Plimoth...the location of the first Thanksgiving
I grew up hearing vaguely of Squanto, the native American who helped the Pilgrims grow crops and hunt so that they could survive the winter in Massachusetts. Until a few years ago, however, I had not heard the full story...the miraculous story...of how God used this young man to save the lives of the struggling Pilgrims and breathe life into a fledgling new nation.
The Pilgrims were not the first to land on the rocky shores of Massachusetts. Years before 1621, there were traders who would come from other lands and trade with the native Americans. Some of those traders had evil intent, and when the Indians came to trade, they were kidnapped and sold into slavery. When Squanto was eight years old, he was captured and taken to Spain, where he was sold. I can only imagine the fear, pain and anger in that little boy's heart. He was purchased by some monks, who treated him well and raised him. They exposed him to the Christian faith and when he was old enough to travel alone, they made it possible for him to go to England. It was now 1615 and Squanto wanted to find a ship that would take him back to his home and family in America. Well...there were no ships. Ships were not yet routinely sailing to America.
Left with no other choice, he stayed and worked for several years as a stable boy. And he learned English. Finally, a trader ship was found, he was hired as a translator, and made his way back to Massachusetts. Imagine his joy and anticipation after being away from his family for 10 years! Upon landing, he rushed to his home only to find...it was gone. Gone. His entire village had been wiped out by smallpox. Everyone was dead.
He stumbled into the woods to try to process this awful nightmare. How could this be? How could God do this to him? He had been through so much...had made his way home...only to find that his whole purpose was lost. Gone. Wiped out by disease. What was he supposed to do now? Go back to England? Stay in America?
He eventually joined up with another Indian tribe, but he was more English than Indian and no longer fit in.
He then headed back to the spot where his village had been. To his great surprise, there were people there. Yes....
in the very spot where his family had lived, there were now some new folks. And these folks were suffering. They had been through an incredibly difficult year. They had started out from England, truly believing that God had led them to go--but half of them had died. What was God doing? Had He brought them all here to die in this strange new land?
What was the deal? Where was God? They cried out to him in their anguish and fear.
And He answered.
One day, a tall Indian brave walked into their newly formed village. To their shock, he approached and spoke to them in English! An Indian brave who spoke the King's English? What are the odds of that? Squanto soon found a purpose. The Pilgrims soon realized God had sent a rescuer. They adopted him as part of their family, and he helped them prepare food for the long winter. Squanto wasn't just a helpful native American. He had grown up in that very place. It was his home. He knew everything there was to know about planting corn, he knew where the fish and lobsters were, how to get the eels out of the muddy streams and how to store food for the winter.
God had been up to something after all. A young nation, a 'city on a hill,' needed some very brave pioneer spirits to make the harrowing journey from England. A grieving young man, had the knowledge to enable these brave souls to survive the harsh conditions in the New World. The young man needed a family and a place to belong. The Pilgrims needed a rescuer.
And a nation was born.
If God had not allowed Squanto to be captured and taken to Spain and England, Squanto would have died in the small pox epidemic.
If the tribe had still been there when Squanto returned, would he have ever befriended the Pilgrims? Probably not...and they would have all perished that winter.
Consider the amazing set of circumstances that took an eight year old boy from American to Spain, to England and back to America. He was kidnapped, sold into slavery, and although it seemed like a horrible nightmare, God did protect him from harm by directing monks to be his purchasers. They treated him well, taught him about God, and enabled him to get to England. There he learned English, worked until he could get a ship to take him back to his home, arrived there to find it gone, and later re-visited it to find a group of people who desperately needed his help. A group of people who just 'happened' to land in the very spot where the young boy had grown up.
A series of miraculous events or just interesting coincidences? You decide. I know what I believe!
And this story sounds so much like Joseph's story in Genesis 37-50. Check it out!"...you (men) intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Gen. 50:19
Plimoth Plantation
Chatting with the women who survived the Mayflower journey
'Main Street' at Plimoth Plantation
