squanto

Three Rarely Told Thanksgiving Miracles

Miracle #1 – It was November 1620. The Pilgrims’ ship, the Mayflower, accidentally sailed right past the natural harbor in which they planned to land. Good thing.   Hostile natives had seen the boat offshore and were waiting to ambush the ship and its 102 passengers.

Miracle #2 – As they explored another harbor farther north (Plymouth Rock) they discovered an even better situation—a fresh water river teeming with fish, a large flat, previous cleared 3-acre field for growing crops, and a high hill perfect for their cannon to ward off enemies.  A Native Indian tribe had previously developed the farmland, but the entire lot had succumbed to a recent plague. As a result, no native tribes wanted anything to do with the land for fear it was cursed.

Miracle #3 – That first winter of 1620-21 was a horridly cold one. The Pilgrims were hardly prepared and nearly half of the Pilgrim community perished from a variety of maladies. An Indian named Samoset shocked the Pilgrims by approaching them speaking broken English!  Samoset then introduced the Pilgrims to his friend, Squanto, who spoke perfect English.  Together, Squanto and Samoset helped the settlers survive after the first winter.

As opposed to the North American settlers farther south in Jamestown who had a slogan, “Damn your soul, grow tobacco,” the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock were peaceful, God-fearing folks who had wonderful relationships with their native neighbors.  During that first Thanksgiving in November of 1621, the surviving English families had experienced great hardship and loss. Nonetheless, they fellowshipped with deep appreciation for their Indian friends and thanked God for all they had.

Here’s to the true spirit of Thanksgiving!

God, an Indian, and the First Thanksgiving

The following is a brief article penned by the late Charles Colson; he did a wonderful job summarizing the miraculous backstory to America’s original Jesus-based Holiday.

Most of us know the story of the first Thanksgiving—at least, we know the Pilgrim version. But how many of us know the Indian viewpoint?

No, I’m not talking about some revisionist, PC version of history.  I’m talking about the amazing story of the way God used an Indian named Squanto as a special instrument of His providence.

Historical accounts of Squanto’s life vary, but historians believe that around 1608—more than a decade before the Pilgrims landed in the New World—a group of English traders, led by a Captain Hunt, sailed to what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, Hunt took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, and sold them into slavery.

But God had an amazing plan for one of the captured Indians—a boy named Squanto.

Squanto was bought by a well-meaning Spanish monk, who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the stable of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto’s desire to return home, and he promised to put the Indian on the first vessel bound for America.

It wasn’t until 1619—ten years after Squanto was first kidnapped—that a ship was found. Finally, after a decade of exile and heartbreak, Squanto was on his way home.

But when he arrived in Massachusetts, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had wiped out Squanto’s entire village.

We can only imagine what must have gone through Squanto’s mind. Why had God allowed him to return home, against all odds, only to find his loved ones dead?

A year later, the answer came. A shipload of English families arrived and settled on the very land once occupied by Squanto’s people. Squanto went to meet them, greeting the startled Pilgrims in English.

According to the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, Squanto “became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our] corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died.”

When Squanto lay dying of a fever, Bradford wrote that their Indian friend “desir[ed] the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen’s God in heaven.” Squanto bequeathed his possessions to his English friends “as remembrances of his love.”

Who but God could so miraculously weave together the lives of a lonely Indian and a struggling band of Englishmen? It’s hard not to make comparisons with the biblical story of Joseph, who was also sold into slavery—and whom God likewise used as a special instrument for good.

Squanto’s life story is remarkable, and we ought to make sure our children and grandchildren learn about it. While you’re enjoying turkey and pumpkin pie tomorrow, share with your kids the Indian side of the Thanksgiving story.

Tell them about Squanto, the “special instrument sent of God”—who changed the course of American history.

Charles Colson, BreakPoint Commentary, November 25, 1998, (c) 1998 Prison Fellowship Ministries