The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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" o/ G, M5 U+ J4 S The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
4 O7 \6 W2 `" x8 v; D; X8 uto their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
: s6 _% L6 a0 K  x2 yexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
7 Y8 g3 F; i. d1 ?! vmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
& Q% U4 w) X+ i& k& zon Christmas Eve.
$ H6 T  {* g, A7 J/ \  ~; _2 @) {T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
were 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.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
9 B/ K1 U5 \$ Pleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
! s1 v: Y1 @" D" S; n/ j! y/ ?( `20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
$ e) p5 h  `8 o. ~) c5 uof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
6 x4 b0 t, }) ~# K" c5 M  g0 Ibeginning about head high.
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
6 f/ p0 s" i/ r7 i% J( ~6 p# rthe Christmas Eve service, headed home.
; m" o1 A. |+ I$ B/ @* F' N! fOn 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,
& t3 P$ Z6 d  yhandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
) R3 G" G3 M" B* @( }# Ewith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered 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.
B y this time it had started to snow. An older
woman running from the opposite direction was
' @: V  U3 t& l. \4 btrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
8 ], a9 n) U! c/ m$ Qinvited 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
( Q* s5 X# r/ h) hwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
1 T8 |2 p9 w- l& ?' a: @0 i8 f$ Zup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
; Q3 c4 g) X" @% @2 qcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
9 q0 C2 C- p# K: J; daisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
2 u1 ]3 p: U3 H/ }/ X2 G+ IThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
& m* w& P& H# r7 F# I  w/ r4 cthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
% A+ @! a" B9 I: z! uit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
) r6 q( @1 A& \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
% H, a1 `$ w" ]$ J: X' }woman explained that before the war she and
* x* p$ F7 S) C* M+ I* dher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
! w& o& ^: C4 K( G: _6 W* m3 fHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
8 |/ Z+ O; c' J2 i) iT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
* O' r9 e/ w) G% zThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
" M7 H2 z, }; k" iwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
6 a4 M# e4 m2 K- i0 Iside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
' n/ S! b. k* ~) N  P7 h& {* nfor the day for a housecleaning job.
# n0 c' u5 |2 ?% _6 w- EW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
3 ^/ Y# D. e  ?2 b6 |Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
- b' Q4 |2 _4 z/ m4 xpastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
5 J! O4 z8 t* i, \& W( jand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
  _, |+ }3 e- ~( ~' H4 Ypews 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 S3 k: Z. n5 R4 [- j) Fthat his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
6 J8 B5 c* p1 c" \" J7 e  hcould 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
, L: N6 K1 d' f) @/ ssupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
# R3 B% S0 K& g' B6 Z4 Nagain all the 35 years between.
9 R7 M  T! g  A7 O" ?T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of
! Y2 B6 l% _! ]stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
+ }( l: F) H/ i7 |reunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
- Q2 l3 ?# f" a9 ^3 i( Lwho says God does work in mysterious ways.
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
4 v% ~' p0 B' C% A% S( }you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
$ o: R9 B( j% B7 ~  Ualong your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
' E+ y. X  D) J' k0 {6 V  gcares we know He will see us through.
' q6 O% E5 c2 n" z3 x) `( F% ?S o when the road you're traveling seems
0 a8 k6 F% \5 W! o6 {difficult at best, just remember I'm here
/ ~- Y' \6 x; C- l* Hpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
9 M- Q& o2 `+ {8 F% t8 d. m' j8 `to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
7 I$ s+ ?% d4 ?+ i: Tyou first.
3 z. u' M) Q& ?. y9 yW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
1 X0 b2 F1 Y" o$ Xseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
: ?8 v1 [. L* M1 usay the following small prayer for the person
* @& u0 e9 S9 K" }) G+ q8 o* bwho sent this to you.
  t# W+ C+ \1 m- W* nFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
  U5 Z6 ]5 T! g4 [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
closer relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!