"'Blessed be the God in heaven who has brought us over this vast and furious ocean,' he prayed, 'You have delivered us from the perils and miseries at sea and set our feet on firm and stable ground--our proper place to dwell. For this we thank You and bless You.'"
So many versions of the First Thanksgiving are told today! With Thanksgiving coming soon, we thought we'd bypass others' opinions and go right to the original source. To do this we learned all about the central figure that made it all possible - William Bradford. As a major driving force behind the escape to Holland, the decision to seek religious freedom in the New World, finding financial backers for their venture, determining the exact location for their colony, building peaceful relations with the local Indians and keeping everyone alive for the first 3 years, Bradford played THE biggest role in making the Plymouth Plantation a key part in America's eventual success. 
In this podcast, you'll hear about the tremendous number of losses he experienced as a young boy, his phenomenal education and spiritual preparation, his personal sacrifices, and the exceptional leadership he provided as Plymouth's governor for 36 years. Make sure to share this story with all you love so they can appreciate with heartfelt gratitude this Thanksgiving the rich heritage they've been given.

Listener's Guide:
Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

0:43  Update on hard copies of The Mission Driven Life book, Podcasts, and Cottage Meetings
6:00  William Bradford's early years
9:40  Bradford's education
11:55  King James' reforms and Puritanism 
14:35  Bradford tries out Puritanism
16:30  Bradford's attempts to escape
18:54  Conditions in Holland
21:28  The decision to move to the New World and the search for investors
25:35  Merchant Adventurers change the deal and they sail to America
29:55  The Mayflower Compact and the first prayer
35:00  Samoset and Squanto arrive and help the Puritans
38:00  Plymouth colony and Massasoit sign a peace treaty, the "First Thanksgiving"
40:11  Merchant Adventurers make things harder
42:40  Principles Bradford honored and led with

Quotes from this episode:
*All quotes from William Bradford, Plymouth's Rock by Janet and Geoff Benge and Of Plymouth Plantation: The Pilgrims in America by William Bradford

"Williams was a good student and soon mastered reading, writing, and arithmetic. Most of all, he enjoyed reading, in particular, one book his tutor loaned him, Foxe's Book of Martyrs."

"Tears ran down the faces of the Separatist men as they looked back in horror, realizing that their wives and children and their fellow Separatist men were being left behind and they were helpless to do anything about it."

"It was challenging to feed and clothe everyone...everyone had to work hard to raise the money needed to survive. Even the children, some as young as four years old, had to work...The truth was, if a family could not make enough money, they were in danger of starving to death...A number of people lived in cramped quarters, where disease was a constant threat. Several children had died, including the Brewsters' new baby. Many families worked with linen, and over the years, tiny, wiry flax fibers had lodged in their lungs, making it hard to breathe."

Mayflower Compact:

"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereigne Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britaine, France and Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc. having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honour of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northerne parts o...