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
4 j/ b3 u5 ]! ?3 K) h9 X# Tto their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
8 l% P5 C5 t6 f* M  L" n% Nexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
' |( ?/ l# O& Q) C8 h0 ?their church, it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
' E" F" e( R& o+ Q. G# x  v8 hdone in time to have their first service
# w+ E" q6 @1 _% ^% B1 x- hon Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
* r8 }1 ^0 B" X( r' jpainting, etc, and on December 18
8 }. V$ ?  W# |) g+ t( J8 Hwere 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.
- [8 j# [# C! A3 W7 XHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
8 K7 H8 I: F" t  l: A# @" Ileaked, causing a large area of plaster about
0 s0 `% J" |) D9 K20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
, H% A$ C1 L. I0 h% \T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
+ r' {  N' L) j: ]the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
3 ~1 P# J3 K8 H7 nhaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
0 J+ t' _% i# J" R& q# @with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
! e. T, Q9 |4 a7 l+ B, ]  Gembroidered right in the center. It was just  

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the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
2 I. X6 ]8 y6 B, D- L; YB y this time it had started to snow. An older
" s! |: {8 M  U9 d* C- wwoman 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.
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She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
5 C: h+ z% O8 |while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
  Z: X- N# [  }5 I" b* ^7 S5 u% i' \up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
0 c7 {4 V* s" X! K, ~, XT hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
. m7 r3 e/ V  J! k; e7 qshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
& N6 v: w  w% K* L" ~" P# U# AThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
5 {3 G- _) |; X3 l9 M" }it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
8 E$ s9 c7 g5 K5 z6 rmade this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
$ Q. x% C' Z! G6 P8 C( zT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
& e0 f( D3 @$ @) G  c6 Ltold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
woman explained that before the war she and
) a+ M" d. `# l" m$ {her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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4 y' _8 u7 J- R1 J6 Z: gWhen the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
' m; p- r8 o9 K# x1 H# \He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
* t! N# X8 V3 w# h, Rbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
7 d- i4 ]" Q, u& Jwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
& k5 z  T9 c& e7 q% v; G# @# r, [side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
5 s) \' w( X5 H, C1 Ufor 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
8 C& S& l& ?( d  y1 a- qspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
( k, C, ], r. u: pand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
' S# \& a% n2 A1 V* e# |from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
. J) i, ?7 e1 k1 [* X+ g; Vpews 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
that his wife had made years ago when
9 Z9 z; V* I8 Z5 X" p9 athey lived in Austria before the war and how
4 R: ?+ K' i3 p' G$ f% _could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
9 R3 x2 u* r  K. |  [H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
% K) b9 E! R5 x! Q' mput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
again all the 35 years between.
, f6 u) O. }0 |& y4 @$ dT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
" Q; ]; o( D' f- SIsland and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
3 l% w; M( o; |( O& dHe helped the man climb the three flights of
- [" L( Q( M0 o% o/ {2 z* Dstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
8 {; \, p% H3 F! ]0 `" uthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas
& ]3 d: A5 b, treunion he could ever imagine.
0 k; z/ a% Z, G' ~+ jT 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
$ ^* d: E1 S$ J8 Z6 Y/ [0 w* g. vyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
, q: b% q1 I' {6 a" Z$ I! }$ nalong your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
. n" T0 K7 a& G9 \; Jcares we know He will see us through.
  b0 m5 `- A3 PS o when the road you're traveling seems
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
) P2 N0 A/ ~$ e' p) ~3 Bpraying 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
you first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
9 n" [* l% i, J/ B+ w8 Y4 byou find out that God is all you need Take 60
. C1 |7 b% R8 {seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
+ j% q4 D+ J; H1 T$ N" e' [% tsay the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
# Y- M, t, Y7 H5 d/ @. zever it is that You know they may be needing this
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
$ z9 N/ o; k. X# @/ Hprosperity and power as they seek to have a
8 j% r" i, \  c/ U8 E1 rcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!