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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 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 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.
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 above - 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.
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:
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.
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