All the Bible verses in this edition of The Presidential Prayer Team
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IN THIS ISSUE

  • The continued story of the Mayhews reaching the Praying Indians of Martha's Vineyard.
  • How could a pile of stones bring honor to Thomas Mayhew?
  • Cool youth venue reaches out to Nashville's teens.

Things to pray for

This photo shows what it means to have a "working vacation." President Bush took some time to travel to Illinois this week for the signing of the new transportation bill. Many members of Congress were there too, but in this photo, President Bush is just greeting the good people of Montgomery, IL after his visit. Pray for his safety no matter where he travels and who he meets! Photo courtesy of the White House.
  1. President and Mrs. Bush continue their working vacation at their ranch in Texas, so it's a great time to pray that they will have plenty of good times and will draw near to God, each other and their closest friends. We can also pray that God will guide them both as they think about and plan for the many important decisions and events that are coming up.
  2. Isn't it great that God answered our prayers for Space Shuttle Discovery? So be sure to thank and praise Him for hearing and answering our prayers! And pray for NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and his team as they solve any problems with the shuttle and get ready for a new launch and mission as soon as possible.
  3. Did you know that the Pentagon has asked for more troops to help out in Iraq in the coming months? That will mean that many more families will have to make adjustments as moms or dads or sons or daughters leave to serve. We can give thanks for all the brave members of our military who serve so proudly, making sacrifices for our freedom. We can also pray that God will help all of them and their families as they go through this time, and we can ask God to protect every troops with His powerful protection and care.

Leaders to pray for


United States Trade Representative—
Rob Portman
Photo courtesy of the White House.

What do you think of when you think of trade? Maybe it's baseball cards or some other cool collectible, but today, we want you to think about our country's relationship with other nations and how we exchange goods. That whole area—of buying and selling goods between two nations—is called "trade." It goes 'way back in time—people have always traded. Lewis and Clark brought tons of items they thought would be admired by the Indians they planned to encounter because they wanted to trade with them, both then and in the future. Today, our country does trillions of dollars in trade with the nations of the world. And we are always hoping to do more, because every time a new market opens for Americans to trade, that brings new customers who can buy American goods. So trade is a really important part of our government.

Knowing that, it makes sense, doesn't it, that we would have an Ambassador and a team of many people to represent the United States in trade negotiations with other countries.

Ambassador Rob Portman heads the U.S. trade team, and in his role, he works to negotiate and coordinate trade in all the regions of the world including the Americas, Europe and the Mediterranean, North Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific and Africa. They work in the areas of agriculture, services, investment, intellectual property, manufacturing and industrial affairs, government procurement, environment and labor. Wow! That's a lot, isn't it?

Rob Portman brings great qualifications to the job, having served as a Representative to Congress from Ohio. Trained as a lawyer with great experience as a trade attorney, Ambassador Portman served in President George H.W. Bush's White House from 1989-1991 as Associate Counsel to the President and later as Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.

Ambassador Portman is a Methodist and was born in Cincinnati, OH. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1979 and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1984. Rob Portman is married to Jane and they have three kids, Jed, Will and Sally.


White House Chief of Staff—
Andrew Card
Photo courtesy of the White House.

As Chief of Staff, Andy Card holds one of the most important positions on President Bush's team. He is the person who makes sure that all the things the President wants to do—from the people he meets with to the places he goes and the policies he enacts—get accomplished. The modern-day White House is a really complicated place, and the Chief of Staff is the person who keeps everything organized, coordinated and moving smoothly. Andy Card has been doing a great job of this since the beginning of President Bush's service, and he now continues through his second term.

Andy Card's job is really challenging because of its long days, many crises and challenges from many different people and situations. He must represent the President in all kinds of situations as he interacts with the cabinet, deals with Congress and manages his relationship with the press. He manages a very large staff and makes sure the President is always meeting with the right people at the right time—especially those who can help him do his job and lead our country most effectively.

Mr. Card brought great experience with him when he began as Chief of Staff, having served previously as Secretary of Transportation and Assistant Chief of Staff under George H.W. Bush as well as serving under President Reagan in Intergovernmental Affairs. He served a stint in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1975-1983 and has worked successfully in the automotive industry in a variety of executive and leadership positions.

Mr. Card graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and has received numerous honorary degrees and awards. A native of Holbrook, Massachusetts, Andy, and his wife Kathleene, have three children and four grandchildren.

Bible Verses of the week

Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to You while there is time that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.
—Psalm 32:6-7

So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
—II Corinthians 4:18

PRESIDENTIAL QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

Portrait courtesy of the Smithsonian.

Whereas, it is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.
--Abraham Lincoln

GREAT PRAYER QUOTE for the Week

Prayer has an immediate impact. The instant a thought is turned toward God, no matter how unformed or inarticulate the thought, it creates a stir in the heavenly realms. Unless we understand what is happening in the spiritual realm, we may think that prayer is having no effect. Prayer impacts the spiritual realm and the spiritual realm impacts the earth.
--Jennifer Kennedy Dean

WORDS FROM THE PRESIDENT ON PRAYER FOR OUR MILITARY FAMILIES

President Bush visited with several members of the military who were wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom, including this man, Marine Sgt. Jason Knospler of Stroudsburg, PA, whose 10-month-old daughter is napping with him in his hospital bed. President Bush awarded the Purple Heart to many of those he visited at Walter Reed Naval Medical Center. Photo courtesy of the White House.

The burden of war falls especially hard on military families, and I thank them for the support they give our troops in their vital work. Some of America's finest men and women have given their lives in the war on terror, and we remember them. We pray for the families who have lost a loved one in freedom's cause. And we know that the best way to honor the lives that have been given in this struggle is to complete the mission, so we will stay in the fight until the fight is won.
--George W. Bush

THOMAS MAYHEW AND THE PRAYING INDIANS OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD - PART TWO

This photo shows one of the many churches that later came to be built on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Photo courtesy of vineyard.net.

Click HERE to read Part One of the story of Thomas Mayhew and the Praying Indians of Martha's Vineyard.

In 1642 Thomas Mayhew, Jr. came with his family to the island of Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Thomas' heart was filled with concern and care for the native people he met there--the Wampanoag Indians. He made friends with them, and earned their trust through the respect and kindness that he showed to them. In return, many of the Wampanoag became interested in Thomas' devout Christian faith. They got involved in the church and eventually came to lead worship and Bible study for themselves, under Thomas' care.

One of Thomas Mayhew's most special friends was a Wampanoag named Hiacoomes. Hiacoomes took a special interest in learning about the Christian faith. He taught Thomas to speak the native Algonquian language and the two worked together to preach Good News to many Wampanoag on the island. This way, many native Vineyarders came to learn of God's love for them, worshiping together in their own language.

A SCHOOL FOR THE WAMPANOAG OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD

Although this is not a photo of the school built by Thomas Mayhew for the Wampanoag of Martha's Vineyard, it does show one of the earlier schoolhouses on the island. This one, built in 1761 in the town of Oak Bluffs was typical of early New England schools. Photo courtesy of vineyard.net.

Thomas did not stop at teaching God's Word. However, he could see many ways that life could be better for the Wampanoag, and he worked with the English church to help improve their life and well-being. On January 11, 1651, Thomas opened the very first school dedicated to teaching native children and the younger men who wanted to learn.

Can you guess who the very first schoolmaster of the new school was? Thomas hired a man named Peter Folger to be the first teacher of the Indian school. Schoolmaster Folger was a Baptist who also felt strongly about sharing the Good News of God's love with the Wampanoag. He was well-educated and became an important part of Thomas' efforts with the Wampanoag. Peter Folger later became the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin (he was the father of Ben's mother!), and his descendants continued to live on the island for generations. In reflecting about his experience of teaching the Indians on Martha's Vineyard, Mr. Folger said, they were "very quick to learn and willing to be instructed in the ways of the English." His heart was very warm toward the Wampanoag and he shared Thomas' concern that a friendship be forged between the two peoples.
This is a drawing of Metacom, known to the English as King Philip. Metacom was concerned about the spread of White Men and their customs so he rallied the Wampanoag to fight for their property. The Wampanoag of Martha's Vineyard did not get involved in that conflict. Image courtesy of the University of Massachusetts.

Thomas' ministry with the Wampanoag was unique because he did not insist that the Wampanoag change their culture and become like the English. He accepted most of their ceremonies and traditions, and kept on teaching the Word of God to them. In this way, the friendship and respect grew in both directions, setting the tone for a gentle and cooperative spirit among the residents of the island. This spirit would carry over through the wars that wiped out the Indian populations of many parts of the mainland. During King Philip's War (1675-76), the Wampanoag of Martha's Vineyard did not join the fight. Though many Wampanoag died because they did not have the ability to resist the diseases brought with the White Men, they thankfully avoided the devastation brought about by the wars.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THOMAS MAYHEW, JR.?

This painting shows the Mayflower, the ship that brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth. The ship that Thomas Mayhew took from Martha's Vineyard in 1657 probably looked quite similar to this one. Image courtesy of richmondancestry.com

Because young Thomas Mayhew received financial assistance in his work from England, he came to feel, in 1657, that he needed to return there to give a report on how his work with the Wampanoag and the development of the Islands was coming along. He also hoped to buy books and recruit ministers and teachers to expand his work. Thomas booked a trip on a sailing vessel and prepared to leave for a few months.

Many of the Wampanoag were sad to see Thomas leave. They held a powwow and had a great feast for him, featuring the delicious split eels that were popular fare on the island. Fifteen hundred Wampanoag came out to say goodbye to him. They met at a special spot on the island, many having walked from the furthest corners. Thomas prayed and preached to them, speaking from the 1st and 23rd Psalms. He reminded everyone that Peter Folger would be seeing to their spiritual needs in Thomas' absence.

As the service came to a close, Hiacoomes came forward and shook the hand of his beloved teacher, and, with tears on his face put a stone at his feet. He said, "I put this stone here in your name and whenever I pass, here I shall place a stone in your memory until you return." Thomas, wanting to remind everyone that it was God whom they should honor and not him, said "Hiacoomes, not in my name, nor in my memory; but in the name and memory of the Great Master of whom I have taught you, Christ." Each of the chiefs left a stone at the same spot and all the people left quietly with sadness in their hearts.

The next day, Thomas sailed for England along with his sister-in-law and the first Indian graduate of Harvard. Sadly, their ship disappeared at sea and was never heard from again. No one could explain what had happened, but we can easily imagine how much the Wampanoag people missed Thomas! They were deeply saddened by his disappearance.

Thomas' friends took their sorrow and built it into a kind of living memorial. They followed Hiacoomes' gesture and developed a tradition of placing a rock at that same site where they had last seen him on the south end of the island--the spot where Hiacoomes had placed the first stone on that last day with Thomas. The rocks were placed not only in memory of Thomas, but in honor of the God he had taught them to love. Before long a huge pile of stones had built up.

This photo shows the memorial to Thomas Mayhew several years after it was dedicated in the early 1900's. Image courtesy of vineyard.net. Click here to see a photo of the memorial
in recent years.

This tradition of placing rocks lasted for many, many years until souvenir seekers began to remove the rocks. Two hundred and forty-four years after Thomas' death, in 1901, citizens of Martha's Vineyard worked together to create a permanent memorial to Thomas Mayhew. In 1901 a large boulder was donated by the Wampanoag people, and the Daughters of the American Revolution, created a bronze plaque that was placed on the boulder. The memorial stands to this day, honoring Thomas and the believing Wampanoag and the Lord they loved and served.

After everyone realized that Thomas Mayhew, Jr. wasn't returning to Martha's Vineyard, Thomas' father, Thomas, Sr. took over Thomas' work. Though he was quite up in years, and was the Governor of the area, he continued to visit all the Indian churches on the Island, sometimes walking 20 miles in a day to reach them. After he passed away, others came to take up the cause, but there were few who had as much brilliance and passion as Thomas Mayhew, Jr. He was truly a friend to the Wampanoag, and his memory survives to today.

SCRIPTURE CHECK

Hiacoomes and his brothers and sisters among the praying Indians may have been thinking of a wonderful Bible story when they placed the stones at the site of their last meeting with Thomas Mayhew. Can you think of a place in Scripture where stones were used to remind others about the goodness of God? Hover HERE for one:

REACHING OTHERS

Reaching others isn’t an easy job, but some of the earliest believers who settled in the New World had some pretty good ideas about how to go about it! Thomas Mayhew was a bright, educated and dedicated young man. He was also very wise in the godly way he approached the people he met when he first came to Martha's Vineyard. He simply took the principles he'd learned in the Scriptures and applied them to the manner in which he built his friendships with the Wampanoag.

This kind of wisdom is great for kids today who might want to share God's love and goodness with others. Let's think about that for a moment.

QUESTION 1

If Thomas Mayhew was hanging around your town or neighborhood today, what kind of wisdom do you think he would share with you about reaching out to people of other cultures?

  1. Thomas' wisdom would lead him to say, "It doesn't matter how you treat people. The important thing is to keep preaching God's Word to them.
  2. Thomas' wisdom might cause him to tell you, "Just love people, and eventually they will understand that God loves them too."
  3. Thomas' wisdom would probably advise you to say something like, "Get to know the people and the way they live. Even if you don't understand their ways completely, be accepting and loving toward them. When you have built a friendship, share the Good News of God's love."

SCRIPTURE CHECK

Can you think of a place in the Bible where it talks about the kind of wisdom we need--especially if we are sharing God's love with others? Hover HERE to read:

QUESTION 2

True or False: If there had been more people like Thomas Mayhew, Jr. to minister among the other peoples of Cape Cod and the areas settled by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, many tragedies might have been avoided.

  1. True
  2. False

MICHAEL W. SMITH'S SPECIAL PLACE FOR KIDS

PPT's Honorary Co-Chair, Michael W. Smith worked with many others to create a very special place for kids called Rocketown. Photo courtesy of Michael W. Smith.

Have you ever heard of a place called Rocketown? It's hard to describe Rocketown in just a few words. It's a youth center, concert venue, skate park, coffee bar and all-around fantastic place to hang out! Located in Nashville, TN, it is a 40,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art complex created with the express goal of reaching kids with the message of God's love, and it is succeeding beyond anyone's expectations!

Sponsored by Presidential Prayer Team Honorary Committee member, Michael W. Smith along with many others, Rocketown has hosted hundreds of thousands of teens since its opening in January of 2003. The skatepark part of Rocketown is huge and boasts all kinds of terrific elements built just to thrill skaters, inliners and BMXers alike--all of whom are welcome at the innovative, ministry-oriented venue.

The idea has caught on so well that plans are in the works to build many more of this kind of place in other cities all over the country. The purpose is to have a safe place for kids to gather, so they offer an atmosphere free of the negative influences kids will find at school or just hanging around their town.

This teen grinds one of the many rails at Rocketown's 6th Avenue Skatepark. Photo courtesy of Rocketown.

In addition to the 13,000-foot indoor skateboard park, Rocketown makes kids feel special with a dance and concert venue, a coffee shop and a clothing store. The space is a former warehouse that cost $3 million to remodel and make ready for the thousands of kids that now go there.

Roger Thompson, Rocketown's executive director, talked about how they have made everything in Rocketown to look great and draw kids. "The mission is... to attract kids, and so we need to be... an attraction. The more often they come, the more often they're going to interact with us and the volunteers, and we'll be able to build a relationship with them." The staff holds regular Bible studies in addition to all the other offerings of Rocketown. Sounds pretty cool, huh?

FREE CONCERT AT ROCKETOWN


 
Whitney Smith and her dad are inviting everyone to a free concert at Nashville's Rocketown—next week! United, an Australian youth worship band will rock the house with praises to God.
Image courtesy of Hillsong.

You probably know that Michael W. Smith is not only an awesome musician, performer and worship leader, but he's a dad too! Michael's daughter Whitney passes on this important announcement about something special happening at Rocketown next week.

"We just got back from Australia where we went to the Hillsong church conference, which was incredible! And United, the youth band, led worship, and we just loved it! The worship there is so amazing, so free! There were 30,000 people jumping up and down, just on fire for Christ!

So if you are in the Nashville area on August 16th, come down to Rocketown where United will be performing. It's free! Bring all your friends for an incredible show! Call 615/843-4003 for more information or to reserve a large group. Thanks and hope to see you there."
--Whitney

You may never have thought about what goes in to bringing the Good News of God's love to people of other traditions, races, or nationalities. This week we've talked about two completely different efforts to reach people for Christ. They are many centuries and miles apart, and yet, both the Mayhew family and Smitty's Rocketown had the same goal—to cross cultural boundaries in order to help others know Jesus!

In both cases, the people who were reaching out didn't focus on the differences they had with those they wanted to reach—they showed love and provided opportunities that engaged the Wampanoag and the kids of Nashville! Pretty neat, huh?

As a kid who prays and who loves the Lord, we want to encourage you to do the very same thing, whether it is a school, in your neighborhood or on vacation! Everywhere you go there are people to reach out to with the Good News of God's love. Keep sharing with others, and you'll find that they respond, just like Thomas Mayhew and the founders of Rocketown did!

Have you ever invited someone to join The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids? If so, it might be fun to tell others about it. We're collecting stories of kids and adults alike, so check with your mom or dad to get their permission and then click HERE to tell us your story.

Talk to the Editor. Do you have a comment, complaint or question for the editor of PPK? We'd love to hear from you: editor@presidentialprayerteam.org.

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