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Dear Friends,
Greetings from the far north of Wisconsin! The sun is shining, the
sky is blue, and the temperature is freezing cold!! Regardless of where we
live, November is a wonderful month to be a homeschooler - to explore the
changing seasons in our own locale. It's also a great month for learning
history...particularly, the history of the people who courageously began a
new settlement in North America - the Pilgrims.
Most of us know the basic outline of the story of the first
American Thanksgiving. Many of us understand about the small band of
"separatists" who wanted freedom to worship God according to the
Scriptures. However, when we "use a microscope" on this moment of history,
it reveals a marvelous story of courageous parents who risked everything in
order to be able to raise their children in the fear of the Lord. Come with
me this week to examine the Pilgrims, not as intrepid pioneers, but as
sacrificial parents.
The Separatists were originally from England, and it was from the
Church of England that they wished to separate. Another group who would
eventually come to the New World, the Puritans, wanted to "purify" the
Church of England. In contrast, the Separatists wanted to pursue a
simple, New Testament version of worshiping God and of living their lives
apart from the trappings of the Church. At this moment in English history,
that sort of autonomy was considered rebellion against the king, and was
vigorously counteracted. People were imprisoned, Separatist churches were
not allowed, people had to meet secretly in homes, properties were
confiscated. Yet, for the commitment to rear their children properly and
to worship freely before God, these Separatists persisted.
On the Continent, Protestant Holland had been fighting for her
freedom and autonomy from the ruling Spaniards. This is a fascinating
story of courage as well, and worthy of further research. For our present
purpose, though, let it suffice to report that in the early 1600's a truce
of sorts was called, and that for the next dozen years, peace reigned in
Holland. At this historic moment, the Separatists of England felt led of
God to leave their country and establish a "colony" on the Continent.
Holland was the ideal place for them since the war with Spain was at a
lull, and the Dutch openly welcomed Protestant believers of all types. So,
the Separatists escaped to Holland.
Actually, it was not quite as easy as that. The first time they
attempted to go, the Separatists paid an English sea captain the money to
secretly transport their families to Holland. They were betrayed by the
captain who recognized both the opportunity for double profit and for the
opportunity to receive honor from the king as well! The Separatists were
thrown into prison, had their belongings confiscated, and suffered all
kinds of humiliations and troubles. That did not, however, deter them in
the least. (Perhaps it was sent as a test to strengthen their resolve, for
when they went to North America, their trials were much more severe.)
The second time the Separatists paid for transport to Holland, they
made sure to hire a foreign captain! This time, the plans proceeded
smoothly as many of the men were preparing the ship while the women and
children prepared themselves on the beach. It was smooth until the King's
army suddenly came charging toward the beach! The captain of the ship
immediately raised sail as he did not want to lose his ship to the English
for his willingness to help these "traitors". Amid the helpless cries of
the men for their wives and children, came screams from the shore as the
soldiers roughly grabbed those remaining on the beach. It was a traumatic
time for everyone, made even more intense for those on the ship by the
storm they encountered just off the Dutch coast which almost sunk the ship.
Eventually, the women and children were released by the authorities and
were allowed to follow their men to Holland.
At last! Freedom! Well, freedom of a sorts. For you see, though
the Separatists were free to worship God in their own manner, they were not
free to get good, well-paying jobs. They did not know the language, they
were poor when they arrived having had all of their belongings confiscated
by the English Crown yet again. The Dutch were very kind, and made many
provisions for these people, yet, the cost of living in a war-devastated
country was so high that the Separatists found themselves working nonstop,
morning till night, day after day, year after year with almost nothing to
show for it. The people began "wearing out"... dying young, becoming weak
and disabled. The greatest concern was that their children were being
drawn to the much easier lifestyle of the Dutch people around them, and
were more and more leaving the colony of English Separatists for "greener
pastures." Also, there were many Separatists remaining in England who
wished to join the colony, but there was not enough room for them to come.
And, finally, it appeared that the war with Spain was going to recommence
any time.
It was God's timing. Just at this moment, in the year 1620, the
Separatists learned of a venture in the New World that they could join. A
company was willing to front the money for the venture, but the Pilgrims
would have to become, in essence, slaves, until such time that they would
work off the cost of their passage and outfitting (tools, etc.). The
company had a charter from the King of England, so everything was "legal"
and above board. Or, at least the Separatists thought so. Everything was
arranged, preparations were made, and many of the Separatists in Holland
sailed back to England to join with the others. Once in England, and as
they were about to depart for the New World, the Pilgrims learned they had
once again been cheated, and had contracted a much higher debt with the
Company than they had been told. However, there was nothing to be done at
this late date, and so they set sail on two vessels, the Mayflower and the
Speedwell. Within a short time, the Speedwell developed such leaks that
it was forced to turn back. Now, rather than having adequate
accommodations for the number of people traveling to the New World, the
people were forced to squeeze as many as possible below the decks of the
Mayflower.
I don't know about you, but I would surely have been tempted to
call the whole thing off by this time! Fortunately, those aboard the
Mayflower were made of sterner stuff. They set sail once again across the
Atlantic, through storms and swells and bad weather... It was a miserable
nine-week voyage for all concerned. But when they reached the New World,
the news got worse. The storms had blown them off course, so they were
much further north than they had intended to go. Since it was getting so
late in the year, due to all of the troubles with the Speedwell, the people
really needed to set about building shelters for the coming winter rather
than continue fighting the storms.
They tacked up and down the coast for several days looking for a
good place to begin a settlement. They were aware of several factors the
site needed: a good harbor, in order to receive more ships from England;
fresh water; a defensible location; woods close by for building materials
and fuel; a spot for planting crops. During one of the excursions to
examine a possible settlement site, they discovered, buried in the ground,
baskets of corn. Thankful to God for this provision, they were able to
supplement their meager food stores with this unusual vegetable. Blessing
in the midst of the trial!
At last they discovered a location that appeared to be ideal, and
what was more, it appeared to be uninhabited by native people. The
historic site of the Pilgrim's landing is believed to be at Plymouth Rock.
Just prior to disembarking, however, they realized that, since they were
beyond the area designated by the King's Charter, it was vital that they
draw up a governing document for the new settlement. It was called the
Mayflower Compact, and this document is one of the cornerstones of American
freedom. ("Read more about it!")
It's somewhat shocking to realize that these Separatists, these
Pilgrims, did not have a nice hotel to check into upon arrival. Speaking
for a traveling family, I can tell you that to arrive at your destination
and to have to build your shelter before you can sleep in it (not to
mention tracking and killing your food before you can eat it), would be a
daunting experience! And this after weeks of being below decks with dozens
of people in a tossing, tiny ship; passage so dangerous the children could
not even peek out for a breath of air.
From the time they landed, these Pilgrims began working as hard as
they could to ready themselves for the approaching winter. Shelter, food,
heat, water - these were the necessities of life. Beds, tables and chairs
were not even considered important in the beginning. It was just at this
point that sickness began to decimate their ranks. Now, in addition to
working feverishly against time to construct shelter, the Pilgrims were
nursing their sick, and then digging graves for those who died. More and
more were taken sick, more and more died.
The Mayflower had remained with the Pilgrims, since the
kind-hearted captain wanted to provide a shelter and a means of escape if
they were not able to withstand the difficulties. And as winter came ever
closer, the window of opportunity for leaving these shores vanished.
Sailors as well as Pilgrims were stricken by sickness, and it appeared that
the entire venture might die out before it ever had a chance to be
established.
Mercifully, people began to recover and the deaths tapered off.
However, fully one-half of the travelers died during this time. With
weary, grieving hearts, the Pilgrims continued to labor to survive during
the winter. Even with such reduced numbers of people to feed, there was
still barely enough food to go around.
When spring finally arrived, the Mayflower sailed back to England,
without any Pilgrims aboard! Though the captain had generously offered to
take back anyone who wanted to return (without charge), the Pilgrims were
determined to carve out a place in the wilderness for themselvesto raise
their families in the fear of God.
And then a miraculous occurrence - they met a native who spoke
English! His name was Squanto, and the Pilgrims were building on the land
of his people. He told them that he had been taken to England as a slave
where he learned the language. Then, when he was able to escape back to
his home, he discovered that all of this people had died in an epidemic
just before he arrived. The land had been vacant for just a short time
before the Pilgrims arrived... Isn't it amazing to consider that God had
set them in the one place where they wouldn't be taking land from others?
Squanto showed them how to construct a fish trap, and demonstrated how to
effectively plant corn (with decomposing fish!!). He taught them so many
lessons of how to eat of the bounty of this land, things that were as
foreign to them as they would be to people living in a metropolitan city
today. He was also an able interpreter for the Pilgrims, teaching them
about the other native peoples in the area, and helping them establish a
working relationship with the neighboring chief, Massasoit. This good
relationship, this treaty of peace, lasted for fifty years.
The summer progressed in all of God's bounty for them. The
hardworking Pilgrims now could build those tables, beds and chairs, beside
building new dwelling places for individual families. They could garden
and hunt, prepare new fields for planting, and more. Chore after chore,
job after job, they worked to firmly establish their settlement. When the
harvest had come, someone suggested that perhaps now it would be
appropriate to celebrate God's goodness and provision with a time of
feasting and thanksgiving.
Well, you know the rest of the story. But how powerful it is to
learn the circumstances surrounding Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims gave thanks
to God for all of His provision, including the precious gift of Squanto's
and Massasoit's friendship to them. They were thankful that they were
building a colony were their children would be able to learn about God
without distraction or interference. They were thankful for the freedom to
worship God as their hearts desired. They were thankful for many of the
same things that you and I need to be thankful for. Let us learn from
their example, and truly make this week with our families a week of
rejoicing and giving thanks for His goodness to us.
Let me finish with one of the songs of worship that the Pilgrims
sang. It was from the Psalms, and is called Olde Hundredth. It's tune is
that of the Doxology, and the spelling of the words is from *The Book of
Psalmes* printed in 1612.
"Showt to Jehovah, al the earth.
Serve ye Jehovah with gladnes:
Before Him come with singing merth.
Know, that Jehovah he God is:
Its He that made us, and not wee;
His folk, and sheep of His feeding.
O with confession enter yee
His gates, his courtyards with praising:
Confess to Him, bless ye His name.
Because Jehovah He good is:
His mercy ever is the same:
And His faith, unto al ages."
Blessings,
Diana
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