Canadian Mennonite High School Visits Bezaleel... and beyond
Rob Cahill

and again... a group of 14 RJC students from Rosthern, Saskatchewan visited Bezaleel in the month of February. This was RJC's second visit in two years. The RJC students took part in campus life, got to know the school and its program, and worked along side of the Bezaleel students.

RJC students shared in a student assembly a slide show of life in their school. The presentation ended in a question and answer session that lasted more than thirty minutes. Students from both schools had questions for one another. It was a very possitive and interesting time of exchange.

Two years ago when RJC came for its first visit, they planted about 300 trees in the course of a week. To the eyes of Saskatchewan farmer and RJC professor, Lorne Friesen, the growth rate of the pine trees he had planted was impressive.

"Those trees, those trees, ... all my life I'd been searching for trees such as these." Dr. Seuss.

Jaron Friesen presents Manuel de Jesus with his first turkey. RJC visited Semesche' to help celebrate this event.

RJC visits the outback: The remote communities of Chijotom and Semesche' are not normally on the itinerary of tourists and adventure seekers, but they were on the itinerary of RJC. Bezaleel's MCC/HPI project is happening in both these communities so RJC went to visit.

MCC/HPI Project's third party: HPI gave the students of RJC's agriculture class 10 pregnant ewes a year ago in the spring. The class raised the lambs and sold them in the fall. The proceeds were donated to Bezaleel to buy the turkeys needed for the Semesche' community. On February 24th, RJC participated in the "passing on the gift" party in Semesche'. Twenty three families were present.

Toward future cooperation? Of course no one really knows, but plans are in place for another RJC visit to Bezaleel in 2006. In March of 2005, RJC is again receiving ewes from HPI Canada with an eye to the same project. Might the future ever hold a sister school relationship between Bezaleel and RJC, maybe it is too early to tell. But one thing is for sure, the bonds of love and the strength of solidarity are already being formed.