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#Post#: 1567--------------------------------------------------
The Reunion.
By: Runner Date: November 6, 2012, 5:26 pm
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I first read this a long time ago...I felt it was worth the
re-run.
" 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 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' x 8' 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 coloured, crocheted
tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colours and a Cross
embroidered right in the centre. 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 centre 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 acquired 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, which 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 neighbourhood 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 - by Pastor Rob Reid~
#Post#: 1568--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Reunion.
By: Leaf Date: November 6, 2012, 5:35 pm
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Praise God!
Sometimes without things falling down around us, we are
prevented from seeing the glorious occur right in front of our
eyes!
Yes! lol... they were "excited about their opportunities", but
instead what it always is... is an opportunity for God to bring
us all closer together through those things that fall down and
off~ Praise God for all that falls off... off of that wall, and
for all that falls off of us!
Hallelujah!
God is in the RESTORATION business!!!
The FAMILY restoration business.
Thank you, Lord, thank you!
#Post#: 1569--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Reunion.
By: Leaf Date: November 6, 2012, 5:38 pm
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[quote]I first read this a long time ago...I felt it was worth
the re-run.[/quote]
Thank you Helen. It was new to me and was such a blessing too.
Forgive me for neglecting to say thank you earlier while in my
exuberance.
#Post#: 1570--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Reunion.
By: bənê hāʼĕlōhîm
Date: November 6, 2012, 5:57 pm
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[center][quote author=Runner link=topic=174.msg1567#msg1567
date=1352244375]
[size=14pt] ~True Story - by Pastor Rob
Reid~
[/size]
[/quote][/center]
WoW!!!
#Post#: 1571--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Reunion.
By: Leaf Date: November 6, 2012, 6:06 pm
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It's a wonderful lesson is it not? To not despair when things do
not seem to be going our way. They ARE going God's way!
Glory Be To God!
Rejoice without ceasing!
#Post#: 1610--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Reunion.
By: James Date: November 7, 2012, 11:55 am
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Such a simple thing to do invite the woman to wait in the
church.
How many times each day do we do the simple thing that Jesus
wants us to do for his plan to work out?
James
#Post#: 1611--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Reunion.
By: Leaf Date: November 7, 2012, 11:58 am
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^Yes indeed.
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