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
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
: o5 Q' ~. S5 `/ T4 D" u/ I8 ~2 |& qexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
2 f, R) X  s2 R5 Dmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
2 {! k) O; S5 H* `' z+ T9 x1 ?. Z7 von Christmas Eve.
5 F) \. N! ]. V; nT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
6 h2 c9 }3 M7 K6 rwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
# c( R  N* ?8 `3 W5 f) mrainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
/ o  o  d3 w( t) z4 b! E3 k O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
# j# [9 T7 s' cleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
2 v1 U% Q  T: ^1 d9 `3 m20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
9 V" b) V. a9 }8 tT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
" `/ H4 S/ e" h# Kthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
5 Z0 i* \5 o7 K3 K# o7 s1 cOn the way he noticed that a local business was
0 l' V! b8 [1 `! U6 k; h5 Ohaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
  q4 k1 c2 M1 S. ehandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
$ B# d8 u6 n7 ?3 lembroidered right in the center. It was just  
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% o3 K# \) r2 v: W; D0 c( n# Q# ~3 D

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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
' _1 \9 B. X  Y& _1 Kwoman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
: C$ N8 J0 e* I/ \: [9 v! ainvited her to wait in the warm church for
5 K0 J# D6 d& i, V/ q- uthe next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
) F1 q4 ?) K; e$ U7 J" bup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
0 W1 D+ y6 Y: B- P, ocould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
- k) |/ a5 p3 E5 p# eT 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?"
6 D5 ]2 k3 ^1 v4 D2 z2 V" E0 m0 uThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
4 e' Q: B3 @) R$ x! Z) m, ythe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
: w( }. n8 g; G; hit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
1 e8 J, S* k) G/ R$ X0 o1 g$ N" Cmade this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
6 ?) k7 z0 L4 j- @- ~; s: @+ u$ i- @8 Ctold 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 .

- h1 E( r! F; I: }8 R# [4 hWhen 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
husband or her home again.
; U" k/ G9 B! n9 }6 dT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
. _* k- \/ Z% P9 U% XThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
( e7 U1 P3 m5 l/ X# w) {was the least he could do. She lived on the other
9 Y+ c3 F; N+ l* s$ y) p" q) ^side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
for the day for a housecleaning job.
  A: j* e3 K/ w6 C: c( f  @W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
6 B- R# p. T( Y- c' r- M4 wspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
# m' Q+ i& Y! ypastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
and many said that they would return..
+ Y' A- [; T$ [) g# k- G, p" A4 z0 \One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
. s9 C3 w/ y2 X0 k8 j( Z: ~pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
# P) a6 J8 v! ]7 _- |  bwasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
6 @+ N! k5 G- {! zthe front wall because it was identical to one
; _# ]' n/ R& g+ {% D3 D' Tthat his wife had made years ago when
8 C: g2 l9 {/ z. p& p1 G1 dthey lived in Austria before the war and how
. Q% \0 b9 e" |# ncould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
# _! u2 k( m7 L$ z2 I4 v% a1 xforced 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.
: @! ~) M) k$ iT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
( g3 I. D4 X1 g* G* E! ^, Q' N: Vtake him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
# d; M0 C7 {/ @9 WIsland and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
9 [) R$ x4 a# I) S- l- oHe helped the man climb the three flights of
0 E/ l+ O9 e0 V0 R6 [0 Astairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
& o1 h! e  e; s* y+ zreunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
) L8 L+ M6 e# S6 O& r* Dwho says God does work in mysterious ways.
9 C" p" w, Z- X; {* Q. C* J& s( BI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
* f! x. X3 a1 c  P7 S+ Salong your way. His love is always with you. His
3 E: b& B7 A4 R5 ?promises are true, and when we give Him all our
6 F0 v- K' @& _! B3 fcares we know He will see us through.
S o when the road you're traveling seems
! Q+ A0 `2 O8 B5 f5 U; U) M4 udifficult at best, just remember I'm here
" q: C5 _+ m5 M& m  N7 u3 Zpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
% I' P* J& X. Y0 j  Rto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
: q- F+ {/ S" D9 I5 z9 l4 Q) l) i+ \you first.
) T5 h  U7 g1 d0 ]; t; qW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
% }8 P: o& f, R/ @) b4 {you find out that God is all you need Take 60
+ L4 U; D5 K% L: Z6 Pseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
say the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
% _% X' y2 L5 i# HFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
9 H9 R9 d" f1 Hever it is that You know they may be needing this
7 i: e5 C" i8 G0 \0 D$ bday! May their lives be full of Your peace,
5 N; j+ p/ {0 |- j8 h- t6 Jprosperity and power as they seek to have a
closer relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!