25 Days In The Month Of November

Since November 1st I've tried to post something I'm thankful for on Facebook everyday, here is the collection:

1. Is thankful on this first morning of November for the exceeding riches of God's grace and the all encompassing nature of the gospel.

Our turkey baking away!

2. (Election Day.) Today I am thankful for our God in whom there is no variable nor shadow of turning. Governments will rise and fall, men will change, health will fail, our God is a rock in a tempestuous world.

3. (Caleb's Birthday.) Today I'm thankful for my siblings! Anna, Luke and Caleb, who has a birthday today.

4. (Mama was sick.) Today I am grateful for hands and feet with which to serve my Lord and his children. God grant that I may use them often and joyfully.

5. (Homeschool field trip to a creamery.) Today I am thankful for parents who see the need to teach me the gospel in every part of life, even in algebra, biology, and history. Homeschooling's such a blessing and so enjoyable, especially when it includes early morning field trips on gorgeous fall days.

6. (Chore day.) Today I am thankful human beings can be gainfully employed. ; ) In other words, I am glad God gave us work.

7. (Communion/Fellowship Sunday at church and International Eatin' Meetin'.) Today I am thankful for God creating the Church. I especially enjoy worshipping and fellowshipping with the part of it at Crossroads.

Some felt coasters Anna and I made years ago.

8. (Day after hearing this message, and the day I began Conversation Peace.) Today I am thankful for (and humbled by) the truth that God's glory rests on His children; (1 Peter 4:14) though we were (and to a degree still are) vile and capable of the utmost evil (James 3:6, Job 40:4, Romans 3:10-18).

9. (Music lessons day.) Today I'm thankful God gave us music, to glorify His name and for the enjoyment of our ears.

10. (Wednesday night prayer meeting at Ms. Melissa's home.) Today I am thankful that we can come to our unchanging Sovereign's throne of grace with our petitions and that He changes us.

11. (Morning after the evening we discussed ministry at church, after which I had a breakthrough. : ) Is thankful our Lord uses His feeble creatures to minister to others and show forth His gospel on this earth.

12. (Some things are hard to expressed reasonably.) Today I am thankful . . .

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Grandma's silver.

13. (Saturday, with work and pleasure and my family.) Today I am thankful for the beautiful life God allows me to live!

14. (Daddy led the song service at church and we had a delightful Family Devotion.) Today I am thankful for the godly man who is my father.

15. (The day we began our Ladies/Mother/Daughter Bible Study. We are using Conversation Peace.) Is thankful for the godly woman my Lord has put in my life as an example of biblical womanhood. Mama teaches me so much.

16. (A hard day, but it is rather easier to be thankful after Family Devotional.) Today I am thankful for my God's precious words recorded in the the Holy Bible.

My cranberry-apple pie, before baking . . .

and after.

17. (After reading more of Lies Women Believe during my quiet time.) Today I am thankful I am a girl, and for all biblical priveleges and restrictions that come along with being one. I am thankful that by the grace of God I can join the many Christian women throughout time in being a daughter of the King of kings, and praising Him.

18. (I wrote something like this on my sermon outline Wednesday night during our discussion.) Today I am thankful that the gospel is simple enough for a child to understand, and yet we will spend an eternity lauding its Author and exploring it without ever having seen and praised it all enough.

19. (Fun Friday!) Today I am thankful for all the pleasant things God allows me to enjoy, good food, creative occupations, and time with with my joyous family.

20. (A good Saturday with some fun time outside.) Today I am thankful for the beautiful and meticulously designed world God allows us to dwell in.

21. (After hearing this message.) Today I am thankful God uses suffering.

22. (An "ordinary" day in which I most desperately need my God.) Today I am thankful for prayer.

23. Today I am thankful that my God does not leave His redeemed with their old hearts, but gives us new ones and His Holy Spirit.

24. I am thankful that, "God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love w/ which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up w/ him and seated us w/ him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

25. (Thanksgiving Day!) Today I am thankful for who my God is.

"Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!"
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope your true goal for today is to give thanks to He who gives us everything!

‎"Giving thanks to God for both His temporal and spiritual blessings in our lives is not just a nice thing to do

- it is the moral will of God.

Failure to give Him the thanks due Him is sin."

~Jerry Bridges~

Laura

Thanksgiving and the Huguenots: The Final Installment

6-20-1688

Saturday

Sunset tonight was purple.

Very pretty. I am thankful for beauty.

Hannah

6-22-1688

Monday

Longing for land are we.

We are all sick of the sea.

A sight of land would cheer us,

We know that it is quite near us.

Longing for land are we.

The boatswain (whose teaching us) told us this poem in english today. I think he made it up himself. And he made us write it down twice. He also made us write “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs,” in english dozens of times! I can’t complain though, I’m learning plenty new words in english. Like “ain’t” and “fox” and “lazy” those are fun to say.

Thankful for some onto teach us English.

Hannah

6-23-1688

Tuesday

Leah's head is almost all the way better, but the first mate tells us that Ben has a ways to go.

I sure am thankful for him though.

Hannah

6-24-1688

Wednesday

LAND HO!!!!

Real live land too (As Leah says.)

Wonderfully thankful.

Hannah

6-26-1688

Friday

Landed at Plymouth harbor today just before noon. Plymouth is a lovely city. All those folks moving around every where on the docks and in the streets. Pretty noisy though.

Captain took us right into town with him and bought us some Ginger Bread Men for lunch. So all ate out ginger bread and tried to get our land legs back while we followed Captain around looking for someone to take us to Boston. He found that someone. They’re going by wagon, tomorrow morning.

I am thankful that we are going to see Papa Mama and the rest, very soon!

Hannah

6-27-1688

Saturday

We left early this morning. Every thing was wet with dew and green. We started off riding in the wagon. But the road was so rough that all the jolting and bouncing made Ben’s arm hurt and the rest of us sore. So Leah; with allot of trouble, since our driver knows next to nothing of French, asked if we get out and walk. He said yes, and nodded his head to be sure we knew what he meant. Then he told us what we all finally decided meant ‘don’t leave my sight’. So we didn’t, and he kept smiling at us to let us know that we were not doing anything we were not supposed to.

We stopped for lunch at noon. It was a good American lunch, at least that’s what Ben seemed to think. We had what our driver called “Jerky” and also bread and apple's. We tried to ask what jerky was but I still not exactly sure on all the details. It is some kind of meat though. I am pretty sure.

Went on until almost sunset this afternoon then Driver, which is what we all started calling him today, (though I think his real name is really Pete; that’s what Captain called him,) built a fire and cooked us ‘Baked Beans’ which were very good too and we had them with bread and water. And after supper Driver took out his Violin that he called a ‘fiddle’ and played us some music.

I need to go to sleep now.

I am thankful for Driver.

Hannah

6-28-1688

Sunday

Driver said we wouldn’t be traveling today. So we have read our Bible, listened to the fiddle, and played in the woods and learned some new words in English.

Today I’m thankful for the sun shine.

Hannah

6-29-1688

Monday

Jerky is made out of Deer!

We were driving late this afternoon and Driver pointed up the road and said “Deer,”. But he did not say it loudly, because he did not want to scare it away. Then he picked up his gun that was sitting beside him and shot the deer. So that is what we had for supper. there is more Jerky being made now.

Today I am thankful for good Jerky, and Driver.

Hannah

6-30-1688

Tuesday

Today has been sunny. Driver said we’ve come a ‘far piece’ as he put it, I think. I am very weary now.

Thankful for sleep.

Hannah

7-1-1688

Wednesday

Driver says we ought to be in Boston tomorrow! We are all so excited. And a bit frightened as well. But we keep reminding our selves that the LORD is in control, and there isn’t a thing in the world that happens with out his knowing about it or allowing it to happen.

I am thankful for the “New World” so that our family can come here and be able to worship the LORD freely.

Hannah

7-2-1688

Thursday

We have stopped for lunch. I am not very hungry. My stomach keeps flipping over and over. I feel kind of silly being this nervous, but then I think and maybe I have good reason to be. LORD please Help me to be calm! Please help me to trust you!

Hannah

7-3-1688

Friday

Last night as I crawled into the bed at the boarding house, crowded with every last one of my six sisters, I was about to burst into tears. Thankfully I was able to get my face into a pillow before they all came pouring out.

Thank you LORD!

Hannah

7-4-1688

Saturday

This morning Papa called us all together to have a meeting. He told us that he planed to move us all out West to a new colony of Huguenots. And we’d build ourselves a little cabin out of logs and live there. And get sheep and a cow maybe and horses to pull our wagon. Or oxen.

It’s all very exciting. The money Ben had was doubled by Cook’s salary for the voyage. The Captain made us take it. We really hadn’t wanted to. He told us to tell Papa the whole story, and to use the money to get started in America. That’s what it will be used for all right.

We are also selling most of Mama’s jewelry, that we brought for just such occasions, So Papa can get a gun and gun powder and lead and a wagon and a horse or oxen, and food for the trip. I was afraid Mama wouldn’t like to sell her jewelry at all but she seemed very willing. I asked her why it was so easy for her to give up that jewelry that had been passed down in her family for years and years and she looked me right in the eye and said.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

When she finished saying that she had tears in her eyes and then she hugged me really tightly and said “If selling my earthly treasure will help to provide for my heavenly treasures then I’ll sell it with out a thought.”

And It was right then I realized that they had gone to all this trouble, if you want to call it that, to get us to a safe place to worship. They had done it for our souls! And that is what makes me want to cry. They love the LORD so much and they love us so much that they would do this.

Today I am thankful for Papa and Mama. Very Thankful.

Hannah

A Happy Thanksgiving To You And Yours!

Thanksgiving and the Huguenots: Storm and Fair Weather At Sea

6-10-1688

Wednesday

It has been quite a while since I’ve written. The Hurricane has passed. We are all still alive except for one sailor whose name was Louis. He was washed over board, and we haven’t seen anything of him since.

The last time I wrote we were all in our little cabin listening to the waves and wind and rain. All of the sudden a enormous wave hit the ship and knocked it’s on its side. That’s when Louis got washed over. It’s a wonder no one else did. Inside our little cabin the force of the water knocked open the three little shutters and let a big gush of water in the cabin. So everything got sopping wet. Including this book and our Bible. I’m very glad that I was holding on to this and Mary caught the Bible as it went flying across the room. The pitcher and wash basin went flying too as well as Ben. Actually, when I think about it, we all went flying. Rachel went flying into Ben, who went flying into the wall. Leah went flying and hit the little wash stand, and the pitcher and wash basin went flying into her. The Bible went flying to Mary and Mary to I and we all landed sopping wet. But, I think, to everyone's surprise the ship righted its self, and as soon as it had the Captain came rushing in with Mr. Hardy at his heals to cheek on us. They picked us up and told us to all sit still on the bed. Ben had hurt his arm very badly and Leah’s head was bleeding. Then they had to leave. But soon the carpenter and the first mate came. The carpenter nailed the shutters shut while the first mate, whose father was a doctor, took care of Leah and Ben. The little mirror was broken by the wave that came in, so the carpenter dumped all the big pieces over board.

We sat there in the dark waiting for the longest time. every once in a while big waves would hit the ship and it would tip on its side. But it always stood back up again. It seemed like day time never came until sometime, it must have been around noon the next day, there was a large crack of light appeared under the door where it had been a dark gray, almost black, and water had been washing in and out. We could tell because our feet kept getting re-soaked again and again. but Captain came to the door and opened it and told us to come out and the eye of a hurricane. I now take back all that I said about not thinking hurricanes are real and the name sounds silly, and that their eyes are fictitious.

The middle of that hurricane was a wonder to behold.

I think it would have been almost more than I could bear thinking about going back into it, if it weren't for the fact that I knew the LORD was watching over us. It’s even easier to say that now that the hurricane is behind us. I was worried shaking. But a day and a half latter we came out with only a few leaks and one broken mast. God was watching over us.

That’s what I’m thankful for today.

Hannah

P.S. I haven’t written in so long because this book was drying out.

6-11-1688

Thursday

We have been busy all day trying to get the ship back in order. This morning we had a sort of prayer meeting thanking God for sparring us from the storm, and also a memorial service for Mr. Louis. I’m not sure if he was a christian.

This evening Captain told us we needed to learn English because that’s what they speak in America. So we had our first lesson.

I think Ben’s arm has hurt him pretty badly today. And Leah has been walking around with her hand on the bandage on her head all day. I do pray that tomorrow is better for them.

Today I’m thankful for my siblings here with me on this ship.

Hannah

6-12-1688

Friday

I spoke a whole sentence in English today.

“Hello, my name is Hannah.”

Today I’m thankful for different languages, and that I can learn them.

Hannah

6-13-1688

Saturday

We’ve been on this ship a whole month! It does not seem as if it has been that long. In other ways it seems as if it had been longer.

Hannah

6-15-1688

Monday

Climbed into the rigging to day! I had a good time, seeing everything from so high up. Mama would have worried. I think Leah and Ben were jealous. It was a little freighting to think about falling from so high. But I kept reminding my self that if God didn’t want me to fall then their was not a thing in the world that could make me, and if God did want me to fall then there wasn’t a thing in the world that could stop me from falling. Which really keeps things nice and simple. So I am thankful.

Hannah

6-16-1688

Tuesday.

Sunny today.

It is kind of funny how I used to not think much about the weather before I came to sea. It was just “It rains today. We have got to dry the clothes in side:” or “Today it is sunny. we can hang them out side.”

I think being at sea has made me more observant. I am thankful.

Hannah

6-17-1688

Wednesday

I am not sea sick,

But sick of the sea.

Life on the ocean is not the life for me.

Thankful that we are getting close to land.

Hannah

6-18-1688

Thursday

we thought we saw some land earlier. Turned out to be just clouds. Later Mr. Hardy, and the Boatswain, told us all about how the earth is a ball, and how the earth goes all around the sun. I’m thankful that we can know about all those things.

Hannah

6-19-1688

Friday

This morning while I was flipping through Our Bible I found these verses: They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

I showed them to Mr. Hardy. He said he really liked them.

I am thankful for God’s word.

Hannah