1940s prayer book reunited with owner in Paris
PARIS, Tenn. — Imagine losing an item and then forgetting about it and moving on with your life.
That is until 79 years later, you get a call that someone has found it.
For 97-year-old Carl Moenssens, he doesn’t have to imagine. It is his reality.
“I went into the service October of 1942. Of course we’d go to church on Sunday, and in that church, they had this little box with prayer books so I picked one up,” he said.
Once Moenssens picked up the book, he listed his name, rank in the military, and his blood type.
“I had that all in this little book, and I carried it with me wherever I went. Well somewhere along the lines, somewhere I lost this book,” Moenssens said.
Moenssens says he has no idea where he lost the book back in 1942 because he traveled around a lot while in the military.
He has lived in Paris, Tennessee for the last 23 years, and he hasn’t thought much about the missing book.
It wasn’t until about a couple of weeks ago that he got a call from his grand-niece saying someone had found it.
“She was watching television, and it was either a blog or a Google or a Facebook. This lady from New York mentioned she had a prayer book belonging to Carl Moenssens,” he said.
His grand-niece reached out to the news station, claimed the book, and shared her uncle’s story.
“A lady sent me this in New York, but she didn’t send me her telephone number. Just her address,” Moenssens said.
After his daughter did some digging, she was able to find the phone number, and Moenssens was able to reach out to her and find out how she came across the book.
“She found it in a box that her husband kept. They were retired military. Whenever he found anything that was military, and had a name in it, he would pick it up and take it with him and try to get it back to where it belong,” Moenssens said.
The couple have had the book for 10 years, but it wasn’t until last year, after the husband’s tragic death, that the book resurfaced.
Moenssens says he is forever grateful for it being returned. He says it shows God works in mysterious ways.
“At my age, at 97, I would say it’s a good way to go. This meant something to me at one time, and it still does even though it’s not a part of my present beliefs, which only means we all serve the same God,” Moenssens said.
Moenssens says this time around, he’s keeping a close eye on the book and plans to never lose it ever again.
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