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I spent the month of October learning. I learned from an Indigenous Elder, how to cook for my house group, about conflict resolution, how to harvest potatoes and about who God is. October started just as we’d finished our canoe trip and finally got to settle into the rhythms of living together at the Act Five house. This month we’ve done more than just learning and had a ton of fun adventures with everything from a Ticats Game to a worship night to laser tag and apple picking. 

This month we had a trip to Six Nations where we spent the morning learning from Adrian Jacobs, an Indigenous Elder who works with the CRC churches in Caledonia. He spoke to us about what a treaty means to Indigenous Peoples and how it was never about the sale of land, it was a partnership to look after and care for resources. He taught us about the Haldimand tract and how the land that belonged to the Indigenous Peoples was dozens of times larger than what they have now. He told us about how a company tried to mine beneath his house growing up because apparently his family “only owned the top six inches”. But within that there was a piece of hope because he also told us stories of when people stood up against developers and how the community came together to protect the land. 

We’ve also been learning about Indigenous Peoples in other ways such as watching the documentary the Doctrine of Discovery. If you haven’t seen this documentary I could not recommend it more highly. The Doctrine of Discovery is about how when colonizers came to the Americas the Pope said that since the people of Europe were not aware of the Indigenous Peoples, that they were not human and anything could be done to them. The Pope reduced millions of people to being worthless in one action. 

On a much happier note we’ve also been learning about things like Asters and Goldenrod and how the purple and yellow flowers of the respective plants look gorgeous together and how some Indigenous Peoples believe that they love each other and that’s why they so often grow together. I’m really looking forward to the week-long trip we have to Manitoulin Island this month to learn from more Indigenous elders.

I also spent about four hours (two hours on two different days) with my hands in the dirt and shouting “POTATO” every time I’d catch a glimpse of the golden skin of a potato. We harvested more than fifty potatoes from the garden behind the Act Five house. I had the time of my life jumping on shovels and turning up dirt and uncovering the beauty of the potatoes.  I got to see the potatoes again on Oct. 31 when we returned to Russet House, the farm run by theologians and authors Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmat. It brought me great joy to crouch in the dirt ready to grab any potatoes that Brian uncovered. Finding potatoes is like a treasure hunt and as I sifted through the soil the joy I experienced from having potatoes in my hands is something I pray everyone will have at least once in their lives. As we worked, Brian spoke to us about many many things, sharing his wisdom and some of his thoughts about God, including the idea that not everything that happens is God’s will. This really spoke to me because of experiences from my past. I greatly appreciated how Brian and Sylvia taught us about how God does not want bad things to happen and He sits with us and mourns with us when they do. Sylvia also took us on a hike where within the forest on the property of Russet House we spoke about how God uses people who are not necessarily“Christian” to further His will like Ruth the Moabite and Rahab the prostitute. I appreciate how Brian and Sylvia teach us about parts of the bible that are frequently brushed over or ignored.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for me so far while I’m on this journey. I recently received a generous bursary from the diocese to help me pay for the program which I am extremely grateful for. As I continue through this year we will be doing a mission service trip to El Salvador for 17 days in January. https://actfive.ca/elsalvador2025 is the link if you would like to learn more. Please pray that everyone going on the trip will be able to raise enough money to go.

We still have spaghetti Wednesdays, a free community meal for anyone who would like to come.  We do accommodate many dietary restrictions including gluten and dairy free. The next spaghetti Wednesdays are November 13 and 27. We also host an Evensong in our basements every Sunday at 8. The Act Five Open House is on Saturday November 30 where we will be speaking about the program and doing house tours if you’d like to see it. Please feel free to come to any of these events. I would love to see you and tell you all about everything that I’ve learnt.

As Miranda mentions in her update, her participation in this important program of Christian formation is only possible with the generous support of her church. To keep opportunities like this available to the children and youth of our community, please consider making a donation to the Christian Youth Formation and Mission Fund at St John's. You can mark cash, cheque, or etransfer for this fund or give directly through our website. Your generosity is a blessing to younger generations that will return to the Church many times over.