the tablecloth

in view of the christmas season coming soon, i thought that this would be a great 
story to share with some of you. here goes......

A 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 table cloth 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 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. 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 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. Have a nice day all of you !!!