Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason

                        The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned  to their first ministry, to reopen a church  in suburban 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 the exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just  the right size to cover 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. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had  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 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 she 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 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 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 we know He will see us through. So when the road you're traveling 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. 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 this to you.

Father, God, bless all my friends and family in whatever 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 better relationship with You. Amen.



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