The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason


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2 n6 n; m+ V+ r! G+ [ The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
/ }# q2 `3 B8 Z0 b% u# fto their first ministry, to reopen a church
1 Z+ V% T1 ]$ k: a1 ]in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
' Z  E0 K/ o: Vmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
2 M5 @- t, ^/ mdone in time to have their first service
- g  @# p/ C5 c9 ]! son Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
. j, W* H. D2 B! o1 Fpainting, etc, and on December 18
5 @( |; {( g6 f  }" o/ `' }were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
# _$ ?2 W! v+ ~& [0 QO 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.
* i& ?# ~% m9 b; ^7 c# Z0 E, UHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
6 Y2 H6 e# O7 A2 C: Mleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
# B( m/ j% f& U5 D7 L# j; |20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
3 c. X9 p# h5 sof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
% e) B8 K) e2 F$ H  z% D' Abeginning about head high.
5 f+ e& N" q6 Z5 U3 Z& M5 VT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
+ j$ J# `; h: g! B  h$ hthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
- M$ c3 G  ~2 X  xOn the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
8 r- f6 s1 \- X' z, x5 _handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
7 I0 O+ v3 q2 \/ e5 S6 Lwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
7 @; ?4 U2 I6 Iembroidered right in the center. It was just  
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+ I( O: N9 N) W9 V+ y- \4 s  e4 cthe 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
/ y: t& n/ [& S! cwoman running from the opposite direction was
! h, }# q/ z3 y% htrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
% d% L$ A3 d9 k" m, B' Nthe next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
6 ^, _! J  O0 y' Owhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
6 L+ y- F- D1 y! ^, ~$ \4 vcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
/ {1 j. A2 q! |* Oaisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
! C- h7 |# h( gThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
3 ^1 k1 u$ Z6 Y/ E1 w) T/ rit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
' j+ i9 ~) H8 F4 N- \made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
) j4 E9 I, `5 M0 r8 G# q. }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
" l* N" f* [: m& W7 f0 s  Fher 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.
3 Q0 w4 ?, z7 g+ sHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
- H# L' s+ @, E7 N5 vT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
2 k5 W" L$ ]: G1 m+ m6 i3 Vbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
' n1 g5 e/ k% Q: zwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
8 [9 X6 X/ J" s/ l# J% ]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
7 A4 l% a* `0 x1 |: yspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
- E; [+ K( Q' u9 M. j" Y; Mand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
, `  L4 o5 }- Y9 f6 Y, C) }3 efrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
# |. w& ]* M! u; x3 ppews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
  f* I, H  K) l2 d3 R5 H) Owasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
7 s1 j7 X; `0 ~1 S6 ~# Q7 Ythe front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
8 j& w1 N3 |  ~. w/ ethey lived in Austria before the war and how
9 L. z1 S1 p  j0 e8 zcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
0 b4 ?% g! m) h4 w5 |3 U+ A1 wsupposed 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.
  M5 m1 v+ l' |- GT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
* P4 X$ U$ B6 @: z8 b1 G9 @Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
, W& P8 W% |# }5 HHe helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
  L5 ~6 z2 z" l5 Z! \7 Z9 X+ lreunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
5 H' M6 ]/ @  M* Bwho says God does work in mysterious ways.
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
2 E+ f2 J" A1 {you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
- F7 u# N0 D( G, k. Z& j9 |cares we know He will see us through.
( d# z. _! ~8 C7 JS o when the road you're traveling seems
. L' H3 H* r: G/ x  P8 ]difficult at best, just remember I'm here
0 U' z6 M2 g& Q( Ipraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
& T; b* _( t; i$ v7 o+ Oto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
. t4 B- M- y0 K8 G" u. _* ryou first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
say the following small prayer for the person
1 J7 C: t4 ^( zwho 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
) f, J/ W$ I; r# l% \! yday! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
( ?3 o& |3 Q. `9 V2 c) k9 F$ m! Bcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!