The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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3 [7 |% j3 x0 G# \. _8 i
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
9 T" B* O0 i2 D5 v; N1 nto their first ministry, to reopen a church
& u5 [6 J3 k- O5 d% U$ l! y- pin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
" y/ l* S. s% _% g$ V& ~" gtheir church, it was very run down and needed
# z# t" c+ S8 ?& P# h( J' zmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
% t8 k2 J! m) ddone in time to have their first service
. F# i# ^0 Z3 Non Christmas Eve.
! @6 g& Q; B( H6 Q1 V% y) g" b1 KT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
+ U8 n3 h+ |0 g; Q# Ppainting, etc, and on December 18
were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
3 e' T9 w" h, M% q$ L- _% tO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
5 N/ K$ R: q/ V% x O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
4 {' d+ ^+ _8 \+ {% ~& Pleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
5 O- T3 I5 Y: G20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
  r0 t5 s) I, ~8 L5 Bof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
3 g4 v3 I. c4 j9 z& V' k% b( hT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
  |3 {$ S* W0 m9 L( @/ pthe 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
8 c3 G" q% l. U6 v) ^/ ]+ o* _stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
% ^( Q' e% c7 W8 {& F+ Kwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
2 M( s( f% Q1 l1 Z; P5 ^4 bembroidered right in the center. It was just  






3 u8 A! L0 `3 A; M% a3 {3 hthe right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
# W% Z& {8 A. C7 n) `3 ^4 aB y this time it had started to snow. An older
woman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
, k' \0 ~4 d0 U+ p0 h; Binvited her to wait in the warm church for
9 e1 i# b1 U' ^- n) Qthe next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
+ R( u/ E& t; i5 e% X- l  nwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
$ V  d7 E6 q# A2 y- m" Qcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
1 r& r0 R9 t( N% k: K: HT hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
+ L2 z& \" _- o$ Qshe 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
  E. e4 X6 E3 S, l+ amade 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
woman explained that before the war she and
3 z9 S2 s8 V# ^' c3 ther husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

- A8 T8 k  S0 n( t  hWhen the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
5 p8 n* T. y# l' tHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
2 E: d! H  Y, q8 }0 C5 ~/ g$ IHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
- Q$ T0 E! m- ]5 ~T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
  Z0 L8 Y) U  l$ F6 ZThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
was the least he could do. She lived on the other
' Q  p  P& U0 Y7 N% i4 I; z8 Kside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
! t4 {# E8 ]6 R9 @1 Qfor the day for a housecleaning job.
2 F7 `* d( W2 \% q8 eW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
$ Y- X2 Y: k5 ~% ~% Vpastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
2 T* a' p! Z$ G: G/ `and many said that they would return..
, O) p% o6 b9 h! j5 T, FOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
+ Q+ Y" M- V& W2 h" T( ?from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
* R1 O9 M) K# C7 F- ?9 y. l1 epews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
! J, U% a! N8 Z9 WThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
5 p5 Q7 d0 ?2 ]2 U* e( ?. U4 Pthat his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
1 W2 a7 j; p9 T2 Acould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
; Z  Z! K0 g$ Q" f. SH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
  B6 M' X$ W: t; `( f8 Fforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
! r! M  J6 z; n& L& w, ^8 eput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
again 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
Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
4 C7 B% \2 U2 d& v4 N& [. y3 @$ mHe helped the man climb the three flights of
  Y* ?: D& p# Q2 j" f0 T7 P5 fstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
9 u' v, Z8 @7 {; R4 nthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas
1 I( s. k- u3 N8 x; X) s9 x8 {reunion he could ever imagine.
( v  V; r! A) [9 l5 Z. ~: HT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
- n/ P  O8 S. w  g% ]8 `I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
8 b- q# S8 G7 H& S. Xyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you. His
+ ?9 ?1 d) M# @# m0 ~: Ipromises are true, and when we give Him all our
# U3 l+ e: o- `/ o4 P5 o! A3 }cares we know He will see us through.
: M" k/ ]: \6 kS o when the road you're traveling seems
  ?- ^1 U7 c6 h. `4 `difficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
# e0 [! E! n$ i& L- ~to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
# U/ i: J' X" }4 wW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
( m8 t/ `  {6 S( C  lyou find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
4 y. y0 J) ?2 A3 v7 j( Xsay the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
& y: ^8 w3 O' ~3 PFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
ever it is that You know they may be needing this
8 b4 C- S- H; z( |day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
. h9 F* i+ }. r8 Ucloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!