Thanksgiving Review

Squanto

We had a great Thanksgiving---but I neglected to post about it so now I will post a Thanksgiving Review.

Gayle, Matthew's mom, was here and Elizabeth was able to come for a short visit also. So very fun!! For dinner, we were able to have the missionaries join us along with three students Matthew works with in Champaign at the Univ. of Illinois (Mark, Aurora and Yifan). They are from mainland China and are getting their M.B.A.s. They each speak GREAT English---and have great comprehension as well. I'm always impressed when someone who speaks English as a second language knows English and it's nuances well enough to punctuate the conversation with humor.

I was a little apprehensive about only serving American food. I have found that most Chinese people from Taiwan or mainland China REALLY prefer Chinese food over American food, but I wanted them to experience a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. So I only fixed American food and then I told them they did NOT have eat anything they didn't want to---it wouldn't hurt my feelings if they didn't like it.

I was really surprised that they ate it all---and had seconds. They even ate the Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Mousse Pie.

After dinner I had each of the kids tell about some aspect of Thanksgiving (they had to research it) such as the precipitating factors of the Pilgrims leaving England, how they survived their first year in America, their relationship with the Indians and what they probably ate their first Thanksgiving. I thought Aurora, Mark and Yifan would enjoy hearing about why we celebrate Thanksgiving and why we eat the foods we eat on that day.

I thought what the kids found out was really interesting. Taylor even found a website that lists some of the Pilgrim's provision lists, inventories and posessions, and wills. (http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ is a GREAT website.)

Have you ever wondered how the Pilgrims communicated with the Indians? That's what I was curious about.

We found out that Squanto, who was instumental in helping the Pilgrims survive their first few years, knew English because he had lived in England previously. Early in his life he was captured and sold as a slave in Spain but eventually escaped and went to England. When he returned to New England in 1619 as pilot for an English sea captain, he escaped and discovered that his people had been destroyed by a plague. Two years later he helped the starving Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony to survive by teaching them both fishing and the planting of corn.

One of the pilgrims later wrote that they believed Squanto had been sent to help them through Divine Providence. I absolutely believe that. Now that I know more of Squanto's history, it speaks volumes to me of the perfect timing of Heavenly Father's hand in people's lives throughout history and how He brings us together to help one another.

I can't imagine how difficult Squanto's life was when he was captured and sold as a slave. However, those same, extremely difficult experiences were essential and instrumental for him so that he could learn English to later help the Pilgims---and all of us that now have the blessings of living here. Squanto has helped millions of people and I want to personally say Thank you, Squanto for enduring what you endured and for taking the time and effort to learn English.

Here's to Squanto!!

Here's also to trying to live each day as Heavenly Father would have me live it---regardless of how I view the situations I find myself in---I need to remember that I only see a fraction of the big picture. I need to learn all I can from the experiences Heavenly Father gives me and then I need to be open and willing to help those around me.

After the kids' reports, we were able to learn from Mark, Yifan, and Aurora. They each brought some pictures of their families, told us about where they live and some of the traditional Chinese holidays. They explained what they eat and do during these festivities. It was very interesting. We were especially surprised to hear that Aurora has three siblings. I don't know if I've ever met someone from mainland China that has ONE sibling, much less three!

After dinner we played the game "Apples to Apples." We played in teams---Kristen was paired with Aurora, Michael with Yifan, and Taylor with Mark. I was very impressed that they were able to figure out the game so well. They seemed to have a lot of fun playing the game and it was really fun playing with them. We had such a nice time with them. I would love to get together with them again.

Here are some pictures I took of the day.

Getting ready...

Dinner ...

We always like to finish our day off with a little family wrestling.....

and some relaxing!