The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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# J( K( ^' P8 R  P* E The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
( @4 y( |6 s0 I# w8 N! Lin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
$ j2 m% A- @! E' 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
done in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
. Z4 a# N+ ]7 @/ k  a4 d' bpainting, etc, and on December 18
3 ?. |$ ]" _7 c# L, [% N! S. y1 Pwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
1 r% b9 g+ h+ S. H! W5 j* I3 c O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
1 |% T* p" E3 Q+ v% p; jleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
4 T/ x' P0 x3 J- F. Q% \" tof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
7 m& _# M4 F3 D3 [& E" H% H+ m' nT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
9 F" J( z. \$ k& h$ y3 oand not knowing what else to do but postpone
! L6 |5 A3 ^) i0 P. q, u7 gthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
* k. T3 T8 a7 n0 S# XOn the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
' y3 }' J- D! Z" ^, A( bstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
2 w  i# |9 A7 b4 s+ [, rwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
( Y' a" D+ o- h1 {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.
- _0 Z' W& |3 N$ C; RB y this time it had started to snow. An older
  M- D0 U- y! G5 y) wwoman running from the opposite direction was
+ \. E' y( e- i% Y4 L: u* ttrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
7 ]  Q; @: ~+ Y" a1 R( @: i! Ythe next bus 45 minutes later.
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" w: M2 l: [  @& J+ ^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
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
( @5 M& h0 X+ i7 ZT 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?"
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the 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
( g. C+ \7 P6 ]; j# d/ d2 [3 @made 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
: o" }" \# C, _5 J: x5 ^% j2 Twoman explained that before the war she and
( |+ K- h' G% e; @2 aher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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. y; h, |3 m2 p4 H2 [. {When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
. ]& }+ x+ T( I' ?3 r$ }% BHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
3 k$ J+ E$ v* b& \He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
0 Q* s% f7 q4 O' O' [3 h+ N3 P# Phusband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
0 P  R$ F5 ]) h) Q! e7 D9 Dbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
) P+ i) e1 u5 tThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
' o# {" r" e$ k1 Bwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
) J' y4 ?( A( hfor the day for a housecleaning job.
  U6 O% k" q5 [$ }) @+ GW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
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
and many said that they would return..
: a! q6 n6 R2 |& k8 fOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
$ x, F. ?* I& k2 P3 A. \# `from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
! H* Y! R5 e+ e0 N6 S# |wasn't leaving.
* M5 ]6 M; E0 y( q- u; G: KThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
7 Q; M& ~/ H0 o4 Kthat his wife had made years ago when
/ A, H; ^  [9 w: P( f* ethey lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
9 x) [' j; m9 e, d/ q1 `forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
6 ]% J- ]3 a9 G$ a6 }supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
% q( _$ L1 V( ~# F5 wput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
) G" v  b- e# @  Jagain all the 35 years between.
; I4 ?% N) G& w% N% }T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
. m6 |# |/ {' K+ x7 I  ~Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
/ X- Z* d# K! h' VHe helped the man climb the three flights of
8 P8 d+ s1 b/ D. ^stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
5 l- c9 [- L3 B- I5 v  g2 @reunion he could ever imagine.
: M1 X3 O( a, @9 |T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
9 _1 H1 x* }1 }5 R5 |& v; M( JI 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
) @' b: p' S2 qpromises are true, and when we give Him all our
, c8 M* r) g% k( Bcares we know He will see us through.
0 {4 |+ V, R5 _9 Q& U, o% V# US o when the road you're traveling seems
& p5 b! V! g9 Hdifficult at best, just remember I'm here
% `& z8 W5 Y/ a8 V* }$ X4 dpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
: D/ ~; I( h( Rto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
4 s2 T( H# f& m1 Ryou first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
$ |( X0 e/ @5 _5 B: [, f* i. K) s3 z2 pyou find out that God is all you need Take 60
9 P! Z, P6 z. k. y8 m" V& X* _! |0 }seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
say the following small prayer for the person
, C% t$ H3 q+ ?. P3 t$ D$ jwho sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
* H0 n7 R- Z" D) D3 d. C% j3 Iever it is that You know they may be needing this
2 h  K3 E+ f7 `/ 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!