November 11 of this year was the 400^th anniversary of the Pilgrims landing in North America.  My friend shared this story with me and I have paraphrased it for my blog as I thought it   was perfect for this coming week.  When I read this story, I felt even more thankful for our forefathers, but most of all thankful to the Lord for all our blessings.

This brave group of 102 souls crowded into The Mayflower to escape religious persecution in their native England and then Holland.  They set out for the Americas in hopes of settling  there in safety and peace and encourage others to follow their lead.  They also planned to bring the Good News of the Gospel to the native people.

Their 66-day crossing was horrendous.  They left England late in the fall, due to circumstances beyond their control and this as a poor decision. The group stayed below deck for most of the trip as they encountered 50-foot high waves in the icy Atlantic during this season and could easily have been swept overboard.  Amazingly enough, they arrived with 102 people.  One man did die of scurvy and a baby was born on the voyage over.

The New World was also very harsh and the first winter was called The General Sickness.  Half of their group passed away and had to be buried in mass graves at night so the Indians could not see how vulnerable they were becoming.  During the spring of 1621 hope came when Squanto an Indian who had previously been kidnapped, taken to England, taught English, and accepted Christianity arrived. When he returned to Massachusetts, he found his entire tribe had been wiped out by disease.  He came to live with the Pilgrims and taught them how to survive which led them harvesting their bountiful crop in the fall.

Another surprise appeared in the fall and that was 35 people who were dropped off in Plymouth.  They were grateful for the group which fortified their numbers, but they were sent with no supplies leading to careful rationing of their foodstuffs.  They had previously decided they would extend an invitation to their helpful Indian friend Chief Massasoit to enjoy a meal.  He surprised them by bringing 90 braves with him and instead of one meal, they stayed for three days.  Not wanting to appear ungrateful, they shared their limited food supplies.

The next winter was called The Starving Time and there was a period when each person was rationed to five kernels of corn a day and once again, not one person died.  In the spring of 1623, they experienced a Drought…ten weeks with no rain.  The Pilgrims decided to set aside a Day of Prayer and Fasting and invited their Indian friends to join them as they too were suffering.  Their native friends declined as they too had their own petitions of rain dances and howlings to their gods of nature. 

After a full day of fasting, a small cloud began to form and later a soft rain began to fall.  The rain lasted for fourteen days.  If you think the Pilgrims were amazed, the Indians were too.  They asked, “What kind of god do you serve?”  And so the Pilgrims told them.

It was the fall of 1623 when the Pilgrims set aside a day  to give thanks to a God Who had preserved them all, both native and Pilgrim.  They invited their native friends to join them. They brought an abundance of food too.  The Pilgrims were not in want of food again!

As you celebrate your Day of Thanksgiving this coming week, you may want to start out with five kernels of corn on each plate as a remembrance of that first Thanksgiving to the God Who is faithful, preserves us, is gracious to us all and loves us unconditionally!  Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Patty