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| Back in 1624 |
I remember being young and being shown a big circular family tree. My great-grandmother’s name was in the middle and the circles went out with each generation. Some sections stopped after a handful of generations but others were filled to the edge of the poster-sized paper, all the way back 11 or 12 generations all the way to passengers on the Mayflower in 1620.
In some cultures people memorize their genealogies back many generations. They take pride in knowing the generations that came before them by heart. Some people may not know all the names but they have old stories that have been passed down generations. Some people may not know their specific family’s heritage but they know the stories of their people or nation. Still others may not have any access to information about their forefathers.
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| Swabbing the deck of Mayflower II |
Most islanders don’t know their island history very well. We’ve asked a group of islanders basic questions about island history and they mostly looked around at each other hoping someone else would know and answer. They hope to do a better job teaching local history in island schools in the future so more islanders can have access to the information.
But sometimes it is hard to know what to do with the information once you have it. History is usually a mixed bag of good and bad stories, things you want to emulate and things you want to forget. I’ve heard it said that we learn about the past so we can stand on the shoulders of those that came before us. I’ve also heard it said that we learn about the past so we don’t repeat old mistakes... and instead can make our own brand-new mistakes.
Our daughter has been learning about early American history and this weekend we took a trip out to Plymouth to the living museum where they have recreated the Plymouth colony at the year 1624. I emailed my grandparents and got the digital version of that old circular family tree. I did some research and came equipped with the names of six of my ancestors who would have been living in Plymouth in 1624. At the museum they have actors role-playing different people and sure enough I got to “meet” three of my ancestors in person! Kind of a weird experience.
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| Trying on a Pilgrim shirt |
PRAYERS ANSWERED
We had a fun time learning about history— all the kids really enjoyed it. We were able to talk to our teammate who will be returning to the islands this coming month— it was good to hear how she is doing. The kids finished their fall activities (soccer & gymnastics)- it has really blessed our family that they had the opportunity to do these “normal” kid things.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
We have had a urgent call for prayer from the islands. The pressure and scrutiny for our group there continues. Our island leader couldn’t get our group’s normal contract signed and is waiting to talk with the nation’s president. Pray that he and others in our group would have wisdom as they interact with island leadership and that our group might be open and find favor. These proceedings have implications for everyone working on the islands. We are about to head out on another, even longer road trip. Pray for all the final logistics and packing up. It feels like we only just got back from our last road trip. Pray for Megan’s back— setbacks still happen easily and we want to see continued improvement.
