5 e2 rhad taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of
, a" S6 o! ]# O+ ~3 W- h% kstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
3 K# S$ n' }3 N, X; o" [! B2 ~reunion he could ever imagine.
: \" o6 J9 ]# @+ C# w$ X. j  G8 LT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
2 O% \( M/ u6 fwho 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
, T0 g9 Y+ M! w4 O7 ?, S& Jalong your way. His love is always with you. His
3 n( [1 Z7 U$ B7 l- ~! C4 E  u" Xpromises are true, and when we give Him all our
& Z/ g- o, t- Q4 z2 W: K- vcares we know He will see us through.
S o when the road you're traveling seems
% T2 ^, {$ l- _3 j9 |9 c& M6 `% d* jdifficult at best, just remember I'm here
: X" G2 q$ V/ ]! ~6 Y, P1 npraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
$ K/ v2 s: w5 p: h6 C% nto those you want God to bless and remember
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
7 x' p  N) x% M3 n5 tW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
' h% i* g$ U, [you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
5 a! D' O) F# K  W# B2 ]  Z" asay the following small prayer for the person
8 n) e5 Y: U4 J( T( mwho sent this to you.
& G( U/ _7 ]; BFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
ever it is that You know they may be needing this
; S" ~3 r6 P2 Z# J6 E+ ]% ]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!