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
6 `( K4 @0 Y, W' B! H9 R' [to their first ministry, to reopen a church
% m& _" [' S" B6 B2 o8 U- uin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
- p/ G7 K* F$ o  O! y* s) _much work. They set a goal to have everything
' Z1 x2 \+ ?3 ]$ Q3 d. Q5 R- Ndone in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
8 @( r- ]- n( O, \" t% r9 xT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
6 x# z# V: U& |0 [7 `9 zpainting, etc, and on December 18
were 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.
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
) w1 F( t7 |$ u: K, _3 ^6 RT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
! \+ x6 I" {* nOn the way he noticed that a local business was
% x' D2 s. E1 ?) [! Ihaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
+ x0 Z3 L9 h, l& f* j( _% {  }handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just  




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. \! ]9 n' `  d% P/ Othe 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
# Q' G% m: g: F6 Rwoman running from the opposite direction was
  }; [/ ~* ?$ g3 A* L0 @* u8 Ttrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
$ @5 I) H. m. n" @& [. V& y  c+ Athe next bus 45 minutes later.
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; V: S- k% ^1 L" @( eShe 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.
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
- z/ J& T( u0 p6 Pshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
* m  ]* t+ N( r- N% SThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
% d! O/ u, E% R" }$ O- Jit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
- v/ b0 j( \# k. L' \$ e' }7 \1 q2 Qmade 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
4 \! j, [; }2 e; z( a- Hwoman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
& {7 X+ B, p* B/ |He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
! d! }" V( y% x3 l' T9 W; kThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
' D4 f8 t' s  f. Rwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
for the day for a housecleaning job.
W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
) B, L2 n# H- W0 P; L( ?; ]spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
3 @8 z. M3 X& C& k# ]- |pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
6 o" d# Z% n  E5 R1 x; s( uand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
- o9 [" R6 c6 |  a+ f/ ^/ hpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
2 `/ s( R) I2 q3 xwasn't leaving.
$ X* H) }2 k# ]* ?, R, g% Z5 x0 x  fThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
% x  K6 _, v; S* pthe front wall because it was identical to one
. e) W7 |7 X/ Q5 D* H6 pthat his wife had made years ago when
! o" m3 E0 F& Hthey lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
# P' F8 z; ]3 aH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
% j6 o$ p6 ^$ @! S, x% V9 uforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
" M9 b6 {. ^- M+ u( jsupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
+ e! k- O8 R# C) cput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
4 u3 U$ e- Q- P8 cagain all the 35 years between.
% W' F3 g9 F$ DT 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
% m1 G' p& l6 e8 Z3 l0 C% b. Y. {had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of
3 A0 \5 V9 u" F& r7 Vstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
6 d, w4 t, ?6 Q* Z4 M8 _the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
% L3 T* l+ Y9 X- Lreunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
* I" _$ Y8 A7 o- wI 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
: K; y8 x7 q  G  u& @) I8 V# Xpromises are true, and when we give Him all our
! |% B/ u9 Q, A9 a; a- n; A6 v( F2 A" Ncares we know He will see us through.
S o when the road you're traveling seems
. d8 b0 H  t5 ^. N) odifficult at best, just remember I'm here
2 o$ ^/ S- v8 B5 b; \praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
4 H4 p6 X# j, t4 N2 q' f- S, rto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
# B7 s3 p7 M3 oseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
say the following small prayer for the person
3 t) v' C" L$ i- |, a' j+ owho sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
7 w8 M2 j. |6 ^. t1 G; o/ {' Aever it is that You know they may be needing this
7 F: Z3 y' C8 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!