Men & Women of Faith: William Wilberforce

June's man of faith is William Wilberforce! Here is a visual of the letter that I sent to each child:

Here is the text of the letter I sent:

My dear Name,

Greetings in the name of Jesus. How are you and your family? We're doing well, thanks to God! Remember John Newton? He was a pastor to William Wilberforce. Let me share William’s story today.

William Wilberforce was born in England in 1759. At age 21, he was elected to the British parliament, which is a part of government. He was soon known for his great talent in public speaking. He had a good job, lots of friends, and invitations to the best parties. In 1784, 25-year-old William and his family took a vacation to France. William invited along his friend Isaac Milner but hoped Isaac wouldn't talk about his Christian beliefs. But, with so much time together, discussions of faith were bound to happen. Isaac patiently answered William's questions and even gave William a book on faith.
Within a few months, William was on his knees speaking to God. He had become a committed Christian, and his life's purpose would soon become clear. William worked tirelessly toward this goal. He fought to educate lawmakers on the evils of slavery and to abolish the practice. Year after year he wrote new laws, but they were always voted down. Finally, after 20 years of work, a law was passed making it illegal to capture Africans and sell them as slaves. But what about those who were already slaves? Their release would take William 26 more years. He refused to quit even when frail health
threatened to end his life or when his closest allies gave up. In July 1833, the 73-year-old William Wilberforce was sick in bed. He was awakened by loud footsteps in the hall. As his bedroom door flung open, he slowly turned his head towards the commotion. "William, have you heard? Your years of effort have finally succeeded. Parliament passed the Emancipation Bill! Slavery has finally been abolished in the British Empire!" William Wilberforce raised his head slightly and gave his friend a weak smile. Though his body would never recover, his heart was leaping for joy, thinking of the many slaves who would finally be released to live in freedom.

Love,
Hannah

For photos, I googled William Wilberforce's name and found a portrait to include with the letter!

Feel free to copy and paste this letter to your kids also!