The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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7 O/ r) Y4 M2 ~+ K& F The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
- j4 n: ^- a) P0 E7 v! r) Imuch work. They set a goal to have everything
9 D0 q7 I- i$ d* Adone in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
$ K! k) b1 _' `, GT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
. V: }& o0 j  O' d6 qwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
& [! c5 `$ f7 b1 b5 k1 EO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
2 z' f8 E0 a" o. U* |% _5 o& g" @rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
& W* L1 K6 s9 R  Z# E" YHis 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,
: v+ U5 c5 P# ^2 c0 x9 x8 v' fbeginning about head high.
0 X) v3 l8 m4 e& ET he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
; V( r7 _, z% W7 f: l2 U  pand not knowing what else to do but postpone
4 y( E2 D% @3 J5 O1 ]5 I8 dthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
) ^2 c. y7 C8 h: fOn the way he noticed that a local business was
& A! Y( E- \+ \* Chaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
# F7 w* \% p" A$ [3 L3 v4 mstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
- {. i" C- E( f/ i4 }: Chandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
+ F# Y' ~, C9 ~, P2 xwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just  

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0 P' e* p0 c7 D2 A9 L9 ]
" w; H  L+ Q6 M' }$ Gthe right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
  A/ I& H. ?' E" t7 YB y this time it had started to snow. An older
2 d* z/ M+ G& [" O# o7 H8 O% V; Bwoman running from the opposite direction was
7 R; q. \! I8 c. Z5 s& u& t, ?  F4 {trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
3 P3 {- L9 j5 Z) Oinvited her to wait in the warm church for
$ E$ l# U  w! o  b0 ^0 Uthe next bus 45 minutes later.

! c2 n% X& q( {/ [* a) {7 ]# gShe sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
) X/ p8 }' Z1 k/ J2 ^' `( ~while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
+ e: p( ~7 Z" E, z1 @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,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
1 B9 H+ E6 T2 E. O! |) o7 LT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
5 u. D& Z8 b4 n  A% mtold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
1 x* [6 I8 {. K+ t% W: awoman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

2 o. b# ]) C: O& M. R$ mWhen the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
7 C" ~. c& a& V1 C, z# r# iHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
1 l+ P8 o) @1 m% `1 p" AHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
9 q7 s% N( f6 _" U- T) Hhusband or her home again.
6 S1 G0 j) n8 {: I7 m7 P! |2 ~T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
* B, a- n2 h; c, i5 c1 ebut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
/ ], w. {: H# X4 iwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
/ x, Y4 x7 ~- y$ y4 {7 p8 Qside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
for the day for a housecleaning job.
: P# ]5 \# z, @. ?% Y" UW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
! R* i- O: S$ t/ b) fspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
0 q1 @0 T9 y1 e9 r7 q" xpastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
- m1 H7 q  w/ E, yand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
+ v; e% {, @! K! m; [: Dpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
- ^/ ~' v7 _2 x: {1 |7 bwasn't leaving.
; L& K1 T# L& M& V7 e; AThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
' G/ b6 j, F1 E. ]( B" gthe front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
" l" D) k" i9 O3 bthey lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
: b. D5 b4 n: _) X  v  tH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
3 m' w# r- I: |6 J" Rforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
9 R+ g$ v' m' Vsupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
8 V0 `8 z8 ]8 }/ {% j3 }/ S# iput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
again all the 35 years between.
% z- Y+ w2 l( N  X2 P* B) GT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
# N* _1 o) t5 I6 E: D) oIsland and to the same house where the pastor
6 y9 m& q1 X. u. y: M) }( e4 a' m' K+ Mhad taken the woman three days earlier.
" h; n( s) c: |' U1 HHe helped the man climb the three flights of
) h/ U' C: L. J; [8 nstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
" N2 B0 f1 v8 G0 \  E# yreunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
8 o/ v7 o' u8 U% a/ cwho says God does work in mysterious ways.
- Y4 E8 Q, D0 ]I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
! k& D  I& H8 L6 Walong your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
+ z: ]8 r0 O3 q' e/ {cares we know He will see us through.
6 K* L$ [, L2 f( B1 ]" ]S o when the road you're traveling seems
/ m- b$ _; {) w, ndifficult at best, just remember I'm here
' {! U. V& J2 p% Mpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
: v, W0 x9 }3 ^9 A) Yto those you want God to bless and remember
: d! c" L# i3 pto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
% d/ d, Q7 a6 {8 X9 pyou 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
3 S6 k  P. p. I7 B5 J) s& c5 I: dwho sent this to you.
- A- M' t  Y$ s0 j4 n7 i, pFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
9 O1 m) L) G$ ?ever it is that You know they may be needing this
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
+ a. f& q! Z$ }- v2 {1 D# Gprosperity and power as they seek to have a
. i7 d5 {2 y! Y* r0 u, P/ Gcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!