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The Tablecloth

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first
ministry, to reopen a church in Brooklyn , arrived in early
October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church,
it was very run down and needed much work.. They set a goal to have
everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc., and
on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area
and lasted for two days.

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His 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, beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, 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 stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade,
ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and
a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to
cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the
church.

By 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 invited 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 while he got a
ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The
pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up
the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was
white as 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 .

The 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 her 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. He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her
home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor
keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that
was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island
and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

What 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 pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many
said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor
recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and
stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.

The man then 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 they lived
in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much
alike.

He 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 again all the 35
years in between.

The 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 stairs to the woman's
apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion
he could ever imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
Who says God does not work in mysterious ways. I asked the Lord to
bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you
go along your way. His love is always with you, His promises are true,
and when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through.

So when the road you're traveling on seems 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 don't forget*to send it back to the one
who asked God to bless you first.

When 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 who sent you this.

Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what ever it is that
You know they may be needing this day! May their life be full of your
peace, prosperity and power as he/she seeks to have a closer
relationship with you. Amen.