 Severe illness came to the Mayflower Pilgrims. They prayed. A storm came that broke their wine casks and wine splashed everywhere.  As they mopped up the wine they disinfected the ship. Health returned and they thanked God.

 The Pilgrims planned to settle farther south in the area of Virginia, but strong winds and the Gulf Stream current forced the Mayflower north, where they sighted Cape Cod, November 9th.  Later they learned this was the one perfect place for them to be.

 Getting 102 tired, cold, and frustrated people to agree on the Mayflower Compact was seen as God’s special leading.  The Mayflower was filled 50/50 with believing Pilgrims and hard living sailors and adventurers.

 Indians commonly viewed strangers as enemies, including other Indians.  What are the odds of landing where there was one friendly Indian tribe?  Plymouth Rock was the one place with friendly Native Americans. The earlier Jamestown colony was killed by Native Americans.

 How many such supplies of corn do you think were lying around waiting to be found? What are the odds of finding it the first day?  On their first day of exploring the region they found abandoned Indian baskets filled with corn buried in the sand. They needed this to survive.

 The cold and snow of the first winter were exceptionally heavy, interfering with the work of building their village.  Of the 102 Pilgrims and crew who left England, 46 died the first winter. The journals from Plymouth show no anger to God over natural death to the winter’s diseases.

 On March 16, 1621, an Indian brave walked into the Pilgrim’s settlement and called "Welcome“ in English. His name was Samoset. The next day he returned with Squanto who spoke better English than Samoset.  From Canada to Florida there were only two Indians who spoke English. Was it coincidence that brought the Pilgrims to these Indians, or was it more?

 Squanto became their mentor in how to live in the new world. The Pilgrims agreed they would not have survived without his help.  Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to get syrup from maple trees. He taught which plants were poisonous and which had medicinal powers.

 He taught them how to plant Indian corn and other crops.  The miracle is that this was an English speaking Indian who became their friend and not their enemy. He was their professor of survival. No other Indian in North America could have done what he did.

 The harvest in October 1621 was successful and the Pilgrims had food for the coming winter. There were corn, fruits and vegetables, fish to pack in salt, and meat to cure over smoky fires. Why was this harvest so amazing?  What must be done to land to raise crops? They had no tractors or horses. The successful harvest the first year in the wilderness was seen as a miracle of God’s love

 Successful sailing the Atlantic on Mayflower  + Sudden return to health on the ship  + Arriving not in Virginia but in perfect place  + Miracle first day supply of seeds to plant  + Most survived the first year  + No Indian attack…friendly Indians only here  + English Speaking Squanto…none other like him  + Squanto’s mentoring enabled them to survive  + Miracle harvest first year in wilderness  = Time to thank God for his love and blessings

Pilgrim Governor Bradford proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving. They invited their Indain neighbors. Squanto, Chief Massasoit and 90 braves came to the celebration which lasted for 3 days. They played games, ran races, marched and played drums and ate much food.

 The Battle of White Mountain happened November 8, Religious freedom died.  The Pilgrims on the Mayflower came to the coast of Plymouth the next Day, Nov 9, With them began the American experiment in freedom.  On November 8 and 9, 1620, the passion to know God and live in freedom was lost in Bohemia and Moravia and picked up by the Pilgrims. Soon many Bohemians and Moravian Brethren would influence the steps to faith and freedom and the American Declaration of Independence.