Hey folks,
We've had yet another amazing week! This week we stayed at Rosseau River Bible Camp and went to the Rosseau River Reservation each day. Our very generous and kind hosts on the reserve; Peter and Colleen, were amazing! In the mornings we would sit and listen to different people tell their life stories and Peter taught us the creation story and other history of Indigenous culture. In the afternoon we would listen to others tell their stories and we did interactive activities such as beading, different Indigenous ceremonies, helping build a new lodge, and more. Wednesday was a big day as we prepared the sweat lodge for the sweat ceremony. I was amazed at the careful and tedious work involved in the preparing of the lodge. On the last day we also helped skin two deer, a rabbit and a wild chicken. There was a big barbecue on Saturday where we cooked and ate the meat we prepared the day before. This barbecue celebrated 10 years of Outtatown students coming to Peter and Colleen's house at the Rosseau River Reservation.
I learned so much over the course of this week, but I think the greatest thing I took away from our experience was learning the value of humility. There are definitely barriers between Christian and Indigenous beliefs, but that didn't step in the way of the friendships and personal experiences we were able to have. It is very easy to turn your ears off to someone else's way of thinking when it is different than yours, but when you put aside your pride and open your mind to another's way of life, there is so much you can learn. This has definitely been my favourite week so far and will never be forgotten.
Wish us luck as we head into this next week to attend some classes back at CMU!
Kiera & Noah
