Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas

This book is so well worth reading-the paperback is priced extremely reasonably on Amazon. What men intended for evil, God used for good. His long confinement had turned into a blessing both for himself and for those around him. He could even communicate with the Pilgrims as he had learned their language while in captivity. Squanto was instrumental in helping the Pilgrims to learn to hunt, fish, and plant in the New World.

Truly, the Lord worked in a marvelous way in this young Native American's life, using, like Joseph, men's evil for ultimate good in the life of Squanto and ultimately for the good of the Pilgrims who were struggling to survive in an unfamiliar place. When Squanto returned to the village where he was born, he learned to his devastation that his entire village had been wiped out-not one member of his tribe had survived-except him- because he had been sold as a slave and had been delayed from returning to his village. The seed of Christianity was planted in his heart through the loving example of those humble men of God. I never realized that sincere, compassionate monks bought him and treated him kindly, and then found a way for him to return to his native land. I never realized that Squanto was captured as a young boy and sold as a slave in Spain. But this book, written by Eric Metaxas, delves more deeply into the details of Squanto's early life and of his conversion to Christianity that I was not aware of.

I realized that Squanto, of the Patuxet Tribe, helped the Pilgrims to survive in the New World after their harrowing first winter. I love the cobblestone streets, the roar of the water at the Jenney Gristmill, and especially Burial Hill where many of the great men and women who risked their lives to begin fresh in the New World are laid to rest. One of my favorite places to visit (we used to camp there when I was a little girl) is Plymouth. Partly because I grew up in New England and partly because I love history, the Pilgrims have always held a very special place in my heart.

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas