The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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6 C  k# m4 u; k: s7 r4 Q The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
% Z/ Y+ o7 T" \- K" J$ sin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
0 U( x7 o% x. k$ oexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
, k4 [. O$ u: |* x; ^9 P2 btheir church, it was very run down and needed
" C- f  R- N6 d# g5 x4 C! f$ [much work. They set a goal to have everything
- d) c9 n! Z: X% ~9 B7 Odone in time to have their first service
+ s3 q6 ^5 X0 g# o, m5 Mon Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
0 e% ]- z, @/ f9 u; R. o  f; W" Rpainting, etc, and on December 18
$ M" P. F& [  \& ywere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
6 m7 v$ B5 s& i( wrainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
) x' Z6 H" f7 E$ g, I- l5 M O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
1 t% N! f2 K6 `7 }1 q0 DHis 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.
2 f$ L  B1 C- c9 z5 _% L% |T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
: r7 w0 F" A! C% u# ?- M4 C7 C2 Khaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
# _* D+ X  S# g1 a0 O& `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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7 G; J! s* {, ]3 P2 s. N: n8 r9 Z( @8 Mthe 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
0 e7 E2 M" y# o( p0 Z# Mwoman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.
+ }( o: E' w" }7 I) ]4 H% |
! j, f/ U& f) W6 ~/ lShe 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.
+ c- N3 X6 I4 E2 }% m8 {# OT hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
" B3 g  X; `1 ^; g" v% d+ Faisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
) y# J6 c# q( A+ |% ?7 e' fshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
: F, W/ v; n" C/ t- hThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
% Z" b0 b+ Q! H# xit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
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
woman explained that before the war she and
/ m9 U) M' @2 a; }, s+ G4 p7 ^3 H. xher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
- t0 O7 a4 T7 S1 R% A  h
When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
3 I# R8 Z  ?; E; `2 f: p1 Y5 c$ zHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
4 m: l3 R5 L& ^# D& m1 gHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
+ @1 w& Y% x( |( Q( a' ebut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
was the least he could do. She lived on the other
7 x" V' Z+ B7 o) ^& t, ~, |side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
' P% e3 I/ v  Hfor the day for a housecleaning job.
7 q5 A1 t( l& P' ?% ZW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
( M' t2 T: N7 m# G# G$ CEve. The church was almost full. The music and the
0 Y. N- m8 o3 t7 x. m' \+ w2 ^9 Ispirit were great. At the end of the service, the
* k1 p* D7 G7 A; @, u. Ppastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
! y( r) w! |2 S$ |7 R) n! @and many said that they would return..
- ^$ m5 }  H% ?' O: u% _One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
8 e. v" x( g5 D- U$ `that his wife had made years ago when
! @! s4 `" A) m! T9 A9 |" C1 @% _( Ethey lived in Austria before the war and how
& H) q, r) `3 x! r$ t/ Bcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
. W0 K9 W  E3 ~  c+ [' c; \8 cH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
/ Y! x" y: i. n% x) |supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
" q+ b: R& f/ L/ ]' z8 Bput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
8 ], j  \7 F; Q( I; J# y( Wagain 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
6 N& e; O# [& S& x. }  `# aIsland and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of
( Y+ k" h4 i) c6 estairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
; f1 L2 L5 ?  i' C% |# q& _( a6 z9 Cthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas
& a/ t5 i0 r5 g6 h4 Q# Creunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
' w" K3 L9 `8 Q6 ]I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
$ w/ }3 g" i5 t" P9 a+ Kyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
1 S% s' W- j2 ~1 j9 Z: W/ U! Balong your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
3 L5 l4 r5 C5 S  H5 \5 kcares we know He will see us through.
* e# w: o: @6 A1 q7 r& xS o when the road you're traveling seems
. M) U/ B" v6 ], jdifficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
: i  ?. R2 o, f' @6 zyou first.
2 \* W% T! T& f6 M# eW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
2 |$ Q, S4 V+ t# ]1 P9 ~you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
% [' c8 Q0 q  _+ Ksay the following small prayer for the person
& F7 W: M, v) K: ewho 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
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
$ d! m) I; Z) [% T* K$ ocloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!