Who is Squanto?

O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 
Psalms 105:1

You know that picture in our minds we all get of the Indian brave who walks into the Pilgrim village in the spring of 1621 to show the Pilgrims how to plant corn, and beans and pumpkin? Wasn’t his name Squanto? Or didn’t any one ever tell you about Squanto?

This Thanksgiving tale of the Indian who greeted the Pilgrims with an English “Welcome” and then taught them to plant corn and fish, always seemed to me to be just that – a tale, until I learned how God brought it all about - A slave ship sailing along a shore, kidnapping young boys and taking them back to Spain; an entire tribe wiped out by disease; a lone man returning from Europe to find no one left. There’s far more to the truth than meets the eye here. God is always taking the evil man devises and turning it into good for those that love him. The slave traders of Europe had meant it for evil against the Indians but God used it for good for the people who came seeking to worship him in a new land.

In the Bible Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. They thought he probably died in Egypt until they went there to buy food. Who should they find to provide for them, but their own brother, in control of all the food of Egypt. Joseph’s brothers meant it for evil against Joseph, but God had used it for good.

Tragedy seems to surround us on every hand, but God has not left us alone. He is working all things for our good. Pray for those involved in all the tragedies. Help wherever you can. Do not be afraid, because God is with us through every circumstance.

Blessings,

Gail

Hey Kids:

I remember one Thanksgiving writing a skit with my little brother of the first Thanksgiving. I'm not sure how accurate the skit was, but we had a lot of fun and the grownups thought we were the best.

After we wrote down a few speaking parts we looked for patterns for pilgrim hats and Indian head bands and vests.

Directions weren't as easy to find as they are today. We had to search actual books. No internet in our day much less Pintrest. 

Researching, planning and writing are all fun when we use them for authentic writing. All that means is writing for a real audience for real reasons. Our reason was to share a historical event by performing for the grown-ups at our Thanksgiving dinner.  

I chickened out until my little brother complained that we had already planned the performance and he wanted to do it. I couldn't let little brother show me up.

Have fun sharing your knowledge of God's blessings on our country. I few feathers and a little face paint can make the fun go a long way.