Special Guest, Special Times

Today we had a special treat as my good friend from Colonial Williamsburg, Sheila Arnold, spent the day teaching OCS elementary students and teachers. Early in the day she spoke in our chapel about Jehovah Rapha, God our healer. She told the story from Acts about the man who was crippled and Peter and John were God's instruments to bring physical healing to this man. Ms. Sheila challenged us to take time each day to bring healing to others around us daily through our words and actions.

Following chapel, Ms. Sheila came to fourth grade as Mary Johnson, wife of Anthony Johnson, an indentured servant who first arrived in Jamestown from Angola in 1621. After many long years of backbreaking work on Master Edward Bennett's tobacco farm, Mary and Anthony became free. They and their children eventually acquired 900 acres of land and owned livestock and several indentured servants themselves.

Mary explained in great detail all the important steps of farming tobacco. Her job consisted of caring daily for 500 plants all on her own. After taking great care to produce a good crop, the leaves were dried, tied into bundles or"hands" and shipped in barrels to England.
Using 6 students, "Mary Johnson" took us through the steps from farmer to labourer to ship captain, etc. to understand the ins and outs of selling and shipping tobacco. Profit was all important!!!
Master Bennett's purchaser is making a deal with the merchant to buy some essentials for the Bennett family.
This merchant drives a hard deal, but a mirror, shoes and a coat is finally purchased with tobacco profits. Sadly, laws changed and Mary and Anthony became slaves and died in the late 1600's.

Later, Ms. Sheila, acting as a flight attendant, took first through third grades around the world using stories. The students were introduced to far away places as they bumped along in an airplane.

The finale was having all the teachers together after school concluded to hear some powerful accounts of slaves seeking freedom through the underground railroad. She introduced us to William Still and his fabulous account of hundreds of slaves seeking freedom in his book Underground Railroad published in 1872. Whew! What a GREAT day. Time well spent with a special friend.