The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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$ r% H0 Q5 t, k The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
, B3 }- n, B& t! _to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
6 H) j6 g$ T3 P: R1 fexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
) x" R1 a/ }5 k! [much work. They set a goal to have everything
, G4 E3 F! j7 P) j5 O8 D, n- F1 R/ Wdone in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
2 O* ?/ Z. S& i- d! m6 ZT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
8 x) q) g3 m: ~8 o& l+ |were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
: A& Z) K' j8 C* IO 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.
2 z  j' K* \2 kHis 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,
* ~8 S1 l- B- I' d' w3 Vbeginning about head high.
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
- `( [, J# W8 q) M9 \and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
- l6 }9 a0 B! v3 S5 Q# jstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
) \( }! M7 E/ fwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
7 v3 ^  C7 p! z- Nembroidered right in the center. It was just  
) `6 u/ A0 t/ ~9 D' @

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the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
* ?& C0 J" m1 E. }( ^! J+ g: CB y this time it had started to snow. An older
' P8 x$ \+ g) ?1 o$ pwoman running from the opposite direction was
$ o% l( B6 C8 g& I8 }# w# ltrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
3 \" Z2 T! [# G8 X: Binvited her to wait in the warm church for
/ v/ A2 G6 F8 q  y; N+ Nthe 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
8 f! k" K' P* |3 tup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
- k" b! |  {6 ^9 [could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
7 x) `$ U0 B+ w( ~) PT hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
2 o  [, w+ B  ~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
* U  v) z, O4 D/ M# Z1 q9 mit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
# G  ]$ \6 }1 l* E$ _% }made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
' e2 p! H4 Y6 N) i) T( vtold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
6 t/ n6 i. N, _5 ?- e: |+ P& t7 }woman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
/ K, I# K' _' ]5 c& EHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
3 Q& Y( }8 x! T* tHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
, l" g0 ]: ]4 _8 Q) B5 _% L( QT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
. J2 Q1 \/ s! {' r' v& s$ kbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
9 F' g+ T5 g- ?* N  pThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
4 Z1 ?" x" C: B& A9 n4 v1 O' O  |was the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
( i# f  J6 m' m% Q; s' R9 i2 q, @for the day for a housecleaning job.
3 C- l: q' X, kW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
; E" n2 Y4 _3 @; ^/ G5 r+ U" pspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
4 f4 _% V- k% A- S. {pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
and many said that they would return..
/ Z+ w) l  Q; B; D, W" G1 qOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
$ O) Q, b# @  v% Q# Fpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
0 [0 k6 W; }# _( d9 ?wasn't leaving.
1 F& G# u% C- R% ^' Q  A0 ]: R! q* J# YThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
6 X9 _( t0 \- C& Vthe front wall because it was identical to one
% @4 S" f& N& q( cthat his wife had made years ago when
, |5 S; D4 ?- nthey lived in Austria before the war and how
% A9 x( ~% X; P1 b3 p; Lcould 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
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
. P4 L% i" j$ N1 Tagain all the 35 years between.
T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
2 e/ L+ V! ~9 [0 W4 ?: Itake him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor
+ A6 g! u- v- {$ T$ M  ~/ Hhad taken the woman three days earlier.
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.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
& Y* h4 f9 f' h, v4 h( F/ [, d7 sI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
) G# |' l, I4 B, ?) pyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
# Y. ]9 D: d/ t) salong your way. His love is always with you. His
' t/ Q7 x$ _$ Y# J9 fpromises are true, and when we give Him all our
* |& P1 I3 F8 `. s/ T: kcares we know He will see us through.
0 F7 S$ X2 G$ FS o when the road you're traveling seems
( ^6 H/ [9 R- R+ t+ p6 E# \0 \5 Ndifficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
/ l% h: @% O$ q$ j; P. P; U& }; eto those you want God to bless and remember
  y! e+ q( ~' |8 ~; F" Lto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
1 p* M( Q! L: y+ ayou find out that God is all you need Take 60
% G6 X. ^; g5 P7 tseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
6 S1 [/ P4 Z- S& S) K: _say the following small prayer for the person
6 r1 b6 `& `& z# pwho 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
3 H# J+ i0 o7 K9 xday! May their lives be full of Your peace,
6 R7 i4 o# U4 X* W2 Dprosperity and power as they seek to have a
closer relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!