The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
& Y2 a, Z1 W( P+ q4 N


The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
; I* m# N# L/ S1 d1 b: Q5 Mto their first ministry, to reopen a church
* F9 N/ J1 Z9 D% Vin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
: @) O7 j; j- P% G/ r4 c, B% ?) Idone in time to have their first service
( q5 |; B( E5 i) K/ t5 h8 ton Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
9 }) A; V0 B$ O  F) Z0 {9 p3 ]painting, etc, and on December 18
" `: N/ F$ M# F# I: awere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
/ c: O/ ^; W* D, D2 V. m" h; _rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
! @  }) D. r% Q' M. ]' Q+ d' {+ i5 qHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
1 J$ S$ A# Q2 \/ M+ h$ s" O3 O20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
/ t' \5 N# N8 a5 R9 ?2 u# k, tbeginning about head high.
+ T' K. q& `# d; n, y; ?T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
" h0 P5 {. A: }. s1 c7 j! vthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
& m" p. O/ h9 U% {0 Vhaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
8 M7 B0 M8 N0 o8 ~+ ]# V: Xstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
7 E4 T' P' O. @: P+ ^8 rhandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
: S0 I9 P5 v4 a% ^! jwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
' ]3 D$ F: J9 S! q% A* }; K# tembroidered right in the center. It was just  
# D4 a/ s/ a, o" q; ^9 q
4 g% Z& O' M8 t$ o

1 o8 N  ~; M& ?
% p* T" D6 H1 L; p  e$ z4 ]

the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
/ J1 Q6 Q% F% v0 Q4 G& K3 \B y this time it had started to snow. An older
( Y) Q6 l7 z) ywoman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
- b  B8 v( |+ i7 B: I9 ginvited her to wait in the warm church for
the 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
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
9 Z) ?  ^1 x7 j7 \* H2 ST 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
, g$ s/ f6 m; I- c$ I0 e, jthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
3 D0 q6 k% }+ l- e% Rit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
  t8 G( a2 r. L9 x8 tmade this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
0 @; X+ e/ o- f8 F. |T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
$ P" b* u0 ~7 ~' J) m4 }- x, Mtold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
, w1 ~6 m" Y7 nwoman explained that before the war she and
1 `, O, p$ Q; d0 [  W7 Q3 kher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
; @, a1 O' t- p. L1 I: MHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
- n- d. f( l+ L+ n  Q# ^He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
1 B5 L. `9 H$ f: v8 [* M7 v1 QT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
9 d: D5 E+ v6 \* q" z) _, Fbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
3 Z/ \3 n4 v8 ?8 c  @; C- \' X. eThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
' a2 w/ T  p- f/ C* kwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
! y8 F2 c. n3 g( g5 L" Jside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
for the day for a housecleaning job.
( F9 k6 t3 O: G9 Y6 FW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
' Z5 ]; d3 y/ Y% f& cEve. 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
1 P$ l3 E3 F, f! C* M+ u; o1 uand many said that they would return..
1 p9 `7 n1 N1 Y- `4 I5 \. NOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
( o) _. e* ]/ K* n* G9 h& Lfrom 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
4 q8 l; t* D8 g! A, kthe front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
% [9 o6 h, Y" W+ B" M$ n$ H; Mthey lived in Austria before the war and how
/ `' g7 G6 `9 ^7 R- Qcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
% z! L# I) C& Dforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
2 p9 \! k% e# Pput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
8 C- l0 K# b7 V5 k' ^0 c- q: f& xagain 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
$ }; w7 e3 x- |- {Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
1 Y" k  [/ N" K, ~" |& {He helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
reunion he could ever imagine.
- v* x; C: y5 }: WT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
  \8 K0 \1 u: I8 o- z" [) v. ayou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
9 s# Z, u, n# H+ Y6 J4 Ualong your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
9 ^% d: ^3 S* P, U0 rcares we know He will see us through.
" M- \+ N1 J. b# S, ]$ K' }0 c* l3 B0 SS o when the road you're traveling seems
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
& M. f5 E: S( H& R3 v) Npraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
1 u: v: _1 T; u' Xto those you want God to bless and remember
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
* r' v" I$ m& B; {you first.
$ d4 |. S+ ?4 N, x2 ?/ U% wW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
9 j+ @7 g0 e4 C) d2 g: m9 bseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
say the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
* b5 M( ?- J+ r4 vever it is that You know they may be needing this
  s2 W0 }) B( l5 M$ rday! May their lives be full of Your peace,
  a% S; I1 e, |7 p+ ^! Q4 E8 Nprosperity and power as they seek to have a
closer relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!