The 2nd Thanksgiving

Posted by Dave Maynard on November 24, 2021 at 12:38am in Blogs

The 2nd Thanksgiving

This is the story of the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving, beginning with the landing of the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. That 1^st winter of 1620-21 was the time of the ‘General Sickness’. Often a lingering cold, trudging thru the snow or sleeping in the damp ground flared up into consumption or pneumonia. The Pilgrims started dying. Six dead in December, eight in January. In February, they were dying at a rate of 2-3 per day. At one time, there were only five men well enough to care for the sick. But the more adversity mounted against them, the harder they prayed to God…never giving in to despair or depression.

When the worst was finally over, 47 people had died, nearly half their total. Thirteen of the eighteen wives had died while only three families remained unbroken. The children fared best. Of 7 daughters, none died…of 13 sons, only 3 had died. And thru it all, their hearts had remained tender to God.

If any one event marked the turning point in their fortune, it would be meeting Squanto, the Christian Indian chief who would teach them to plant corn the Indian way. Learning this skill saved every one of their lives. The summer of 1621, they began to harvest 20 full acres of corn. Squanto helped in a thousand other ways like teaching them to hunt deer, refine maple syrup from maple trees, discern which herbs were good to eat and which ones were good for medicine and where to find berries to eat.

That summer of 1621 was beautiful. Much work went into building new homes. Ten men were sent north to conduct trade with the Indians. Squanto once again acted as their guide & interpreter. The Pilgrims were brimming over with gratitude – not only to Squanto and the Indians, who had been so friendly, but to their God. They had trusted Him and He had honored that trust. So, Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving in October. The Indian Chief Massasoit brought 90 braves. Counting their numbers, the Pilgrims had to pray hard to keep from giving in to despair as feeding such a crowd would seriously cut into their winter food supply. But they had learned to trust God implicitly. As it turned out, the Indians didn’t come empty-handed. They brought several deer and wild turkeys. They also taught the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes and a tasty corn meal & maple syrup pudding. Then they showed them an Indian delicacy…how to roast kernels of corn until they popped. Yes, it was POPCORN.

The Pilgrims provided many vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, radishes, etc. They also introduced blueberry, apple & cherry pie to the Indians. It was all washed down with sweet wine made from wild grapes. I’ll bet you’re surprised to hear that the Pilgrims drank wine. A joyous occasion was had by all. This 1^st Thanksgiving lasted several days. Thru it all, they thanked God for His provision and for just being with them.

In November 1621, the 1^st ship from England arrived with more colonists, many of them were family members pf the original Pilgrims. In the air of celebration that followed, no one stopped to realize that no one had brought any equipment, no food, clothes or bedding with them. In the cold light of morning, a sobering appraisal was taken and a grim decision was reached. They all would have to go on half rations to make it thru the winter. This turned out to be overly optimistic.

Thus, did they enter their own time of starving in the winter of 1621-22. They were ultimately reduced to “5 kernels of corn a day per person”. It is inconceivable how anyone could exist on 5 kernels of corn per day. But, as always, they had a choice to make: to give in to bitterness & despair or to go deeper in Christ. They choose Christ and not one of them died that winter.

Then, in the summer of 1622, that years corn crop was so abundant that they traded some of it with the Indians, who had not had a good growing season. A 2^nd Thanksgiving Day was planned. Chief Massasoit was again the guest of honor. This time he brought 120 braves. Fortunately, they brought venison & turkeys.

The 1^st course of that 2^nd Thanksgiving….on an empty plate in front of each guest was 5 kernels of corn…lest anyone should forget…

These Pilgrims were a mere handful of Light-bearers on the edge of a vast and dark continent. But the Light of Jesus Christ was penetrating into the heart of America. Governor Bradford would write with remarkable discernment, “As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light kindled here has shown unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation…We have noted these things so that you might see their worth and not negligently lose what your fathers have obtained with so much hardship.”

May we never forget. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Reference book: “The Light and The Glory” by Peter Marshall & David Manuel

For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com

Squanto

Posted by Dave Maynard on November 22, 2021 at 1:54am in Blogs

Here's another excerpt from my book, "Random Thoughts on Life, Love, Laughter and Living for Jesus"...

Squanto was born at Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1580 to the Pawtuxet band of the Wampanoag Indian tribe. In 1605, he and 4 other braves were ‘kidnapped’ by Captain George Weymouth and taken to England where they lived with Sir Ferdinando Gorges. It was here that Squanto learned the English language. He was hired to be an interpreter and Indian guide. They were treated well and eventually returned to Cape Cod. But in 1614, Squanto and 20 other braves were kidnapped by the English explorer Thomas Hunt. He sold them off as slaves in Spain. Spanish friars rescued Squanto from slavery. He then traveled to England where he met and lived with John Slaney, a wealthy merchant and Christian. When Slaney heard his story, he vowed to return Squanto home. It was here that Squanto became a believer.

In 1619, Squanto finally made it back to Cape Cod only to learn that his entire Paxtuxet tribe had been wiped out by disease. It was either smallpox or tuberculosis. A few months later, the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, at Cape Cod. Imagine their surprise when they were greeted by an Indian who spoke English. I can imagine their jaws hitting the ground when this Indian said ‘Hello’! They were especially surprised to find out that he was a believer in Jesus. The Pilgrims, who were sick and dying from a difficult journey, needed help badly. Squanto taught them how to plant corn, how to farm, introduced them to local Indian tribes and acted as an interpreter for trade between them and the local tribes. Because of his help in teaching the Pilgrims farming, he literally saved the lives of all of them.

In the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, he said Squanto “became a special instrument sent by God for our good…He showed us how to plant corn, where to fish and how to procure other commodities…and was our pilot to bring us to unknown places for our benefit, and NEVER left us until he died.” God can use even bad things (Squanto being sold into slavery) for good (Romans 8:28). He did this several times in Joseph’s life in the Old Testament (Genesis 45:1-8). Taking something bad or dead and using it for good is a GREAT example of His resurrection power (Colossians 2:13). The ultimate example of course is Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Squanto died of a fever in 1622, just 2 years after meeting the Pilgrims. He bequeathed his few belongings to God, to be used by the Pilgrims as remembrances of his love for them.
Who but God could so miraculously weave together the lives of a lonely Indian and a struggling band of Englishmen? While you’re sharing turkey and pumpkin pie this next Thanksgiving, be sure to share the stories of Squanto and the 2^nd Thanksgiving (see blog#34) with your families. You will have a much fuller appreciation of Thanksgiving.

Reference: just google Squanto

Thankful for His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com

His Mysterious Ways

Posted by Dave Maynard on November 11, 2021 at 2:59am in Blogs

It was a stormy night on the ship in 1620. They were crossing the Atlantic Ocean, heading for their new home in America. Here was finally a place where they could practice their Christianity freely without being persecuted. But the little ship was very rickety and had seen better days. The Mayflower was designed to carry cargo, not passengers.The Pilgrims slept on hard wooden floors below deck on a constantly rocking boat. Two of the women were 7 months pregnant. There were 30 children on board.

For most of the journey, the skies were dark, the ocean swelled, the wind blew, the weather was cold and it rained constantly. The Mayflower’s crew were roughneck sailors and weren’t the least bit interested in these ‘quiet religious’ folks or their children.

During yet another storm, a 25 year old Pilgrim named John Howland went up on deck to assist the crew. When the Mayflower listed heavily, he fell overboard. He desparately grabbed one of the ropes hanging down from one of the masts, just before the ocean pulled him under.IF John Howland had been a little slower or IF a few crewmen hadn’t been right there to haul him in, America might look very different today. You see, 3 of John Howland’s descendants became 2 Presidents and one Governor:
George H.W. Bush—41^st President of the U.S.
George W. Bush—43^rd President of the U.S. and a previous Governor of Texas
Jeb Bush—past Governor of Florida
Other U.S. Presidents whose ancestors came over on the Mayflower:
John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Zachary Taylor, Teddy Roosevelt & Franklin D. Roosevelt
It is said that as many as 35 million people worldwide are descended from those few dozen Pilgrims.

Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.”

We may not completely understand why things happen the way they do, but we can rest in the fact that God is with us in the storms of our life and He will redeem even bad situations.

Trusting Him with my eternity,
Dave Maynard

🌏 Blogs / Articles / News / Classifieds / Press Releases / PSA / Podcast / Poetry / Storytelling

pilgrims (3)